The petting guide

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Tastefully Offensive on Tumblr

Definition from Wikipedia: Meh is an interjection, often used as an expression of indifference or boredom. It can also be used as a verb, (rendering something uninteresting, boring or useless to the beholder) and an adjective, meaning mediocre, boring, or apathetic.

Thought moments

I love the film maker's technique of slowing the motion so we see the facial manifestation of each person's thought process as they ponder their answers to each question given to them.

The body snatchers

I received this in one of those viral emails so I can't quote the source. Both my husband and I laughed so hard when we read it that I wanted to share it online.


DIRE Warning to Women.

THIS IS NOT A HOAX. WARN YOUR FRIENDS!

This is happening to women everywhere, every night. This has happened to me and it is very, very scary - so please be on your guard at all times!

You've heard about people who have been abducted and had their kidneys removed by black-market organ thieves.

My thighs were stolen from me during the night a few years ago. I went to sleep and woke up with someone else's thighs. It was just that quick. The replacements had the texture of cooked oatmeal. Whose thighs were these and what happened to mine? I spent the entire summer looking for my thighs. Finally, hurt and angry, I resigned myself to living out my life in jeans.

And then the thieves struck again. My bum was next. I knew it was the same gang, because they took pains to match my new rear-end to the thighs they had stuck me with earlier. But my new bum was attached at least three inches lower than my original! I realized I'd have to give up my jeans in favour of long skirts.

Two years later, I realized my arms had been switched. One morning I was drying my hair and was horrified to see the flesh of my upper arm swing to & fro with the motion of the hairbrush. This was really getting scary - my body was being replaced one section at a time. What could they do to me next?

When my poor neck suddenly disappeared and was replaced with a turkey neck, I decided to tell my story.

BTW - These same thieves come in my closet and shrank my clothes! How do they do it????

Women of the world wake up! Smell the coffee! Those 'plastic' surgeons are using REAL replacement body parts -stolen from you and me! The next time someone you know has something 'lifted', look again - was it lifted from you?

P.S.: Last year I thought some one had stolen my boobs, too. I was lying in bed and they were gone! But when I jumped out of bed, I was relieved to see that they had just been hiding in my armpits as I slept. Now I keep them hidden in my waistband.

10 detours to silly stumbles

Some stuff and nonsense to browse through on this rainy, Sunday evening.


Pets That Want to Kill Themselves: Totally self-explanatory.

Life Lesson #132 - Twitter: Status updates put into proper perspective.

Bank Refuses $80K Loan; Annoyed Man Withdraws $190K From Bank!: Quote from the page, "Having decided to withdraw his money, he then decided to make it hard for the bank by requesting payment in $20 bills." Serves that stupid bank right.

The PSB Gallery of Thrift Store Art: Some bizarre pieces in this gallery.

Awful Library Books: Egads & gadzooks! There is no hyperbole involved in the name of this web site.

43 Weird Things Said in Job Interviews: What a bunch of dough heads.

NY Times Designer Lid: Some craft ideas should be left as that: ideas.

Girl Falls into Manhole While Texting: Parents Sue: I guess any other response would include responsibility, which I'm guessing is not a strong point for this child and her parents.

Tattoos: From the Eco-Themed to the Under-Skin Touch Screen: You MUST see the touch screen.

The Grizzly Bear Chair: Presented to Andrew Jackson in 1865.

Puhlease, People: Hello Kitty mansion. OK, OK, I confess...I put it in because I think it's cute. Sue me!

YAHOO...I won this calendar

I'm so excited that I can hardly contain myself because I really wanted to win this calendar.

If you would like to take a closer look, there are pictures of all the illustrations at Ana Aceves blog. The title of that page is 'Thank You Giveaway' but really, it is me who is thanking her!

Ana also has web site that features her beautiful paintings and illustrations.

10 vintage film stumbles

The thumbnails are screenshots from the respective animations at YouTube and GUBA. Along with the 10 vintage films, you might want to view the animation timeline compiled by Animazing at the following link: The History of Animation




Felix the Cat in Hollywood (1923)






Little Rascals - School's Out (1930)






Betty Boop - Jack and the Beanstalk (1931)






Mickey's Orphans (1931)





Piano Tooners (1932)





Popeye - I Yam What I Yam(1933)





A Fireman's Life(1933)



The Old Mill Pond (1936) - Cab Calloway, Ethel Waters, Fats Waller, Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, Mills Brothers, Stepin Fetchit, Louis Armstrong




A Ride for Cinderella(1937)





Mother Goose Goes to Hollywood (1938)

40 years ago

Photograph: NASA

40 years ago I remember the excitement and joy of watching Neil Armstrong taking his first steps on the moon.

Look at Mission Control Centre! The large screen monitors and the abundance of computers were the stuff of dreams 40 years ago and it's only in the past decade that these technologies are available to the ordinary citizen.

Free photography course

There is a free, 4-week, online webinar, photography course put on by creativetech tips. The 1st date was today but there are 3 more left. They are still accepting registrations.

Here is the info:

This special course is taught by photographer John Greengo from the PBS series Art Wolfe’s Travels to the Edge.

If you are interested, go to the following link to sign up for the remaining 3 sessions: http://creativetechs.com/freephotographycourse

July 15: Week 1 - Overview. Life of a World Traveling Photographer.
July 22: Week 2 - Your Camera.
July 29: Week 3 - Your Technique.
Aug 5: Week 4 - Composition Secrets

Shapes & colours

Makoto Yabuki portrays bringing the artistic process to life with shapes and colours. He has 4 other videos online at Vimeo.


White Box from makoto yabuki on Vimeo.

Design by the book

A New York Library & design*sponge collaborative project following 5 artists telling how the library has been an inspiration for their art.

A good read

The Gargoyle, Canadian Andrew Davidson's debut novel, is a story of many stories. It intertwines cultures, history, medicine, mental illness, religion, love and life's struggles in a tremendously engaging way. It is difficult to put it down and, while occupied in other activities, I've found my attention often wandering back to this complex tale.

Davidson captures your attention immediately with overwhelming descriptions, that leave little to the imagination, of the horrendous car accident that leaves the main character barely alive and virtually burnt to a crisp.

He also uses a technique that I usually find quite irritating; injecting himself into the text. It's not overdone and, in this case, creates a feeling of collusion.

Burned by Love web page features an audio excerpt of Chapter 1.

Amazon features a 4-1/2 minute video of Andrew Davidson sharing one of his favourite love stories from his novel.

You can visit Andrew Davidson's personal blog at goodreads®.

10 photography stumbles

In previous posts, I've mentioned that I'm learning to use my new-to-me camera. There are many web sites that provide helpful tips for improving photography skills. Here are some links to ones I liked enough to bookmark:

78 Photography Rules for Complete Idiots

The 10 Most Common Photographic Mistakes

How to Photograph Fireworks Displays

An Introduction to Advanced Photography Tips

How to Take Better Photographs

Bernie's Better Beginner's Guide to Photography for Computer Geeks Who Want to be Digital Artists

8 Guidelines To Taking Panoramic Photos With Any Camera

10 Ways to Take Stunning Portraits

A Rookie Guide to Digital SLR Cameras

Digital Photography Tutorials

The next big something

The next big something will happen in Chicago on 9/9/09.



The film project is currently being created with 300 strangers from around the world. You can view the progression of this project so far at: The Beckoning of Lovely

Authenticity

There is a wonderful web site online called Ordinary Courage. Dr. Brené Brown's entries about authenticity are inspiring. I encourage you to explore her site.

Quote: "Perfectionism is a self-destructive and addictive belief system that fuels this primary thought: “If I look perfect, live perfectly, and do everything perfectly, I can avoid or minimize the painful feelings of shame, judgment, and blame.”

Quote from Dr. Brown's bio: "Dr. Brené Brown is a writer, researcher, and educator. She is a member of the research faculty at the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work where she has spent the past ten years studying connection - specifically authenticity, belonging, and shame, and the affect these powerful emotions have on the way we live, love, parent, work and build relationships."

Missing home

Home is Nova Scotia. Here are some photos of it from my favourite photographer, my husband. Please do not use or copy these photographs without permission.

Halifax Skyline

Halifax-Dartmouth Ferry
Peggy's Cove

Ocean Surf at Peggy's Cove


Fishing Boats in Yarmouth


Vineyard in Annapolis Valley

Path at Spectacle Lake

Expecting a grandbaby

Congratulations to our daughter and her husband, who are expecting their second child in March 2010. We are so excited!

10 bizarre stumbles

You never know what you are going to find when stumbling.

There, I Fixed It: User photo submissions that take DIY projects to a whole new level of absurdity. The faucet repair is priceless.

Wiener Designs: A slideshow of some submissions in Minnesota's first annual Hot Dog Dressing Contest. By dressing, they don't mean condiments.

SMS SOS: The text messaging hall of shame.

20 Scary Old School Surgical Tools: Take into consideration that most of these were probably used before general anesthesia was introduced! Can you imagine being awake and watching those instruments at work on you?

Bagelheads: The latest body manipulation trend.

World's Biggest Alarm Clock Shakes You Out of Bed: There have been mornings when this would have come in very handy.

Tweet Bubble Series: Fashions for twits. The first picture looks normal enough.

The 13 Most Unintentionally Disturbing Children's Toys

4 Holy Women Transformed by Cheese: Proof positive that there really is an alternate cheese universe.

This Vending Machine Sells What?!: Sushi anyone?

Light up the sky!

Beautiful paper sculpting

This was found on Tokyobling's blog. I can't even imagine the patience of Wataru Itou, a young art university student in Tokyo. It is made entirely of paper took him over 4 years to make.

My very first drawing

I did this by following the first exercise in Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards, which has collected dust on my bookshelf for eons. It was published in 1979. A high school art teacher, who used it for his classes, recommended it. He confidently asserted that, by following the exercises in the book, anyone could learn how to draw.

Betty updated the book under the title The New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain and there is also a workbook available called The New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain Workbook: Guided Practice in the Five Basic Skills of Drawing.