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Sundance

Last Wednesday I took the day off and went to Sundance in Park City with my MIL and SIL. We had a lot of fun walking around and checking out the shops and art galleries. We ate at the Main Street Pizza & Noodle Company. We didn’t have a problem getting in any where to eat or have a drink at all. I was told not to bother trying to get even a cup of coffee on Main Street because it would be so busy. I think it was because we went during the day in the middle of the week that it wasn’t too bad. I do not, however, have a single celebrity spotting to report.

For the record, I think Sundance is lame. I do love Park City though.

Supposedly this was done by Banksy the most famous street artist now days. It does look like his work and would be totally cool if it was. I have always wanted to see some of his work in person. So if it his work then I pretty excited to have gotten a shot of it. We have a book of his work but nothing is as cool as the real thing. This is painted on the wall of the alley next to the Java Cow on Main Street. There also suppose to be a rat somewhere that he did too which I didn't see.

Longing

I have been longing for a beach cruiser for about six years now. There's something about the big cushy seats that my ass longs for dearly. As I drive up state street each morning I drive past this pawn shop that has a few on display out on the sidewalk and I really just want to stop by and pick one of them up some day and paint it like this...

Word! Right? There's just something so thug about fuscia and gold that I adore.

Inspiration

I watched this movie last week with Tyrone. He had never seen it. I.About.Died.

Small Town Trap First Video - Closer

I'm pretty stoked to be posting this. Check out my husband's band's first pro video. They had a film student shoot this for them. The ending is awesome. Please forgive the sound it was shot in a basement with no carpet so it's not perfect but it's the best they have so far until they can get a demo.

500 days of Summer

I saw a matinee at the dollar theater of the movie 500 days of Summer and now I am restarting my love affair with The Smiths.

Tom: You like The Smiths?

Summer: Yeah. “To die by your side is such a heavenly way to die.” I love ‘em.

And, best greeting card message ever from the movie:

“Roses are red, violets are blue… fuck you whore.”

Weekly Confessional

I'm going to go ahead and start this early morning off with a semi-confession with some good old fashioned deep-seeded hate.

To the co-worker I hate the most at work: When you tell your stupid stories about how healthy you eat and that you try to avoid sugar at all costs as I'm dumping 5 sugar packets into my coffee, I'm tempted to throw my scorching coffee in your alcoholic, smoking, lying, hypocritical face every damn time. I know I'm not the only person who is sick of your condescending stories either. One of these days I will not be able to control myself so you better be wearing a hockey mask or something to protect that fugly mug of yours.

{maybe I should have written this one on a postcard with my co-worker's face on it and sent it in to PostSecret - if I ever quit or get fired there I will for sure post the shit out of it on here - mark my words}

Books

Started this:

Couldn’t finish it, so I moved on to this:

Having a hard time getting through this one as well and I love fashion. Seeing the movie first, which is totally different, probably didn’t help. Maybe I'll want to pick up Eat Pray Love again to finish reading it after seeing the movie? I hear Julia Roberts is going to be in it.

I may be having some difficulty with my book choices lately.

The End.

Giveaways and whatever

Some of you may have noticed that the winner of our giveaway was someone very close to me but it was a total coincidence. I was planning on doing a video of the drawing and since I am new to this whole thing I chose not to use one of those random number generators, but I could not get the video to work properly. So, the pics I took would have to suffice and leave room for shit loads of speculation. Plus I was really glad that it was someone I know.

I am a big advocate of supporting our friends and family in what they do whether it is art, music, small businesses, etc. So you may see a lot more of that on here in the future. I believe in supporting my loved ones and people I know rather than just some bloke I would never look twice at on the street.

That sounded really snobby.

A new feature I would like to add to the blog are little tid-bits of inspiration that give me that little push to get through the work week or give me that boost to jump in to a new project; Just something that I want to start sharing more of. You can count on seeing those on Wednesdays.

Oh and the damn tunnel scarf I’ve been mentioning is ALMOST finished. What kinds of black magic are these people using that can bust 1 or more of these suckers out in one evening? I would like to get in with that circle.

Delusional Indeed

After posting this post I was finally able to prove that my thoughts that this blog gets any kind of activity at all are in indeed delusional since I did not get even one idea about what I should do with my hair. This actually works out perfectly because now I can write about anything I want on here and it does not have to make sense to anyone but myself. So in the past when I would hold off from certain language I would put on here I no longer have to worry about offending anyone. Now you probably didn’t think I cared about that in the first place but I did...a little.

All you people care about are giveaways.

In the little insecurity I do have I will be doing another giveaway in the next few months because I couldn't bare to have you go away forever.

Fauna Owl Pillow Winner!

I am very excited to announce the winner of the Fauna Owl Pillow from All modern.com!! jennikunz is the lucky lady of this awesome prize! She has a blog of her own, 3rowdyboyz1girl, that is worth checking out. She also sells Scentsy candles! They are so great! I own a bunch of them my self. You need to check out her site! Click HERE to get some Scentsy goodness from her!!

Thanks jennikunz for playing and I hope you enjoy your awesome owl pillow. I also want to thank All modern.com for sponsoring this giveaway and for everyone who left the most creative comments. Thanks to all three of my loyal readers and I hope you new-comers stick around, good things are to come.

Giveaway ends tomorrow!

Don't forget the giveaway with all modern.com ends tomorrow at 5:00pm (MST).

Check out their other sites in the meantime.
allbarstools.com
allmodernpet.com
allmodernbaby.com


Thanks to everyone who has left a comment so far! I can't wait to anounce the big winner.

Necklace Re-vamp!

I took a plain black beaded necklace and turned it into two necklaces that fit better with my taste. If you want to try this, all you need is one regular beaded necklace and some ribbon. Take a part the old necklace and re-string them on to nice ribbon of your choice. That's pretty much the gist of it. You do need beads that have good size openings to be able to string them on to ribbon. You can also add any other decorative beads that you like. Tie the ribbon in the back and you're good-to-go. What I did to keep the beads from sliding around was I tied the ribbon in knots on each side of the beads.

Before: (if you can't tell this isn't the actual necklace I used but pretty darn close)

A few after pics:

Now I can wear them separate or together to work or just rock'em with a plain tee and jeans. The one with the rosette is my own version of the statement necklaces I am seeing every where.

{Someday I will learn how to take better pictures.}

This necklace I just wanted to show off. I got the red glass snake on discount at Michaels then hung it on some faux gold chain. It was super cheap and easy-smeezy.

Weekly Confessional

The last two week's while the Hub was away on business I ate ice cream for dinner the majority of the evenings.

Giveaway Today - All Modern.com

I am very pleased to announce that today marks the very first giveaway on the brandy-son Zen master flash blog. CSN stores wants to give away something from their site All Modern.com to one of my lucky readers.

Based in Boston, CSN Stores LLC began in 2002 and has grown rapidly into a Top 3 online U.S. retailer of home and office goods. They have an amazing collection of over 1 million items in over 200 stores, ranging from ultra modern home furniture to baby goods and the perfect bar stool for your home.

CSN stores will be giving away this Fauna Owl pillow from the Fauna Collection on their site All Modern.com. I hand picked this item just for you!



If you would like to participate in the giveaway you must either follow me publicly or leave a creative comment below. (in the creative world there are no rules). For those of you (my three favs) who follow me publicly if you would like to be entered in the giveaway please also leave a comment below.


**You must participate by 5pm (MST) January 20th to be eligible**


I look forward to announcing the winner the morning of January 21st!


Thanks in advance for participating.

Giveaway Tomorrow!

I can't wait to share a giveaway tomorrow with all three of the peeps that read this blog. Which two of the three will actually play? I can't wait to find out.

Small Town Trap - Join the Bandwagon

Last night Small Town Trap played another spectacular show. They killed each and every song even though the sound guy seriously sucked. To prove the sound guy was a total douche bag the band that went next wasn't afraid to express it on stage. The room was about to explode. Amongst the craziness S.T.T. proved they will continue to rock on for a very long time to come. We can't wait for their next show.

Check out their new blog post here.

or here on Myspace, Facebook, or Twitter!

Worth Reading - Upcoming Giveaway

A few things I'd like to mention:

1. Tonight Small Town Trap is playing Club Vegas @ 9pm. come check it out. $7 at the door. For those of you who were too slow we are out of $5 tickets.

2. I have not finished a few of the projects I've been working on but a few I have and will be posting about them soon.

3. I am still working on a blog makeover--a little makeover. Hopefully this will be done in the next few weeks.

4. And most importantly, at the moment, I want to announce that I will be doing a giveaway with CSN Stores, ALL MODERN.com. Stay tuned for that on Monday! Here are a few things from their site. Check them out.

Book 'em, Danno!

This chair has a funny story no matter who you are. It all started one Saturday morning a few months back when I was taking out the trash. I spotted this chair sitting next to the dumpster in our apartment's parking lot. You know in the ghetto we leave things next to the dumpster as apposed to inside just in case someone else finds it to be a treasure. You see this was left by the dumpster so that I could get away with out having to admit I actually dumpster-dived for it. It was fate! Now I have to admit I'm not above dumpster diving since it is a family past-time. This was not just some crappy chair it was a real wooden adirondack chair for crying out loud.

So I actually didn't snag the chair right away. I went back inside to try and convince Ty to help me carry it in. I ended up having to plead my case desperately but to no avail he would not budge. He said it was dirty and that we were not getting a chair that way. What a snob I married! I eventually got over it and made him promise to buy me a new one some day when we have a house and he agreed.

Well later that day I saw the chair on my next door neighbor's balcony. You can imagine how upset I was when I saw this and I don't think Tyrone ever heard the end of it that is until now. You see about two month's ago my next door neighbors got evicted (because that is how we roll in the ghetto) and the chair has been sitting on the balcony ever since. They have taken all of their belongings and moved on already but totally left the chair. I've been contemplating a plan to make it mine for the last week (since Ty has been out of town). So on Saturday I put a reminder on my cell phone to steal the chair at 11:00 pm that night. That's right I actually set a reminder up to steal a dirty chair. My friend Jenni came by that night to hang out so I conned her in to helping me lift it over the railing. It's a good thing they live on the ground level and she was a good sport to help me break the law.

I'm telling you this chair is in great condition. It's sturdy and all it needs is a new paint job which I plan to do when the weather gets warmer. I think I'll paint it red. Stay tuned for the after shot.

Check this out

Their new site is now up and running.

Check it out & be sure to read their kick-ass bio.

They also have a show this

Saturday at Club Vegas 9PM

445 S. 400 W.

It will be filmed for Comcast's On Demand program called Bandwagon

Weekly Confession Kick-Off

Tonight I am going to kick-off my first weekly confessional that I hope to continue through the rest of the year. I think this might help me to be more aware of the little things I do, or it might just be an excuse to more crazy stuff. We will see.

Weekly Confession:

I told you I as going to try to start eating a piece of fruit in the afternoons instead of grabbing chocolate or Red Bull, remember?

Apparently the only thing this has accomplished was pushing my chocolate/sugar intake to a later time – right before I go to bed, which may or may not be worse than eating it at 3pm.

Missing You

You never read this but I wanted to let you know that I've missed you terribly this week.

One more week to go.

I'll hold my breath till then.

I miss you just being near.

I take that for granted.

I need your toes curled up in mine.

Most of all I wish you were here helping me with the laundry.

A gift

I hesitate to post this because I am a little nervous to share it. I was even more nervous to give it to him. I made this for our friend UGLYSHEEP who is an incredible artist. Have I ever mentioned him on here? I don't think I have...ha ha!

Well here it goes. I wanted to do something special for him but also do something that I am passionate about. I wanted to put a spin on what I normally do with my collages because I am thinking about doing more of this in the future. I wish I had better pics of it to share.

{in the center of the lens is a partial definition of the word soul}

Desperate for a new look

Do you see this face? It screams desperation, pity, sorrow, lack of motivation, etc.

I blend in to the beige walls of my office and it is no longer acceptable.

My hair is usually black but it hasn't been that way since before I was married. It's pathetic.

Help! I need ideas! 2 two things need to happen; it needs to be thinned and layered.

Hurrah!

It's Friday! It could not have come faster.

Last night my mom and I saw Nine (the musical). I suggest Red Boxing it. It didn't blow me away and I unfortunately expected it to.

I think I'll go to a matinee tomorrow, ALONE. I can't wait.

Tuesday Night

UPDATE!!: I never mentioned how delicious this was.

I did a very girly thing Tuesday night and watched Julie & Julia while I cooked a new dish. Tyrone has been out of town so I thought I would take advantage and do some things that I’ve wanted to do by myself. I loved the movie. It was very inspiring. I made Tortilla Espanola which is a Spanish omelet. It has very basic ingredients and doesn’t take too long to make either. I cut the following recipe in half (actually a little more than half) since I was cooking for one. You can add anything along with the potatoes to spice it up like, chorizo, peppers, cheese or any mixture of your favorite herbs. It’s not a bad comfort food either for these cold dark nights.

What actually prompted me to make this particular dish was watching a Hungry Nation podcast from the other night. I love that podcast. They have a site too that is pretty cool.

You can check out the full recipe here

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

6-7 medium potatoes, peeled (I honestly don’t think that you need this many potatoes I used 2 large potatoes with 3 eggs and it was perfect. I also did not peel my potatoes.)

1 whole yellow onion

5-6 large eggs

2-3 cups of olive oil for pan frying

Salt to taste

Preparation:

Cut the peeled potatoes in half lengthwise. (I didn’t peel mine) Then, with the flat side on the cutting surface, slice the potato in pieces approximately 1/8" thick. Make sure to separate the pieces that stick together. It is not necessary to slice the potatoes paper thin and it is best not to use a food processor because most will slice the potatoes too thin. If you slice them a bit thick, don’t worry – it will simply take a bit longer for them to cook.

Peel and chop the onion into 1/4" pieces. Put potatoes and onions into a bowl and mix them together. Salt the mixture.

In a large, heavy, non-stick frying pan, heat the olive oil on medium high heat. Drop a single piece of potato into the oil to ensure it is hot enough to fry. Carefully place the potato and onion mixture into the frying pan, spreading them evenly over the surface. The oil should almost cover the potatoes. You may need to turn down the heat slightly, so the potatoes do not burn.

Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon or spatula. Some cooks like to place the potato and onion mixture in a colander for a few minutes to allow more oil to drain. If you do this, place a plate underneath to catch the olive oil and you can use it again.

While the mixture is draining, crack the eggs into a large mixing bowl and beat by hand with a whisk or fork. Pour in the potato onion mixture. Mix together with a large spoon.

Pour 1-2 Tbsp of olive oil into a small, non-stick frying pan (aprox. 9-10”) and heat on medium heat. Be careful not to get the pan too hot because the oil will burn - or the tortilla will! When hot, stir the potato onion mixture once more and “pour” into the pan and spread out evenly. Allow the egg to cook around the edges. Then you can carefully lift up one side of the omelet to check if the egg has slightly “browned.” The inside of the mixture should not be completely cooked and the egg will still be runny.

When the mixture has browned on the bottom, you are ready to turn it over to cook the other side. Carefully take the frying pan to a sink. Place a large dinner plate (12”) upside down over the frying pan. With one hand on the frying pan handle and the other on top of the plate to hold it steady, quickly turn the frying pan over and the omelet will “fall” onto the plate. Place the frying pan back on the range and put just enough oil to cover the bottom and sides of the pan – approximately 1.5 tsp. Let the pan warm for 30 seconds or so. Now slide the omelet (which is probably still a bit runny), into the frying pan, using a spatula to catch any egg mixture that runs out. Use the spatula to shape the sides of the omelet. Let the omelet cook for 3-4 minutes. Turn the heat off and let the tortilla sit in the pan for 2 minutes. (Mine didn’t even take this long)

Carefully slide the omelet onto a plate! To serve as a main course, slice it into 6-8 pieces like a pie. Serve sliced French bread on the side. (I didn't do this part)