neonsugar.tumblr.comRemember a couple of months ago when I was doing the "30 Letters in 30 Days?" Well, I did finish it (in more like 60 days), but I removed it from my blog after the first 8, as I thought it was getting more personal than I cared for this blog to be. I have decided, instead, to include this challenge in my blog. Just so y'all know, I likely will not post daily, but more like a couple times a week. Yes, art is personal and one can bear their soul to the world within their work, but there is always a bit of anonymity as well. Well, here goes, stay tuned......
06 May 2011
12 April 2011
The Green House
I have been making jewelry and clothing for a great long while. Actually, I have been crafting since longer than I can remember. It is a family tradition, one might say. My mother is gifted in working with her hands, whether it be sewing, knitting, or anything else. I, not so talented, but willing to put in the work. Though I have always been a maker/doer, I have never had more than a virtual corner in which to display my wares.... Until now.
New to the fine city of Austin, Green House is a boutique that carries the works of local artists and crafters. They are situated in the heart of what is Austin, and they embody the unique feel that makes this city great. (The address is 701 E. 53rd.). It has so very exciting to me as I have put my wares here and in less than a month I have had to restock! They haven't even had their Grand Opening yet!! 
In the short time that they have been open, I have learned about how to better marked myself on, as well as offline. I have been ramping up my Etsy shop, listing new items regularly and getting involved with teams. I will do a separate blog post on the marketing end later....
Another plus to putting my items in this boutique is that I can test new products and get actual results and reactions from real live people! I have been doing this, as it is inspiring to have a real audience, as opposed to virtual. My Etsy shop has not allowed me this. Now I can test items and place them in my Etsy if they are in demand. Very cool.The actual opening party will take place on May 7th from 10am to 10 pm and will be an event *not* to be missed. There will be live music, cocktails, a local artist's work in the gallery, and tons of fabulous locally handcrafted goodies!! I hope that you all can come and hang out with me!!
21 February 2011
Andriod Apps - *My* Top Ten List
I have only recently become part of the "Android World." Though I desired an android phone since the G1 first came out, on an unemployed student's budget, I recognized the greater need for frugality. Now, however, I am a graduate, am gainfully employed, and actually have reason for owning an android powered phone.
In the few short months I have owned my smart phone, (2 months actually), I have collected some amazingly useful and geekishly cool apps. Also, since I still cling to my frugal self, they are all free apps. My top ten findings I shall share here, in alphabetical order:
1) Any Memo: How many hours in your life do you suppose you spend waiting? We wait in grocery lines, lobbies, on the phone, etc. Why not use that otherwise "wasted" time to learn something new, or review something that you learned long ago? Any Memo is a flash card app that contains flash cards on everything from Languages to Geography to Math. I use mine to study Arabic. I have found it makes waiting *so* much easier. In fact, more than once, as my wait ended, I found myself thinking, "Damn! So soon?"
2) Endomondo: This is my personal trainer app. It keeps track of your workouts. It connects to GPS and can track a course you run, walk, or whatever. Then it will save it for you. You can work on beating your record, or you can sync with a friend for a bit of friendly competition. In addition, there is a handy playlist feature that pulls media of your choosing for play during your workout. With such a tool, who needs a gym?
3) GList: This is my shopping list app. Whenever I run out of an item (i.e. foodstuffs, hand soap, etc.), I add it to the appropriate list and it is there when I go to the store, provided I don't forget my phone. As I walk the aisles and acquire the items on my list, I can check them off. At the checkout, I press "checkout," and those items are removed from the list. What I especially like about this app is that is saves all previous items added into a list so that I don't have to retype them each time. For items I use often, like almond milk, this is very convenient, just "check" it and it is back on the grocery list.
4) Google Sky Maps: This app has brought the amazing coolness! I have always been a star gazer. I even entertained the idea of being an astronomer...once... before I realized the amount of math involved. With this app, though, I am able to wax brilliant and educated as I name every star visible in the sky! I just hold up my phone, start the app, and the sky map tells me the name and mirrors the location of all I see... It is a beautiful universe!
5) Laputa: This is my kindle, except I don't have to carry multiple devices, just my phone. Laputa is an Ebook reader that is connected to many free download sites. I am currently reading the Dresden File books, turning each virtual page with delight.
6) Posterous: As an obsessive microblogger, intent on chronicling my life, I have a myspace, twitter, facebook account, tumblr, etc. I want to update them consistently, but not separately as that would take a ridiculous amount of time and is most inconvenient. Posterous allows me to update multiple sites in one go. Yeah! for saving time and keeping my peeps up-to-date!
7) Shazam: Have you ever been in a coffee shop and heard your new fave song, but don't know the artist or title? This brilliant app will allow you to hold up your phone, capture a snippet of the music, and it will respon with Artist, Song, Album Title, and other relevant information. Brilliant!
8) ShopSavvy: As I have mentioned, I have frugal tendencies. Hell, frugal is my chosen lifestyle! This being so, when I find something that I desire, I scan the barcode. In one scan, all my comparison shopping is done for me. I can choose the cheapest local or web price, then, fully informed, I can acquire the item. Or, if I deem it too expensive, I can add it to the appropriate wish list. I will also set a price alert, so that if the item falls to a specified price or below, I will be alerted so that I can make my purchase.
9) Springpad: This is my catch all notepad. Whenever I have a thought, idea, hear a quote, etc. I put it here. I collect these and organize them in their proper places later. This frees me from my previous mountain of paper notes.
10) Toodledo: This one just might be my absolute *favorite* app. This is my virtual To Do list. I have always written To Dos on paper, sometimes multiple lists in a day. The paper notes are cumbersome and easily misplaced, but the feeling of checking off a completed task. Toodledo allows me to organize and keep tidy all of my tasks. I can also add due dates and reminders. The whole system is quite fabulous, and yet another paper saver! Apps help people Go Green, haha!
So, these are my top ten, but I am always on the hunt for cool apps. So, if you share any that I can add to my arsenal, anything that assists me in my mission to take over the world, you will be remembered in the regime change.
In the few short months I have owned my smart phone, (2 months actually), I have collected some amazingly useful and geekishly cool apps. Also, since I still cling to my frugal self, they are all free apps. My top ten findings I shall share here, in alphabetical order:
1) Any Memo: How many hours in your life do you suppose you spend waiting? We wait in grocery lines, lobbies, on the phone, etc. Why not use that otherwise "wasted" time to learn something new, or review something that you learned long ago? Any Memo is a flash card app that contains flash cards on everything from Languages to Geography to Math. I use mine to study Arabic. I have found it makes waiting *so* much easier. In fact, more than once, as my wait ended, I found myself thinking, "Damn! So soon?"
2) Endomondo: This is my personal trainer app. It keeps track of your workouts. It connects to GPS and can track a course you run, walk, or whatever. Then it will save it for you. You can work on beating your record, or you can sync with a friend for a bit of friendly competition. In addition, there is a handy playlist feature that pulls media of your choosing for play during your workout. With such a tool, who needs a gym?
3) GList: This is my shopping list app. Whenever I run out of an item (i.e. foodstuffs, hand soap, etc.), I add it to the appropriate list and it is there when I go to the store, provided I don't forget my phone. As I walk the aisles and acquire the items on my list, I can check them off. At the checkout, I press "checkout," and those items are removed from the list. What I especially like about this app is that is saves all previous items added into a list so that I don't have to retype them each time. For items I use often, like almond milk, this is very convenient, just "check" it and it is back on the grocery list.
4) Google Sky Maps: This app has brought the amazing coolness! I have always been a star gazer. I even entertained the idea of being an astronomer...once... before I realized the amount of math involved. With this app, though, I am able to wax brilliant and educated as I name every star visible in the sky! I just hold up my phone, start the app, and the sky map tells me the name and mirrors the location of all I see... It is a beautiful universe!
5) Laputa: This is my kindle, except I don't have to carry multiple devices, just my phone. Laputa is an Ebook reader that is connected to many free download sites. I am currently reading the Dresden File books, turning each virtual page with delight.
6) Posterous: As an obsessive microblogger, intent on chronicling my life, I have a myspace, twitter, facebook account, tumblr, etc. I want to update them consistently, but not separately as that would take a ridiculous amount of time and is most inconvenient. Posterous allows me to update multiple sites in one go. Yeah! for saving time and keeping my peeps up-to-date!
7) Shazam: Have you ever been in a coffee shop and heard your new fave song, but don't know the artist or title? This brilliant app will allow you to hold up your phone, capture a snippet of the music, and it will respon with Artist, Song, Album Title, and other relevant information. Brilliant!
8) ShopSavvy: As I have mentioned, I have frugal tendencies. Hell, frugal is my chosen lifestyle! This being so, when I find something that I desire, I scan the barcode. In one scan, all my comparison shopping is done for me. I can choose the cheapest local or web price, then, fully informed, I can acquire the item. Or, if I deem it too expensive, I can add it to the appropriate wish list. I will also set a price alert, so that if the item falls to a specified price or below, I will be alerted so that I can make my purchase.
9) Springpad: This is my catch all notepad. Whenever I have a thought, idea, hear a quote, etc. I put it here. I collect these and organize them in their proper places later. This frees me from my previous mountain of paper notes.
10) Toodledo: This one just might be my absolute *favorite* app. This is my virtual To Do list. I have always written To Dos on paper, sometimes multiple lists in a day. The paper notes are cumbersome and easily misplaced, but the feeling of checking off a completed task. Toodledo allows me to organize and keep tidy all of my tasks. I can also add due dates and reminders. The whole system is quite fabulous, and yet another paper saver! Apps help people Go Green, haha!
So, these are my top ten, but I am always on the hunt for cool apps. So, if you share any that I can add to my arsenal, anything that assists me in my mission to take over the world, you will be remembered in the regime change.
03 February 2011
Lesson Plans
I have just finished my first week as a tutor in our local school district. From this one week I learned much.
Before I began work, I was told about the reputations of the two schools I would be working at. One school is known to be academically superior to the other. In addition, the one that lacks academically is said to be populated with ill mannered students and a great deal of violence. Though I only have one week worth of experience in these two schools, I can honestly say that the assessment of the two is far from correct.
In the more prestigious high school I have met some really fabulous kids. However, just as many are rude and disrespectful. In one of my classes, I encountered an entire group of students who would not stay on task, and who used their very expensive smart phones to text throughout the period. I learned from this class that I needed to be much more stern with the class as a whole, which only made some of them angry, rather than garnering more respect and participation...
In the "other" school, I had an amazing time. I met really smart, engaged, and enthusiastic students. They all participated and seemed to enjoy the tutorials. I did not have any troubles with any of the students, and I was disappointed when the day ended much too soon.
So, what was different between the two schools? I have analyzed this thoroughly, and feel that I understand what makes them different. In the first school, all the teachers that facilitate the tutoring sessions do so differently. However, they all bear similarities in how they differ from the program in the second school:
Before I began work, I was told about the reputations of the two schools I would be working at. One school is known to be academically superior to the other. In addition, the one that lacks academically is said to be populated with ill mannered students and a great deal of violence. Though I only have one week worth of experience in these two schools, I can honestly say that the assessment of the two is far from correct.
In the more prestigious high school I have met some really fabulous kids. However, just as many are rude and disrespectful. In one of my classes, I encountered an entire group of students who would not stay on task, and who used their very expensive smart phones to text throughout the period. I learned from this class that I needed to be much more stern with the class as a whole, which only made some of them angry, rather than garnering more respect and participation...
In the "other" school, I had an amazing time. I met really smart, engaged, and enthusiastic students. They all participated and seemed to enjoy the tutorials. I did not have any troubles with any of the students, and I was disappointed when the day ended much too soon.
So, what was different between the two schools? I have analyzed this thoroughly, and feel that I understand what makes them different. In the first school, all the teachers that facilitate the tutoring sessions do so differently. However, they all bear similarities in how they differ from the program in the second school:
- At the first school, the teachers seem indifferent to the students, yet at the second the teacher greets everyone by name and checks in with them as they walk into the classroom. This can be as simple as asking how they are that day to inquiring about a test in a specific class.
- In the first school, the students break up into the same groups every time. However, in the second school, the teacher splits up the students based upon the similarities in their questions.
- At school #1, the teachers have them go directly into the tutorial, while at school #2 the teacher introduces a "fun" question to let everyone chat about themselves for a few minutes.
26 January 2011
Oh! What a "Tangled" web.....
Way to go, Disney! Thank you for taking a (mostly) harmless fairy tale and infusing it with wickedly insidious stereotypes. Sure, we are all aware that this sort of thing has been taking place in Disney movies since their beginning, but times surely have changed, right?
Wrong! I took my daughter to see Tangled today. This was to be our special "Mommy and Me" activity. However, not five minutes into it I was questioning my choice of movies. The main antagonist in the movie is the only non-Caucasian in the whole film. She appears to be of gypsy stock with black, kinky curls. While our protagonist is a lovely young Miss with long, flowing, straight golden hair. To add insult to injury, the antagonist's name is Mother "Goth"el.
Yes, yes, I know that in the end, the Princess does have short brunette locks with an anachronistically "hip" hairstyle. However, let us not forget that at her most exceptional moment, when she was full of magick, she was sporting golden locks...
So, Disney, I must again Thank You for doing your worst and attempting to convince my ethnically diverse children, mothered by an old school goth, that all things dark must certainly be evil, and further ingraining the idea that all things good, pure, and magickal are blond....
I won't even get into the wretched anti-crone stereotypes that are represented here....
Wrong! I took my daughter to see Tangled today. This was to be our special "Mommy and Me" activity. However, not five minutes into it I was questioning my choice of movies. The main antagonist in the movie is the only non-Caucasian in the whole film. She appears to be of gypsy stock with black, kinky curls. While our protagonist is a lovely young Miss with long, flowing, straight golden hair. To add insult to injury, the antagonist's name is Mother "Goth"el.
Yes, yes, I know that in the end, the Princess does have short brunette locks with an anachronistically "hip" hairstyle. However, let us not forget that at her most exceptional moment, when she was full of magick, she was sporting golden locks...
So, Disney, I must again Thank You for doing your worst and attempting to convince my ethnically diverse children, mothered by an old school goth, that all things dark must certainly be evil, and further ingraining the idea that all things good, pure, and magickal are blond....
I won't even get into the wretched anti-crone stereotypes that are represented here....
17 January 2011
Pain in Mind
Once upon a time, I entered into a creative endeavor with the closest of my small circle of friends. I did so because for me, creating is the way I share myself, and doing this with another person is a way I express my deep love for them. Unfortunately, this endeavor did not go well, and it ended a close friendship in a dark and dreadful manner.
I have tried to examine my role in the demise of this friendship countless times, but I did not see it coming, nor did I ever have reason to think we were having troubles. Yes, it could be that I was blind and ignored important signs, but the way in which the situation was handled by her did not allow me any room to explore the problems that were created. She wrote me a letter "breaking up" with me, then proceeded to speak scathingly of me to many of our mutual friends. Granted, she may have been working through the situation and her feelings by talking to folks we both knew, but she said very harmful and hurtful things, and never once spoke to me directly.
The loss of a treasured friend can be devastating to anyone, and I definitely grieved for a great long while. I would feel a pit it my stomach when I thought of her. I dreamt about her. I gathered all of her belongings and tried to put them out of my home to keep the pain from returning unexpectedly. Honestly, it was like experiencing a death in the family.
I did reach out to her, after a time. I had had a particularly vivid dream about her and felt that perhaps it was time to make peace with the situation. As I thought of how horrible she had treated me, I thought perhaps I must have hurt her in unspeakable ways for her to have been so cruel. I wrote her a lengthy letter explaining my deepest regrets for the way things had ended between us and letter her know that she was important to me and that I was sorry for whatever I had done to cause such animosity.
She responded rather quickly to my letter, calling me a liar and questioning my integrity. If she held back anything, I could not tell. This response sealed the deal for me. I sealed up that part of my emotions and wrote her off in the process. Granted, we still had mutual friends, but we somehow never ran into each other after that... Until recently.
In the past year or so, we have been able to make a sort of peace. We have been at a couple of the same events and have avoided the awkwardness that one would expect. However, the hopes of a continued friendship have been carefully swept from my horizons. I have accepted this... honestly! It is our dear friend JC who has not.
JC is an amazing and wonderful girl. She sees the world in ways I do not, and her view is lovely. As far as friends go, she is of a rare breed. She is one of the truest, most loyal and loving people I know. I truly adore her, and she is loyal to both of us. As such, it pains her for the two of us not to be close and to share the bond the three of us had shared in the past. Since we found our peace with the situation, she has been trying to put us in the same places more often. I suppose she sees a glimmer of the past, and in it, hope. I just don't know how to tell her that the past can never be again. I can't open myself up to invest in that relationship again, and that the "ex" and I are not even the same people anymore.....
I have tried to examine my role in the demise of this friendship countless times, but I did not see it coming, nor did I ever have reason to think we were having troubles. Yes, it could be that I was blind and ignored important signs, but the way in which the situation was handled by her did not allow me any room to explore the problems that were created. She wrote me a letter "breaking up" with me, then proceeded to speak scathingly of me to many of our mutual friends. Granted, she may have been working through the situation and her feelings by talking to folks we both knew, but she said very harmful and hurtful things, and never once spoke to me directly.
The loss of a treasured friend can be devastating to anyone, and I definitely grieved for a great long while. I would feel a pit it my stomach when I thought of her. I dreamt about her. I gathered all of her belongings and tried to put them out of my home to keep the pain from returning unexpectedly. Honestly, it was like experiencing a death in the family.
I did reach out to her, after a time. I had had a particularly vivid dream about her and felt that perhaps it was time to make peace with the situation. As I thought of how horrible she had treated me, I thought perhaps I must have hurt her in unspeakable ways for her to have been so cruel. I wrote her a lengthy letter explaining my deepest regrets for the way things had ended between us and letter her know that she was important to me and that I was sorry for whatever I had done to cause such animosity.
She responded rather quickly to my letter, calling me a liar and questioning my integrity. If she held back anything, I could not tell. This response sealed the deal for me. I sealed up that part of my emotions and wrote her off in the process. Granted, we still had mutual friends, but we somehow never ran into each other after that... Until recently.
In the past year or so, we have been able to make a sort of peace. We have been at a couple of the same events and have avoided the awkwardness that one would expect. However, the hopes of a continued friendship have been carefully swept from my horizons. I have accepted this... honestly! It is our dear friend JC who has not.
JC is an amazing and wonderful girl. She sees the world in ways I do not, and her view is lovely. As far as friends go, she is of a rare breed. She is one of the truest, most loyal and loving people I know. I truly adore her, and she is loyal to both of us. As such, it pains her for the two of us not to be close and to share the bond the three of us had shared in the past. Since we found our peace with the situation, she has been trying to put us in the same places more often. I suppose she sees a glimmer of the past, and in it, hope. I just don't know how to tell her that the past can never be again. I can't open myself up to invest in that relationship again, and that the "ex" and I are not even the same people anymore.....
31 December 2010
Looking Back
As I say goodbye to 2010, I cannot help but look back with fondness. This year has been amazing, a quite honestly, life changing for me and my family. I would like to list the positives that have accompanied this year in my life.....
- I graduated from UT with a BA in Mid East Studies, Asian Studies (East Asian Specialization), Arabic, and a minor in Japanese
- I got a job that runs two years, and I will be a National Teaching Fellow, further living the drea,
- I was accepted into grad school and will be working toward my Master's in Education, starting next year.
- My honey and I bought our first home
These are the more tangible events of 2010. Now I want to look back on some of the "me" stuff I have been working on.....
- To be a better mother. - This goal is a daily challenge that I face. I have learned so much, but I still have a long way to go. This is a goal that one never stops working on. I succeeded in working more closely with my children and their schools, but my patience could still use some work....
- To be a better lover. - Sometimes I get so caught up in my work and all the "need-to-be-done" tasks, that I forget to work on the romance of my relationship. Having graduated and having less responsibility looming over my head has really contributed to taking stress off our relationship. Although, the boy has begun working nights, so that makes our time together significantly less.....
- To take better care of my body. - Here is an area where I have completely failed. I have been eating better, true, but I have been so wrapped up in those dam "need-to-be-done" tasks, that I neglect my daily yoga plans. Aargh.. *sigh*
- To nurture my spiritual life. - The very nature of academic life is that one works to nurture their mind, but the spiritual is less emphasized. This is true of me. I have been doing better, especially the latter part of this year. Again, this probably has everything to do with having graduated and having less assignments....
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