it's a beautiful things.

i've been lax in my communications, apologies all around. a bit financially stressed and snotty. between that and this weather? yuck. i've been doing nothing but eating butterfingers and neglecting to brush my teeth. oh, but i am moving on up and out of these depths! i am planning on buying a neti pot soon and have a job interview coming up. huzzah! to make it up to myself and both of my faithful readers, i will post my rants and raves this week (a day late) on my scheduled day of rest. and where was my craft on tuesday? what did i make? i'll tell you: i made it through one more week without decapitating myself or anyone else and sometimes that's all you can hope for. so here we go, my foray into hate and happy:

this is old news, but there is a remake of ayn rand's (lengthy but mind blowing) novel atlas shrugged in the works. i may be in the minority when i say that reading ayn rand made me the person i am. people either love her or loathe her, but most people i have talked to cannot stand her. that isn't the point of this, though. what i really want to know is who the dumbfucks are that decided to cast angelina jolie in the role of dagny taggart. really? isn't it bad enough that every reporter that interviews her strokes angie's ego like it's the head of baby jesus? and yes, we all know that you're beautiful, brad is beautiful, babies of every color are beautiful, your family is better than all of us, and you give great bitchface. but do you, saint angelina, veiny armed goddess of orphaned children everywhere, have to accept a role in which the character you are playing is, for all intents and purposes, a selfish bitch? you may have the bitch persona down, but selfish people don't become UN ambassadors. ayn rand has just died another death. angelina says she is a fan, but i have to know if she has ever read any of rand's novels? a hedonist and an objectivist are not the same thing.

and i'm so excited about this future rant, so here is a little preview...why does a woman's (or man's, though much less often) body have to be used to sell something? is that all she (or he) is really worth? coming soon, it's going to be a biggie.

and just a few of my favorite things this week, most of all being my friggin' awesome star trek TNG action figures (pictured above) that my lovely beau spotted for me in the salvation army earlier today! they were mint, still in the box, but i had to take them out and accessorize them. yes, geordi looks like he's sporting a murse, but check those dilithium crystals! and i got a borg! two borg actually but michael grabbed one for his studio. and how huge was my crush on data? infinite, and still is. ahhh, middle school. and look at what else i found! way pricey but perhaps we can band together and find a suitable facsimile? also, these altered books, which i would use as bookends if i could make them. i have neither the patience nor stamina to maim books in such a way. i respect them far too much, but aren't they pretty? and also, these magical rainbow undies! i'm ordering mine when (and it's only a matter of time) i get this job. buy yours too, and we shall have a slumber party! ther are a few other things i saw on the interweb that made my heart all fluttery, but i'm going to try to make them myself. prepare yourself for a brand new episode of "triumph or learn from desiree's mistakes" on tuesday!

rants and raves, first edition.

some people call me a professional bitcher. i don't really think i confine myself to bitching really, because i am just as vocal about the thing i adore. i just happen to be very, very vocal. and why the hell shouldn't i be, right? so maybe by getting my gripes out on a weekly and anonymous basis, i will save my friends some eye rolling.

something i've noticed lately is the absolute travesty that is considered fashion. there are hundreds, thousands even, of blogs dedicated to documenting what amounts to a 15 year old girl's overambitious daily outfits. i wanted to put a few links in, but hated to call anyone specific out. some people don't understand that wearing one trend (as long as it isn't incredibly ugly in the first place- put down the neon animal prints! put down the uggs and the jeans that double as leggings! ) can make you look chic and polished, while wearing all of them at once just looks a little sad. kind of like you got lost on the road to making your own fashion choices and threw your hands in the air as a decision to not decide. and really, are drop crotch pants flattering on anybody? is it now a goal to look like a diaper-wearing penguin? i'll stick with my straight leg jeans and chucks, thanks.

oh, there are so many reasons i am glad that we are saying goodbye to george bush. however, some of his idiocy will remain. such as his midnight hhs rule that allows healthcare providers to not only deny access to information and services, but will also let them redefine abortion to include several common methods of birth control. really. this means that a doctor or nurse who does not agree with a woman's right to use birth control can refuse to prescribe it or give her a list of doctors who will provide it. i'm not going to get on a pedestal about any of this, but if you want more information or an opportunity to get involved, visit the planned parenthood website.

also, i loathe driving. and i hate cars.

but on to better and shinier things. i adore the above picture. it, and others like it, can be found at the lovely fotos de almanaque. lately i have been wanting to learn to crochet or knit or sew (all three are beyond me), and it is all because of these dolls and this little guy. they have warmed my heart lately. and beadboard ceilings! actually, i love beadboard on everything! and for when you are feeling bored and hungry but indecisive, there is the noodle oracle. i've already tried a few of these ideas and love them, now if they could just develop a rice oracle...