Pop Culture

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Greetings mes amis!

I have recently been fortunate enough to have had some creative opportunities pretty much fall into my lap. I take this as a sign I am on the right track. Finally. I won’t go into detail yet as from experience I have learned that this is a surefire way to shoot myself in the foot!

What I will say though, is that great opportunities don’t always come cheap. So to this end I have decided to reanimate Paperdoll Cabaret, my Etsy shop (It Lives!). It will be a little different this time than before since my focus has shifted (as far as my need to make stuff goes) from making jewellery to painting. I am currently in the midst of a little flurry of activity designing what I hope will become cool items to put up. I’ll let y’all know when I’m up and running again. I’m going away on Friday for a few days and while this won’t really interrupt the design process, it will definitely cause a bit of a delay in actual production. But hopefully it won’t be too long…. to be honest I can’t afford it to be. I’m not going to miss the boat this time 😉

On a different note, we had great fun last Wednesday (our 31st) dressing up and giving out candy to the local trick or treaters. In Australia (being in the Southern Hemisphere), and in the context it’s celebrated here, it is not a serious celebration. That, I believe would be the 2nd May here. However kids these days are really getting into it and it was so much fun to watch their little faces (and not so little, there were quite a few older kids in the mix) light up when I opened the door in my pointy hat with my “pet spider” dangling from my finger. It was though the chocolate bars I handed them were priceless. It was wonderful! And it’s all harmless, healthy fun. However, and there always seems to be a however, there are a lot of people around here who don’t agree and get quite upset about the whole thing. Even some people who work in shops that sell Halloween-related stuff. They can get quite snotty when you buy fake spiders etc. Go figure! I was told by some of the parents who were walking around with their children that they had received a frosty reception and worse from “Halloween Haters”. To all those people I blow a big, fat RASPBERRY! Don’t take it all so seriously! We put a spider on the gate to show that we were “Halloween friendly” and will continue to do something along these lines each year. Viva Halloween Australian style!!!

I am still unable to post any of my own photos here. I think there must be something wrong with my account settings. I can’t believe I am quite this hopeless. Then again….. 🙂 I will contact support through the week and see if they can help me sort this out. I’m not a great photographer but there have been a few photos I would’ve liked to share with you.

Oh yeah. A few days ago I purchased my first piece of jewellery from Shalottlilly. It’s currently away being photographed and it has to travel all the way from Texas so I’m not sure when it will arrive, but I can’t wait! This lady’s work is beautiful. Check out the Shalottlilly Facebook page to see for yourself.

And last, but certainly not least I hope anyone who has been affected by hurricane Sandy is ok now. I really hope you all stayed safe.

Take care.

Until next time

V ❤

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A Chip Off The Old (Writer’s) Block

Published October 22, 2012 by Robyn
The discouraged Nenene suffering from writer's...

The discouraged Nenene suffering from writer’s block continues to lament the disappearance of Yomiko (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Hey folks,

Yep, I’ve been suffering from the dreaded writer’s block!

It’s not that there hasn’t been plenty happening – plenty to write about. It’s just that I can’t seem to get the words out of my head and onto the page.  On several occasions I’ve been close to calling it quits (“who am I to expect people to be interested in what I have to say”) and blah-dy blah-dy blah-dy. But the truth is it does me good to write. It helps me keep from bottling everything up and whether the results end up here, or in a song, or on a scrap of paper, it’s all good. But it’s just not happening for me lately.

Today I put up two (very) short posts on Facebook and it got me thinking. What if I just start publishing little snippets, and I put them here rather than fb? So that’s what I’m gonna do – just chip away, chip away at that big ol’ block – start seeing the forest AND the trees. Wish me luck!

V ❤

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Husbands As Status Symbols?

Published October 2, 2012 by Robyn

Hello People,

This is just a short rant. I write it at the risk of upsetting a few people but this is really getting up my nose! Since when did what someone’s husband do as a job become a status symbol? “My husband is a blah-blah. what does yours do?” It’s a really bitchy little thing that seems to be creeping into social media.

I don’t care if your husband is a Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Sailor, or Willy-Fucking-Wonka for that matter! The real issues are (should be): Is he a good man? Does he take care of you and your babies?And the biggie, Is he honest? If he is these things AND a Space Ninja well good for him. But that don’t impress me at all.

Has anyone else seen these kind of posts? And if so, what do you think about them?

Love V ❤

Sucked In By The Mechanical Turk!

Published August 11, 2012 by Robyn
Image representing Mechanical Turk as depicted...

Image via CrunchBase

A few days back after reading an article on making money online I applied to Amazon‘s Mechanical Turk. They had little jobs listed for ridiculously small amounts of money, but I was figuring every little bit helps. I have plans y’all!

When you submit your application, MT is heavy on their requests for personal information – home address, phone number. Because I believed that they were kosher – they may be, but I really have my doubts, I completed the required information. Silly me.

I waited a couple of days then received an email (I deleted it in anger, otherwise I would’ve copied and pasted it here) basically saying they regret to inform me that I am not able to do any work for them.

Um, what did they base their assessment on?

If there is such a rigorous selection process (don’t understand why. The tasks appear to be quite simple, and they certainly don’t pay well for it) why at this point did I need to supply them with my address and phone number?

Maybe Mechanical Turk is not a scam, and I am really so inept as to have been rejected by them. But…

Has anyone else had any dealings with Mechanical Turk? If so, what were your experiences?

But for now F**k you, Mechanical Turk! You’d better not start spamming me!

Ggrrrrrrrr…..

On Facebook Status Updates

Published August 9, 2012 by Robyn

Another Plinky. Still can’t get the link to work. I am waiting for a reply from the Plinky People. The question was regarding annoying Facebook status updates:-

  • “This morning I got up, made coffee, then I went to the loo and when I came back my coffee was cold so I had to make it again and then I made some toast to go with it and then…

    Facebook at Mozcon – Alex

    Facebook is often irritating.In a way, in our culture it has become something of a necessary evil, much like the era when everyone decided they had to get a home phone. When I was little, a telephone of one’s own was the exception, not the rule.  I don’t really care what you had for lunch unless I was there too. I don’t need to see 20million photos of the same little girl being chased by people (I got sucked in the first time. I thought Prince Charles was at a family picnic playing chasings. Awww, how cute. But no). This morning she was being chased by Usain Bolt. I don’t like people being mean and I don’t like people using Facebook to bully people. I could probably come up with more irritating types of status updates, but I really don,t want to have to think about Facebook that much.

Plinky?!

Published July 26, 2012 by Robyn

Hey! I wrote the following in Plinky, and tried to send it here from there, but there seems to be a problem. I don’t think it should really be taking more than half an hour to send a quick post over here. However, if it does appear twice you’ll know what happened. I hope the Plinky people don’t get upset.

 This Morning I Woke Up Speaking Swedish       

So, I wake up and find I can speak another language. Which one? I initially thought this would be an easy choice. Why French of course! This is because I have a good handle on the basics already. But that’s no fun. Thinking, thinking further. Russian? German? Japanese? Should it be something that could be useful in my day to day life?

  • Sweden

    I loved The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo Trilogy. As I read the books I wondered what it would really be like to live in Sweden, speak Swedish. I was given copies of the Swedish movie version (s). The Girl Who Played With Fire was actually in Swedish with English subtitles. I loved the sound of the voices, the cadences- so capable and efficient sounding. In my life right now I could use a heavy dose of Swedish efficiency. So Swedish would be the language I would (currently) choose to wake up being able to speak, y’all!

 

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Do Not Go Gentle

Published July 25, 2012 by Robyn
Welsh poet Dylan Thomas

Welsh poet Dylan Thomas (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

While going through some stuff last night I cam across this. It is a favourite of mine and I thought I’d share:

Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night

Do not go gentle into that good night

Old age should burn and rave at the close of day;

Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right

Because their words forked no lightning they

Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright

Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay

Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight

And learn, too late, they grieved it on it’s way,

Do not go gentle into that good night.

Grave men, near death who see with blinding sight

Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay

Rage, rage against the dying of the light

– Dylan Thomas

This was the first poem Dylan Thomas published, when he was only 18, a moving plea to his dying father.

Oh, and as and addendum to my last post It All Started With Tom Cruise, today Leisel Jones (Australian swimmer) is copping it from the media with suggestions that she is out of shape and does she really deserve her place in the Olympics. Of course it was accompanied by some very unflattering photos. Once again, the suggestion was that she is “past it”.

Well she QUALIFIED didn’t she?  This is her 5th Olympics. A pretty awesome achievement  wouldn’t you say. And they don’t put you in the team for the “warm and fuzzies”. They want  you to win! Maybe she should take up knitting too 😉

V ❤

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