Lobster Sunburn

I got the chance to go to a beach out on Long Island with two friends the Saturday before Labor Day.... I prepared for this by slathering myself with Waterproof HIGH SUNBLOCK Lotion, and made sure I brought it with me and applied throughout the day, but I still got really fried... Like a lobster... so from here on out... I'm going with full body bathing suits.... Three weeks later, I'm still itching, peeling and have skin that is more like leather than anything else...   :(

In these pictures you can see some white "stuff" on me, that is just cream my kind friend put on me to soothe the skin... In addition to the face, back and my chest area, the back of my legs also got burned as well as part of the bottom "cheeks"... I couldn't even sit!!! It was soooo painful!

I will say this though, being able to frolic in the ocean again almost made it worth it... I really do believe I am part mermaid, because once I got in the water, it felt like I was "whole" again...

Central Park Zoo

Today I met with a dear old friend whom I haven't seen for such a long time, and her two little boys. We went to the Central Park Zoo, and had a blast. The favorite I think was the Sea Lion Show, and the penguins, but we didn't walk through all of it, and we forgot the "petting-zoo" part of CPZ... but that's okay, that just gives us something for next time!!   :)

It was great to renew old friendships... though "renew" does not feel like the correct word in this instance... It's more like we left right off where we'd ended last we saw each other... This is how our friendship is...it exists through time and space, without any awkwardness or change with time passing. And I love it!!! Sure there is some time spent "catching up",  going over the latest "news" etc. but then it's just so free and relaxed....

The boys were little rascally angels... just how I adore them... and with another on the way, it's going to be a fun house!!! I can't wait to visit them and play with them some more.... :)

forgotten corner no more

Last summer Norway got a serious and horrific wake up call, when a man killed almost 80 people in two separate attacks, the majority of his victims kids and teenagers... This summer, again, Norway has learned that it is no longer the forgotten little corner of the world, by the disappearance of a 16 year old girl, and the following discovery that she was killed. "The world" with all it's technology, socio-economics and "forward thinking" has long since made it's mark on Norway and it's inhabitants.... but now we are seeing the backside of the coin as well.... The gritty and sometimes gruesome parts of a "modern" and "western" society.. Sure there have been a few other kidnappings, disappearances and even killings in Norway since WW2, but they have been sporadic and few between... it seems it's only in the last 5-10 years it has gotten truly brutal.

Perhaps the trial this year, of last years' mass murderer has put a spotlight on the need for stricter laws, better and "updated" police work (ie. investigation, reaction time, evidence gathering etc), and a much needed revamp of the Psychological practices in Norwegian Society. And maybe this will be the last of brutality in Norway.. though I doubt that.

However, it is time Norway realize that this is now part of the "normal" modern society, whether we like it or not, it's come to stay. And hopefully this will lead to hasty revamping of the Police and  Psychiatric departments, to at least stem this unfortunate reality somewhat.. and give help to those who truly need it. In a country where preventive measures are at the forefront, this should be attended to quickly!!

Norway is the world's forgotten corner no more...

a welcomed visitor to my little garden...

my "Edenscape"

splendid... simply splendid...

Every now and again comes a movie that moves, thrills, and just generally makes one happy... this week I caught up with two such great and wonderful movies... The Oscar's had it right, The Artist and My Week with Marilyn are two movies that are just... well... splendid...

I saw Marilyn first, and just felt the joy of an era gone by as well as a little sadness of what could have been a spectacular life, but within the bittersweet is a gem.. a sparkling little diamond. The actors all perform within an inch of perfection... and I have to say Michelle Williams is so smashing as Marilyn, you'd think they were clones!! Eddie Redmayne, "new", so to speak to the world, but not to me (I know him from British TV series Tess D'Urberville and Elizabeth I). FANTASTIC!!! No matter what, this is a movie worth seeing!

The Second, The Artist, is just an homage to the old era of the silent films.. When movies were Pictures... and everything was Romantic. This story is not told through the dialogue, it's told through gestures, facial expressions and body language. and it is marvelous!!! I mean, really, truly marvelous. It's a movie within a movie, within a lost art form.... and I LOVED it!!!!

Loki Tote

I am currently making a tote for a fellow geek and friend, she is particularly excited about the character Loki who features in Marvel's Thor and Avengers, as well as in the movies....


This character is from Norse Mythology, and the actor who has portrayed Loki in the latest movies, is one Tom Hiddleston, a fine young British actor who has a voice that can melt a stone! (I am also a fan of his, in case you didn't catch that already... lol...)

One day as we were talking, I mentioned to her that I was making myself a Doctor Who Patchwork tote, showed her a picture of a sample of it and before you knew it we got talking and throwing out ideas... and that was the conception of the Loki-bag... lol....

I've been working on the patches for a while now, and am just finishing putting it all together. It's been really really fun, and this project has certainly challenged my creative juices!! But I think I have succeeded in making something that is pretty cool, and as long as Kat (the future owner) is happy.... I am happy.

The finishing touches have not been captured on film (so to speak) as of yet, but as soon as I get it done I will post it.... At any rate, it's been a fun project and I've learned many things about the creative process, what works for me, how I work creating things... it's been really interesting. And I'll admit it's been not all "smooth sailing"... But that's all part of the journey I suppose! 

one of the side panels

the inside pocket

Days....

Some days are better than others... some start out good and go "south" into a deep ravine by the end of it... others start out rather "grey" and end up on happy notes...

Today is definitely one of the latter for me... As I write this I am sitting in a Starbucks, in Manhattan, with a dear friend as we geek out over our favorite show... (Doctor Who)

Having not seen each other for about a week or so, we went and saw "The Bourne Legacy" this morning, starring one of my quickly growing favorite leading men; Jeremy Renner....

Then we relocated to a Starbucks and have been here for about five hours now... :) Comfortably so. They have almost everything we need... lol... and it's nice to just "hang out" together like this. For my part at least, I need my Areum "fix" every so often!

So here's me raising my glass (figuratively) to friendship and "Geek-dom"