Scraps (n. ,fem., singular)

Been sewing my fingers to the bone, so here’s a couple of quizzes (whose pictures probably won’t show up… I don’t know what the deal is with those right now…)

You Are Midnight

You are more than a little eccentric, and you’re apt to keep very unusual habits. Whether you’re a nightowl, living in a commune, or taking a vow of silence - you like to experiment with your lifestyle. Expressing your individuality is important to you, and you often lie awake in bed thinking about the world and your place in it. You enjoy staying home, but that doesn’t mean you’re a hermit. You also appreciate quality time with family and close friends.

Who Should Paint You: Gustav Klimt

Sensual and gorgeous, you would inspire an enchanting portrait.. With just enough classic appeal to be hung in any museum!

You Passed 8th Grade Science

Congratulations, you got 8/8 correct!

You Are a Chocolate Chip Cookie

Traditional and conservative, most people find you comforting. You’re friendly and easy to get to know. This makes you very popular - without even trying!

You Are Lightning

Beautiful yet dangerous People will stop and watch you when you appear Even though you’re capable of random violence You are best known for: your power Your dominant state: performing

Well… I suppose it’s not really day 1. Day one would have been when I finally ordered the wool for this thing back between Christmas and New Years’s. Day 2 probably would have been 3 months later when I finally got up the nerve to pre-wash said fabric. So, I suppose this is more like Day 3.

Tonight I finally got up the courage to cut into the 100% wool gabardine (pink!) and cut the pieces for the bodice. Then I recut the front pieces because even though I’ve read the instructions half a dozen times or more, and I’ve seen the note about the period construction adjustment that has to be made, I still completely blanked. Oh well, I ordered nine yard of fabric and if I have to cut fewer than 23 skirt panels, I think I’ll be fine (because that will be one or two fewer panels to triple-welt before being pleated on).

(aka why autocracy and dictatorships have the right idea)

(and no, this has nothing to do with actual Politics)

The problem with being democratic in, say, interpersonal relationships, is that everyone supposedly has an equal say in the goings on of the whole (I say supposedly because its an ideal… it doesn’t really work this way. I mean, think about it: Even with two people, if one decides they want out, well, it doesn’t so much matter what the other person wants, they have to accept it or become a stalker… not exactly what I’d call ‘equal say’, but I digress.). *How* is this a problem you ask? Well, hang with me for a minute and I might get to my point.

So, in any relationship there are at least two people involved (we are ignoring the stalkers and delusional unrequited folks). Occasionally there are more than two involved, and sometimes those ‘excess’ (not the usually connotation here, folks) or peripheral involvants have that pesky ‘equal say’ for one reason or another. This is where you get the problems.

It’s hard enough to get two people to agree on things because there are as many opinions as people (some old, now-dead, Greek or Roman dude said that, but I’ll be dashed to remember who) and that’s just the way it works. So when you deal with a group (and I define, for the purpose of this discussion, a group as three or more parties) it’s exponentially more difficult.

This is why I think certain relationship structures should follow a autocracy or dictatorship [is there a better word for this that I'm missing? I keep mentally tripping on that word but the internal Thesaurus is being sluggish] model as opposed to a democracy. Like roosters and hens. Roosters rule the hen-house, they make the rules, they have the say. Hens do not run the rooster, this just isn’t the way of things. The rooster might consent to the wishes of one hen or another, but he still has say.

[Zoologist and orinthologists please don't correct me here. I'm not looking for scientific reality if it differs from my perceptions. This is not an educational treatise but merely the ravings of an emotionally addled woman, don't you see that?]

As humans, so-called evolved and capable of reason, we tend to automatically buck against something so simple as autocracy. But, you know, sometimes I think it wouldn’t be so bad. Yes, even I, a fiercely independant woman who clings to her personal autonomy as a child to its favorite toy or blanket [no, I've not missed the subtext of comparing myself to a needy child], would be a lot happier if certain chicken-coops were ruled by a sure-minded, take no prisoners, what I say goes rooster rather than by rooster and hen committee. So there.

–a paranoid Hen

Ahh. another holiday with no kids around. How lovely…

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t hate kids, I’m just not that great with them and have a low tolerance for their usual m.o.: loud voices, unfunny jokes ad nauseum, frenetic movements, etc. So the fact that the youngest person at Mom’s today was 19 suited me just fine.

Easter, for the longest time, has been an odd holiday for me. When I was a kid I loved it and have great memories of the big silver tray that would be set out with all the dyed eggs (with each family person’s name on them) at Grandma’s. But really, as the age of reason came and stayed I had more and more trouble seeing the link between bunnies and eggs and Jesus rising from the grave. When I learned about the pagan fertility festival that was adapted by the Christians to make it more palatable, it just sort of denuded the holiday of Christian importance more and more (my bigotted Sunday School teacher just had shivers run down her spine… I can guarantee it). Nonetheless, I love the reason every year to consume copious amounts of candy, ham, etc. greet it with gusto!

Said gusto being the reason, right now, that I wish I had a smidge less… urgh! But tomorrow sanity and portion control will return. I think, though, that the chocolate bunnies on my table right now? Are safe for at least a couple of hours!

via indywind

Not a big shocker here:

The Five Love Languages

My primary love languages are probably
Physical Touch and Quality Time.

Complete set of results

Information

Unhappiness in relationships, according to Dr. Gary Chapman, is often due to the fact that we speak different love languages. Sometimes we don’t understand our partner’s requirements, or even our own. We all have a “love tank” that needs to be filled in order for us to express love to others, but there are different means by which our tank can be filled, and there are different ways that we can express love to others.

Take the quiz
Got it…

Your Lucky Underwear is Blue

http://images.blogthings.com/whatcolorisyourluckyunderwearquiz/blue.jpg” height=”100″ width=”100″> You are caring and extroverted. You’ve made relationships your number one focus, and your lucky blue underwear can bring some balance to them.  You thrive in one-on-one situations. You are a good listener and a natural born therapist. Sometimes you let the concerns of others become too important in your life, leading to stress and worry. If you want more balance, put on your blue underpants. They’ll help you take care of yourself first.

 It’s a slow news day.

Now, y’all, it’s been firmly established that I have a warped sense of humor and  sometimes an interesting way of seeing things. Okay, I’m snarky. But really… there are some things, well meaning as they may start out, that just cross certain lines (pun so not intended there).

The below was a forward on one of my scrapbooking lists, and all I could think is what this sort of object lesson would do to a child’s psychosis: Cocoa with marshmallows? Disconcerting. S’mores? Scary. And roasting marshmallows? Perish the trauma!

Not to mention what Communion would become: Marshmallow fluff and Peeps!

To explain… here is the email content: