Clever Manka is dressed and undressed

Thanks to those who offered insight and experiences on yesterday's question about my menstrual stuff. I'm so glad to be at a point in my life where I am comfortable talking about a normal body function without being embarrassed. Sincere appreciation to those friends who are in the same place with me. I think I'm going to mention these issues to my doctor next time I see her, but I'm not going to worry about it too much for now.

This Breaking Muscle article about how we perceive our daily activity affects our health is fascinating.

If you're a Kindle owner and want a new cookbook (and aren't vegetarian), consider picking up Melissa Joulwan's two amazing contributions to the Paleo Eating community. They're on sale for $1.99 each on Kindle right now.

There is talk of a few crafting panels at Con*Strict, including origami and a make-a-purse-from-a-book. Y'all, I might have found my people.

Today's my last day at the office this week.

Allergies. Sigh. Once in a while I think about trying a low-histamine diet, but then I get depressed and overwhelmed because oh my god cut more things from my food options? UGH. The complete lack of results with 90 days on the auto-immune protocol diet doesn't encourage me to try another elimination diet anytime soon.

Also, this happened yesterday:


PT guy Tim gave me a fix that will alleviate a bit of the pressure on the shoulder in that pose, but it's still gonna be tender for a couple days. Typical.

For later reference: Pre-workout alignment exercises.

This evening I'm gonna break out my new serger knowledge and see if I can't re-fashion some of these thrift-store clothes that've been piling up in the sewing room. So excited! If I like the process and the results, I'm gonna open up an Etsy store for them. I did a lot of searches on Etsy and all the refashioned post-apocalyptic stuff is either costumey and so not really wearable for daily use (although gorgeous--and expensive) or just...shockingly amateur. This, for instance. Fucking brilliant idea. Terrible execution. I do like the D-ring strap shorts she's selling. But again, they don't look finished, somehow.

Speaking of finished, here's my self-insert fanart! It'll post on Tumblr tomorrow, but y'all get a sneak preview today. After looking at it for a while, I see a few places I'd like to add things. Maybe someday? But not now. Also, I need a better way to scan these babies. It's $10 a pop every time at FedEx/Kinko's and I think that's just fucking outrageous. If anyone local has access to something that will flat scan 14"x17" images, let me know.

Last night I made some food for a friend going through a rough time to save her and her husband the hassle of cooking for a few days. Caring for select individuals makes me feel good, and to be honest, cooking is probably the thing I'm best at (besides giving unflinching and often unwanted life advice). Making someone's life a little easier makes me feel necessary and appreciated, so win-win!

I have one more evening of solitude tonight while mckitterick wraps up his CSSF Summer activities. Hurray for getting one more night of puttering around the house with loud music and scented candles but also hurray for (starting tomorrow), getting laid on a regular basis again!

So despite getting not nearly enough sleep last night (ugh, 3am thunderstorms), and having a constant dull ache in my shoulder, I feel pretty good today. How's your day/weekend/life shaping up, friends?

Edited to add: HOLY SHIT MARRIAGE EQUALITY IN THE U.S.A.

Someone on Tumblr suggested a self-insert fanart weekend and I'm going to see if I can possibly put together a piece of art for it. I want to find a famous painting of someone officiating a wedding (or some sort of ceremony with two people in it) and collage myself (officiating) Fraser and RayK. I considered doing a version of American Gothic with myself as a floating angel/putta above them, but there's enough interpretations of that painting floating around and it's actually an image of a farmer and his daughter, so making that into a romantic thing is kind of gross. Also thinking about just using a screen cap of the two of them and then pasting my head on a cherub and calling it good. I'm going to look around this morning for the base image/painting, but if anyone has suggestions, I'm open.

I ate like so much crap this weekend and I feel so gross today that I am on a complete strict Whole30 style eating plan until I leave for Las Vegas. It was a very easy decision, let me tell you. Ugh. I feel hungover in my guts. Just ugh. So if anyone needs a solidarity sister for fixing up your eating habits, I'm here.

Edit/Update: I just spent an egregiously long time looking for classical cupid/putti images that I could paste my head on and found nothing I liked very much. Not to mention putti in poses that would fit face angles in my numerous selfies. So I might be scrapping this idea of the self-insert fanart thing. Maybe if I had more time to leisurely browse for images? But if I was gonna get it done for the weekend I'd need the images by the time I leave here today to start work on it as soon as I get home and at this point I'm pretty sure that's not going to happen.

I did find a high quality Fraser/RayK screencap to use if someone asks for fanart in that pairing for this year's dS Sekrit Santa.

I finished the apron as soon as I got home from work! Yay, new apron that doesn't look like it was used to wipe down an engine! Which it might have actually done, maybe, probably, at one point! I'm going to make a second one, too, so I can rotate and launder them more easily. Aprons are just so handy, you guys. So handy.

Still no word on the furlough situation. The legislature has seventeen hours to pass something. I'm not getting my hopes up about either option happening. When it comes to Kansas politics, that's pretty much the best course of action.

If I do have time off without pay there is a lot of stuff I could get done. I have a burning desire to do a Furiosa altered portrait (example of a Wonder Woman portrait I did, here). I'd like the time to do more than just think about the Iron Man assemblage piece I've been building in my head (based around a kids Iron Man mask and glove that mckitterickpicked up for me at a garage sale couple years ago). I've given up on finding anyone local to give me lessons on my serger (I couldn't even get people to respond to my emails. What is up with that I have no idea. RUDE). So I emailed the three KC sewing machine stores hoping for some responses. Of course that would entail going to KC during the day but if I'm not going to the office, welp, that makes that easier. So many options for staying busy!

I'm about thirty seconds away from getting sucked into a fic-reading marathon while mckitterick slumbers upstairs so I best get myself into my sewing room to cut the other apron because I let myself read fic for an hour and a half last night and I really don't want to spend my entire morning on my ass. Again.

Ciao, bellas. Have a beautiful Saturday.

The knowledge that I only need to work three days of five this week is what's keeping me from abject despair.

I had a stomach pain episode again last night. I think that's the third one this year. I'm grateful that it only lasted a couple hours and it wasn't as bad as others I've had. Not feeling great today. Very fragile and delicate. Also hungry, but no way I'm ready to put more than ginger tea with honey and coconut milk in me, though. I'm exhausted. Even though it wasn't as bad as they've been, that sort of pain really takes it out of ya.

Does anyone who still reads my LJ sell stuff on Etsy? I cannot figure out how to add more than one shipping profile to my items in Etsy, which means I can only ship things to US costumers. I hate selling stuff online.

The due South Sekrit Santa piece is done, though. Yay! It looks fantastic. I'll be able to link to it sometime in late December or early January, once they reveal the names of participants. Not that my particular art style isn't immediately obvious, but I like to play by the rules.

Several months ago I finally found coconut milk in aseptic packaging which was great because hurray no BPA and also, cheaper. So of course suddenly the supplier stopped supplying it. I stopped by the Asian grocer on a whim yesterday and they had a different brand of aseptic coconut milk in stock. It was Aroy-D (the previous one was Chakoh) and although I like Chakoh in the can a bit better than Aroy-D, Aroy-D in a can is quite fine so I felt safe in stocking up. Of course, this was not a great plan because this coconut milk is just awful. The fat does not mingle with the fluids and it's not smooth. When I put it in tea, the fat floats to the surface and, if left overnight, actually solidifies in the cold liquid. You can imagine the state of the unused portion of the container that I put in the fridge. This morning I attempted to emulsify it in the Vitamix, but I wound up basically making coconut butter and whey. I left the solids in the fridge at home and am interested to experiment with them. I have no idea what to do with the other nine boxes of this stuff I bought. I guess maybe I can cook with it? But the soup won't be creamy, since the fat just separates out and floats on top and really just doesn't look very appealing.

I am freezing in my office again today but that might just be lack of food and sleep.

Yesterday was Get Shit Done day. I think I succeeded. I:

Did a quick run-through of the thrift store (found three tees for layering and a button down for my first shirt surgery attempt)
Picked up the dry cleaning (omg you guys my dry cleaning guy is SO HOT and he knows my name)
Shopped for groceries (and barely got home before the snow started)
Roasted and pureed three butternut squash, three acorn squash, and a giant pumpkin (total of twelve cups of pureed squashes)
Made the face oil/lotion hdsqrl recommended (recipe below)
Four loads of laundry (still gotta do sheets today)
Roasted pumpkin seeds (recipe below!)
Made dinner (cheated a bit--just braised a chicken breast and served it atop a pre-made salad mix along with some pan-roasted sliced almonds and balsamic/olive oil dressing)
Sat my ass down and read two fics before bed.

The face oil hdsqrl suggested is super easy: 1/4 cup coconut oil, 10 drops frankincense oil and 8 drops lavender oil. It is amazing. I've used it three times now (yesterday afternoon right after I made it, then before bed, and this morning after a gentle rub-down with a cloth and warm water) and you guys my face is like a baby butt. Frankincense oil is not cheap, so if anyone local wants to try this mix, let me know and we'll make arrangements for you to use some of mine because half an ounce of essential oil lasts a LONG FUCKING TIME. Or, I guess if someone actually wants to pay me to ship some of this off to them, I could do that, too. I buy my coconut oil at Costco so it's not like I'm gonna run low on that anytime soon, either. The only problem with this oil is my skin feels so good I keep touching my face and I know that's a recipe for disaster (read: ZIT CITY).

Here's what I did for the pumpkin seeds:
~1.5 c seeds
1 T of a curry powder that redheadfae told me about and I've been using in, like, everything since then: 2T coriander, 2 T cumin, 1 T turmeric, 1.5 t black pepper, 1/2 t mustard powder, 1/2 t ground ginger powder
1/2 t salt
1 T coconut aminos
1 T balsamic vinegar
1-2 t olive oil (to keep them from sticking to each other)

Rinse seeds and shake off in a colander, then pat the excess water with a paper towel. Mix with all ingredients and let sit for an hour (I have no idea if that is necessary, I was just waiting for the pumpkin to roast). Spread on a pan and roast at 325 for 20-30 minutes until seeds are brown and almost crispy. Stir frequently! Don't let more than six or seven minutes go between stirs or you'll be sorry. Let cool on a paper towel.

Today I'm working on my due South Sekrit Santa project and putting together a pair of custom-order bloomers for someone I know from The Toast who is doing a tradesie with me for a pair of her lace earrings (mine will be avocado green). They look so delicate and innocuous in the first photo, but click the second one for an idea of size. JUST LOOK AT THOSE AMAZING FUCKING EARRINGS.

Okay, finally? I have over half of Enrique Iglesias's albums (even the all-Spanish ones) and the only reason I don't have his entire discography (I'm lacking his debut album, as well as Quizas and 7) is I haven't been able to find them used (yet) and I try to avoid buying new stuff when I can (exceptions: Socks, Underwear, and Shoes). When I was G-ing S D yesterday, I put all his albums on shuffle and listened to him non-stop. Just. So. Good. It kills me that I don't really like his latest CD. *sigh* I guess it had to happen sometime. I BLAME PITBULL.



He's just so sexy and beautiful and fucking emo. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.

Camp Nerd Fitness. The idea of camping horrifies me, but I can't deny everyone there seems to be having an awesome time.

I kind of want everything on this page by Katy Bowman, director of the Restorative Exercise Institute.

Today's Tumblr collection is Tuesday, October 14: Ghosts.

Okay, so family stories. ( Click for mildly depressing anecdotes )

Oh, so yeah, that local hippie craft sale thing is this Sunday at Frank's North Star Tavern from 4pm to 8pm. The past couple of these I've attended have been cool, and there's a wide assortment of cool stuff: homemade jams (which I'm told are delicious and the woman who makes them is a doll), funky terrariums, outsider art, beaded jewelry (of course) and a whole assortment of crafty stuff that was made with love by probably very high people. Come join us!

Baby steps of progress in Ukraine.

I want this tape like burning.

I am not gonna lie, I have always been a fan of skinhead fashion and this critique of the new Doctor's look makes me happy even though I have no plans to watch the show. Because bringing back this sort of style? YES PLEASE.

mckitterick found in the attic an ancient old Microsoft ergo keyboard that did not have tea spilled in it, so I brought that to work this morning and now have something that isn't horribly killing my wrists to use, so YAY! Of course, I also have about eighty zillion things to do for work today, so BLAH.

At least I can type information into my spreadsheets in comfort.

Make your own sweater boots.

Don't judge other people's choices on how they experience life.

After an interminable meeting this morning (about an Actually Very Important Thing) in which I very nearly fell asleep (not joking, not an exaggeration), I am reconsidering my professional life choices in a very serious way. Do I really want to do this for the next thirty years? Hm.

Nailed it:


Met with Dr. Khosh on Monday. My thyroid numbers are getting better, so we're sticking with the current protocol which is the thyroid supplement pills in the morning and half a teaspoon of the thyroid cream rubbed on at night. We're having another female hormone panel run to see if anything is out of whack there that might explain the swelling (as well as my difficult periods and inability to lose fat around my abdomen). My last hormone panel was (I think) in the Spring of 2010, so it's been a while, and my numbers weren't great. So, vein stick tomorrow morning. Yay.

I have spent SO MUCH MONEY in the past 72 hours. The visit to Dr. Khosh, this month's supplements, a new henna order (I order in bulk since I color four heads), lace for more bloomers, xmas presents (buying and shipping), an extra-pricey trip to the grocery store (lots of stuff I use regularly on sale means STOCK UP TIME)... Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck. I'm really glad my flexible spending account expired, so that's another $50 per paycheck. Fuck yes.

mckitterick sent this to me yesterday and we were both like "how have I not seen this yet on Tumbr????!?!?!?"

Check out these amazing paper heart patterns for making something like, oh, say...THIS. o_O