Petty Vices

The real deal: a pie chart for...pie

From Information Aesthetics; I'm going to have to find a way to include this in a presentation one of these days...

Wordle Clouds

I discovered a fun application called Wordle; it takes words you paste in or a URL and will create a tag cloud graphic.

My randomly generated Wordle:

My name is a healthcare acronym...

GINA: Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act.

Is your name an acronym for something?

Flickr game

Picture mosaic making game inspired by robayre.

1. DSC06589 - Gina spinning a fire hula hoop (San Francisco), 2. Day 106 - I am a librarian, 3. Tunnels Beach, Kauai, 4. pink | red | orange, 5. front closeup, 6. What a wonderful world, 7. David Halberstam 1934 –  2007, 8. 365/123: Crafty Girl, 9. Sneaky 'Justice League' Writers and Artists Strike Again, 10. His Fantasy, 11. Why Choose When You Can Have Both ?, 12. LucyLui Camping

a. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search.
b. Using only the first page, pick an image.
c. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into fd’s mosaic maker.

The Questions:

1. What is your first name? Gina
2. What is your favorite food? Cheese
3. What high school did you go to? Shoreline, Kennedy and Shorewood -- but just used Shoreline for this game because the whole phrase resulted in nada!
4. What is your favorite color? Reds
5. Who is your celebrity crush? Aidan Quinn
6. Favorite drink? Vino
7. Dream vacation? 3 months wandering around Europe with my honey
8. Favorite dessert? Cobbler
9. What you want to be when you grow up? Writer and artist
10. What do you love most in life? Imagination
11. One Word to describe you. Eccentric
12. Your flickr name. LucyLui

The pictures don't necessarily match my answers, but I did try to pick the photo that best described some actual aspect of "me"-ness. I was pysched I found a photo titled "I am a librarian" when I searched for "cheese"...perfect!

ENFP "Inspirer": that's me

Now and then I'll capitulate and take an online quiz.

The one I just did at Blogthings (ummm, can't sleep; sue me) was kinda bizarre, because it didn't profess to do this, but it resulted in a Myers-Briggs type, and I happen to know mine because I've taken the actual Myers-Briggs test twice before.

While this is a seriously abbreviated version, the super nutty part is that this little web app managed to "type" me correctly. It produced my actual Myers-Briggs result according to two lengthy, real tests I've taken.

Wild. Perhaps coincidence. Don't know. Anyway. Here's the scoop:

You Are An ENFP 

The Inspirer

You love being around people, and you are deeply committed to your friends.
You are also unconventional, irreverent, and unimpressed by authority and rules.
Incredibly perceptive, you can usually sense if someone has hidden motives.
You use lots of colorful language and expressions. You're quite the storyteller!

In love, you are quite the charmer. And you are definitely willing to risk your heart.
You often don't follow through with your flirting or professed feelings. And you do break a lot of hearts.

At work, you are driven but not a workaholic. You just always seem to enjoy what you do.
You would make an excellent entrepreneur, politician, or journalist.

How you see yourself: compassionate, unselfish, and understanding

When other people don't get you, they see you as: gushy, emotional, and unfocused

Happy Memorial Day & Mirrorball cocktails

M & I have had a glorious weekend of sticking close to home, working in the yard, taking walks and just generally enjoying each other's company. Divine.

I had considered having a couple of favorite peeps over, but we ended up dirty and sweaty  and tired out after gardening so...oh well. Next time.

Along the entertaining route, I was flipping through Hip Sips (awesome little cocktail book by the owner & bartender of the very chic & very delicious Portland restaurant Mint) the other day and a recipe for a Mirrorball caught my attention as something to make for friends this summer.

Mirrorball cocktail
Serves 1

• Cocktail ice cubes for shaking
• 2 ounces watermelon infused vodka (recipe follows)
• 1/4 ounce Harlequin orange liqueur
• 1 ounce fresh lemon-lime juice (recipe follows)
• 1 ounce simple syrup
• Splash of cranberry juice
• 1 ounce of champagne

Fill a tempered pint glass with ice & add the vodka liqueur, lemon-lime juice, simple syrup, and cranberry juice. Cap the glass with a stainless-steel cocktail shaker and shake vigorously for 10 seconds. Strain the drink into a 10-ounce martini glass. Top off with the champagne. Serve immediately.

Watermelon infused vodka

• One 10-pound watermelon, peeled, seeded, and cut into 2-inch chunks (10 cups)
• 1 bottle (1-liter) Monopolowa vodka

Put the watermelon in a wide-mouthed glass jar with a lid. Add the vodka and seal the container, reserving the empty vodka bottle for storage later. Store in a cool, dark spot for 3 days. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the watermelon to a fine-meshed sieve. Press on the solids with the back of a large spoon to push the pulp through the sieve.  Return the strained puree back to the vodka in the container, discarding solids remaining in the mesh. Place a funnel in the reserved vodka bottle and pour the infused vodka back in the bottle & seal. Shake the vodka to mix any settled watermelon pulp before you add it to a drink. Store in the refrigerator for up to six months.

Fresh lemon-lime juice

• 10 lemons (or 10 ounces)
• 10 limes (or 10 ounces)

Squeeze out juice, mix and store in the refrigerator for up to 48 hours.

I remembered the above recipe when I came across a clever serving idea for it -- a tapped watermelon. TipNut.com explains how to make it. Cheers!

Some fav's from the "free" Craig's List Seattle...

I like to check in on Craig's list to see if anyone's giving away something I need, or if there are any estate sales nearby to go to over the weekend. I've been totally sick this week and probably won't be going anywhere, but I'm also stir crazy and my sleeping schedule is all wacked, so I'm looking anyway. Window shopping Craig's list, if you will.

Turns out there's some super entertaining stuff tonight!

We need a picnic table for our new backyard, so I clicked on an ad for an Origami picnic table, curious about what it might be. I was picturing some sort of mod flat pack thing, but instead, I was rewarded with an actual miniature origami piece.

The ad describes it as a:

"Hand crafted miniature picnic table made entirely from foil confectionery packaging (gum wrappers). This is a sculpture based on an original design by the artist."

Um, yeah. Wow.

Here's a pic along with some more fascinating verbiage:

"Fantastic conversation piece.
Table features one piece top with green blue and silver colors.  Seats are metallic green. (ants not included)
No glue or any other materials were used to create this unique sculpture. Similar in style to origami construction in that no wrappers were cut or torn during assembly. All structures were created by using only folds, twists, and rolls of the wrappers. Surprisingly realistic look, is very lightweight, and has a pleasant minty aroma."

Psychology class experiment, perhaps? Almost makes me want to respond and go get this little thing. Just for the story!

We also want to buy a grill, so I was clicking on free listings just to see if anything was decent.

One nice person was providing the following kettle Weber grill for free, noting that:  "The BBQ is missing a wheel but I will also throw in the bowl I have been using to keep it level."

Is it my cold medicine, or is this really funny??

I wonder.

Regardless, I highly recommend reading & clicking on free Craig's list stuff as a pleasant way to pass the time. Seriously. Give it a try.

Thank you

I've received so many nice messages from so many people -- thank you very much for all of your kind wishes, congratulations, and support. M and I appreciate it and are very aware of how lucky we are, not just to have each other, but have such a wonderful network of people surrounding us.

My favorite part of all of this has been the repeated commentary that we are an inspiration for some people -- that we exhibit the kind of relationship they hope to have -- and that because its taken us longer to find it (we're not spring chickens) they have renewed hope that they can too.

I think it's really special that we exude a sort of happiness that's palpable. It certainly feels that way, but it's truly awesome to have the internal and external states match up!

Yep, I'm a lucky gal alright. As I told a friend the other night via email -- be like goldilocks and just wait until it's "just right." Don't waste time on anything else.

You know, I really believe that life is better alone than with the wrong person. Seriously. Ironically both M and I were done looking and had decided to live happy lives alone when we met & started dating. Maybe that was part of the magic -- that neither of us needed the other one...

How to draw a cup of coffee...

...is a great blog by artist Michelle Maule (that's a cool piece of her art for sale, above). Inspired by her recent "I love" list, I thought I'd share one of my own.

I love:

• My fabulous man "M"
• My dog Lucy Lui, the amazing border collie
• Sunshine
• Cheese
• Coffee
• Wine
• Thrift store shopping
• Making things
• Eating a perfectly ripe, juicy, cold peach on a hot summer day
• Original Coke
• Being in a "zone"
• The show Medium
• Reading a book that's so good it becomes like a friend and you're really sad when you finish it
• The smell of concrete on a random rainy day in the middle of summer when it's hot outside
• Popsicles
• Peonies
• Going to the beach on a drab winter day when I'm feeling overwhelmed and having the vastness of the ocean and the horizon make me feel small & insignificant and thus put things in perspective
• Blooming cherry trees in spring
• Art
• Shoes
• Handbags
• Jewelry
• Ballgames

Yep. I love them all. You?

Pass it on. =*)

Shopping locally online

I've been trying to buy more items locally -- for instance I've been getting weekly deliveries of organic fruits & veggies from New Roots Organics -- but I do love the convenience of shopping online.

Unfortunately, many little local places don't necessarily have good online stores; I've recently discovered Etsy's Shop Local site, where you can punch in your city and it returns stores of people from your area. How cool is that?

Drop-in neighborhood gym in Ravenna

Stumbled upon information on this new gym Community Fitness in the Ravenna neighborhood, and I'm excited because there are no membership fees -- its pay-as-you-go -- and it's affordable too ($5.95+tax a class). Also, they've got some fun classes: dance, yoga, jump-roping (for adults!) and even belly dancing. Perhaps I can drag M out to one or two with me once he heals (he just had surgery and got his tonsils and adenoids removed, poor thing...I've been nursing him and doling out his medicine).

What kind of thinker are you?

According to a BBC mind test, I'm both an Interpersonal Thinker as well as an Intrapersonal Thinker. Yep, I'm all about the peeps, myself included. Fun quiz, and they have a bunch of others too if you feel like putting your brain on trial for awhile and digging into your psychology.

Condo update

Hey folks -- sold it! Awhile ago, actually, and I managed to earn the title of highest-price-paid-per-square-foot-in-the-

history-of-the-building, too! Lots of smiles from my neighbors on the elevator, let me tell you. HUGE relief. HUGE. Still unpacking. Still think moving should be a four-letter word. Particularly after my basement leaked like a sieve in the recent hurricane-level rains that happened in Seattle...something the sellers said never happened. Hmmmm. Perhaps, just my luck. A little research will tell, but in the meantime, nothing is damaged (though drywall inspection is still pending), and the big expense will be fixing the issue so we won't have it again. Ah well. I'm super happy with my life and the house anyway, and that's what counts, right?

How do you spell S-T-R-E-S-S?

I spell it M-O-V-I-N-G. Or not, as the case may be.

Well, moving some things, but not all things. Still the proud debtor on two mortgages...there's been lots of activity on my condo lately, but no decided offers yet. Send good thoughts!

I'm all jittery and excited, because I love my new little house, but I also love my little condo and as it gets closer to selling it makes me sad (and elated too, which is weird) and, well, its hard. A little <lot> harder than I anticipated. But such is life. I certainly have nothing to complain about -- my life is rolling along just great right now. It's just nerve-racking, is all.

Fingers and toes crossed for some closure (pun intended) soon!

Online distraction for the writer in YOU

I somehow stumbled upon this site called Verbotomy, which presents daily (M-F) challenges to create a word matching a specific definition they provide. They have rankings attached to each "verbocity" entered and folks can vote for their favorites. There is a weekly winner, though I believe all you "win" is the distinction itself, but hey, that's okay by me. Wanna play? Go check it out.

Today's DEFINITION: n., The fear of eating the skins of fruits, vegetables, or small animals. v. tr., To worry about saving one's skin while chewing on a rind, peel, or pelt.

I thought "dermaphobe" summed it up pretty well, and turns out it wasn't already submitted by anyone else. Woo-hoo!

More details on my make-believe word of the day:

• Pronunciation: dur'mi'fob
• Sentence: As a card-carrying dermaphobe, Alicia had mastered the ability to peel an apple skin in one long, continuous spiral.
• Etymology: Derived from the late Latin epidermis (epi=outer layer; dermis=skin) + Latin phobus (phobus=fear)

Note: Illustration copyright of Verboticism

Busy, busy, busy

My life is full of wonderful changes right now, and I've been neglecting to blog much lately. I'm going to be back in the swing of things shortly, though. I'm at about the six month mark on my new job and I'm loving it, and I'm starting to feel up-to-speed now which is great.

I've also recently put my condo on the market, which is a huge step for me as I've lived in it for eight years now (how time flies)...all 590 square feet of it! I didn't even think I'd be able to handle the small space for two years, never mind 8. Crazy. Regardless, I hope it sells fast & furious and for more than I'm asking for it! I bought a house and am sooooo excited about having space to work on craft projects and having a yard to play in with Lucy Lui. It will be grand. Anyway, what all this (hopefully) means is that I'll be making stuff again soon, and will be delighted to take pictures of it and share it. Perhaps I'll even put some stuff on etsy and maybe I'll even get my web site functioning...hmmmm...

Women Who Set Themselves Free

Came across a great grouping of inspirational stories and videos from women who set about making major changes and thus bettered their lives -- the one that drew me to the site was on Jennifer Perkins of DIY's Craft Lab -- her story includes a video tour of her eclectic (some might say eccentric) home in Austin, Texas. Note that the videos require IE (won't play with Firefox).

Anyone Else Feeling Behind?

I've been recovering from the flu since right after xmas, and I'm still feeling under the weather. Ick. My apologies for the lack of postings -- I hope to be back on my feet with a keyboard firmly under my fingers soon...and if anyone is wondering about the new www.2ninelives.com site...well, its also on my near-future get-finished list. Stay tuned.  Happy New Year! 2007 is going to be wonderful, I can just feel it in my bones.

Blogging Pays Off for Xmas!

I'm so glad my wonderful boyfriend actually reads my ramblings here, as he picked two things I love and added them to the wonderful bunch of gifts he gave me (I got a
gorgeous Bink bag and some wonderful Parisian wallpaper-patterned Rosanna plates, mugs and highballs...so lovely).

Blog on, sisters!

Doggie Wisdom...

Found on Imogene:

Web site coming soon!

Just a note to let folks know that I'm working on my new www.2ninelives.com ecommerce site; its under construction and taking me a bit of hair-pulling, but I hope to have it working properly by the end of the week. Sorry for the mess!!

Words to Live By...

"Emulate the cosmetics industry in your packaging, Nordstrom in your customer service, and Apple in your sheer sexiness."

- Seth Godin, Small is the New Big

Random Quotes

"As long as this flaw remained, calculus would be based upon faith rather than logic."

- from Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea.

The above was inspired by the following task, inspired by kate (who found from Em...):

a) pick up a book which is the closest to you at the moment
b) open page 123
c) find the third sentence
d) post it in your Live Journal (plus the instructions)
e) don’t choose the book, just pick up the one closest to you

Thrifty Finds

Had a great bargain hunting day yesterday. I found tons of great fabric at Goodwill, and a bunch of belts to use as handbag handles. I also came across a terrific business online that sells for WAY cheaper a yard than my local fabric stores...e.g. they have Michael Miller prints for $3.99 a yard. Around here they go for $8.99 and up...Marshall Dry Goods, Inc. Super excited!

Over the weekend I went to those regular fabric shops and found some great stuff for some custom cocktail napkins I'm making -- hope to have pics up of finished products later today!

Fortune Fridge Flower