Happy Halloween!

In celebration of the holiday...



(Also, what to do if you are being "constantly harassed" by a vampire. Bonus tip in the video: "Try searching your phone book for a good local sword dealer.")

Jack-O-Lanterns '08

The boyfriend and I carved pumpkins on Sunday.

This one is his:


And this one is mine:


His owl is more elaborate than mine (show-off), but here its face looks a wee bit smooshed ... All right, all right, I know I should have taken these photos on Sunday when the pumpkins were much "fresher." Oh well. I promise to get my butt in gear next year.

Happy Halloween!

Photos: Sway Sovay

R=4r

This is the fabric hanging on one of the walls in my apartment.

I'm aware it might look a little crazy taken out of the context of the rest of my apartment, but I like to think it goes well with the rest of the interior decorating.

But anyway, to the point of my story ...

Remember the friends with whom my boyfriend and I went camping at the Grand Canyon? While they were here, they stayed with us. Stayed, in fact, in very close proximity to this wall hanging.

While they were here, it somehow came up that my friend's husband, who is a geologist, had been going nuts staring at this thing. Why?

Because it irked him that the black circles do not continue in straight lines, but instead curve in toward the center.

When he brought this up, my boyfriend quickly chimed in, "I know! It's been driving me crazy for months, too!" And then the two of them frenetically began discussing the geometrical shapes' finer points. "I know, and you see how that line should be here..." "And the radius there..." "I'd say it's a parabola..." "Yeah, that's what it is..."

Meanwhile, my friend and I are looking at each other like, "Aren't boys such special creatures?"

Especially ones who are obsessed with math.


My friend and her husband eventually had to return home. A week or two went by. And then, one day, I walked into that same room and my boyfriend had taped this next to the fabric.

Me: "Um, what is this?"

Boyfriend: "Oh. I had to find the radius of the big red circle."

Me: "You what?" Pause. "Why?"

Boyfriend: [Jumps off the couch, runs over and points at his calculations.] "Look! Can you believe that the radius of this big circle is four times the radius of the little black circle? This is great. I figured it out. Man, that was gonna bother me."

Talk about a piece of home decor that's a conversation-starter ...

Photos: Sway Sovay

At This Point it's Mostly Machine Anyway

My car has a terminal illness and it's trying to tell me that it's time for it to go.

I will be getting a new one. Soon. If the stress involved doesn't kill me first.

That's All She Wrote

Ask me anything about Scottsdale Fashion Week and I can tell you the answer because I finished my article!

I handed it over at exactly 5:59 p.m. yesterday, one minute away from my 6 p.m. deadline.

Funny thing about my article -- my editor asked me for three pages; I gave him seven.

(I was eventually able to cut it down to five. By the way, it is so depressing to spend over 30 hours to write this kind of a sprawling article -- that number doesn't even factor in interviews,
transcribing, e-mails, phone calls and research -- and then have to cut it down by about 2,500 words.)

What can I say, I got really into the subject and uncovered a lot of interesting things to include.

Although I'm sure there will still be images coming in over the next week and other various tidbits of information that may have to be added, I am so glad it's (pretty much) finished.

I will be celebrating this weekend by doing nothing that requires writing.

Except for this.

Art Made by the Heavens, Experienced Under a Volcano

There's an interesting post on this site about James Turrell, an artist who is doing major renovation work underneath a 400,000-year-old volcano, Roden Crater, near Flagstaff, Ariz. The project is expected to be completed in 2012.

OK, so the volcano is supposedly dormant. Which is good, considering the size and complexity of Turrell's underground tunnels and light chambers that would be blown up if the volcano were active.

Turrell has constructed the rooms and "windows" below the crater to capture the light of celestial occurrences that can only be seen from Roden Crater, among a few other locations on Earth. I'll admit that I don't really understand the entire concept, but I understand enough to imagine that this project is colossal in proportions. This is a creation that future civilizations will find and view as another Stonehenge.

Oh and get this: Turrell has owned the volcano and its surrounding land since 1979. The man owns a volcano. I want to own a volcano. Do you think any are still up for grabs?

Anyway, check out that article because you're going to want to see those photos.

DIY: Jewelry Board

Today I made a jewelry board in order to remedy my long-standing storage issue when it came to my earrings and necklaces. (Tangled chains are such timekillers.)


I'm really happy with how it turned out, and it was quite easy -- it only took me about an hour from start to finish.

Make your own using this tutorial at Joyful Abode.

Photo: Sway Sovay

The Incredible Library

If you are a history buff, Jay Walker's amazing library will have you giddy happy.

And even if you're not a history enthusiast, this is still probably the most impressive library you'll ever see.

Zack + Kelly 4 Ever

I almost didn't work out this morning because when I turned on the TV an episode of Saved by the Bell was on.

Whatever, don't deny it. You watched it, too, back in the day. In fact, you think you're over it, but you're not. I bet you're running to YouTube right now to watch more clips. Like this one. Or this one. Or maybe even this one.

There Have Been So Many Red Flags Along the Way

This short article is both funny and absolutely true.

Remember this moment, because if one day I end up being unemployed for longer than six consecutive months, we will all look back at this post and I will have to admit that our beloved Gawker (oh, and also the New York Times, have you heard of it?) forewarned me of the bleak future to come.

My Coworker Keeps Asking Me to Pass it to the Left

In sticking with today's theme of "shoes" ...

Yesterday our Editor in Chief sent a pair of shoes to each graphic designer and each copy editor (including me) in gratitude of all our hard work last month.

Here is a photo of my pair. They are by the brand Cre8tive Recreation. (If you know me in "real life," you know that these are so not me, but since they were a gift, I'm going to try to figure out how to make them work ...)


Any suggestions?

Photo: Sway Sovay

Wear Your Pride on Your Feet

Am strongly considering ordering a pair of these from Piperlime:


Not ordering these:

The Grand Canyon

One of my very best friends from Oklahoma, her husband, my boyfriend and I camped at the Grand Canyon this past weekend.

We had so much fun, but I was disappointed that my friend and her husband didn't get to see the canyon on a day with brighter sunlight, fewer clouds and better visibility.

Oh well, I guess this just means they'll just have to come visit Arizona again!







This elk was one of many we saw near our campsite. Isn't he beautiful?

Photos: Sway Sovay

Paper Candidates

Don't like how the debates are turning out?

Make your own candidate and then hold your own debates.

Twofer

Someone has finally done it. Created a low-heeled shoe that can transform into a high-heeled shoe and vice versa.



Are they convenient, though, or just novel and expensive?

But with price tags for the Camileon Heels ranging between $200 and $300, I can't help but think about how I could buy half a dozen shoes with that money instead of just one pair that is kinda like two.

I'll tell you who is doing women everywhere a favor, though, and that's Victoria's Secret. Those people over there are working wonders, aren't they? With their "bra technology." Their revolutionary "bust-firming" techniques.

In fact, Victoria's Secret has a dress that you can wear seven different ways ($108 last I checked) and a magical "100-way" bra ($50 last I checked) that can yes, be worn 100 different ways, including as a strapless, a racerback, a criss-cross, a low-back, a one-shoulder ... and I hear it can also make your coffee, do the New York Times crossword, balance your checkbook and do laundry.

I'm making a prediction. Soon to hit stores (and then 'net, and YouTube) will be dress pants that can transform into dresses -- you know, to take all those executive types from the office straight to the after-hour parties.

Optical Illusions

Optical illusions are fun and fascinating.

You've probably already seen ones where there are two interpretations for a single image, such as this one, which could be interpreted as either a vase (or candlestick) or two faces:


Or maybe you've seen ones like this, where your peripheral vision gives movement to a repeated pattern:

There are also the ones that play tricks on your perception of length or distance.

And, of course, the ones that seem to do impossible things with shading or shadows. (This one will blow your mind!)

But this is one I haven't seen before, and maybe you haven't either:


This tiny dancer can indicate whether your Right Brain or Left Brain is dominant. Look at the dancer again -- which direction does she appear to be spinning? Clockwise or to the counter-clockwise?

If she's spinning clockwise, your Right Brain, the "creative" side of the mind, is dominating. If she's spinning counter-clockwise, your Left Brain, the "logical" side of the mind, is dominating.

Something interesting... When I look at her, she is spinning clockwise. Until I begin reading or typing, and then if I notice her using my peripheral vision she begins spinning counter-clockwise.

Which way is she spinning for you? Can you see her spin both directions, too?

P.S. Um, no idea why she's in the buff. Sorry about the nudity.

Worrying About How this Article Will Turn Out Keeps Me Up at Night

Little stressed out right now.

Last week the magazines went to print, which meant I was working 'round the clock all week, not only copy editing but also worrying over my own article I was writing, and then on Friday I ended up working from 9 a.m. to 1 a.m.

There is good news, though. The good news is that I'm taking this Friday off. (I'm going to the Grand Canyon!) The bad news is that this week I've jumped right into writing another article and there are probably up to a dozen people I will need to contact before I can put this baby to bed. Logistical nightmare.

My article will focus on the upcoming Scottsdale Fashion Week (Nov. 6-9), and although I'm excited to have the opportunity to take on this article, I'm also dreading it, too. There is so much to organize on the page and like I said, so many people to interview.

You know how artists tend to have a love/hate relationship with their art -- meaning they're passionate about it, but they're also their own harshest critics? Writers are like that, too. Fear of sucking is usually great motivation to procrastinate.

Right now I'm probably at 40% procrastination and 60% I just don't know where to start. No matter what, though, this article has to go to print on Halloween, which means it's due around the 15th, so let's hope I get a lot ironed out in a short time.