Tylenol Cold Medicine.

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.

I love thee for the way you make my head
stop feeling like it's about to explode,
filling the surrounding area with the mucus
that was constantly pouring from my nose.

I love thee for the amusing way you advertise
that you can be a cough expectorant and suppressant
at the same time.

I love thee for your timely appearance
after two days of extreme misery.
Your foe, Sudafed, merely mocked me
and did nothing to prevent
the deep coughing and constant running
of my nose. The Kleenex company
must be in league with them.

I love thee for fighting off my fever
and my aches and pains, and at the same time
turning off the faucet that I couldn't reach.
While I know I am still ill, I can now function
and no longer have to force myself to breathe.

And while you have earned my loyalty
for all future (curse them!) colds, I must decry
your small box with only 12 doses
and your ability to stop up my ears so badly
that I can't help but think I've shifted altitude.

Thank you for the rest, Dear Tylenol Cold. You
came to my rescue when I needed you most. I shall
sleep well tonight.

Loved the piano solo in The Corpse Bride, but was always extremely irritated by the lack of ending. Apparently I'm not the only one - check out this guy's rendition. Beautifully done!

More steampunk stuff. I need to go back and explore more later.

Oak Island Treasure - home of the Oak Island Money Pit mystery - Home

Looks like they're going to start digging again in the near future. I find it fascinating - hope they're able to solve the mystery!

I have been incredibly slow in updating the miniatures section of my web site. The problem is mainly that I want all new pictures of my dolls, using a similar 'professional' background.

First, I have to learn how to do that. This is time consuming, because I seem to want to do it the hard way - try various things until I get a result I like.

Second, I have to drag all my dolls out and set them up. This has proven difficult. While I hate to admit it, I have never entirely finished a doll - with the exception of Pearl, and even then, I can think of accessories I'd like to add to her. Parts aren't glued on, fabric hasn't been draped and set, etc. Plus, over time, the dolls get dusty, bits come unglued, I've discovered my holeless beads are turning colors, hair comes off, things unravel. I have to fix these things, or at least position the doll so they're not noticeable. So, yes, it's taking me some time. I'm starting with the dolls with the worst pictures. Here's before and after shots of Matilde:

 



Matilde has always been awkward - there's very few pretty patterns for chubby dolls, so I had to improvise as best I could. I also had to do some leg reinforcing because she was so top-heavy. Finally, for some bizarre reason, her left eye tends to reflect the light back - it's worse than red-eye! You can see it in the first picture. It took me quite a bit of angling with the doll and the light to get rid of that problem.

It's about time! I'll have to check it out and see how it differs from my current Photoshop version. Free Web version of Photoshop launches - Yahoo! News

someecards.com | ecards for when you care enough to hit send | home

Definitely not your average smarmy, flash filled e-cards. Prepare to laugh or be offended.

(I fixed my blogThis! feature!)

Thought I'd abandoned this, did you? Sort of did, I guess. I've been busy. Sorry.

Because it doesn't seem likely that I'll be able to do lots of updates, I figured I should just do one major update so that I can leave it for ages and not worry about rushing to update the sidebar girl. It was fun while it lasted, though!

This is your sneak peak at the latest design. It's by Andrew Strojny, called Mint Chocolate Chip. A free download! The code is as neat and clean as the design, unlike my old code. Sadly, it means I get to do what I was trying to avoid doing in the first place - go through and update every. single. page. with the new CSS stuff. *sigh* It also means I'll be cleaning up some of my pages and adding new stuff. At least I hope that's what it means. Way to get myself started!

I was planning on holding out and updating all the pages at once, but you know me. I get impatient to see what it looks like and start doing them live, one at a time. So bear with me! Soon it will be neat and sparkly.

The Automata / Automaton Blog

And thus, with a single click, I destroy whatever plans you had for the next hour or so. Because you'll be reading this.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

I just popped in to show off my sister's birthday present to me - a handmade set of stained glass bookends. (Yes, a bit belated, but well worth the time!)



Thank you!

Now this . . . THIS is the type of bathroom I'd like.
PictureTrail - Half Scale Bathroom by Sandra Manring

I've been quietly planning a new roombox. I seem to have temporarily given up on refinishing that dollhouse. (sigh).

I wanted to do something with a distinct steampunk flair. I have a doll that has a rather young face, I think would look fantastic dressed up in that style. Obviously she needs a setting. For both, I'm having a terrible time coming up with images online, so I've been floating, trying to get ideas. What type of room? A lab? Another study? Inside a metal ship?

Today I came across This image. I like it. I want it. Is it suitable? I know orrerys were very popular among miniaturists a few months ago, but the fad seems to have run its course.

In either case, it'd mean a lot more books.

So after a month of hard work and bouts of cluelessness and genius, my birthday challenge is completed. I realize I'm doing this totally backwards, but I'll post a page about it and write it up properly. In the meantime, I'm sharing my totally awesome handmade present.



Yes, it's a one inch scale katana. The impossible-to-find-in-miniature sword. I couldn't figure out how to make it myself, and gave up some time ago, but Brian took up the challenge and succeeded. I'm SO impressed. Awestruck, even. Fantastic work for a non-miniaturist!

Thank you sooo much!

Part one of my birthday challenge showed up - a gift. A book. THIS book, in fact. Should I be afraid?

It's definitely ominous.

Dear Pepto Bismol;

Thank you for existing. Your bright pinkness and whatever it is you do once swallowed amazes me. You make bad meal choices and small stomach bugs bearable. You're useful even when you don't even know what part of your digestive system is upset, and don't really care, you just want your body to stop the violent protests. You bring relief quickly in the night, which always seems to be when my stomach complains. I know I can depend on you in times of trouble.

Thank you for the relief. I'm only sorry we only see each other when I'm feeling blargh.

Sincerely,
A grateful consumer