Caffeine By Afrida: December 2009

Walzer!

Happy New Year, Prosit Neujahr, et Bonne Année et Bonne Santé!

Love,
Michelle and Laura

I got the chance to shoot a friend's son and his girlfriend. They are expecting their baby girl in 3 weeks and the photo shoot was a Christmas present to them from his mom. It's a 2 parter, we'll get together after the baby is born too.

These are probably my favourite. I love K's face in both of them. These were taken outside on the far side of the garage where the lighting is awesome because it reflects off both houses.

We did the indoor shoot in my living room, which isn't the best for lighting, today would have been better with all the snow outside reflecting the light into my living room, oh, well, we can't always have what we want.

K wanted the black and white with the bow in pink. This is a test of my photoshopping skills but Grandma says she loves them.

I hope everyone has a great New Year's! Stay safe!

Validation

I saw this on Cathy Z's site and thought it was great. It's just over 16 min. of your life that you won't get back, but I'm sure you won't mind. It's a great feel good clip.
You...You are AWESOME, thanks for letting me share the last year with you!

SERENITY NOW!!!

A couple of posts back I listed my New Year's Resolutions for 2009.

I'm not going to mention the ones I didn't achieve, but I will go over the progress I made in the past year.

I DID drink less Diet Coke and more water, although I still have lots of work to do in that department. Aspartame is poison. I need to stop ingesting large quantities of it.

I cut down on the cheap crap. I carefully thought about my purchases and I am working on building a wardrobe full of nice quality pieces that I can mix and match. Now I just have to purge the pile of crap on my guest room bed and get it all organized. Baby steps people.

Next step, focusing on decorating some of the rooms in my house that look like college dorm rooms.

I have been replacing negative thoughts with positive ones on a case by case basis. I've also been working on holding my tongue. Maybe someday I'll master the art of Zen. Once again, baby steps.

I will also be on Twitter alot less. Since my Blackberry broke I realize how distracting it is. Sorry to be a buzz kill, but it's bad for my brain.

Finally, I want to pick a charity to work with this year with my children. I'm torn between a local soup kitchen and the S.P.C.A. We're animal lovers so I'm leaning towards the S.P.C.A., but then I think maybe working with humans is more important. Any thoughts?

I'll leave you with a prayer I'm going to look at whenever I feel challenged in 2010. I'm sure you're seen it. It's The Serenity Prayer, and it's not just for people in AA. It's really simple, and so profound. Read it, and think about it. If we could all live it, our lives would improve.

Many of us spend too much time anxious about things we cannot change: the economy, the weather, traffic on the freeway, or people who annoy us. As a result, we don’t have the energy to make the most of the opportunities we do have. Recognizing the difference between what we can and cannot change can help us live more peaceful and productive lives.

The Serenity Prayer

God, grant me the serenity

To accept the things I cannot change;

The courage to change the things that I can;

And the wisdom to know the difference.

Happy New Year.

Riding, raining and rodeos.

Well this christmas holiday season sure has been a soggy one. This is okay if all you want to do is sit inside, play Wii and eat too much food. As we prefer to go outside and ride and come home and consume too much food, however, the rain has been a wee bit of a dampener.

ONE HD's televising of the American Rodeo series has been a lifesaver...it's like a train wreck—I don't want to look, but I can't tear myself away...

That being said, we have used every possible break in the dark and thunderies to get out for a pedal, especially while we were loafing around the Sunshine Coast. Having work obligations yesterday meant that we are back in Brisbane, where the weather is if anything far worse than that of the coast!

Being a bit tired of the bitumen, I did get out for a dirty pedal this morning with DH.

We headed to Bunya, as the rocky, gritty surface holds up far better than any other trail network in the greater Brisbane area. Daisy Hill is greasier than wrestling pythons in the mud when wet, while much of Gap Creek holds up to the rain, when it gets boggy there it is reaaallly muddy.

And I don't fancy having to replace my entire drivetrain after one ride thankyou-very-much.

So Bunya it was, and it was fun. For some strange reason it doesn't seem like hitting the ground will hurt as much when it's wet—almost like the rocks are softer?

Daft thoughts, perhaps, but it makes me rail a bit better!

Anyway, I really love my X0 Grip Shift,and I am praying that XX will have their own twisty shifters soon, so I am in the middle of composing a haiku for it*. Stay tuned for said poetry...

Twisty, shifty goodness...

*(clearly I need a new hobby)

Things I Don't Want To See in The Next Decade

Spending today looking back at 2000-2009, I've realized there were a lot of heinous trends during these last ten years. Here are the ones I love to hate and hope don't make a comeback in 2030.

Butterfly Hair Clips
These were everywhere in the early 2000s.
The big ones that would "flutter" were particularly heinous.

Faux Tiffany Jewelry
Tiffany's attempt to break into a younger demographic resulted in
a whole bunch of cheap knockoffs and an over saturation of the market.

The North Face Fleece Jacket
Apparently some people find that living in the suburbs
demands wearing hiking gear.

Culturally Ignorant Accessories
Nothing says I don't keep up with world politics like wearing
a keffiyeh out on the town while you're throwing back
shots and taking dumbass pictures.

Vera Bradley Handbags
Nobody should want to carry a purse that resembles a pot holder.
An overpriced, horrifically patterned pot holder at that.

Colored Wayfarers
Very few people can pull of the regular Wayfarers,
despite how many try to replicate the look of the
flavor-of-the-moment actor or actress
Things only look exponentially worse in technicolor brights.

The "It" Bag
It may be expensive and hard to find, but most of the "it" bags
from years past have not become classics, but tragically outdated.

Ed Hardy
Nothing screams nouveau riche quite like Ed Hardy.
Just because something is pricey does not mean it's
elegant or desirable,and do you really want to have
something in common with Jon Gosselin?

American Apparel

No amount of vertical integration can make amends for the
blatant sexism and overall creepiness of American Apparel.

Shut UP!

I can't believe it! I just got an email confirming that I won a prize in the Yokohama Spirit of Performance photo contest. I won a fleece jacket. Here's the link to the picture, http://www.flickr.com/photos/spirit_of_performance/4029843773/
I didn't have my zoom lens at the time, I could have taken much better photos if I did, and then I would have won a set of Yokohama tires. Oh, well, next year!

Tonight!

Holiday Haunting

My girls got some Toys R Us gift cards this Christmas so I took them on a little shopping trip last night. As we walked down the toy aisle we stumbled upon a shelf full of Ouija boards.

I got all excited and grabbed one off the shelf. "Look at THIS! A Ouija board!!" I exclaimed.

Blank stares from the peanut gallery.

"What does it do??" My eldest daughter inquired.

"It's so cool, you can talk to ghosts...." stopping dead in my tracks, my daughters stared at me, wide eyed.

"Ghosts?" My six year old asked. "Are ghosts real?"

Aww shoot. Here we go.

"No of course there not, it's just for fun. You PRETEND ghosts are talking to you. Forget it, let's go look at DS games."

Bummer. How do you explain a Ouija board to your children without completely flipping them out? If you can think of a way, I'm all ears.

I remember spending countless sleepovers talking to Abe Lincoln on my friend's Ouija board. We would also levitate each other. Remember that? When one person would lie in the middle of the group and each person would put two finders under the victim. We would then repeat, "light as a feather, stiff as a board..."and then LIFT the victim up to the ceiling!!!

Good times.

At the time it seemed so NORMAL. When I tried to talk to my girls and their friend about it, it sounded just plain weird.

Am I the only weirdo around who played with one of these things as a kid?

I almost felt like buying myself a Ouija board and stashing it away, just for old times sake. Maybe I can invite some ladies from the PTA over to chat with George Washington and Jack the Ripper.

We could all wear pajamas, drink some wine and levitate each other.

Sounds like fun, right? WRONG.

Read this from Wikipedia:

Although ouija boards are viewed by some to be a simple toy, there are people who believe they can be harmful, including Edgar Cayce, who called them "dangerous."^[24]

Some practitioners claim to have had bad experiences related to the use of talking boards by being haunted by "demons," seeing apparitions of spirits, and hearing voices after using them. A few paranormal researchers, such as John Zaffis, claim that the majority of the worst cases of so-called demon harassment and possession are caused by the use of Ouija boards. The American demonologists Ed and Lorraine Warren stated that "Ouija boards are just as dangerous as drugs."^[25] They further state that "séances and Ouija boards and other occult paraphernalia are dangerous because 'evil spirits' often disguise themselves as your loved ones—and take over your life."^[25]

Demonic possession? Evil spirits harassing me and taking over my life? Why didn't anybody stop us when we were 12 years old? Were we in mortal danger and we didn't even know it?

Seriously, I would get really creeped out when we played with this thing.

Don't you think we should stop Parker Brothers from distributing this dangerous toy? I'm shaking in my boots just thinking about it! No wonder my daughters looked so disturbed.

Okay, somebody get me a Xanax.

(The previous post is an example of my adult A.D.H.D. I sat down to write my New Year's resolutions and this is what I came up with. Forget the Xanax, somebody get me some Adderall.)

Did I do it?

I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas. We are taking a pit stop between Maryland and Vermont so I thought I'd pull out my New year's Resolutions from last year and see how I did.

Here they are...

1. Drink More Water Sounds like a no-brainer, so this is the resolution I'm most likely NOT to break. My sister has a book that says we should drink 2 gallons of water a day!!! That's alot of trips to the bathroom for the old Jillster, but I'm going to try to drink at least 8 glasses a day, and have better looking skin, less headaches, more energy and be in a better mood!!! My life is going to change, and it's all because I'll be drinking more water.

Okay...onto the next one.

2. Make some money. Both kids are in school, so the heat is on for momma to bring in some moola. As you know, my husband has me set up with a new business. We're still putting the finishing touches on it, but you WILL be getting details very soon. Will I break the resolution to bring in money? I certainly hope not, and I think my husband would love me so much more if I were bringing home the bacon AND frying it up it a pan.

3. Stop buying cheap crap I have a closet full of low budget purses that I picked up at Target and Old Navy. They give me a quick thrill because I love getting designer knock offs that I read about in Lucky Magazine, but the novelty ends quickly and the bags fall apart. Then I'm left with more clutter. I am going to make a concerted effort to buy good quality, classic pieces, that will last for years. This will be a toughie.

4. Replace negative thoughts with positive ones. I'll admit. I think bad things. Like when someone is driving 20 miles an hour in the fast lane, I'll size them up and think, "What the f-ck are you doing you ugly red neck??" Or, I'll wake up and think. "I have so much g-d damn laundry to do. I'm so buried." From now on, when I'm thinking hostile thoughts, I'll replace them with upbeat positive ones, such as; "That unfortunate fellow. He must have done poorly in Driver's Ed. What a pity. And I really like the mud flaps on his 1978 Camaro. What a stylish chap." Or, "How lucky I am that I am healthy and, able to clean toilets, wash and fold laundry, mop the floors and take out the trash! I'm a very fortunate woman."

If I can keep this resolution I will be a ray of sunshine, who will brighten the lives of all I meet.

And finally...

5. Hold my tongue. I am a reactor. When something sets me off, I respond...INSTANTLY. From now on, I'm going to count to five, THINK and then take action, if necessary. And I will remember the words of the Greek philosopher, Epictetus
"It's not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters."

Since I'm going to break them anyway, I might as go hog wild. Here goes...in addition to my list, I'm going to workout everyday and become a hard body. I'm going to work at a soup kitchen every Saturday and go to church every Sunday. I'm going to learn French. I'm going to keep my house spotless and make wild passionate love to my husband every night, AFTER I cook him a gourmet meal. I'm going to sew my own curtains....to be continued...

HAPPY 2009!!!

Sooo...which ones did I do? Which ones did I break? What do you think?

While you're guessing, I'll be busy making my 2010 resolutions. Catch y'all later.

My Very First Cover Ever :) Ignorance - PARAMORE!

HELLO!

Yeah, buat yang belum tau ceritanya, atau yang bingung kenapa kemarin di Twitter gue nanya ke tweoples semuanya mau request lagu apa, begini ceritanya. Jadi waktu itu ada yang meminta (atau menantang) gue di Twitter, kalo followers gue nyampe 3.000, gue musti nyanyi buat para followers semuanya (waktu itu sih dia requestnya lagu Paramore, haha :). Hmm sebenernya udah cukup lama sih, trus pas gue lihat followers numbernya ternyata 3000 sekian, gue inget sama tantangan si temen gue itu, dan mumpung sekarang gue sempet di rumah, dan gue ga pernah betah kalo cuma berdiam + tidur siang, jadi gue memutuskan untuk menjawab tantangan itu! :D

Setelah selama ini gue hanya asik menonton orang-orang yang bikin cover di Youtube, akhirnya gue ditantang untuk melakukannya juga. WHOAA, so this is my very first cover ever! hahaha. First time singing with my guitar in front of my camera, in front of you guys. Nah, karena ini judulnya gue nyanyi khusus buat kalian, so I let you pick the song. Jadi berdasarkan request-an para follower yang gue gelar kemaren, akhirnya terpilihlah lagu Ignorance - Paramore yang palinggg banyak diminta.

So, dedicated to you who's following me on twitter, and to all of YOU, (hey, thanks for watching :), here's Ignorance - Paramore. Enjoy!

So, your comments would really really makesss my dayyy :)
Sorry kalo main gitarnya agak acak-acakan, hehe... dan kalo jelek ga usah diketawain ya namanya juga baru nyoba okeoke, hahaha.

OH IYA, buat yang kemarin malem belum sempet ikutan minta lagu di Twitter (karena kemarin 'acara' request2annya cuma sejam doang, takutnya juga menuhin timeline orang haha), masih BOLEEEH BANGETTT kok kalo mau request ato ngusulin gue bawain lagu apa, jadi siapa tau kalo ada waktu gue bakal iseng-iseng bikin lagi covernya buat lo, haha :D Jadi kalo mau ngusulin lagu apa, tinggalin comment aja di post ini (dan jangan lupa follow blog ini), atau tweet me ANYTIME, @SoniaEryka. Yeah I'm a tweetwhore, haha :)

PS. To Nadia Juliana, hey this one's for you, I've fulfilled ur challenge! Brilliant challenge :) haha, thankss xoxo ♥

Rodarte for Target: The Reviews

So I spent yesterday driving between three Targets in search of pieces from the Rodarte for Target collaboration. Luckily, I was still able to find some of the pieces I wanted. Overall, I think the prices are fair and there are pieces that reflect the Rodarte aesthetic and are of a good quality.

I ended up purchasing the following three pieces:

Tulle Crepe Lace Skirt - $29.99

This tulle skirt is pretty cute, I like that there is a lace applique to the hem. The fit of this piece was a bit small, I normally wear a 4/6 and had to size up to a 9 for this to fit.

Crepe Slip Lace Dress - $39.99

The slip dress turned out better than I expected. The underlying slip is a bit sheer, but can easily be remedied by wearing tights with the dress. I found the fit to be good and sizing to be true to size, I'm normally a medium and the medium of this fit well. This dress may not work well for women with larger busts due to the tulle and low cut of the slip.

Mesh Lace Cardigan - $29.99

These cardigans are the standout pieces of the collection, in my opinion. The nylon fabric's floral lace pattern looks elegant and the fabric, overall, looks rich and beautiful. I also appreciate that the fabric is comfortable to wear and not itchy nor stiff as some other pieces in the collection were. Definitely my overall favorite, as it is practical and the best constructed out of the entire collection.

Unfortunately I wasn't able to find the lace tights which I've been wanting since lookbook pictures began to leak earlier in the summer. I'm going to be keeping an eye out for them within the next week, I still think they're too pretty to pass up. Hurry and check this collection out at your local store soon, Target.com has already sold out and the stock at the stores I visited was already beginning to dwindle despite the collection having been out for less than a week!

Account- Account FB Palsu........

Hello helloooo! MERRY CHRISTMAS, EVERYONE :D yay yaayy gue baru balik dari Surabaya, tapi hanya 24 jam, untuk pelayanan natal tanggal 25 Desember kemarin, ga sempet jalan-jalan dan berwisata kuliner, but it was nice to be there with the church celebrating Christmas :)

****

Pas balik ke Jakarta, gue langsung berhadapan dengan message di FB gue dari seorang cowo yang bilang kalo dia pernah jadian sama 'gue'. Dan pastinya ini dari FB palsu gue. Jadian? WHAT THE..?

Setelah di-search, ternyata banyak FB-FB palsu dengan foto & nama gue. Udah cukup lama sih pas tau ada beberapa orang yang bikin FB palsu dengan nama gue, pertamanya gue biarin aja, karena menurut gue yaa emang wajar karena beberapa temen syuting gue juga dibikin account-account palsunya. Nanti juga tau sendiri yang mana yang asli & yang palsu.

****

Tapi ternyata masih banyak juga yang percaya-percaya aja, dan semakin banyak yang keganggu dengan tindakan ga penting ini. Apa aja tindakan freak mereka yang MENGGANGGU? dan dari mana bisa ngebedain mana FB palsu dan FB asli? Sebenernya sangat gampang. INI CONTOH-CONTOHNYA:

1. Yang jelas, gue tidak pernah & tidak akan pernah bisa seGAUL ini.

,i'm tired..Because i'm badly to think about you my beephtt (eu cllu) I can't To forget you, but I badly To love you.. (so inggris tp mank ue bsa koq) *don't to forge cment me"

(buat memperbesar, klik gambarnya aja.)
Pas baca ini, gue berasa pengen ngomong....
Endh i can To KREIZY KREIZYY baca ini,
EEU KNOOWWW???

2. STATUS (PALSU) SELEBRITIS... OBSESSED MUCH?

(buat memperbesar, klik gambarnya aja.)

Are you an actress? YES YES YESS OH YEEESSS! :D

(buat memperbesar, klik gambarnya aja.)

Kalo ini, gue butuh waktu untuk mencerna & mengartikannya,
Yaampun, baca tulisan kamu juga jadi CPEK NA NTA MPOEN.

(buat memperbesar, klik gambarnya aja.)
Di bawah profile picture, miss euu muachhhh sonia love adipati -_____-"

...dan ini status palsu yang paling DAHSYAT! :D

(buat memperbesar, klik gambarnya aja.)
..makasih banget loh udah doain saya shooting di Perancis.
Saya aminkan dengan segenap hati dan jiwa.

3. Dan buat yang dirayu-rayu pake FB bernama gue, OMG jelas banget lah itu bukan gue.

(buat memperbesar, klik gambarnya aja.)

4. ...APALAGI YANG UDAH JADIAN! nahlo nahlo jadian sama siapa tuh bukan gue, hiii.

(buat memperbesar, klik gambarnya aja.)
Udah jadiannya gatau sama siapa, dibentak-bentak pula.
Apes banget.

(buat memperbesar, klik gambarnya aja.)
Ini apaaaa lagi. Mainan status 'parents-children' di Facebook
memang 'gaul' banget yah.
Eh btw, ini ceritanya udah putus. -____-"

5. Yang ini gue ga ngerti maksudnya, tapi kalo ada cewe yang merasa terganggu karena cowonya digangguin... itu bukan FB gue.

(buat memperbesar, klik gambarnya aja.)
di FB gue juga ga ada ribut-ributan. Kalo ada yang cari ribut,
ato dicariin ribut (mungkin seperti yang di bawah ini),
berarti itu jelas FB palsu gue.

(buat memperbesar, klik gambarnya aja.)

6. Dan wall-wall SUPER RANDOM yang... ya, random abis.

(buat memperbesar, klik gambarnya aja.)
...Alay? -___-"
Eh, yang komen paling bawah itu,
sorry banget ga bisa dateng,
karena anda janjiannya sama Sonia yang salah.

(buat memperbesar, klik gambarnya aja.)
Dan buat orang itu lagi,
...hmm waktu itu sampe jam berapa nungguin di McD?

(buat memperbesar, klik gambarnya aja.)
So the fact is, gue memang pernah jadi penyanyi cilik.
Trus dia sendiri tanya, "Sonia yang mana sih?"
B: "Loh kamu kan Sonia?? gimana sih?"
zzzz pembicaraan apa sih ini?

(buat memperbesar, klik gambarnya aja.)
HADUHHHH, YANG INI GUE NYERAH!!!
Gue bener-bener ga bisa mengartikan apa yang mereka bicarakaaan!

Ada yang maki-maki orang, gangguin cowo orang, sampe jadian segala, atau pembicaraan-pembicaraan autis lainnya, dengan FB pake nama gue. What the heck is wrong with them? too obsessed? Yaa, mungkin susah bikin orang iseng buat berenti ngelakuin kerjaannya itu, dan ga cuma gue doang yang dipalsuin.. Jadi tolong hati-hati dan mohon pengertian juga kalo yang bikin-bikin ribut itu bukan gue yang asli. Pastinya kalian sendiri bisa membedakan ya :) Oh iya, makasih bangett loh buat temen-temen ini, yang udah ngewall di FB2 palsu, dan temen-temen lain yang juga ga sempet dicantumin di sini... Dan buat kalian semua yang lagi baca, dengan ngasih tau yang lain kalo itu FB palsu, itu juga membantu banget. Thanks ya :)

(buat memperbesar, klik gambarnya aja.)
Thanks banget loh. (:

7. Ini juga PENTING:

FB kedua gue (soniaeryka.kedua@yahoo.com) udah 4000an, jadi sepertinya bentar lagi gue bikin lagi yang ketiga, tapi HATI-HATI, bukan FB yang di bawah ini ya, ini palsu juga.

Jadi, klik di sini untuk FOLLOW BLOG INI,
atau klik di sini untuk FOLLOW TWITTER GUE (@SoniaEryka),
atau kalo masih kurang yakin yang mana yang asli,
bisa gabung dan tanya di official group yang udah ada di Facebook,
klik di sini, group Sonia Eryka Moe Lovers :)
kalo yang groupnya itu udah terjamin asli jadi join aja,
nanti gue akan kasih tau kalo gue udah bikin FB ketiganya,
oke oke? thxxxx :)

*****

dan ini isi NOTES gue di Facebook:
(thanks buat yang udah merespon, mengkomen,
dan menindaklanjuti orang-orang iseng itu yaa hehe :)

Guys, ini pemberitahuan ttg account palsu orang - orang
yg memakai nama n foto2 Sonia Eryka tanpa ijin...
FB Sonia Eryka Isabella, Sonia Erika Moe Tiga, Soniaa Erikaa,
Sonia Erika Moe Full (ERIKA, bukan ERYKA), Sonia Erika, dll,
semuanya adalah FB PALSU, dan karena makin banyak yang
terganggu karena tindakan2 dari orang2 kurang kerjaan
yang MENGAKU sebagai 'Sonia' ini.

Dan Sonia jadi merasa dirugikan banget karena makin banyak
yang lapor pernah diganggu / dimaki-maki, pacarnya dideketin,
bahkan ada yang bilang pernah jadian di FB sama 'Sonia' palsu,
mengatas namakan Sonia.

Sonia mau KONFIRMASI kalo itu semua dilakukan sama orang2 iseng yg bikin FB PALSU.
Jadi tolong HATI-HATI banget, supaya ga terjadi hal2 yg lebih jauh lagi,
tindakan2 ga menyenangkan & ga penting / penipuan mengatas namakan Sonia.

FB Sonia Eryka yg asli hanya Sonia Eryka Moe Full & Sonia Eryka Moe kedua
(make sure FB di friend list kamu bukan FB yang palsu,
dan tolong kasih tau temen-temen yang lain juga ya :)
and yang udah jadi friend di salah satu FB,
ga perlu ngeadd FB selanjutnya lagi karena isinya sama...

Makasih banget kalo kalian mau ngasih tau ini ke yang lain,
juga temen2 kalian yang mungkin merasa terganggu,
atau BANTU TULIS DI WALL account2 FB palsu itu
biar yang lain juga bisa tau, sebelum makin banyak
lagi yg keganggu & tertipu.

Yang dirugikan krn account palsu tersebut,
comment aja ya, thanks..

Love,
Sonia Eryka Moe :)

*****

Nah, 'minggir' sebentar dari permasalahan FB palsu, dulu ada yang menantang gue di Twitter untuk nyanyi buat para followers, kalo followers gue bisa nyampe 3000. Hmm sebenernya udah sampe 3000 kemaren-kemaren, tapi baru sekarang gue sempet menjawab tantangan itu, haha. Whoaaa my very first cover ever! hahaha. Setelah selama ini gue hanya asik menonton orang-orang yang bikin cover di Youtube, akhirnya aku ditantang untuk melakukannya juga! Malu & deg-degan juga mikir aduh gimana tampang gue ya di video sendiri -___- Dan semoga ga mengecewakan juga gue nyanyi untuk pertama kalinya buat para follower tercinta di Twitter. Tapi okehlah, siapa takut. Jadi berdasarkan request-an para follower yang gue gelar kemaren, akhirnya terpilihlah lagu Ignorance - Paramore yang palinggg banyak diminta. So stay tune, Ignorance cover is coming up on the next post! :)

Rococo Christmas

Venting for Jesus...

Your voices have been heard. I feel like a high schooler with a bunch of friends who are a TERRIBLE influence, but since I want to hang out with the "cool crowd" I will bow to your will do a little Christmas vent.

I love the IDEA of Christmas in it's purest form.

The Christmas story is beautiful for its simplicity.

It’s a story of giving, of God coming to earth to make a way back for a fallen planet.

I wish we could find a way to keep Christmas about the quiet and and wonder of that wondrous night in Bethlehem.

Some say that Christmas isn't about Christ. I hate to break it to you folks, but the holiday is called CHRISTmas. And even if you're not a Christian, you can't deny that the original holiday was, in fact, a celebration of the birth of Jesus CHRIST.

In that vein, I often wonder what Jesus thinks of this whole debacle.

When the wise men came to Bethlehem to present the new savior with gifts do you think the sweet baby in swaddling clothes was pissed that he didn't get a Zhu Zhu pet?

Do you think the Wise Men spent countless hours driving from mall to mall and store to store maxing out their credit cards to buy a bunch of crap?

Did Mary demand a birthing gift from Joseph, maybe a David Yurman bracelet? Did Joseph yell at Mary for spending too much on a bunch of cashmere sweaters from J. Crew?

Hell no!!! Come on people. Jesus is a tolerant man, but I think he's stressing out right about now.

I don't think this is what God had in mind when he sent us his only son.

For most people this time of year is the exact opposite of that silent night in Bethlehem. It's all about the things that I hate; chaos, deadlines, way too much rushing around, piles of STUFF everywhere that I'm expected to organize, and absolutely no alone time to reflect or enjoy a moment of silence. (Or perhaps go on Facebook.)

In the midst of all the craziness, I have to remind myself to take a moment, and a deep breath, and remember the joy and magic my children are experiencing this time of year.

I sat at my daughter's holiday concert yesterday and looked at all the sweet faces singing holiday songs and all the proud parents adoring their children. THAT'S the stuff that makes Christmas special.

To make things even nicer, my husband decided to take us out to dinner, my daughter handed me the most adorable sweet Christmas card that she made just for me, and suddenly all the hustle and bustle and stress and pressure all seemed somehow manageable.

Peace On Earth.

Enjoy this special holiday. Give your loved ones a big hug, and take a quiet moment, if you can find one, to thank god for all your blessings.

And if someone steals your parking space at the mall, don't give them the finger. Just lean out your car window and wish them a "Happy Christmas."

And then, after they've gone into the mall, pour a milkshake all over their windshield.

Ho! Ho! Ho!

2 more sleeps

He's had it, he's done with shopping, done with the housecleaning, the wrapping, the baking and the picture taking.

As I do every year, I try to get a couple of perfect shots of the kids in front of the tree. These two took longer than usual this year, Linus didn't want to sit next to Sally, he's scared to, he looks proud, and maybe a bit aloof but really he's scared poopless to be there.

These two complained about how long it took to get their picture taken, but then Kerry pointed out that if they just sat still and didn't touch each other, I'd be able to get that one good shot faster. I also had to compromise. Note the t-shirts. Karen Russell said something on her blog the other day that summed up my Christmas and pretty much every other event where I try to photograph the kids...'expectations reduce joy'. It's true.

I expect them to enjoy being photographed.

I expect them to dress in co-ordinating outfits, regardless of their age.

I expect them to make sure there are not feathers in their hair, food on their faces, or dog hair on their clothes.

I expect them to do what I say.

Give me dogs any day! At least they listen to me even if it is only when I have a carrot in my hand.

It's cold today, but sunny. I want snow. But I guess if I can't have snow, cold and sunny are better than dark and rainy.

Have yourself a merry little breakdown...

So after school yesterday, my six year old daughter Catherine told me a lovely Christmas story.

"Mommy, Christopher's mom is in the hospital. They were at their new house that they are building...she is really happy about the new house even though their dad ordered it. Well, she started acting really crazy, even though she wasn't drunk. Then she fainted. Now she's in the hospital."

Hmmm..1 huge house under construction...4 kids, 3 days before Christmas...mommy acts really nutty and passes out.

Now I'm not one to pry, but it sounds like SOMEONE could use a little Xanax. Or a few days of rest in a very special hospital. It really is perfect timing. It sounds like this woman is a genius.

Do you think they might have a room for me? ;)

Tis The Season to Plagiarize a Vent...

Since I'm so busy reflecting on the meaning of this wonderful season and the wonder of God's greatest gift to mankind...I'm too frazzled to write my vent, (right now) so in the meantime...here are some holiday rants I found on the internet...stay tuned for the Caffeine Court holiday rag...coming real soon to a computer screen near you!!! Remember...these are not written by me. (Mine is much worse...)

Christmas is great I guess if you're either a little kid or you're rich and can through money around on crap. None of those applies to me. I had wonderful warm family Christmases growing up...but those days are behind me now. If you love Christmas...good for you, seriously. No offense. I'm just venting here.

Buying shit. Having to buy shit. Not being able to afford shit. Charging shit. Returning shit. Buying shit to wrap shit in.

Holiday parties. I'm sorry.....no. Not for me. I spend 40 hrs a week with you motherf**kers and it's a treat for me to have to bring food from home that I have to spend money on and make and eat your funky ass food and pretend to like it and sit around together and make small talk and play little get to know you games and shit while I have an anxiety attack? How about this? NO. Why is it a custom to be forced to hang out with people I don't want to really on holidays? I'd rather just watch TV and smoke dope.

Eggnog. Yeah, I know lots of people like this shit, but I personally find eggs in general completely disgusting. A drink? F-ck no. Get your stinking eggnog away from me.

Christmas cards. I hate buying them, signing them, mailing them and getting them...well sorta. I mean it's kind of a nice thought...but again, it's spending money on a stupid thing just because and it's just gets either thrown out or recycled. A waste. Most people can't even write something original...it's printed on there for them and they just sign it. Wow...sincere.

I hate getting forced to attend midnight mass by my drunken Catholic relatives every Christmas eve.

Wow!! These people are bitter!!!

Have it YOUR way!

I only have one post left in me before Christmas, and I want to give my reader's what they want, just like my third favorite fast food restaurant Burger King.

So, here are you choices...

Would you like me to write a holiday gratitude post about all my Christmas blessings?

Or should I reveal my holiday stress/PMS angst with a holiday vent?

Remember...gratitude posts never get me into trouble. Vents are dangerous territory.

I'll leave it in your hands.

Some commentary on the endangered comment box on style blogs

Like many young people my age, I'm an avid reader of style blogs. I enjoy getting ideas for ways to pair things, lusting over things I'll never afford, and getting to comment on what I liked about the outfit or photography. Unfortunately it seems quite a few of the more popular (and "incidentally" the most blogging-is-business focused) bloggers have been eliminating the option to comment. While I understand that abusive or even threatening comments are annoying, I'm not a fan of how some bloggers appear to only want the benefit of tons of adoring fans who are willing to purchase their merchandise. This attitude, to me, reflects a failure to acknowledge that without the support of these commentors their blogs would not be providing them with the vast opportunities being a "style blogger" in this day and age permits. I don't think anyone would have been getting invites to sit front row at fashion shows if the industry wasn't aware that blogging is the best new way to advertise in terms of specific targeting of a demographic (young, style-obsessed, and aware of the costs of looking fabulous) while still being a more financially desirable investment than traditional print media.

I can understand wanting to maintain personal privacy, but I think that can easily be controlled by what type of content you put out about yourself. You also can not allow anonymous commenting, which often cuts down the abusive or threatening comments. This blog is pretty separate from my everyday existence and I prefer it to be that way. I'm always surprised by how much personal information people are willing to talk about on the internet and then get upset when someone with halfway-decent Facebook stalking skills sends them a creepy message. There is absolutely a balance between being impersonal and providing every minute detail of your life, especially if you are a creative person and have some writing talent.

I think the mentality of "delete-the-comment-box-and-get-rid-of-the-bullies-on-the-internet" is not the right approach, and makes some of these bloggers appear to be almost like neo-Luddites, shunning the very thing that's given them so much. Perhaps, even more disturbingly, is that this attitude reflects an entitlement to remove oneself from the reality of having a blog. There will always be detractors, cynics, sycophants, and the indifferent folks. However, I think if you're wanting to create something with integrity and a bit more depth than merely showing off how high your Visa card's credit limit is, you should be willing to take the good, the bad, the heinous, and the jealous. That's just simply the reality of interacting with other people.

Christmas cheer?

We don't really celebrate christmas, but we do applaud any holiday that lets us drink beer, go to the beach for a few days, do some mega k's and eat cake.

And the best thing?

I married a Jewish guy, which absolves me of any christmastime obligation I may have otherwise had!

Hooray for holidays!

Gifted

I was browsing the newsletter we get from the ES, Exceptional Students Program. Emily asked what it was, I told her it's the letter we get because she's gifted. She says no one told her that and I told her she was gifted, but it's not our fault she never opened that gift and used it. Good thing she has a sense of humour. We know she's exceptionally smart, she always has been, she could read when she was about 3 yrs. old. She can spell just about anything. But she's also a tad lazy.

It doesn't look like we will have a white Christmas this year. It never feels quite right when there isn't any snow on Christmas. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the forecast will change.

I've got a few last minute things to pick up, bake and wrap and then I'm done.

What I Want for Christmas

Alas, I don't know how to do computer collages like Michelle can, but here's what I'm hoping for this year at any rate:

1. MAC lipstick - 'Dare You' (this isn't what's in the picture, I just grabbed the generic image off the MAC website)