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OK, so I moved into the Barnesworth Anubis 'new orleans studio' skybox, and figured that the patio space would be awesome for the summer, as I could rezz out plants! And summer furniture! (I really have missed having a patio area to have plants on in SL, honestly.)
And then I got a blogger box from CIRCA, which included this terrific '"Beach Tropic" Hammock - Redwood' with 16 poses in it, and the "Beach Tropic" Side Table that's sitting next to it! And there was the '"Caspian" Cast Iron Wall Planter - Leafy Mix' and 'Strawberries' in there, too! I already had out the Shutter Field group gift of the 'Brazier planter - dark' that's up against the railing on the left... and I thought it was a perfect place to dig out a Schadenfreude 'Tropical Drink Rez: Hurricane' and kick back and enjoy...
...and now lobsters find me worryingly red. I forgot the sunscreen on my Clef de Peau "Samuel:T4" skin, though mercifully the SORGO 'BELL shades - DARK' protected my eyes... and the Argrace 'Makoto' hairstyle covered my scalp.
Owie owie owie.
(How's that for a creative stylecard?)
INGREDIENTS:
1 box (1 lb 2.3 oz) Betty Crocker® fudge brownie mix
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons water
2 eggs
1 cup white vanilla baking chips (6 oz)
1 3/4 cups powdered sugar
6 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
3 tablespoons milk
6 to 8 drops red food color
6 to 8 drops yellow food color
24 miniature candy bars
DESCRIPTION:
1. Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 24 regular-size muffin cups with cooking spray. In medium bowl, mix brownie mix, oil, water and eggs. Divide batter among muffin cups. Bake 13 to 18 minutes or until centers are set and toothpick inserted near edge of cupcake comes out clean. Cool 30 minutes. Run metal spatula around edge of each brownie; lift out to remove from muffin cup.
2. In microwavable bowl, microwave vanilla chips uncovered on Medium (50%) 30 to 45 seconds, stirring every 15 seconds, until melted. Cool slightly.
3. In medium bowl, beat powdered sugar, butter, milk and food colors on medium speed until fluffy. Stir in melted vanilla chips. Spoon frosting over cooled cupcakes; top each with candy bar.
Co. Fermanagh, July 2024. A rare Irish moth from a recent short trip over to the west. Only 70 or so Irish records of this species.
“Here be dragons” means dangerous or unexplored territories, in imitation of a medieval practice of putting illustrations of dragons, sea monsters and other mythological creatures on uncharted areas of maps where potential dangers were thought to exist.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Here_be_dragons
It may be that Medieval Map Makers wrote, “Here be dragons,” to indicate untold dangers and to warn away some exploration, or at least ask any such explorers to bring back a few line illustrations to update maps, charts and guides. When I say Dirleton Castle Here Be Dragons, I mean Dirleton Castle Here Be Dragons. The Dragon was posing for pictures and stating that Photoshop was allowed to bring out his armoured scale magnificence and to sparkle the light of gentle soft slightly flaming snores illuminating sleepily tinkling pillowed to perfection golden hoards of the past, the present and those yet to come within his eyes.
I saw the Dragon Eggs hatch and fly away for Winter and it is possible that the Dragon, as pictured here, may have flown away til Spring 2023. Please do ask if you are looking to see either The Dragon, as pictured here, or The Nest, either with, or without The Eggs. The Dragon, The Nest, The Eggs and The Man at Arms Presentations are all worth a visit for and along with them there is a Castle and Grounds that are superb.
For updates on The Dragon, The Nest, The Eggs and The Man at Arms Presentations and for artistic recreations of Castles and Historic Scenes I follow their creator on Twitter.
Andrew Spratt @andrewsp2009
Dirleton Castle is cared for by Historic Environment Scotland
www.historicenvironment.scot/visit-a-place/places/dirleto...
Dirleton, East Lothian, EH39 5ER
01620 850 465
I have copyrighted my work on the maps that are available for none profit use through,
National Library of Scotland
I only add as it gives me a way to help work with the use as linked above.
I will gladly grant copyright for none profit use of my work and I am not trying to make any profit from these images.
© PHH Sykes 2022
phhsykes@gmail.com
Die lebensgroßen Stifterfiguren sind ein Meisterwerk des Naumburger Meisters, dessen Name nicht überliefert ist, geschaffen um die Mitte des 13. Jahrhunderts. Zu diesem Zeitpunkt waren die Stifter jedoch schon 200 Jahre tot. Es handelt sich also trotz aller individuellen Züge der Skulpturen nicht um reale Porträts der dargestellten Personen.
The life-size statues of the founders are a masterpiece by the Naumburg master, whose name has not been handed down, created around the middle of the 13th century. At that time, however, the founders had already been dead for 200 years. So despite all the individual features of the sculptures, they are not real portraits of the persons depicted.
Der heute evangelische Naumburger Dom St. Peter und Paul in Naumburg (Saale) ist die ehemalige Kathedrale des Bistums Naumburg und stammt größtenteils aus der ersten Hälfte des 13. Jahrhunderts. Er gehört zu den bedeutendsten Bauwerken der Spätromanik in Sachsen-Anhalt und ist seit 2018 UNESCO-Weltkulturerbe.
Der Naumburger Dom ist eine Doppelchoranlage – d. h. mit je einem Chor an beiden Schmalseiten. Der berühmte Westchor entstand in der zweiten Hälfte des 13. Jahrhunderts und ist mit dem West-Lettner und den Stifterfiguren aus der Werkstatt des Naumburger Meisters eines der wichtigsten Bauwerke der Frühgotik. Der Ostchor entstand um 1330, als die spätromanische Apsis durch ein hochgotisches, querrechteckiges Chorjoch ersetzt wurde. Auf den Strebepfeilern am Chorscheitel und südlich daneben wurden die seither mehrfach restaurierten bzw. erneuerten überlebensgroßen Figuren der Patrone des Domes aufgestellt. Von hohem künstlerischem Wert sind die Glasmalereien in den Fenstern, die zum Teil aus der Bauzeit des Chores stammen. Sie zeigen die klugen und törichten Jungfrauen, die Tugenden und Propheten, während die Passion, Marienszenen, Apostel und Propheten auf ebenfalls sehr qualitätsvollen Scheiben aus dem ersten Drittel des 15. Jahrhunderts dargestellt sind.
Eine Kuriosität ist die Darstellung zweier schachspielender Affen in einem Kapitell an der Nordwand des Ostchores Der Ost-Lettner ist das älteste erhaltene Beispiel eines Hallenlettners. Er wurde im Zuge des spätromanischen Domneubaus um 1230 errichtet. Im mittleren Joch der Lettnerhalle steht ein Altar aus dem 19. Jahrhundert, seitlich führen steile Treppen durch zwei kleine Pforten zum Chor hinauf. Das Bistum Naumburg wurde 1564 aufgelöst. Seither ist der Dom kein Bischofssitz mehr.
de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naumburger_Dom
The Cathedral of SS Peter and Paul, nowadays a protestant church, is the former Cathedral of the Catholic Diocese of Naumburg and dates mainly from the first half of the 13th century. It counts among the most importante late Romanesquie building in Saxony-Anhalt and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2018.
Naumburg Cathedral has a twin choir layout, meaning that it has a choir at both ends of the nave. The famous West Choir was built in the second half of the 13th century, counting among the most important early Gothic buildings with the west rood screen and the founder statues created in the workshop of the Naumburg Master whose name is not known. The East Choir was built arouund 1330, when the late Romanesque apse was substituted by a high Gothic transverse rectangular choir vault. The greater-than-life sculptures of the Cathedral’s patrons were place on the inner side of the buttresses in the vertex of the choir and south of it. In the course of time they have been restored or substituted more than once. The stained glass paintings of the windows, some of which dating from the time when the choir was built are of immense artistic value. They show the wise and foolish virgins, the virtues and the prophets. The passion of Christ, marianic scenes, apostles and prophets can be seen in stained glass window panes from the first third of the 15th century. A capital at the east choir’s north wall offers a very special curiositiy showing two chess playing monkeys. The east rood screen is the oldest preserved specimen of a hall rood screen. It was erected in the course of the construction of the new late Romanesque Cathedral around 1230. An altar from the 19th century stands in the centre vault of the hall rood screen. At the side, steep stairs lead up to the choir through two small gates. The bishopric of Naumburg was dissolved in 1564. Since then, the cathedral has no longer been a bishop's seat.
Translated from the German Wikipedia text.
ProCamera, iColorama & Procreate using an iPad Pro with Apple Pencil.
I used 2 different photos for the figure which were blended together using iColorama. I pushed contrast in the resulting persona for simplification & drama. I love adding or painting & drawing into some of my photomanipulations which I did here using the Procreate App for the upswept hair to give it a whimsical, simplified linear effect. The red lips, garish blue eyeshadow, & clownish red bubble-effects were then added on for more drama & to exploit the persona of the figure which I couldn't resist naming Drama Queen.
Included in
1.) 6/10/16 Flickr Explore
2.) The App Whisperer Flickr Mobile Photo/Art Showcase theappwhisperer.com/2016/06/mobile-photography-art-flickr...
Golden Island best know shown as black island by Tintin Reporter fans.
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L'Île d'Or, plus connue sous le nom d'île Noire par les fans de Tintin.
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Isla dorado, más famosa como Isla Negra por la aficionados a Tíntin.
ODC-Birds and (Or)Springtime
Pussy Willows are synonymous with Spring. These ones are getting quite big. We have a drainage ditch between our yard and the neighbour's and this Willow is thriving there because it likes the moisture.
The history of the La Virgen de la Caridad del Cobre, began around 1612. The image is thought to have been brought by Spaniard colonists from the town of Illescas, a province in Toledo, Spain where a similar posture of the Virgin Mary of Charity is already well-venerated. Local legend recalls the Spanish captains who bring with them religious Marian images to guide and protect them from English pirates at sea.
Two Native American or Indian brothers, Rodrigo and Juan de Hoyos, and an African slave child, Juan Moreno, set out to the Bay of Nipe for salt. They are traditionally given the moniker the "three Juans". They needed the salt for the preservation the meat at the Barajagua slaughter house, which supplied the workers and inhabitants of Santiago del Prado, now known as El Cobre. While out in the bay, a storm arose, rocking their tiny boat violently with ongoing waves. Juan, the slave, was wearing a medal with the image of the Virgin Mary. The three men began to pray for her protection. Suddenly, the skies cleared, and the storm was gone. In the distance, they saw a strange object floating in the water. They rowed towards it as the waves brought it towards them. At first, they mistook it for a bird but quickly saw that it was what seemed to be a statue of a girl. At last, they were able to determine that it was a statue of the Virgin Mary holding the child Jesus on her left arm and holding a gold cross in her right hand. The statue was fastened to a board with an inscription saying, "Yo Soy la Virgen de la Caridad" or "I am the Virgin of Charity." Much to their surprise, the statue remained completely dry while afloat in the water.
Preserved in the General Archive of the Indies of Seville, a written testimony of Juan Moreno says:
Having camped in the French Key, which is in the middle of the Bay of Nipe, waiting for a good time to leave for the Wabba mines, being a morning of calm seas, they left the French Keys, before daybreak. The aforementioned Juan y Rodrigo de Hoyos and myself, embarked in a canoe, headed for the Wabba mines, and far from the French Key we saw something white above the foam of the water, which we couldn’t distinguish. As we got closer, birds and dry branches appeared. The aforementioned Indians said, 'It looks like a girl.' While they were discussing, they saw an image of Our Lady, the Holy Virgin, on top of a small wooden plank, holding the baby Jesus in her arms. On this small tablet, was written in large letters, which read, 'I am the Virgin of Charity.' Looking at her clothes, they realized that they were not wet.
Overjoyed by what they had discovered, they hurried back to Barajagua. They showed the statue to a government official, Don Francisco Sánchez de Moya, who then ordered a small chapel to be built in her honor. One night, Rodrigo went to visit they statue but discovered that the image was gone. He organized a search party but had no success in finding Our Lady of Charity. Then, the next morning, she was back on the altar, as if nothing had happened. This was inconceivable as the chapel had been locked. This event happened three times. The people of Barajagua came to the conclusion that she wanted to be in a different spot, so they took her to El Cobre. She was received with much joy in El Cobre, and the church there had its bells ring on her arrival. It was at this point that she became known as "Nuestra Señora de la Caridad del Cobre" or "Our Lady of Charity of El Cobre". Much to the dismay of people in El Cobre, the disappearance of the statue continued to happen.
One day, a young girl named Jabba was playing outside, pursuing butterflies and picking flowers. She went towards the mountains of the Sierra Maestra, where she came across the statue on top of a small hill. There were those who did and those who did not believe the little girl's testimony, but in the end, the Virgin was taken to the spot of her discovery, where a church was erected for her.
Before the famous image on 19 May 1801, a royal edict from king Charles IV of Spain decreed that Cuban slaves were to be freed from the El Cobre copper mines. The story circulated around the island quickly. Many felt that the Virgin purposely chose to have her sanctuary in El Cobre because it is located in Oriente Province. Later folk legends associated the taking of copper materials to their homes after having it blessed near the Virgin's sanctified image as a form of souvenir and miraculous healing.
Credit for the data above is given to the following websites:
www.worldarchitecturemap.org/buildings/our-lady-of-charit...
View large to see the bird in the shot... heres a clue, I am in the process of testing the trial version of Photoshop CS5...
Please stop by and view my new website and blog....
comments and feedback are most welcome..
My inspiration for this picture: Tim Burton vibes
An absolutely awesome Event I am absolutely thrilled
♥.♥ Thank you to all who have put so much work into it You all make our world a little more colorful ♥.♥
Be there on 29.10 and go with us on the tricks and treats tour
Info on Facebook: : The 4th Annual Interactive Trick-or-Treat
Visit: RedStar
Gece bir başka güzel görünür ışıl ışıl haliyle Biga. Uzaktan her şey güzel görünür de detay önemlidir. Ortur sitesinin hemen başındaki cami bahçesi, yanı başındaki dere yatağının öte tarafındaki Toki Evleri mahallesini izlemek adına güzel bir alandır.
Nikon D300S + Carl Zeiss Jena MC Biometar 80mm f:2.8 Black Version P6
Full Moon sent tasty little snacks to our pond over the weekend and this Great Egret wasted no time in getting his share
Nail technicians and skin-care specialists (the salon workers who do the most waxing) earn a mean annual pre-tax wage of $22,150 to $31,990. This figure doesn't include tips, which can total another $4,430 to $6,398—a clear financial incentive to befriend your clients in this service-based, nonreciprocal way.
And yet. When it came to 38, I wanted the cash, not the compliment, to show the value of my abilities. And maybe, to compensate for how she got to leave feeling so clean and sexy—but I could still smell her body on me, ever so faintly, even after I threw away the gloves and washed my hands.
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........***** All images are copyrighted by their respective authors ........
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I’m not sure what the phrase “owning your sexuality” means to you, but for me, one thing it entails is responsibility: doing my best to make sexual choices that are sound for me and a partner. (That’s also part of doing consent well.)
If I am offering something sexually light and fun but anticipate that it will be emotionally or interpersonally complex–or if I’m feeling stressed, confused and worried about it–then I can know that easy-breezy is neither what I can expect nor earnestly offer.
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.....item 1).... Ms. Magazine blog ... msmagazine.com/blog/ ...
You are here: Home / Health / Can Sex “Just for Fun” Be Emotionally Healthy?
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img code photo ... Casual Sex ...
msmagazine.com/blog/files/2011/10/Casual-Sex.jpg
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Can Sex “Just for Fun” Be Emotionally Healthy?
October 11, 2011 by Heather Corinna
msmagazine.com/blog/blog/2011/10/11/can-sex-just-for-fun-...
This week’s installment of Heather Corinna‘s sex-and-relationships advice column tackles the issue of casual sex.
...Q: So excited for this new blog spot! Can you discuss whether it’s emotionally healthy to have sex outside of relationships? I want to own my sexuality, but all of the advice around me seems to be no-sex-outside-of-relationships-or-marriage. I know this depends on the individual, but any insight would be great! I’ve been toying with asking an ex–whom I am friends with–to have sex just for fun. I’m 98 percent sure he’ll agree, but I am worried about emotional health consequences. He has always wanted a much closer relationship than I do. I’m worried I’ll feel guilty for possibly leading him (or myself) into wanting more.
You’re right: this is a very individual and situational decision. To give some context, a recent study found that, on average, for 20-year-olds, casual sex and committed relationships led to the same level of psychological health. But individuals aren’t averages. Not everyone wants or is comfortable with sex in the same kinds of relationships or scenarios (including committed relationships). Context and interpersonal dynamics factor in, too.
There are some guidelines, however, that everyone can apply. When a sexual situation is likely to be sound, we usually feel good heading into it, as does anyone else involved. If we feel uncertain or predict negative feelings on anyone’s part, those are strong cues not to proceed.
I’m not sure what the phrase “owning your sexuality” means to you, but for me, one thing it entails is responsibility: doing my best to make sexual choices that are sound for me and a partner. (That’s also part of doing consent well.) If I am offering something sexually light and fun but anticipate that it will be emotionally or interpersonally complex–or if I’m feeling stressed, confused and worried about it–then I can know that easy-breezy is neither what I can expect nor earnestly offer.
Even when I’m having sex-for-sex’s-sake–which I would define as sex that takes place outside of a larger intimate relationship, without any agreed-upon, intended or implied commitment–that doesn’t mean I have zero responsibility for my emotional health or that of others. My partner (or wanna-be partner) and I still owe one another respect, care and consideration, which includes considering possible outcomes, even if we don’t intend to be there with each other for them.
It sounds like you’re on board with that, and you’ve already voiced your own sense that this specific situation probably isn’t sound for you or your ex. While he’d likely agree to sex, clearly some of this wouldn’t be fun for him or you, and could be an emotional landmine. While your romantic relationship may be over, you two are in a relationship: you have a history and a friendship, and it sounds like you have strong feelings for and about one another that are not only or primarily sexual. If what you want is just a roll in the proverbial hay, this isn’t likely to be it.
It also sounds like you’ve been curious about sex outside of romantic relationships, but you haven’t felt supported in or exposed to alternatives. So you might also want to give yourself more time to take a bit more stock of what you want and to find people to talk with who aren’t all saying the same things. If that’s not currently available to you, Sex & Single Girls is a great anthology with a diverse array of women writing about various sexual experiences. I also think Jaclyn Friedman’s new book, What You Really Really Want, could be just the thing for you.
My best advice is that you hold out for an opportunity to explore casual sex if and when you feel a lot better about it. That will also likely entail a partner or scenario you don’t feel so conflicted about; that feels more likely to be explosive in the ways you want, rather than the ways you don’t.
Check out last week’s advice about lube blues.
Have a sex, sexual-health or relationships question you want answered? Email it to Heather at sexandrelationships@msmagazine.com. By sending a question to that address, you acknowledge you give permission for your question to be published. Your email address and any other personally identifying information will remain private. Not all questions will receive answers.
Photo from Flickr user skampy under Creative Commons 2.0.
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.....item 2).... Ms. Magazine blog ... msmagazine.com/blog ...
You are here: Home / Life / When the Sweet Spot Becomes a Sore Spot
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When the Sweet Spot Becomes a Sore Spot
October 31, 2011 by Heather Corinna
msmagazine.com/blog/blog/2011/10/31/when-the-sweet-spot-b...
Q: I’m a 21-year-old lesbian. A problem has popped up in me and my girlfriend’s sex life. When we practice tribadism with just skin, after a while a very small raw spot will show up, bringing with it a sharp pain. Both of us have this problem. Neither of us is clean-shaven, but we do trim–would shaving help? Is there anything else we can do?
A: Ah, friction. Sometimes it feels so awesome. Other times it hurts. Part of what makes genitals so sensitive is that genital tissue is far more delicate than other kinds of skin on our bodies. With genital friction, there’s a tipping point after which a wowie can turn into an owie.
To avoid being rubbed raw, first make sure you and your partner are always very well-lubricated. Lube from a bottle tends to do the job better than our bodies’ lubricant when it comes to friction-intensive sex.
Apply lube before you start and add more as needed throughout. Be generous and don’t skimp.
I checked in with Searah Deysach, the fantastic owner of Early to Bed, to see if she had any specific lube suggestions; she keeps up with brands and types like nobody’s business. She suggested a high-quality silicone lube, such as Uberlube or Sliquid Silver–they tend to be longer-lasting and slicker than water-based lubricants. But if you prefer water-based, she suggests glycerin-free brands such as Sliquid Sea or Liquid Silk (my fave), which are kinder to vulvas and vaginas than those with glycerin.
Searah and I are of one mind about hairy issues. She says, “Hair that is growing back after shaving can be especially irritating, as stubble can be vicious on delicate tissues. “ I agree. Stubble from hair removal is more likely to irritate than the softer pubic hair we tend to have when we don’t shave. If all you do is trim, chances are hair isn’t the problem.
Consider positioning. I’d suggest experimenting with an eye for reducing how much weight is being put on each of your genitals. Try finding ways you can scissor without anyone really being “on top” at all, like lying on your backs toe to head. Searah suggested straddling your lover’s thigh as an alternative. Similar feeling, less pain. If you do like a missionary-style V-on-V position, whoever’s on top can try to balance so less weight rests on the other person’s tender bits–e.g., by bracing their hands on a headboard. Mixing up positions often helps, too. And if and when either of you start feeling raw, don’t keep going with the activity that got you there–take a break from genital sex or at least consider that spot done for the day. If it remains raw the next day, lay off the intense pressure for as long as it takes to heal.
Now and then this still might happen, especially because, when we’re very aroused, pleasure can cause us to space out on signals of pain. But with these adjustments, you can probably make it a rarity instead of a norm.
Check out last week’s advice to a woman whose fiancé monitored her vagina’s size.
Have a sex, sexual-health or relationships question you want answered? Email it to Heather at sexandrelationships@msmagazine.com. By sending a question to that address, you acknowledge you give permission for your question to be published. Your email address and any other personally identifying information will remain private. Not all questions will receive answers.
Photo from Flickr user Gray Marchiori-Simpson under license from Creative Commons 2.0
Line drawing from Wikimedia Commons.
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......item 3).... Slate ... www.slate.com ... HOME / DOUBLEX : WHAT WOMEN REALLY THINK ABOUT NEWS, POLITICS, AND CULTURE.
My Year in Waxing School
Naked people don't tip well, and more tricks of the trade.
By Virginia Sole-Smith|Posted Friday, Nov. 19, 2010, at 12:08 PM ET
www.slate.com/articles/double_x/doublex/2010/11/my_year_i...
The 38th client I worked on at Beauty U. was my first full Brazilian wax—the kind where you remove all (or almost all) of your hair below the belt. I'd waxed many bikini lines and other body parts. I'd also assisted on Brazilians, handing my teachers wax-dipped Popsicle sticks the way nurses hand over scalpels. But now, it was my turn to wield the wax, solo. "I know—I'm a hairy beast!" Client 38 apologized, hopping onto the waxing table, clad in disposable thong. "You have to fix me. I'm going on vacation with my boyfriend."
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She spread her legs. I put on some vinyl gloves and worked down and across her pelvis, twirling clumps of hair and trimming them free. You have to trim any hair longer than eyebrow-length to prevent "locking" with the wax. You also have to act like this is normal, even though a part of your brain is thinking, "Pubic hair, pubic hair, oh my God, pubic hair." But I was getting better at trimming, and also at acting. And so clouds of hair piled up on the paper-covered table while 38 chatted about her vacation plans (the Poconos; if she was lucky, a proposal), her C-section scar, and how she liked my red glasses.
The $1.8 billion business of superfluous hair removal is our most intimate and uncomfortable kind of beauty labor. When I enrolled in a 600-hour aesthetics program at my local strip mall beauty school, I knew the standard feminist rhetoric against hair removal: Women wax because we've been culturally indoctrinated to hate our bodies in their natural state. I also knew the women's magazine defense, that removing excess hair celebrates our femininity and increases sexual pleasure. And I'd been in 38's position enough to know that waxing can make you feel vulnerable in ways feminists haven't even considered and hurts more than women's magazines (or at least, their beauty advertisers) let you believe.
But being on the other side of the waxing table turns out to feel simultaneously more exploitative and more empowering than I ever expected. There is, for example, the moment when your client shuts off from you, closing her eyes to "relax." Your client is in charge, having commissioned you to perform this service. And yet they are also terribly vulnerable, half naked, exposed and—eyes closed—hoping for the best.
After I trimmed, I tested the temperature of the hot wax on the inside of my wrist and painted a stripe along 38's inner thigh, quickly covering it with a muslin strip. She tensed before I ripped, then relaxed even as her brown skin tinted pink: "That hurt so much less than last time!" I watched some spots of blood well up. "I'm going to have you do my eyebrows, too," she added. And as I waxed my way along the crevice of her inner thigh to some very sensitive parts, 38 closed her eyes, drifting into that blissful state we enter whenever a spa service goes well.
With most Beauty U. clients, I liked offering this respite from their harried lives and from the even more harried relationship they had with their bodies. Before beauty school began, I hoped this body shame part wouldn't be so true. Instead, I saw women hating their bodies—in subtle ways, like 38's matter-of-fact "I'm a hairy beast!"—with every spa service I performed. So I saw my role as providing a kind of safe haven of acceptance, where a client could feel comfortable enough to drift away
Two hours into 38's appointment, I was the one who could not relax. I had waxed right through my dinner break and my back ached from hunching over the table. I removed all the hair 38 had asked me to (all but a delicate landing strip) and cleaned up her brows. I held a hand mirror between her legs, angling it so she could decide if she was satisfied. I'd snipped off her paper thong, so we looked together like those consciousness-raising women's groups from the 1970s. Only with me still wearing my vinyl gloves, now sticky with a layer of wax.
By that time, I knew that 38 had two kids, was divorced, and was going back to college. I liked 38. I wanted her to enjoy vacation and get engaged and have a good life. But we weren't friends. There was nothing reciprocal in our conversation. We were taught to avoid sharing personal information about ourselves whenever possible. "Customers don't care about your life," teachers told us. "They're buying your full attention." And that seemed to work. Once clients relaxed, they told us all sorts of personal things, like when they next expected to have sex and why their mothers made them crazy. And we learned that letting clients share these intimate details was good for business. "Remember to mention something about them or their life that they've talked about previously. Keep notes about each customer on file if you need to," advised one handout. It was much like being a therapist, serving soul and body.
In April, the New York Post reported that "NYC Women are Strangely Bonded to the Beauticians who Wax Their Brazilians," quoting smitten spa-goers who viewed their waxers as surrogate moms. But the story didn't explain how this one-sided friendship is made all the more awkward by socioeconomic differences. No matter how friendly their relationship, the client still pays and the waxer still needs that money. Nail technicians and skin-care specialists (the salon workers who do the most waxing) earn a mean annual pre-tax wage of $22,150 to $31,990. This figure doesn't include tips, which can total another $4,430 to $6,398—a clear financial incentive to befriend your clients in this service-based, nonreciprocal way.
Before starting, I assumed that most clients tip the industry's expected standard of 20 percent. They don't. I wasn't surprised, for example, when 38 tipped me just $5 (under 15 percent) because we never got big tips when clients got naked. Like johns who mistake their hooker's acrobatics for true love, clients can put such emphasis on the girlfriend-bonding time that slipping us a wad of cash would destroy the fantasy.
If her tip had been bigger, I would have been more delighted that 38 had taken time to write a "Client Kudos!" card about me: "She was professional and friendly at the same time. … Thanks so much!" She even drew a star on top next to my name. "That makes up for the bad tip," said my classmate Campbell about my Client Kudos. "Look how happy you made her!" Most salon workers say making clients feel good is their biggest source of job satisfaction. But I'm not convinced it's enough to balance out the often exhausting, difficult, and underpaid labor. No matter how much we liked our clients, we still had to brush stray pubic hairs off our sleeves, pick seaweed-stained disposable thongs out of the shower, and work around the occasional menstruating bikini wax client.
But it's also true that many waxers find this work empowering because the services require such skill and our clients are so thrilled with the results. Even if we don't totally return our clients' affections, we feel a kind of sisterhood with them and our fellow salon workers, because we're all toiling away together to meet some impossible beauty standard. When Campbell and I practiced our first Brazilian together, she rubbed the back of our "client" (another classmate), singing songs to distract her from the pain. We all traded stories about waxing and then, childbirth—that other time when a woman spreads her legs in pain and the support of other women gets her through.
And yet. When it came to 38, I wanted the cash, not the compliment, to show the value of my abilities. And maybe, to compensate for how she got to leave feeling so clean and sexy—but I could still smell her body on me, ever so faintly, even after I threw away the gloves and washed my hands.
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Pitbull or Victim?
Sarah Palin cannot have it both ways. The media is not calling her on these dirty tricks of the campaign trail. Senator Obama, Hilary Clinton, and other Democrats are bending over backwards to be polite and yes, even kind to Sarah Palin in the last several weeks. Why does she get a "pass" from the media? Why a "pass" from the public? If she wants to "hit and run", then treat her as any hard-nosed and political fighter would be treated. It's not a gender issue. She is "hockey mom" by her own self-identification. She described herself as a pitbull with lipstick. This woman needs to be able to "take it like a man" if she wants to play with the big dogs. She says she is a Feminist, so this is verrry interesting. A true Feminist will not start a brawl without being able to stand up for themselves. "Poor Sarah"? I think not! Every time she hits the campaign trail and performs as the "attack dog" she was intended to be, any statements she makes go into the public mind and follows Conservative strategy of a tried and true Republican politics blueprint:
1. Say something SIMPLE. (Worked for Reagan.)
2. Say it often and get favorable media to broadcast the same SIMPLE message over and over.
3. Go for a popular, SIMPLE answer to complex issues and ignore in-depth dialogue. ("Drill, Baby, Drill!") After all, the public has no need for details, just get the slogan right.
4. Ignore any attempts by those who seek to clarify and "truth-check": even more, to answer critics by screaming "discrimination" due to her gender. Deflect attention to in-depth policy issues by baiting opponents. If an opponent replies, scream that you are victimized and insulted. This works, by the way.
5. And last but not least, get the Conservative Right media to broadcast with derision all statements made by McCain and Palin as complete and utter truth. After all, the public is so gullible and so in need of SIMPLE answers that this repetition will WORK!
Or temptation . BB or Miss Bettie Butcher putting it on in the Studebaker Commander .
Dave and you thought it was me .. No its the car that draws the ladies my friend … and this was last year too .
GreazeFest
Brisbane
Los Angeles 1987. Nikon F Kodachrome 64 ASA. Photograph published in The Huffington Post in late December 2015.
www.huffingtonpost.com/jeff-singh/2015-year-in-review-wha...
Photograph also published in News Junkie Post on September 26,2016 to illustrate my article, "'Clinton vs Trump: Lesser of Two Evils or the Devil You Know".
newsjunkiepost.com/2016/09/26/clinton-vs-trump-lesser-of-...
Photograph also published on January 8, 2022 { link below }
southseattleemerald.com/2022/01/08/opinion-fundamentalism...
for the Beatles & Stones competition
A version by Yo La Tengo
Take It Or Leave It
(Jagger/Richards)
You can turn off and on more times
than a flashin' neon sign.
When you want you're bad
but you can be so kind
Just take it or leave it
Don't tell your friend
just what you're gonna do now
You take it or leave it, it's just my life
There've been times when you tried
makin' eyes at all my so called friends
Then you go, now you're back
but you can be so kind
Just take it or leave it
Don't tell your friend
just what you're gonna do now
You take it or leave it, it's just my life
Oh, la la la ta ta ta ta la la la la
Oh, la la la ta ta ta ta la la
Oh, la la la ta ta ta ta la la la la
Oh, la la la ta ta ta ta la la
I'm sick and tired of the smile that you give
when you don't come home at night
You said you'd call, that's a lie
but you could be so kind
Just take it or leave it
Don't tell your friend
just what you're gonna do now
You take it or leave it, it's just my life
Oh, la la la ta ta ta ta la la la la
Oh, la la la ta ta ta ta la la
Oh, la la la ta ta ta ta la la la la
Oh, la la la ta ta ta ta la la
Oh, la la la ta ta ta ta la la la la
Oh, la la la ta ta ta ta la la
A decorative tea house, or cafe, front wall. Although closed when we passed by this remote pitstop on a route into the Sahara in Tunisia, we were at least able tio use the toilets at the rear!
iancrean.photodeck.com/-/galleries/location-stock/-/media...
1970s or 80s Columbian truck. Autocar(?) cab, KW hood with a Diamond on the side. from my collection. Registration says "Columbia".
The killer whale or orca (Orcinus orca) is a toothed whale belonging to the oceanic dolphin family, of which it is the largest member. Killer whales are found in all oceans, from Arctic and Antarctic regions to tropical seas. Killer whales have a diverse diet, although individual populations often specialise in particular types of prey. Some feed exclusively on fish, while others hunt marine mammals such as seals and dolphins. They have been known to attack baleen whale calves, and even adult whales. Killer whales are apex predators, as there is no animal which preys on them.
Killer whales are highly social; some populations are composed of matrilineal family groups (pods) which are the most stable of any animal species. Their sophisticated hunting techniques and vocal behaviours, which are often specific to a particular group and passed across generations, have been described as manifestations of animal culture.
The IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature) currently assesses the orca's conservation status as data deficient because of the likelihood that two or more killer whale types are separate species. Some local populations are considered threatened or endangered due to prey depletion, habitat loss, pollution (by PCBs), capture for marine mammal parks, and conflicts with human fisheries. In late 2005, the Southern Resident Killer Whales, the population that inhabits British Columbia and Washington state waters, were placed on the U.S. Endangered Species list.
Wild killer whales are not considered a threat to humans, but there have been cases of captive orcas killing or injuring their handlers at marine theme parks. Killer whales feature strongly in the mythologies of indigenous cultures, with their reputation ranging from being the souls of humans to merciless killers.
A typical killer whale distinctively bears a black back, white chest and sides, and a white patch above and behind the eye. Calves are born with a yellowish or orange tint, which fades to white. It has a heavy and robust body with a large dorsal fin up to 1.8 m (5.9 ft) tall. Behind the fin, it has a dark grey "saddle patch" across the back. Antarctic killer whales may have pale grey to nearly white backs. Adult killer whales are very distinctive and are not usually confused with any other sea creature. When seen from a distance, juveniles can be confused with other cetacean species, such as the false killer whale or Risso's dolphin. The killer whale's teeth are very strong and its jaws exert a powerful grip; the upper teeth fall into the gaps between the lower teeth when the mouth is closed. The front teeth are inclined slightly forward and outward, thus allowing the killer whale to withstand powerful jerking movements from its prey while the middle and back teeth hold it firmly in place.
Killer whales are the largest extant members of the dolphin family. Males typically range from 6 to 8 metres (20 to 26 ft) long and weigh in excess of 6 tonnes (5.9 long tons; 6.6 short tons). Females are smaller, generally ranging from 5 to 7 m (16 to 23 ft) and weighing about 3 to 4 tonnes (3.0 to 3.9 long tons; 3.3 to 4.4 short tons). The largest male killer whale on record was 9.8 m (32 ft), weighing 10 tonnes (9.8 long tons; 11 short tons), while the largest female was 8.5 m (28 ft), weighing 7.5 tonnes (7.4 long tons; 8.3 short tons). Calves at birth weigh about 180 kg (400 lb) and are about 2.4 m (7.9 ft) long. The killer whale's large size and strength make it among the fastest marine mammals, able to reach speeds in excess of 56 km/h (30 kn). The skeleton of the killer whale is of the typical delphinid structure, but is more robust. Its integument, unlike that of most other dolphin species, is characterised by a well-developed dermal layer with a dense network of fascicles of collagen fibers.
Killer whale pectoral fins, analogous to forelimbs, are large and rounded, resembling paddles. Males have significantly larger pectoral fins than females. At about 1.8 m (5.9 ft) the male's dorsal fin is more than twice the size of the female's and is more of a triangular shape—a tall, elongated isosceles triangle—whereas hers is shorter and more curved. Males and females also have different patterns of black and white skin in their genital areas. Sexual dimorphism is also apparent in the skull; adult males have longer lower jaws than females, and have larger occipital crests.
An individual killer whale can often be identified from its dorsal fin and saddle patch. Variations such as nicks, scratches, and tears on the dorsal fin and the pattern of white or grey in the saddle patch are unique. Published directories contain identifying photographs and names for hundreds of North Pacific animals. Photographic identification has enabled the local population of killer whales to be counted each year rather than estimated, and has enabled great insight into lifecycles and social structures.
Occasionally a killer whale is white; they have been spotted in the northern Bering Sea and around St. Lawrence Island, and near the Russian coast. In February 2008, a white killer whale was photographed 3.2 km (2.0 mi) off Kanaga Volcano in the Aleutian Islands. In 2010, the Far East Russia Orca Project (FEROP), co-founded and co-directed by Alexander M. Burdin and Erich Hoyt, filmed an adult male nicknamed Iceberg .
Killer whales have good eyesight above and below the water, excellent hearing, and a good sense of touch. They have exceptionally sophisticated echolocation abilities, detecting the location and characteristics of prey and other objects in their environments by emitting clicks and listening for echoes,[78] as do other members of the dolphin family.
The mean body temperature of the orca is 36 to 38 °C (97 to 100 °F). Like most marine mammals, orcas have a layer of insulating blubber ranging from 7.6 to 10 cm (3.0 to 3.9 in) thick beneath its skin.
The heart beats at a rate of about 60 beats/min when the orca is at the surface, dropping to 30 beats/min when submerged.