merry christmas (to me)

visit OVER HERE

yup, today i'm santa ... that whole self-gifting thing? i'm in! (it's also known as treating myself.) my gift of choice?

LAUGHTER.

it started this past monday with louis c.k. (over here) and it's continuing through january and february at sf's sketchfest.
 
not-so-good news ... i felt IT coming on, so i'm making use of acetaminophen (aka tylenol), tissue (aka kleenex), sleep, tea, water, and comfort food. missing christmas mass and social/fun at my ninang's place (aka LOTS o' food and love!).

good news ... celebrated christmas with family yesterday - christmas eve lunch, dinner, karaoke, and watching the more skillful niece + nephew on xbox.

couch-potato news ... now it's time to distribute my mini new-found wealth before getting ready to pay for taxes (yes, i'm also practical). although a little late on the take and missing out on already sold-out shows, SO FAR, i have laughter-gifted as follows -

• to gadgetman (and i'm totally available to be your guest! HA!) - on saturday, jan 28, at the regency ballroom - chris hardwick's nerdist podcast live
• moi - on saturday, feb 4, at marines memorial theater - celebrity autobiography: the next chapter (which has jesse tyler ferguson scheduled)
• moi - on thurs, jan 26, at cobb's comedy club - the whitest kids u know 

... and still contemplating other laughter moments! meanwhile, gonna listen to the nerdist podcast with david tennant over here ('cuz we likes us some david tennant over here) while i couch-potato some more.

merry christmas

ho ho ho

targetting holiday gifting ...

shopping fun ... excited about @bazaarbizarresf (on web, twitter, facebook) in early december. there are many vendors (over here). and given i do want to focus on getting in to the bizarre to get out of the bizarre with nifty gifts (holiday and then some), here's second screening of vendors -

• ayu tomikawa (on web, etsy) - there is a cute dog and butterfly greeting card; the dog looks like shiny penny andy's dog, max. 
• binary winter (on web, etsy ) - last year, i bought from this vendor was a fabulous squirrel/gas mask t-shirt. i enjoyed their ash and ember - great illustrations and fairy tale twists.
• cleverhands.net (on web, etsy) - nifty journal bandoliers.
• fuzzy ink (on web) - i loves me movember.
• geraldine adams (on web, etsy) - i have a friend who lovingly decorates with a french flair.
• gibberish (on etsy, blog) - periodic table pieces?! i'm in.
• hillary williams (on web) - prints, paintings ... there is something about her work that i like.
• hope johnson (on web, etsy) - i like her ceramic work; the colors are wonderful in person.
• infinitus designs (on web) - chainmaille work is really nice.
• jfish designs (on web, etsy) - ceramics again? yes. love the vases, cups, and mugs.
• locket 2 you (on web) - interesting locket designs
• LOV (on web) - last year, got a sweet meat for my buddy gadget man. just some fun, interesting, and unique items and designs. i'm up for some more sweet meats and we'll see what else LOV has.
• maggie hurley (on web, etsy) - well, she has a squirrel on a wire print and what she calls whimsical art (indeed).
• mediums to masses (on web, etsy) - oh pendants, glass pendants (even) ... i'm a sucker for pendants as little gifts.
• nerd jerk (on etsy, blog) - you had me at nerd. and cross stitching? i wanna learn. others may wanna learn. what? a DIY nerdy cross stitch kit? i'm in.
• nifnaks (on web, shop) - a cube squirrel from felting wook? why not?! i'll pick something up for myself.
• stuffed misfits (on web, facebook) - I AM TOTALLY IN!!! why? "Stuffed Misfits are lovingly created from discarded stuffed animals left at thrift stores. They opened up, unstuffed, cleaned,  altered and restuffed, to create the critter that stares up at you with the intense longing to be love" (and just check out there site).
• why girls go astry (on etsy) - nifty vases, paperweights, and plates. nifty is good.
• yasmin perez (on web) - jelly fish jewelry? i'm intrigued.

re-screen? ... before the bizarre, i'll revisit this list as i plan for my gift shopping. meanwhile ...

next weekend?

SF auto show

(my car will be more than 10 years old)

 

my old obsession ...

book darts ...
@BldrsBooksource
GIMME!
GIMME MORE!
i loves reading ...

i LOVE book darts ... and apparently other do as well (on facebook). i first spotted book darts at san diego's technical book store many-many years ago, i seek these little guys out out whenever i step into a bookstore - and let me clarify - an independent book store. (i've not seen these puppies in the big box stores.) sadly, many indie book stores, which carried book darts, nearby my home have closed-up shop, but there are a few sprinkled about here and there.

i DRIVE to get book darts ... now that i'm in the bay area, builders booksource on 4th street in berkeley is my weekend GO-TO for my old obsession fix (and my new obsession) AND my design fix so i'm not always stocked-up on book darts, but i'm stocked up enough. and if i have that hankering during the day, san francisco has several stores that carry book darts.

i REMEMBER better with book darts ... as a voracious reader (where books are my retail therapy-lite), when i'm reading any form of non-fiction (esp. business, self-help, biographies, reference, how-to guides) and fiction/literature (for awesome quotes) and ted chiang (and like-kind authors for fascinating premises), i gots me my book darts!

i must LIBRARY with my book darts ... when i'm not doing the book store retail therapy, book darts are a must for library books. so my next visit to my local library, i'll be book darting.

want book darts?
let me know so i can have an excuse for share them,
but first i should purchase ...
LOOSE BULK BOOK DARTS!
(or just ask me for some from the little tin in my purse)

my new obsession

thank you
@philippkeel
for

my new obsession ...

yes ... ANOTHER journal-kind-of-thingy,
and i choose ROYAL BLUE among the colors

it's different ... i love it. i have it. it hangs out in my purse. here is why i am LOVING this new purse occupant - from the simple diary site -

so check out the website for a sample of one of the entry pages

thank you, thank you, thank you ~
mr. keel!

(and thank you builders booksource in berkeley
for carrying the simple diary!)

shiny penny's stretching ...

dollar-stretching ... discount ~ coupons ~ deals ...

shiny penny andy ... my cubeopolis buddy is THE GO-TO person for deals. he is the one who regularly let's us know about all the different discount deals rammed down our throats promoted by discount-giver-uppers (or something like that).

as a for instance ... with my love & lust for mr. and mrs. miscellaneous (over here), it was fun to see that there was a 30% discount from blackboard eats a while back, a provider of discounts specific to deals at restaurants.

it's contagious ... as a result, several other cubesters are addicted are a bit obssessed hoard-lite take advantage of deals. i've done so just a few times (so far), with supperclub being the most recent outing through bloomspot. a couple of friends got a deal on speedLA dating through gilt city which they'll be taking advantage of sooner than later.

monday eve's purchase ... through groupon, i'll be checking out some improv shows (for fun homework) at oakland's pan theater (before the end of october 2011, of course).

oh ... and thanks, yipit, for
doing some of the sifting!

valentine, marlene vergara, and etsy ...

lovely original art ... from marlene vergara on etsy, she has such beautiful original artwork. i posted a bit about her back in october over here. and with valentine around the corner (or perhaps a birthday, anniversary, or just because ...), i remembered marlene's artwork, so i visited her site.

(an image from
marlene's site)

a little more from her etsy site -

"Hello everyone...I am an artist with a background in graphic and textile design. I live in Northern California with my husband and daughter and a very sweet collie. I studied graphic design in Southern California and received my BFA in Textile Design from The Fashion Institute of Technology in New York. I worked in design studios in Manhattan for several years before moving back to the West Coast where I freelanced for apparel companies in the Bay Area including The Gap and Banana Republic."

i have had the fortune of a wonderful friendship with marlene's husband, my friend affectionately known as stupidicus, for i am moronicus. (a little back story over here)

(excerpt from 10/12/10 post)

marlene's shop carries 8.5 x 11 prints of her original artwork that were created with variety of mediums ...

• lithograph drawn on limestone
• painting done in ink and liquid gouache/watercolors on fine art wax paper
• illustration done in ink and Prismacolor markers
• illustration done in ink, then digitally enhanced
• painting done in designer's gouache (opaque watercolors)
• painting which was done in oil on canvas
• illustration done in ink and gouache
• illustration done in ink on Japanese rice paper, then digitally enhanced

thanks in advance
for visiting marlene's shop

etsy me: marlenevergara

it's time to shop on-line for (think: a gift for the holidays, a reward for yourself, or just because!) beautiful prints from marlenevergara.

(image to the right, tapestry)

the following is an excerpt from marlene's bio -

"My work tends to be fairly detailed with varying colors and motifs. I've used a variety of mediums ranging from ink and gouache to oils and acrylics and most recently, digital. I love art and music, fashion and fabrics, nature and people with gentle souls. I am helplessly ruled by color and design, and obsessed with all things turquoise!"

marlene's shop carries 8.5 x 11 prints of her original artwork that were created with variety of mediums ...

• lithograph drawn on limestone
• painting done in ink and liquid gouache/watercolors on fine art wax paper
• illustration done in ink and Prismacolor markers
• illustration done in ink, then digitally enhanced
• painting done in designer's gouache (opaque watercolors)
• painting which was done in oil on canvas
• illustration done in ink and gouache
• illustration done in ink on Japanese rice paper, then digitally enhanced

... more to come - including a series of black & white photographs.

thanks to floyd for the tip!