The Holiday Treasure Trove

     I celebrate both Christmas and Hanukkah, which confuses a lot of people. "Wait, how can you be both--?" This FAQ is often followed by a realization. "Oh, I get it, so your parents are so religious they make you celebrate both? Do you go to temple and church? Do you get presents for both? Luck-eee!" Then I have to explain to them, yeah, I celebrate both, but I'm not really either religion, at least not that much, because my family's just not really religious at all. I never go to temple OR church, but I celebrate all the good holidays of both. Mwa-ha-ha! So now that that's all out of the way, I'll give y'all a belated description of my holiday bounty. Here's what I got in terms of sewing, in list form, since it's easier to write and read. Geez, I'm such a lazy bum, aren't I? With a British accent.
*A sewing machine! YESYESYESYESYES!!!! I'm terribly against over-punctuating things, but I think this Christmas gift deserves five gosh-darn exclamation points.
*Patterns for pants to sew--pajamas and capris. Considering that my current pajama pants are more like long shorts, I think this will be a very productive project :)
*Buttons, bows, googly eyes, beads, etc. to bedazzle my newly-sewed clothes
*One of those sewing supplies kits--it even has a pincushion with one of those little pepper things on it! AAAAH! <3 and="and" font="font" it="it" tonses="tonses">
*Cute scraps of fabric from my dad and grandma--here are some pictures of my favorite prints. Okay, they're at the bottom of the page, thanks for nothing, defective Blogger settings!
     I also got some good running things for Hanukkah, like a phone holder to go on my arm so I don't have to carry it to listen to my B.o.B and other rap stuff. I always get freaked out it's going to fall and break, and then what of my two-year contract? Scary. This way, I'll be in shape for track in the spring! Distance, y'all! Definitely join track, everyone. It's a must! 
     Plenty of art supplies are always good too--Mod Podge! Five Below, which is up there on the list of best stores ever, is where we got all our cool ornaments, except for me and my brother, who made ours. And of course, no gift-giving holiday is complete without the ritualistic giving of glitzy stationery to the oldest girl of all the Gekotty cousins. I must have a whole drawer full of the stuff! Unfortunately, I didn't get the HESS truck of my dreams, but I'll just gaze lovingly at the Gekotty boys' cars. Heh. I love my new last name.

Fashion Feature: Intro & Bobby Socks

   Allo, everyone! As y'all know, I'm an avid reader of Rookie, THE online magazine fo' teens which every girl here should check out because, y'know, its variety of categories displayed are pretty captivating for everyone (style, advice, stories, moosic, lists, DIYs, ideas, and random lovely articles thrown in). So I was just reading leisurely and I said to myself, "Hey Rhea! Why don't you take a page from the Rookie staff and make a little style "feature" thang for Eggheads so you can showcase cool stuff that you pick up from the WWW and inspire other people? Man said it would be fun..." and guess what folks? I decided it would be a positively dandy idea! And I did it! So every so often, you'll see a heading of "Fashion Feature" and an article of clothing, and you'll say to yourself, "Hey! It's time for *da-da, da-da, dude looks like a laday* Fashion Feature!" So here's my style corner-category thang; you saw it here first! C with a circle, copyrighted.
     There's nothing more sentimental and childhood-reminiscent than a lovely pair of bobby socks, yes? Plus, they look great with almost any kind of shoe you could possibly wear. I'm thinking oxfords and Airwalk-type shoes would look splendiferous with a pair of these guys! So imma jump right in with a few pictures of cuteness. I hope you guys love it and don't forget to recommend some of your own favorite clothes, be they current or retro or futuristic or none of the above. Pictures courtesy of ModCloth and American Apparel!

Also guys, I got bangs! AHHH! They're side-swept and I lurve them. Just wanted to share. OK, buh-bye, and wear your childishly decorative knee socks with joy and confidence!

Why The Newest HESS Vehicle is Too Cool for School

     I'm sure y'all have been watching TV over break (The Year Without a Santa Claus? Elf? Home Alone? Planes, Trains, and Automobiles? Seinfeld reruns? How come there are no Hanukkah movies, huh?) and have been observing plenty of commercials, unless you live in an out-of-civilization bungalow in the Alaskan tundra, which is pretty nifty if you ask me. Or if you're in Cancún with my almost-neighbor Laquifah, escaping the water and (heh heh) swine flu. Or if you're on safari in Africa, searching for coelacanths and geoducks like Little Miss Oreo. But if you're not in those debatably desirable scenarios, I would imagine you'd be spending some of your at-home time holed up in a room with a television set, watching holiday specials. So obviously y'all have seen the rated awesome HESS commercial! Every year at Christmas, my brothers (I have two) and cousins (all boys) get HESS trucks from my grandparents, and I must settle for something glittery and full of pink, fluffy stuff. Not that there's anything wrong with that. HAHAHA MOM! Okay. But y'know, this year I saw the commercial and my mind was ba-lown. *pshhh* Like that. It was so fabulous and cool, dude that I decided to dedicate an entire post to it. Watch and loooove! I'm so odd, I know. It's just one of my tics.

OOTD: Fashionably Hiking Fo' Sho'

Like the fox mask? I guess you could say that I'm Foxface. That was for all of those Hunger Games fans out there! Also, the festive lights are quite jolly too... fa la la la la.

Sweater: (ugh) Justice--in my defense, it's quite old, from my almost-tween days

Shirt: H&M, I believe...?

Jeans: H&M--why, I'm a walking (ahem, hiking) advertisement for the store!

Belt: yep, H&M

Polka-dotty socks: Ross, from my trip to San Francisco in August

An Abbreviated Anthology of Old-Fashioned Shoes

A very merry Christmas to y'all, and Hanukkah and Kwanzaa too, although Hanukkah passed and I think Kwanzaa is tomorrow.
Oxfords
 Mary Janes + snakeskin
 Kitten heels
 Sandals
Saddle shoes
Loafers

The Mrs. F Song

   Welcome, friends and foes! Hopefully no foes though. The other day in school (Friday, to be exact), me and fellow writer/commenter/Polyvorer PAHM wrote and performed a heartfelt song to our amazing language arts teacher, Mrs. F, for a Christmas present. The caring PAHM had actually bought a splendid bracelet for Mrs. F, but had left it at home, so during Enrichment, we got to work. Here are the lyrics to the catchy ditty, and I'm sure y'all will be singing along pretty soon! Old Frecklebrains said his ears were bleeding rainbow jellies of sadness and despair, but who listens to him? Note to PAHM and Little Miss Oreo: he actually said "aaaaaahhh!", ya know, the signature noise.
     This song is to the tune of Don't Stop Believin' by Journey. Give us feedback, prettay please!
                                                         THE MRS. F SONG
Just a fabulous teacher
Born and raised somewhere around heeeere (actually on the same street as me)
She took the after-school train going to J. Crew (it's her favorite store)

Teaches at                     School
Her students think she's really cool
She's the trendiest girl in the whole wide world (such a fashionable girl!)

(This is the part where MC G-bags and PAHM attempted to make a rap for me)
It all started at the field trip when we gossiped at the table (that's when our daily gossip sessions all started)
Then we found out that we were able
To do something as awesome as a fable *fable fable fable* (getting lower, end of rap)

Don't stop
The snowflakes
They're made out of popsicle stiiiicks
We helped you out by cutting the
Yearbook piiiiics *guitar noise*

     After all that jazz, we went through a few more raps and verses about the infamous love square (I'll try to make a post all about that later, but it'll be tricky, and I think all my schoolmates except me and Jack are getting tired of it) which I forget, and ended the song heroically with a "MRS. F!" and a toss of the song paper into the air a la Glee's version of Misery. It was great! See y'all later.

Wednesday Playlist: Almost Break!

     I just felt musical today. Y'know? Also, give me a ring if you have any fabulous ideas for future playlists! Themes, artists, songs, or other. Muchas gracias, personas quien leen...? I don't know how to say "audience", desafortunadamente. LOVE THAT WORD!
                                           Winter Break Playlist
*Levon: Elton John
*Dramatic Song: Tobuscus XD #terrysteve #octoemi #hashtagnoswag
*I Want to Break Free: Queen
*When I'm Gone: Eminem
*Too Legit to Quit: MC Hammer
*Run Rudolph Run: Chuck Berry (#mustacheamour--Ally's dance routine!)
*Don't You Want Me: The Human League
*Song 2: Blur
*Standing on Top of the World: Van Halen
*The Stars Look Down: Billy Elliot
*I Knew You Were Trouble: Taylor Swift (This is my arrant favorite song right now, even though I'm most certainly not a T. Swift fan.)
*Island in the Sun: Weezer

Oh The Weather Outside is Frightful

Oh The Weather Outside is Frightful by pinkyallamoda featuring a long pleated skirt

Kitschy Gifts

Kitschy Gifts by pinkyallamoda on polyvore.com

All The Volcanic Necks

All The Volcanic Necks by pinkyallamoda featuring fat face

FAIR true gingham shirt
$120 - fashion-conscience.com

Fat face
$32 - fatface.com

May high rise shorts
$185 - generalpants.com.au

Sheer stocking
modcloth.com

Dr. Martens vintage boots
etsy.com

Ted baker
tedbaker-london.com

Round sunglasses
$42 - theiconic.com.au

Fingerless mitten glove
hottopic.com

Bread-Baking Festivities

    Ooh, yum, baking bread later today. Posted right down heres is a delicious recipe that we're going to be making today in the Alien kitchen (because 'Alien' is my surname...?). It's of a certain Cheddar Cheese Bread that is sure to be spectaculamousar, so get out your bread tins (or whatever they're called. What, molds? Cups?) and start baking! Also, in the spirit of the winter present-giving holidays, look into this for future chef-mathematicians such as myself: the PI DISH!

It has the first few dozen digits of pi all around the rim. Perfect, I would imagine, for making apple pi. Pretty punny, huh? Ayo up high! So enjoy this darn-well delicious bread recipe. Good luck, chefs. Your time... starts... now. 

FOR MAKIN' THE CHEDDAR CHEESE LOAVES:

Ingredients: 3½ cups flour

1¼ tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

3 tbsp. butter, softened

4 oz. sharp orange cheddar, coarsely shredded

1¾ cups buttermilk

1. Preheat the oven to 400°. Grease two 5-by-9 loaf pans. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking soda. Using your handy-dandy fingers, mix TWO tbsp. butter into the flour mixture until well incorporated (it should look like sand). Add the cheese; toss to coat. Add the buttermilk and stir until the dough just comes together. Divide between the pans; smooth the tops.

2. Cut a shallow cross all the way across the tops of the loaves. Thinly slice the remaining 1 tbsp. butter. Place the butter in the cuts in each loaf. Bake until the top is browned and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool in the pan at least 30 minutes before slicing.

We Are Fabulous

Chuck Feline by pinkyallamoda featuring long leather gloves

The 8 Books You Meet in Heaven

   Hey, everyone! We haven't really had a book review/list on here in a while, so I figured it was jolly well time to make one. These are all awesometatious (ahem, rated awesome) books that I've just read in the past month or so, and they may be easy reads for some and hard for others. Note: I am indeed aware that many of our friends are really into fantasy and paranormal stuff (Maximum Ride, anyone?), but I'll be sorry to disappoint y'all in saying that most of these are realistic fiction. Sorry, guys! Maybe you'll assist in another more sci-fi book list centered around James Patterson next time around? Can't wait for comments! I'm going to include our current book club book on here too (5 People You Meet in Heaven) because it's really well written and makes ya think! Shout-out to Miss Giulia--grazie!
                                                             THE BOOK LIST
*Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls--the chronicles of a girl (and her 3 siblings) growing up with a tax-evading father who spends all his money on alcohol and a wishy-washy mother who would rather make detailed paintings of wildlife than care about her needy family (PLUS, it's a biography! So all this is real!), so her kids walk around cooking hot dogs on the stove at the age of three and setting themselves on fire, and getting locked in possessed playhouses, and punching their grandmas
*The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini--sorry guys, but I did my book report on this just a few weeks ago and I really, REALLY do not want to make a descriptive summary on this. But it's about a boy named Amir who lives in Afghanistan whose best friend, Hassan, is also his servant. Obviously there is some sort of squabble, and Amir and Hassan are separated when Amir and his father move to California, but Amir can't stop thinking about what he made Hassan go through for the rest of his sad, sad life...
*Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling--I would hope that y'all know the basic storyline of Jungle Book from the Disney movie, but the book itself is even cooler, if you're that kind of person. Kipling has really poetic stuff, and also he places random territorial chants that you and your friend gang can adopt and scream at that certain other group when they act like the bandar-log, aka monkey people. For example:
     Here we go in a flung festoon,
     Halfway up to the jealous moon!
     Don't you envy our pranceful bands?
     Don't you wish you had extra hands?
     Wouldn't you like it if your tails were--so--
     Curved in the shape of a cupid's bow?
        Now you're angry, but--never mind,
        BROTHER, THY TAIL HANGS DOWN BEHIND!      Genius, no?
*Theater Geek by Mickey Something-or-Other--perfect for, well, theater geeks.
*The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak--no words can truly describe this. Just get the book, is all I'm sayin'.
*Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks (?)--this is historical fiction set in 1600s-England in the lovely mountain villages where WOMEN JOLLY WELL AREN'T RESPECTED AT ALL! Now I must go read Between Shades of Gray, not to be confused with 50 Shades of That Same Colour.
*The Lorax by Dr. Seuss--I read this weekly and never get tired of it. Best message in the history of cute cartoon characters shaped like orange peanuts who despise consumerism, although I guess you can't really describe a color as a shape. Oh well.
*The Eleventh Plague by Jeff Hirsch--I must confess that I haven't actually finished reading it yet, but it's very futuristic and sort of reminds me of The Hunger Games because the world is sort of annihilated beyond repair, and there's also some forbidden romance going on... ooooh! To Amour--"A whole conversation! So proud!"
    So that's all for now, everyone! Thanks for listening and read these awesome books. Stay tuned for an extracurriculars post, a Studio Ghibli post (Taliaaa...?), and more! Yahoo! Okay, bye all.

We're Gonna (pause) Rumble, Tumble

    Today is our grade's ''cultural" field trip to go see a Spanish dancing performance (cueCA! CueCA!) and afterwards eat out at Madeleine's Petit Paris, which is supposedly a delicious French restaurant, even though us kids only got three choices of entree and dessert and appetizer, a few of which aren't even French. But they do have chocolate mousse, which is the greatest thang ever, though I doubt they could beat my mom in the making of it.*

    I'm wearing my Tier-3-in-the-handbook outfit-- pictured above... can't wait, everybody! I get to sit with PAHM and Chippy (lol) at a table! WOOT WOOT
Skirt--H&M
Sweater--No clue
Tights--Borrowed from Amour dear

News Update: Life In General

    Soooo, everyone! I don't aim to (heh! I sound so Southern--is that what they look like where you come from in the South? LOL Santana and Glee referencing! Tess, Amour, Jezebel, and PAHM) bore you with stats of the election and Hurricane Sandy aka Frankenstorm (which approx. NO% of everyone called it, by the way, so Steph--swan--was right!), but I just didn't want there to be any sort of missing link in the chronicle that is my life--hint, hint to all you aspiring biography writers out there...
    So, y'all! After Sandy came, we were out of power for a few hours shy of a whole entire week, with no generator or nothin' because my dad was on a business trip in Chicago. My days were spent working ferociously on a 1000-piece puzzle of Times Square that is positioned on the dining-room table so that everyone's all like, "Hurry it up already! We. Want. To. Eat!" but they can just eat at the kitchen island, can't they? I also stuck stickers onto index cards and tore them off again--which totally ruined the adhesive part and was extraordinarily sad--and watched Billy Elliot on the portable DVD player (curse you, grainy screen), and debated whether or not I should work on my book report, which was due today, but decided that I write better under pressure (what a lie, ha) so I waited until last week and banged it all out then. Heh. I did it on The Kite Runner, which is definitely on my favorite-books list. Y'all should read it! So that was the exciting week that I had. But THEN! My dad was our hero! He decided to rent a minivan and drive alllll the way from Chicago to our town, which I think took about 14 hours, without stopping at a hotel or anything, because his flight into La Guardia was canceled. Cue epiphany music. Or just this.
    Of course, Halloween was canceled too, so I spent this long waited-for day eating leftover Halloween candy and walking to the library to check out both volumes of Season 2 of Glee with Jezebel, where we declared we were being utterly unsocial. Also, do not be led to think that The Wiz is not a good movie, even though it has MJ in it.
    Look forward to a craft post or sumthin' soon! Au revoir. Have a lovely life. Note to Shannie-Deer: "I thought we were taking Canadian French...!" Oh, Marvin. Yes, Amour. His name is Marvin.

Look What I Made! DIY to Come Later

Pre-Sandy

   Well, I'm trying to get another quick post in before Sandy supposedly hits; we're all watching the news and it seems like Atlantic City will be hit the most. So we're good! I doubt we'll lose power, though. WE WILL SURVIVE! Best wishes to you all and good luck! (This translates to 'stock up on as much gas and milk jugs and mayo as possible, and also charge all the Cub Scout lanterns and flashlights because Dad isn't home, and teach your daughter how to open the floo of our fireplace because otherwise, says the Friendly Neighbor, fire and smoke will get all over your house, provoking a slight panic attack' in Storm.) See you guys soon!

A Very Billy Halloween

   So as we are aware, Halloween is approaching! The Halloween Carnival at FMS was on Friday (yeahhh, Jezebel the Wolf) and there were a lot of cool costumes, mostly three-year-old boys clad in awesome cartoonish masks and 10-year-old girls in Flintstone costumes (okay, THAT was just rated awesome). My Halloween creation this year was Billy Elliot! I had a long list, too, down below:
*R2-D2
*A sticker/stamp like the one on Rookie: 
*A sandwich... what on Earth possessed me to think being a SANDWICH Y'ALL of all things? Jeez.
*Honey Boo-Boo ;) naw, that's a joke
*Michael Jackson (until SYDNEY decided to be him and even went as far as suggesting she wear a bow tie, which is just... evil. But it'll look awesome, I bet...)
*Freddie Mercury (cough, cough)
*Sandy from Grease (which would have been especially funny right now)
*a car!
*Chris Colfer

   The costume comprised a blue boy's button-down, courtesy of Children's Place (it's a wonder I still fit into all the stuff in that place. I found this uh-mazing pair of brown sneakers that would have looked great with googly eyes, but seeing as I already have hoarded too many pairs of shoes, I let it take up space on the shelf.) like THIS.
   Then my ever-helpful mother (the polls are up! Hah... Calvin and Hobbes reference) went to Target for me and bought the ultimate, pink, frothy tutu that outlines a 5-year-old girl's heaven (and I suppose mine too... and I'm a lot older than 5), like THIS lovely guy.

   The inspiration was this scene in Billy Elliot: the song Expressing Yourself (Madmoo's and my anthem at gym...) when Billy, Michael, and Background Dancer #1 are dancing with tutus. Beautiful.
 The rest of the outfit was just jeans, brand-spanking-new Capezio ballet slippers from a real live dance store (how was I supposed to know the proper ballet-slipper etiquette in that place?!), one of my beloved ties, and a duffel bag from AZ Flyer decorated with rated-awesome gold letters saying ELLIOT so at least one person at school may have the faintest idea of who I might be. I swear! Has no one ever seen Billy? Gawsh.

Presidential Tics

   Hello, all! I'm writing this while half-watching the Presidential Debate on CBS, so I probably will have a short attention span and/or start exclaiming about HOW MY DAD AND I TIE-DYED MY TIGHTS IN THE BASEMENT SINK WITH RIT DYE. I apologize in advance for that. So anyway, here is a short list of amusing things that I've noticed about each of the presidential candidates as they rant about whatever issue is going on during which segment of what. Enjoy and relate! I tried to seem impartial, but please comment if you think I was more critical of one over another. Thanks!
     THE LIST OF TICS THAT OBAMA AND ROMNEY DO A LOT, AND A LOT
*how much more awesome Romney's tie is than Obama's (sorry, sorry! Just had to comment about the ties... should I wear one tomorrow to Tie-Dye Day?)
*how often Romney messes up his words and says, "Er... excuse me, er-er-er," followed by a sentence that makes no sense

*how much Obama moves his thumb whenever he talks ^^ (short thumbs video up here)
*Romney's little smirk whenever Obama is making a point
*Obama's constant interrupting whenever Romney is talking
*how neither of them let that Bob Schieffer guy talk at ALL, y'all
*how Romney always crinkles his eyebrows when Obama is talking
*how they don't actually ANSWER the question, they just talk about whatever the llama they want to talk about
*how Obama loooooves to tell Romney that he's contradicting himself (you can practically feel the entertainment radiating off of him)
*how Romney is sweating a lot
*how ancient that Bob guy is (like, who let him be the one to host this thing?)
*how funny it would be if I found that meme of Obama and Romney with swapped hair
*how Obama seems to agree a lot with what Romney says, but at the same time disagree (if that makes sense...)
*Obama keeps opening his mouth but doesn't actually say anything
*how Obama keeps saying, "Uh, uh, uh"
*how come that sparkly star is on ROMNEY'S jacket, eh? Why not the Bob guy's?
*how it would be funny if Vermin Supreme got elected instead
   So that's about it for now! For those who have watched the debate and actually paid attention (cough cough, not me), good job and good endurance. Au revoir!
P.S. OOOOOH! I found that leetle picture that I was talking about before! Heh. Obama looks really old! And Romney looks like he should be in Big Nate. 

Obviously, A Schmoyoho Video That I Simply Must Post

   I have the lyrics and chords too, if anyone ELSE falls in love with this song... sigh.
 Link --> --> Songify This--Can't Hug Every Cat 

   And here are the lyrics and chords, because you love them. And this song. Because the Gregory Brothers + Sarah (I had to google her name; how embarrassing) are uh-mazing.

Intro: C  G  D

         G          D
I love cats, i love every kind of cat
         G                        D
I just wanna hug all them, but i can't
                 C                    G        D
Can't hug every cat, can't hug every cat
So anyway

       C
I'm a cat lover and i love to run -
     G                                D
I'm sorry - i'm thinking about cats again
               C                              G
I really love cats, i'm thinking about cats again
                 D
And again, and again, and again, and again

   C
I think about how many of them don't have a home
     Am     D                  Am  D
And how i should have them
   Am
I think about how cute they are
And how their ears
And the whiskers in the nose

         C               Am
I just love them, and i want them
       G
And i want them in a basket
And i want little bow ties
         C
I just love them, and i want them
             G
To be on a rainbow and in my bed
    D                        C
And i just want us to roll around
(to roll around, round, round, round)

Certifiable Space Case

   Geez, guys! So many birthdays! Tomorrow is my brother's (double digits to him) and also my bestie EJ's. On the 12th is my grandma's and also someone else's who I forget, and on the 27th (I know, a while from now, but still...) is my dear yogini friend's! :) Oh, you... And also on the list is AZ Flyer's, whose already passed on the 2nd. I guess imma gonna have to wait until March. Sigh...
   Today is a space slideshow, because space is uh-mazing. THEN we're gonna have some space-inspired outfits! Totally tubular, huh?
 These are dying stars, y'all! I found it on sciencedaily.com, because I'm such a geek that I routinely search this site for cool goings-on in the world of ciencias. If you are interested in the articles, go to this helpful page and read your little computer hearts out! You won't regret this...
 And THIS, by the way, is titled "stellar cannibalism." Let's all just think about that one for a little while.
 It doesn't get much cooler than a molecular cloud... whatever that may be. Shannie-Deer, look it up, please! :)
 Yet ANOTHER molecular cloud. Aren't they popular? I guess they're the new thing. I really really really want this for my wallpaper.
   So now for the clothes! Here is le first outfit:
~ nice and bright Schiaparelli sweater to match all the molecular-cloud action (like Telt's pumpkin mini!)
~cool asymmetrical ruffled skirt (I think it's pinstriped, too! Bonus!)
~ obviously I had to add some knee socks in there, but these guys have a nice floral pattern and the rims are brownish to match the flowers
~ some epic old lady shoes
~ these cool wiry earrings with pinkalicious beads on the ends--what's not to love?
~ crown made out of board game pieces

We Love Tae Kwon Do

   This is a post that was requested by a certain AZ Flyer (hey there, you!) about a new TAE! KWON! DO! class that we're taking nowadays. It's totally rated awesome! Though me and my friend Amour are only white belts in class, we shall most certainly conquer this class... oh yeah. Besides being fun, tae kwon do is, well, a good life skill 'cause it's a self-defense course. So far we know how to punch, do a front snap kick which is when the kick is straight in front of us (sorry for the lousy description; I don't really know how to explain it), do a side kick which is to the side, and do a turning kick, which is tricky for us newbies but AZ Flyer the Black Belt has got it down. Such a role model! And such a short post! I'm sorry there's been a brief hiatus a la Ke$ha (key dollar sign ha, all you Gleeks out there!!!) on this blog, but don't worry; it's fall now, and October, and Halloweentime, and it all rocks. It all rocks. PLUS we get to wear jeans and scarves. Red skinny jeans.
   All in the spirit of fall,
Me xx

Polyvore Updates

Shout-out to everyone who's joined Polyvore! Gosh, there certainly are a lot...

@ellabloss

@terrysteve

@mustacheamour

@octoemi

@nvadon

Y'all are awesome! I do wish that @maxiecat and @tessrules4eva would get back on here because you both are awesome at it and Telt, you were the one who told me to JOIN Polyvore in the FIRST place! I hope you guys both realize that you are superbly fabulous at making sets, and come ba-a-a-a-ck! This wasn't much of a post, but I just wanted to say that I hope you're enjoying yourselves!

Typewriter Thrills

   I really must stop with the blog-title alliterations, shouldn't I?
   So guys, the typewriter that I ordered on eBay last Monday came yesterday! It's a real beauty. Unfortunately, the ribbon is really not too good, so I can't type much until the ribbon comes, which I ordered just about 10 or 15 minutes ago, sooo we'll see how that works out. I can make indents in the paper (ooh, aah), but that's just about it for now. But that's fine; I'm perfectly content just gazing ecstatically at it on its perch on my desk. WOOT! 
   Yesterday we (Mom, Dad, me, and little brothers) went into the city for a seemingly cool Italian festival in Little Italy, and we had a great time. The festival itself was really crowded and chaotic and all that good stuff, so everyone was getting kind of meltdown-y. But the savory crepes and sights were both quite good! Fall rocks. There was this cool street vendor who sold little wrist cuffs sewed by her and her partner out of other clothes. My mom got a brown one with a zipper on it and I got a green one made out of a t-shirt. Here's a picture of that; I'm wearing it today--

 The website for the different accessories is right here, for those interested. It's a tad pricey, but it's a cool idea. They make wallets, necklaces, cuffs, and scarves all by themselves!

   We sat down at a little playground and ate crepes, pizza, and gigantic chunks of watermelon, and then my mom and I decided to go over to a nearby rice pudding place called Rice to Riches, only because it looked busy and my grandma (shout-out to Grandma, allo!) is always talking about it. It was deee-licious! They just had the coolest flavors and it tasted real good. My dad looked up the recipe for my favorite flavor, chocolate chip, so if we ever get around to making it, I'll post the recipe here! 

   Hope y'all liked the cuff, and if you ever venture out into the city and someone suggests Rice to Riches, don't be disgusted by the idea of rice pudding! This certain someone is a wise... person. Take the tip! 

Yours truly,

TAFKA Pinky

DIY: How to Find the Perfect Place

   So what exactly do these places all have in common? Easy peasy. These little, oh-I-don't-know habitats are some of my favorite places! Today I have a bit of a DIY to help you lot find your favorite hiding spots. I've composed a list of places that I love and feel most happy, thoughtful and/or comfortable in. Be sure to share yours if you have any through comments! Note: these specials aren't in any particular order, so don't be all, "MY house should be number ONE because it's AWESOME; WHY isn't it even on the JOLLY-well darn LIST?!" and do an angry dance a la Billy Elliot. Just don't, please. 
                                                    ~The Infamous List~
1. Sitting in my Japanese maple tree, preferably listening to my portable radio and reading
2. Strolling around a posh city with GANGNAM STYLE
3. Dipping my feet in Jezebel's lake house lake
4. Eating mozzarella sticks at the kitchen counter
5. Gazing out my raindrop-encrusted window while listening to some alternative music (or Pink)
6. Swinging on any old abandoned park swing against the wind
7. This amazingly peaceful place called Land's End in San Francisco; it used to be this old baths place but now it's just kind of like a nature reserve
8. My comfy beige chair in my room where I listen to my iPod and write letters to acquaintances
   And d'you know what? That's about all I can think of right now, so let's get it started on the do-it-yourself part of this post. New paragraph...
   So it's pretty darn simple to discover what your favorite places are, but there are a few rules and regulations that you must perform first. Numero uno is to--obviously--listen to your favorite music, because if you're an avid music fan like me and every other tween/teen girl in this technology-based world, you know that listening to music is a temporary cure for almost any problem. Just turn on your musical device and listen to your choice of Michael Jackson (dur), or Maroon 5, or Queen, or the Archers of Loaf, or something along those lines. I repeat: easy peasy.
   Second rule of initiation--you should probably look around a lot. Y'know, just kind of examine what setting you're in. Say you're in New York City. If you check out all the noises and smells and buildings and such, you'll get a sense of whether or not you actually like the place you're in.
   Third rule--if you can, doodle a little, cause doodling is (a) fun and (b) superbly creative. And that's about all there is to it.
   Yours truly,
TAFKA Pinky

Les Sketches (seriously pardon my French!)

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These here are some of my sketches from San Francisco that I was telling y'all about. Now, I must give credit where credit is due because I didn't actually draw the outline of the people; my dad was superbly impressed with me because he thought I drew them. Here is a little roleplay I concocted that was based on the actual conversation. Starring TAFKA PINKY! And... Dad.

Dad: Wow. I mean, seriously, wow! How did you learn to sketch like this?!

Me: *smiles bashfully* Um, well, it's not that good...

Dad: Yes it is! I mean, how did you get the eyes to look like that? (On this certain sketch, I had just happened to give the girl cat-eye makeup, so I thought he was talking about that.)

Me: I dunno. But it's kind of messy. Not that good.

Dad: Well, okaaaay... may I ask why you outlined them all in pink instead of pencil?

Me: Um, I didn't. I didn't actually draw that part, just the clothes, hair, and makeup.

Dad: WHATTA?! Um. Oh. Well... the clothes are... nice. *lumbers off*

So, yeah. That's the story... thanks, Dad! I hope y'all like these sketches. Be sure to comment which one(s) are your favorites, por favor. Thanks for listening! --TAFKA Pinky