Juliette Lewis direct messaged me -seriously, the best way to kick a gloomy, rainy Monday’s ass!  (uh…ignore all those open tabs),

perfume came in the mail (hello spring! Thank you Lucky Scent!)

I made a skirt! (2 in fact!) and received my poufy crinoline to go underneath,

and finally, in work news, we got a color copier, so no more long walks next door for this lazy office admin gal!

p.s. I also got this in my weekly photojojo newsletter – the best ways to use a disposable camera! I might have to buy a couple this summer and experiment!

When all of my nieces and nephews (if I get a nephew) get to the right age, you better believe I will be making something magical like this for them.

I would have to think that if I had gotten a return letter like this, There would be no doubt in my mind to this day that he exists.

Alright everyone, if you’re reading this you are obviously not going to be shopping outside of your house today. Cheers to you.

I decided it would be fun to go with my friend to the mall like we used to when we were moody urchins and scour Forever 21 for shiny things. We’ll see how that works out…

With that in mind, I am using this blog post as a personal request for all of you to keep civil and downright friendly while waiting in endless lines today. Heck start a dance party if you need to ease the tension.

That being said, don’t forget to take a peek at my old article about line etiquette here.

While watching a news story about people in line for the new Harry Potter flick, they showed a kid on the guitar. He had no friends around him, just others strangers. DO NOT PLAY YOUR GUITAR IN LINE; DON’T BE THAT GUY. This screams “trying too hard and angering people.”

One more suggestion: dress in Mad Max attire. No one will want to come near you, much less take something out of your cart.

Happy hunting!

For your brazen use

of the entire page as a medium

for your poems,

                                                          not just line

                                                                   by

                                                                      line.
For your deeply

                                        evocative

 phrases.
For the beauty

you find

in everything and everyone you love.

Thank you, and you will be remembered in the hearts

of those of us who have yearned, and spurned, love.

Since then I have grown pretty steadily in readership, from 450 the first month, to well over 3700 now and growing each month! So I want to say a big thank you to people who enjoy my rants, raves, casual asides, yelling tantrums and the odd MMA post.

You guys rock.

Here’s a thank you treat.

Oh, okay, I will eat it in your honor.

Dearest Not That Kind of Girl (or as I like to think of her: “The ‘Friggin’ Word Queen”),

You, milady, are an inspiration. I know that sounds hokey to the max, but it is true. You trekked across country to fulfill a sort of epiphany, and I heartily congratulate you. You took a risk in a big way, and it paid off better than you could have imagined.

Starting Not That Kind Of Girl last year, you committed yourself to doing things that were not in your character to do (see the project parameters here.) But, by doing so, you have integrated them into a much rosier character. A – dare I say it? – model character.

From your own barrels of cool quotes: “Personal change is not only possible but necessary.”

Here are a couple of my favorite recent articles:
letters to inmates (including a safe p.o. box)
flowers to strangers
choose my adventure day

Anyone can pretty much just pick a day and find something inspiring you have done. Your writing is fluid and engaging, while being unpretentious and funny. If you lived in my town I would (despite your parameter of not making friends) beg you to come out for a pint with me.

You are also a part of one of my favorite sites, The Secret Society of List Addicts!

Not That Kind Of Girl, you are just my kind of girl.

disneyland. It was so full of magic and churros. I am buzzing with good vibes and can’t wait to go back!

smushed pennies. Not only are they inexpensive souvenirs, they are magical and great at becoming lucky charms!! Always make sure you use pennies made before 1982, because after 1982 the mint began to use a percentage of 99.2% zinc with a 0.8% copper – coating. In pre-1982 pennies that percentage was 95% copper, 5% zinc. Why yes, as a matter of fact I am a nerd.

the beau. What a trooper. Waking up at midnight to drive us to get to Disneyland right when it opened, and dealing with a grumpy kid (me) at 11:45 the following evening when I found out that the entire park was sold out fo those silver ear headbands. Quelle triste. He is amazing and I’m glad I got some shots of him in super-happy little kid giddy mode!

gala darling. The Universe seems to be slightly making up for the above ear dilemma. Gala announced a contest on her site and if you win the huge prize, guess what happens to be in it? The very same ears I had been scouring to find!! Swoon! Fingers and toes crossed I win!

photos. I love taking photos and thankfully there is probably no better place than Disneyland to take hundreds. I won’t bore you with every single shot, so stay tuned next week for the top ten pictures and tips for Disney fun!

my aunt’s birthday. My favorite aunt – whom I visited in Albuquerque last year – had her birthday today, so my mom and I called her up and sang to her. She said the one time she wears mascara, we had to call up and be sweet. I love making people’s makeup run from happiness!

Corgis on a Treadmill!

photo info and credits here

This book touched me so that instead of just writing “it was awesome,” I thought I’d get a little personal and show you the letter I sent to the author, Kathy Cano-Murillo.

Dear Crafty Chica,
First off, as a fellow Phoenician I want to say a HUGE gracias for writing a book that takes place in a city so close to my corazón. Too much spanglish? I’ll try to tone it down. I just finished reading your novel and not only did it have me in stitches (haha craft puns!), but it touched me on a level that was completely unexpected. Star could not be more like me if she had been my glitter-covered Siamese twin! Her inability to finish things, her hurricane energy, her inventiveness, her wandering through life. A paraphrase of a line that really resonated with me, from Chloe: Star may not know what she wanted to do in life, but she would sure help you if you did.
I started crying at that point. That is me! I loved all the different layers of your characters and your passion not only for writing and crafting, but for forming characters you could read about forever.
Thank you so much for this novel, and I know something that will be stuffed in all my amigas stockings this Christmas!
Viva Love and Glitter!
Jessica

For more info about Kathy Cano-Murillo, Crafty Chica herself, visit her website. For information about her writing or tips on writing, visit her sister site, Chica Writer.

So, with my love of lists and extreme optimism on my part, I have started thinking about things I have wanted to do. I decided that some of these things would never be done if I didn’t have a deadline, so i decided to make a list of things I have want to do before I turn 27. I have started a little late, considering I only have about 9 months left of being 26, but I am a sucker for procrastinating and working well under pressure. Without further ado, the LIST:

1. Another tattoo, or a beautiful touch-up of my existing ones

2. Get down to ideal weight (including some killer muscles!)

3. Make a vlog

4. Start a photo-folio

5. Begin writing my screenplay

6. Help out at a women’s shelter

7. Successfully grow a garden

8. Sew my own dress

9. Babysit

10. Take pictures in photobooths with all my closest friends (though maybe not all at once)

11. Do something for my mom she has been putting off doing herself

12. Having a significant amount of clutter released from my house and into the wild

13. Stay in an historic hotel

14. Have a girls night out

15. Road trip!

16. Have written a short story everyday for at least 3 months

17. Get all my craft hurricanes sorted and organized

18. Bake at least 3 new desserts and 3 new dinners

19. Photograph lightning

20. Watch a meteor shower

21. Bike to a destination (work, gym, store)

22. Not get into debt over Christmas

23. Visit friends in another city

24. Visit and help my grandma with yardwork and cleaning

25. Get my car running in tip-top shape (mostly) by myself

26. Shoot a short movie

27. Read a classic I have never read before