i'm in heaven!!!

yes, yes, too many photos today but shut up! you have to expericence this the way that i did!

i opened a box from snapatorium and there was a beautiful package inside!



i mean, WOW! it's so pretty i almost couldn't open it! here's a closeup of the tag!



it's an atc!!! a rakka atc!! i LOVELOVELOVE snap's work!!

i opened the first package!



HELLO KITTY BLACK VELVET POSTCARDS!!! HOLY CRAP!!! i love BOTH of those things immensely! and i'd never even SEEN them in combination!! it's FANTASTIC!!

okok, i opened the second present...oh, it's so magnificent!!!



HAVE YOU EVER SEEN SUCH A THING OF MAGNIFICENCE?!??! OH, MY GOD!!!!!

i've been speechless about this robot for about thirty minutes now! i almost can't breathe every time i look at it! it's just so lovely!! and it has an original box and stickers!! oh, i feel like i'm going to weep from sheer joy!!



here is the saturn robot again because i just can't get enough of him! in fact, he's sitting next to me at the computer while i'm typing this!

A MILLIONBAJILLIONQUADRILLION THANK YOUS, SNAP!!!! I LOVELOVELOVELOVELOVE EVERYTHING!!!!

skully d

it's a professional bubblegum skull. (it's been kind of a dull day.)

it's like xmas up in here!

(note: use of the words "up in here" is for comic effect only. thanks, the management)

how could i forget to post this week's mailbox present bonanzasplosion? because, let me be truthful, this stuff is incredibly awesome and you WILL be jealous!** (but, you know, i'll let you hold my eggcup if you want.)

speaking of the eggcup, here it is!



isn't it just the most beautiful blending of form and function?? soundkiosk sent me this lovely thing and also some professional orbit gum!



i'm qualified to chew it since i made 200 bubble gum skulls out of big red chewing gum for an installation piece in art school. but, i mean, are YOU qualified? (thanks so much for the wonderful things, soundkiosk!!)

but that's not all! sockenbär also sent me some wonderful, wonderful things too!!



okok, that picture has 1) a kick ass summer burn mix! 2) a postcard of shanghai! and 3) a copy of whisper of the heart!!! a miyazaki movie that i hadn't even HEARD of before i met sockenbär!!

it's such fantastic film! i've watched it three times already! (thank you again, sockenbär!!)

but wait...there's more!!

irregular shed sent these lovelys!



that photos includes 1) a rockin' summer burn cd 2) summer burn badges and 3) a copy of kairo which has been scaring the bezeejus out of me!! (japanese horror films CREEP ME OUT!!)

oh, and let's not forget bunchofpants and bigaldavies!



pants sent the fabulous hand painted postcard!! and big al sent another lovely postcard with some of his badges!! hooray!

and i'm sure you'll think that i'm rubbing it in, but i also got the BEST j-rock mix from manthatcooks!



i hadn't even heard of half the bands!! i LOVE it!! and check out how the cd looks like vinyl! how t eh rock is that?!


have i mentioned that my postman hates me? he frowned at me when i got my netflix account. now he glares at me every time he sees me. loser.


**note: original purpose of post is not to make you jealous.

hot listing

my tiny blog got a nice mention on hot list today. (here's the blurb, sorry to force flickr you again, but i couldn't find a permalink on the original site.)

so a special hello to those of you that are here because of patrick holland. (also thanks to the real gilmore girl for pointing it out to me! and thanks to mr. holland for giving me the write up in the first place!)

for the record, i don't really know what's going on with the posts either. *wink and a nudge*

oh, before i forget, the pretzels are done.



(fyi: it's hard to photograph soft pretzels and not have them look like salty dog crap.)

still waiting to hear back from some people regarding the move. in the meantime, i'm trying to stay calm. which means looking at green things like this:



and making soft pretzels. (no photos yet. but soon, very soon!)

the dough is rising at the moment. i'm having a hard time keeping it covered since i *HEART* the way yeasty bread doughs smell. (i keep lifting up the towel and sniffing. heehee!)

i also made some tomato soup for later in the week. i love dipping grilled cheese sammiches in the stuff!

toilet training thd retarded

Toilet Training Large
Originally uploaded by benchilada.

benchilada always finds the most ludicrous books in the library where he works!

i really can't stop laughing at this title. and i'm feeling kind of guilty about it.

a brief apology

i'm sorry for all the blue language lately. i tend to curse when i'm stressed out and it's a billion degrees outside.

unfortunately for you, i've been experiencing both of those things lately.

sorry. i'll try to keep it clean and rated "e" for everyone instead of "t" for teen from now on.

which is a funny thing to say on a blog called "glitter pissing" but there we are. heh heh

i should be so lucky

i'm posting a maneki neko because i need all the luck i can get. (yes, i know that it's not exactly what they're for, but i use them as talismen occasionally, ok? (and, crap, i've just revealed that i'm somewhat superstitious about certain things. oh, well.))

why do i need luck? for starters, there was another fire at our apt complex last night. i got home to the police leaving and the sirens still blaring. i hate this goddmaned building. i hate it. i hate it and everyone that lives in it. i don't think that this fire was as bad as the last one (it was outside the building this time. oh, joy of fucking joys!) but still. two fires in one month is bullshit.

i also need the luck because there are a few potentialy good phone calls that i have to make. and that's all i'm saying about that.

please wish me luck in whatever superstitious way you do. i think i'm going to need it.

of things and stuff

most of today i've needed to take a deep breath to keep from bitch slapping someone.

*deep breath* look at the deer, rakka....



ah, that's better. anyway, moronic apartment managers aside,(that's where the aforementioned bitch slapping comes in, in case you haven't guessed) it's been a decent day. i got some fantastic things in the mail from irregular shed, bunchofpants and bigaldavies! AND i got to watch my fill of zombie/alien/ghost/satanist shows on scifi while leff was at work. (in search of... it sucks so much and yet i'm repeatedly drawn to it.)

i would also mention that i'm excited about the new readymade arriving too but it's about babies. and we all know how i feel about babies, right? specifically ME and babies?? (ie--it's never, ever, EVER fucking happening!!!!) i suppose it'll come in handy though since all of my friends seem to be popping out puppies these days.....

have i mentioned that i'm supremely irritable and cranky as it's 101 f / 39 c outside? ungh.....

*looking at the deer again*

their milkshakes are better than yours

(sorry about that title)

is it obvious that leff and i are trying to get in as much sightseeing in our own town as possible before we move? because we are. i'm not coming back to memphis for anything if i can help it. (sorry, katty kat and milk king.)

anyway, i've being thinking about stopping by the wiles-smith drugstore on union ave ever since this kid from chattanooga told me that they had the best milkshakes in memphis. (that was in 1997)

fast forward eight years and i finally get around to it. was it worth the wait? oh, hell yes! i wish i'd gone there sooner!



we both got the extra thick shakes. (i got strawberry and leff got chocolate.) "extra thick" is not a misnomer by any means! i had to use a spoon to eat most of it!

wiles-smith itself exists in a time warp. it's the self proclaimed "oldest pharmacy in memphis" and i don't doubt it one bit! in addition to still having a lunch counter with original boomerang patterning, there is a stuffed porcupine (??) and a postcard rack with crappy memphis postcards for 35 cents. also, i don't believe the "witticisms" posted on the walls have changed since the '50s. (with the exception of a jab at clinton and a note about six terrorists.)

if you're planning on visting memphis (why you would do that i'll never know, but i'm sure you have your reasons.) you must stop by. parking is a bitch as it's in an older strip of buildings right on union ave, but it's worth it. those shakes.....mmmmmmm!

putt putt

there's not much to do in memphis on a friday night. originally, we were slated to see "harry potter and the sorcerer's stone" at the orpheum with some friends but they cancelled. since it's really no fun to see the movies in the summer movie series without a group, we were stuck trying to find something interesting to do.

i don't know why i thought of mini golf (aka putt putt) but i'm glad i did.



leff and i played two courses worth. neither of us had played in years but it was F.U.N. in that kitschy way that i so enjoy. (sometimes i wonder if i'm not really a mini golfer trying to hide behind a layer of kitsch but that's for another time.)

i think i want to go back and play the last course and maybe ride the bumper boats.

howl's moving castle

Howl3 Originally uploaded by Kimberelly.

leff reminded me earlier that i hadn't blogged about seeing this movie yet!

"how the hell did i let that happen?" i wondered. and then i remembered. riiight, i went to the candy store....

i'm so predictable.

anyway, howl's moving castle/hauru no ugoku shiro, the newest of the studio ghibli films, is about sophie, a young hatmaker who is cursed by the witch of the waste. in an attempt to remove the curse, sophie moves into magician howl's moving castle.

there's a lot more to it than that. a lot. and it is STUNNING visually. (i mean, look at howl. he's really quite attractive for a cartoon character, don't you think?) it's affected me so much that i've been having dreams about this film. (no, not that kind of dream, you perv. sheesh!)

i just finished the book that it was based on (also called howl's moving castle by diana wynne jones.) it's just as great as the movie.

look, just promise me you'll see this movie if you can? you'll thank me.

weekly illus friday bitch

this week's word is "tranquility".

one week after "karma" we get "tranquility"?!?? what the holy fuck?!??!

i'm giving it one more week. if the topic is anything zen like or interior designish next time, i'm out for good.(oh yes, i associate "karma" and "tranquility" with bad, very bad, interior design and stinky scented candles that give me headaches.)

monster peeps

look, i know it's weird to have a box of peeps in the freezer during the middle of july. that's why i decided to do something about it.

i present monster peeps: the movie.

it's a quicktime movie, about 20 mb, so it will take a while to download. sorry.

for those of you unable to spend that amount of time waiting on a crappy movie, here's a still.

tastes like summer

just mixed together a tub of sour cream and a packet of ranch dressing for dipping cauliflower and carrot sticks into.

this, even more than ice cream, watermelon and tomatoes off the vine, tastes like summer to me. esp if i've gotten a wicked sunburn and the air smells like chlorine from the pool.

viva 80's style ranch dip! viva summer!

have i mentioned...

...that blogger ate two of my posts yesterday?

fucking stupid blogger. drupal is looking miiiiiighty good these days. and domain names and hosting are hella' cheap....

fucking stupid blogger.

quelle dilemma!

turner classic movies has been showing audrey hepburn movies every wednesday night this month.

tonight the first movie is breakfast at tiffany's, one of my favorite movies ever. (well, except for the ending. she's not supposed to go back to hannibal from the ateam, she's supposed to go on to brasil, damn it! truman capote knew what he was writing! argh!)

anyway, breakfast is on at that same time as the bob newhart episode of american masters. i heart bob newhart. the bob newhart show still makes me collapse in fits of giggles. (newhart not quite so much and i won't even give you a link to bob but you have to respect a man that names all of his shows after himself. HAHA!)

so what's it to be? audrey hepburn or bob newhart? (i'm thinking bob newhart. i've seen breakfast at tiffany's, like, fifty times.)

harry and the potters

while working on the aformentioned mix cd, i stumbled across my harry and the potters folder!

they're a duo that writes and sings songs about the harry potter books! i can't believe i'd forgotten about them!

i've always been partial to "the wrath of hermoine" (based on the goblet of fire of course.) but they're all great!

joany appleseed

i LOVE back to school time! there are so many cool, new, shiny school supplies to ogle!

sometimes i even buy stuff. like this apple bag!



it's supposed to a lunchbox but who cares?!? i'll use it on a regular basis and tell everyone that i'm joany appleseed! ha!

all mixed up

argh! i'm trying to put together a mix cd for pazzo ragazzo and it's just not working!

anybody else ever have trouble getting started? what do you do when you're stuck? come on b boys, b girls, superstar djs and assorted rock stars, i need some help!

scapiteria

snap's, art nahpro's and wasted papiers' collage collaboration blog scrapiteria got a mention on mefi the other day!!!

congrats to all of you!!! it's a wonderful, wonderful site with the greatest collages by the coolest people!!!

if you haven't looked at scrapiteria yet, please do! it's simply fantastic!

the half blood prince

i got my copy at about 1:30 in the afternoon on saturday. it's now 12:10 am on sunday morning and i've finished it.

everything and more that i was afraid of happening has happened in the book. i'm very stunned. (either from shell shock or because i've been reading for almost 12 hours)

whatever the cause, i'm not going to elaborate right now as i don't want to post any spoilers. i will say, however, that i'm really depressed.

i hope everyone finishes soon so we can talk about the ending!! aaaaah!! it's painful!

candy is dandy

candy is dandy, liquor is quicker, but candy smokes beat 'em all!



leff and i went to wayne's candy company (164 e carolina, memphis, tn)this morning. it merits a wowohwowohwowohwow!!! and a few OMG!!!!!s!

wayne's is primarily a candy distribution center but they're open to the public mon-fri 6 am-3:45 pm and 6 am-9:45 am on sat.

they sell mainly in bulk and it is CHEAPCHEAPCHEAP!!! in addition to the regular things like m&m's and reese's they've also got candy cigs



and powedered fruit candy



just to name a few of their many, many things

the smaller candy companies were pretty well represented. i found a box of MALLO BARS!!!! for $20, but i didn't have the cash on me. (they only accept checks, cash and i think money orders, so don't even bother with the debit card.)

oh! i also saw strawberry moon pies!! and both kinds of goo goo clusters!! and some kinds of candy that i haven't seen since i was teeny tiny!!

am i in love with wayne's? you bet your sweet bippy i am!! i can't wait to go back!

no illustration friday for you

today's illustration friday word is "karma". karma!!?!???!!

if i wanted to illustrate boring, annoying things, i'd have a job as an illustrator.

*sighs huge angry sigh*

i'm off to suggest some words for next week. these topics have got to stop before i punch someone. then we'll bloody well see who's got karma coming.

*grumble*

sweet tooth

i'd heard a rumor that starbucks was going to be serving a matcha frappuccino soon.

looks like it's true because super eggplant had one! doesn't it look lovely, all pale green and freezey?

i may be calling katty kat in a few minutes to go on a hunt for one! (it's always more fun to hunt in a pack!) oh, and also willy wonka tie in candy. just 'cause i'm not going to see the movie doesn't mean i'm not going to eat wonka donutz and wonka cakes. because i am.

edit: leff and i went to starbucks earlier this evening and got free, you read that right FREE green tea fraps! and they were delicious!

aaaah!!!

the ac's fixed again. let's see how long it lasts this time.

edit: four hours. it lasted four hours. and now we don't have ac again. $#@$#@$#@@$#

all my base are belong to me

the apt smells fantastic because i'm making a soup base (you know, veg stock) for corn chowder that i'll be dishing up for lunch!

mmmmm....corn chowder!

speaking of food, the next disc of the julia child dvds should be here today!!

boston butt

have i ever mentioned how sometimes i'd like to be from massachusetts only because, and this is so stupid, i'd like to say "let me show you my boston butt" and then moon people?

*cracking self up*

purge

it's another ramble about packing! run for your lives!!

i love the purging involved in moving. shedding excess things and the baggage that goes along with them is just superb!

case in point, i just spent the last 30 minutes doing some old school "photo editing" (read: snip snip with the scissors) on some photos that i received when my paternal grandfather died.

you can think i'm cold and heartless if you want (because, let's face it, i can be both of those things), but cutting a certain someone out of my life all over again was just fantastic.

now onto old letters! mwah-haaaa-haaaaaa!!!!!!!

more things

don't ever work for an internet company with the area code of 404. you're just tempting the fates.

there is a religious mini golf course in lexington, ky. i suppose you can get a holy in one. (waaa-waaaaah! ba doom chink!)

if you have a very vivid dream in which you share a round house with joanne worley, rosalind russell and various other dark haired ladies from the '50's-'70's. and in this dream, joanne worley steals your 5" light blue maribou heel (the right one) to make you late for your audition. DON'T try to figure out what the dream means. you'll just give yourself a headache.

kabin fever

understatement of the day: moving is expensive.

it's also frustrating when you're trying to find affordable places to stay that also allow pets.

padre had a FANTASTIC idea!! koa kabins!! i don't know why i didn't think of this before! perhaps because i've been thinking "must have air conditioning for the cats!!!" forgetting that ac isn't essential in the northern parts of the u.s. that we'll be driving through.

what this means for you, dear reader, is possibly pictures from some of america's national forests. or, failing that, some place outside of that truckstop at exit 430.

illus friday--metropolitan

this week it's a great topic! too bad i'm too exhausted to have made the most of it.

i like robots

ah, audioblogger! you make me so happy!

things to do in memphis when you're broke

link tat
Originally uploaded by leff.
tonight i gave leff a temporary windwaker link tat. i made it with sharpies (which is why the colors aren't exact) in about 30 minutes.

it was quite a lot of fun! although i wouldn't want to be a real tattoo artist.

i LOVE chotda!!!!!!

take a deep breath before you look at this photo. ready? ok...



EEEEEEEEE!!!! OMG!!! can you BELIEVE this package?!??! chotda is sooooooo good to me!!!! she's fantastic!!!! THANKYOU, chodta!!!

illus friday--sport

what is with these topics? ungh...

here's my version of sport.



yeah, like i'm going to play real tennis.

ack!!

i just realized that padre and my step mom are visting next week! ack!! ACK!!!! *freaking out!* *hyperventilating* *STRESSING OUT!!!*(but praise be to the hotel gods for finding a place for them to stay!)

oi vey! what a damn exhausting month july is turning out to be. wake me when i'm in seattle will you?

drama

i debated whether or not to write about this, but then i decided that i can't write about food, tv (although i did watch an entire season of "america's top model" yesterday. how embarrassing!) and hello kitty all the time, so why the hell not.

yesterday saw a bit of drama at the rakka/leff household. an apartment on the fifth floor of our building caught on fire. (we're on the third floor, opposite side of the building.) it was contained rather quickly although the firefighters had to work in shifts due to the 100 degree heat (37 c) outside.

there is a rumor that it was arson since the fire was in an abandonned apartment. i can't confirm or deny that statement at the moment, however. (edit: it was not arson. some idiot had vacated the apt and left a computer plugged in. we had a power surge and the surge protector that the computer was plugged into overheated thus causing the fire.)

i was most concerned about our cats since i had to evacuate the apt quickly. this meant, unfortunately, stuffing them into pillowcases to keep them calm and then loading said pillowcases into a laundry basket. not the greatest solution, i'll admit, but i was under a deadline.

thankfully, a neighbor let me keep the cats in her air conditioned car so they weren't in the heat for very long. they seemed to have bounced back from the situation rather quickly! the only difference in behavior being that they now follow me around the house in pack formation everywhere i go. (cute kitties! hee hee!)

i'm fine but utterly exhausted and a bit scratched up due to ava. so i'll be sleeping today.

ok, i hope that was all stated matter of factly and that i didn't give anyone a dose of histrionics. let me state once again that everything is fine. our apt wasn't damaged. in fact, it doesn't even smell like smoke anymore. and that all of us are hunky dorey! except for being tired. very, very tired.