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 "Color me happy" all over again!
Light purple and yellow fusion was in my mind for quite some time and finally I got to see it finalized in an outfit. Vintage meets modern, minimal meets oversized... I'm always between two extremes and I end up combining them.
P.S. This is how it looks my natural hair (+a few adjustments with the curly iron):)





                                                                               Coat: vintage/ option Here
                                                                               Shirt: Ralph Lauren
                                                                               Clutch: 3.1 Phillip Lim
                                                                               Jeans: Levi's/ option Here
                                                                               Heels: Shoemint/ I also love those ones Here 
                                                                               Necklace: DIY, made by Bogdan and I
                                                                               Sunglasses: c/o zeroUV/ Here

We have arrived at week 6 of the One Room Challenge (see week 1 - 5 here) and I'm ready to put everything together. Mostly. I've only got a few things left to do and then there is that whole putting the room together thing. I'll be busy this weekend. That's for sure.

But enough about what I still have to do, let's see what I got done. I warn you it's not much, but maybe if I talk about it in a really up beat way, it will seem like a bigger deal. Smoke and mirrors people.


The dresser is finally finished and he's been moved in to the room. He was a lesson in patience and has earned his own post. Soon enough dresser. You will get your day.

I also finished the silhouettes to go above the girls' beds which was refreshingly easy. (that passive agressive comment is for you dresser) The hardest part was trying to get Eve to sit still long enough to take the picture. (bribery and a doughnut works wonders)

To get as high contrast in the pictures I set the girls in front of a window and snapped away. Take a look at those yummy cheeks.


I printed them off in black and white, which again helps with the contrast, and then cut my child's sweet little head. Thanks to the contrast, it is very easy to follow the lines.


Then I centered the black and white silhouette on top of the colored paper (pink for Eve and yellow for Amelia) and traced the black and white silhouette with my x-acto knife, leaving me with a simple and colorful silhouette. But when I pulled the finished silhouette away from the paper, I decided I liked the silhouette void even better than the silhouette itself. It acts like a mat and gives the silhouette a bit more presence. Voila. Happy silhouettes. (I'm going to call Guinness as soon as I'm done writing this post to see if I've broken the world record for number of times using 'silhouette' in a single paragraph. Fingers crossed)


And finally, I picked up the cherry on top of two very happy beds.


Now to put it all together. I've only got three items left on the list and #5 has me stumped. Should I go with grosgrain, pom poms or some awesome new trim I don't even know about? What say you?

1. Come up with functional floor plan
2. Paint walls/ceiling/trim
3. Paint dresser (new hardware too) 
4. Update vanity (maybe some fun color or hardware)
5. Find curtains and add trim
6. Add a rug and new bedding 
7. Hang art and create some personalized pieces PROGRESS
8. Find/Install new light fixture (buh bye ceiling fan)
9. Reupholster chair and possibly add comfy floor cushions 
10. Find/Make lampshade(s) 

It is pretty obvious that I love wearing this RED leather jacket lately... blame it on color! Red is the new black and I can combine red with any other color from the spectrum :) also is the perfect pick-me-up shot of color after a dark winter!




                                                                                   Jacket: Zara/ option Here
                                                                                   Sweater: c/o Sheinside/ Here 
                                                                  Ankle boots: Sam Edelman/ great option Here 
                                                                  Bag: Pulicati/ option Here 
                                                                                   Scarf: H&M
                                                                                   Sunglasses: thanks to zeroUV/ Here 

The Scourge of Child-Proof Medicine Bottles
A Commentary by J. D. Longstreet
**********************

I once saw a cartoon which spoofed "secure" medicine bottles.  It had a pill bottle label that read:  "Take one capsule twice daily -- or as often as you can get the lid off."

What good is medicine you can't get out of the bottle?

As one who suffers from a chronic disease, I have taken a lot of pills, tablets, and capsules over my lifetime. Occasionally, I get a medicine that has an unacceptable side effect and I stop taking it.  Usually the doc prescribes another drug and the problem is solved.

But the one problem that aggravates the heck out of me, is the "secure" (child proof) lids on medicine bottles.  You know the ones I mean -- the lids that are supposed to be child proof and you wind up having to summon one of your grand kids to open the darn bottle for you!  Sound familiar?  Thought it would.

But what do you do when there is no kid around to open the kid-proof bottles? 

I'll tell you what I do, and let me be very clear here -- I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS TO, OR FOR, ANYONE ELSE!  IT IS DANGEROUS!

When I finally manage to get the lid off these kid-proof bottles,I pour the medicine into old bottles, usually over the counter vitamins, etc with the standard screw on lids.  Then I create labels for those bottle on my computer and I record the prescription number so I won't forget it and then I toss the original kid-proof bottle into the trash where it belongs.

Oh, you can get an adult lid, that is to say a lid an adult can get off the bottle with a minimum of trouble, but catch this -- at some pharmacies you have to sign some sort of release form before the pharmacist can issue you a pill bottle with an easy entry lid. 

Now, I don't know if that is a federal regulation, a state regulation, or a company regulation.  Of course, it could be the store, or the parent company of the store, shielding themselves from a lawsuit.

You may agree or disagree with me about these godawful bottles.  Frankly, I don't care.  I hate the accursed things!

Apparently, I am not alone.  There is even a website dedicated to ways and means of opening those bottles from hell.  It's the "How to make Evil Childproof caps easy to open" website and you will find it at: http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-make-Evil-Childproof-caps-easy-to-open/  

And as if all of this wasn't enough to drive me over the edge, they are now experimenting with electronic pill bottles.  I kid you NOT!

Check this out:  "Experimental electronic pill bottle caps prompted up to 99 percent of the participants of a study to stay on their medication schedules, says the Center for Connected Health. The pill bottle covers send wireless signals that activate a glowing light, a tune, automated calls, text messages or e-mails to notify patients that it's time to take their medication."  No.  I did not make this up!  You can read the entire article at:  http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Health-Care-IT/Electronic-Pill-Bottle-Cap-Increases-Medication-Use-Study-298626/

The company making these electronic Rx bottle caps says this about them:  ""GlowCaps are designed especially for managing chronic diseases like high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol and depression where daily medications are critical for long-term health," Rose said.

The GlowCap has an embedded computer chip that communicates with a cellular-connected nightlight, which sends the information to Vitality over AT&T's 2G network. The nightlight's low-frequency RF (radio frequency) is activated when the unit is plugged into the wall. Patients can be notified via a glowing light, a tune, automated calls, text messages or e-mails. The reminders can be repeated for up to four doses a day."  SOURCE:  http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Health-Care-IT/Electronic-Pill-Bottle-Cap-Increases-Medication-Use-Study-298626/

My question remains the same, however:  How do you get the cussed LID off the bottle???  Will I need a crowbar and/or dynamite?

OK.  So, I'm whining!  I'd respond by saying:  Until you have broken a few veins in your fingers, thumbs, and hands trying to open one of those "Luciferian Lids," then don't complain about MY complaining!

OK.  So the "unopenable" medicine bottle is just another unintended consequence of America's new nanny state condition. Intended or unintended, is open for debate, I suppose.  But you'll get no debate from me.  I HATE "EM!

See,  I come from a generation of Americans who were taught by their parents to take responsibility for my own stupid actions and mistakes. And I readily admit to making my share -- and then some.

See, those little aggravating pill bottles remind me, ever so much, of the "nanny state" we Americans have adopted over the past few decades. The government's  protection, their take-over of our lives in the name of security, has enslaved the nation.  It infuriates me.

Every rule and regulation the government decrees means another liberty or freedom we have to relinquish.  And frankly, dear reader, we haven't THAT much freedom left.

The "hellish holder" of pills is just another reminder (at least for me) of how far we Americans have distanced ourselves from responsibility -- even responsibility for ourselves and our actions.

© J. D. Longstreet

by: Les Carpenter
Rational Nation USA
Liberty -vs- Tyranny


Perhaps one of the more encouraging stories of the day was the Court striking down Mayor Bloomberg's ban on large sugary drinks. Don't get me wrong here, I do not drink sugary beverages such as soda or energy drinks, and as a PFT (Personal Fitness Trainer) I advise against the consumption of such useless and potentially harmful calories. Think added weight and cavities to name just two.

You might find yourself asking why a PFT, one who does not partake of sugary drinks other than a highball, a glass of beer or wine with dinner, would not welcome the nanny state mentality of Mayor Bloomberg and the rest of the big brother nanny state advocates.

It's simple really, and those who understand the concepts of liberty and freedom understand why without anyone having to tell them.

For the big brother big sister nanny state advocates here it is... The choice of what each individual of their own free will and informed choice choose to feed their body (in the form of nutrients or garbage and useless calories) is THEIR decision and theirs alone. One can choose to be healthy or choose to be unhealthy, it is not the governments realm to force that choice upon any individual.

Sure society as a whole would be better off if every member of society trained as an elite professional athlete. Medical costs would drop like a lead balloon. Obesity and its associated health risks would be practically nonexistent Osteoarthritis would be much less prevalent. Heart attack, stroke, and hypertension would be something rarely heard of. The best news of all people would quite likely live longer and ENJOY a BETTER QUALITY of LIFE. Allowing them to enjoy family and loved ones perhaps a longer period of time.

In as much as the above is true (if you don't believe me check in with The Doctors and Doctor Oz on a regular basis) it is not the nanny state's place to dictate to free individuals what to consume in the form of sustenance. Having said this I will follow with it is the function of government to provide a well rounded and balanced education for the nation's youth,which INCLUDES a proper physical fitness program and proper instruction in nutrition.
Should anyone question why I (the ultimate individualist) would say the state should provide this education the answer is quite simple. IT IS IN EVERYONE'S BEST SELF INTEREST TO DO SO
.
From The Wall Street Journal...

A state judge on Monday stopped Mayor Michael Bloomberg's administration from banning the sale of large sugary drinks at New York City restaurants and other venues, a major defeat for a mayor who has made public-health initiatives a cornerstone of his tenure.

The city is "enjoined and permanently restrained from implementing or enforcing the new regulations," wrote New York Supreme Court Judge Milton Tingling, blocking the rules one day before they would have taken effect. The city's chief counsel, Michael Cardozo, pledged to quickly appeal the ruling.

In halting the drink rules, Judge Tingling noted that the incoming sugary drink regulations were "fraught with arbitrary and capricious consequences" that would be difficult to enforce with consistency "even within a particular city block, much less the city as a whole."

Skip

In his ruling, Judge Tingling found the Board of Health's mission is to protect New Yorkers by providing regulations that protect against diseases. Those powers, he argued, don't include the authority to "limit or ban a legal item under the guise of 'controlling chronic disease.' "

The board may supervise and regulate the city's food supply when it affects public health, but the City Charter clearly outlines when such steps may be taken: According to Judge Tingling, the city must face imminent danger due to disease.

"That has not been demonstrated," he wrote.

Judge Tingling also suggested that Mr. Bloomberg overstepped his powers by bringing the sugary drink rules before the Board of Health, which is solely appointed by him. The City Council, he wrote, is the legislative body "and it alone has the authority to legislate as the board seeks to do here."

City health officials, he wrote, aren't assigned the "sweeping and unbridled authority to define, create, authorize, mandate and enforce" the health code.

"It ridiculous to put this kind of money and legislation into something that people are going to find a way to bypass," said Mr. Nero, 46 years old, of Brooklyn.

When city health officials voted to approve the large-drink ban in the fall, they routinely pointed to statistics showing that 58% adults citywide are overweight or obese, and nearly 40% of public-school students in eighth grade or below are obese or overweight.

In the debate over the controversial rules, Bloomberg administration officials acknowledged many underlying causes of weight gain. {Read More}

The state providing a sensible educational and fitness program for youth right up to HS graduation makes sense. I fully support the need for this even if it means an uptick in taxes to provide such education.The long term benefits as related to reduction in health care costs likely would pay for itself overtime. Education is enlightening and properly administered is motivational. For the nanny state to dictate eating and beverage choices for adults is ill advised and wrong. Teach the children well and healthier future generations will be the everlasting reward. It is simply the RIGHT thing to do.

What I find so amazing is that more people aren't focused on the broader picture as to why the ban was wrong and whet the implications are should it be allowed to stand.

Via: Memeorandum

By Findalis
Monkey in the Middle

That is what Frederick Cohn attorney for Abdel Hameed Shehadeh is demanding that the court do.  He is demanding that no Jews be allowed on the jury.  It would be inflammatory and they could not judge Shehadeh fairly.

An attorney has hatched a shocking scheme to defend an accused terrorist in Brooklyn federal court: Purge the Jews.

Lawyer Frederick Cohn will ask a judge today to bar Jews from the jury hearing the case against Abdel Hameed Shehadeh, who’s accused of lying about trying to join jihadists in Pakistan.

Abdel Hameed Shehadeh

“Given that there’s going to be inflammatory testimony about Jews and Zionism, I think it would be hard for Jews to cast aside any innate antipathy,” said Cohn, who is Jewish.

“The American Jewish community is heavily aligned with Israel and Zionism. Here is a guy who is a Muslim, who is opposed to those things.”

The subject of the controversial ban first arose at a recent court hearing.

“Your Honor . . . as you know, I’m not wild about having Jews on the jury in this case,” Cohn told Brooklyn federal Judge Eric Vitaliano in February.

Federal prosecutors William Sarratt and James Loonam reacted with alarm.

“I don’t think Judge [Robert] Levy will be ready to violate the Constitution and exclude people from the jury on the basis of their religious beliefs,” Sarratt told the judge.

Magistrate Judge Levy will begin selecting the jury this week.

The Shehadeh trial is not the first time jurors’ religious views have taken center stage at a court proceeding.

At the initial trial of two black men accused of civil-rights violations stemming from the Crown Heights killing in 1991 of Hasidic scholar Yankel Rosenbaum, Brooklyn federal Judge David Trager tried to balance the religious and racial composition of the jury.

But an appellate court overturned the verdict, saying the approach violated the Constitution.

Cohn conceded that his proposal is a “long shot.” But he argued that rules governing methods of selecting juries don’t allow attorneys to delve deep into the private recesses of a potential juror’s mind to determine if they are biased.

“I don’t know of a gentler way to deal with this, and sometimes you have to wield a meat ax,” Cohn said of the difficulty in ascertaining the deeply held beliefs of a potential jurist.

His client is a US citizen born and raised in New York who is charged with three counts of making false statements in connection with a terrorism offense.

Source

Given the acceptance of anti-Semitism I can see this happening.  Pretty soon it will be no non-Muslims on juries when a Muslim is being tried.  Then enforcement of Shar'ia Law.  We are slowly, but definitely losing the battle against the enforcement of Shar'ia in the US.

Happy second week of March to you! I hope you had a wonderful weekend. Mine was pretty top notch. A date, much ORC progress, time with friends and some shopping. Not too shabby for old Elizabeth.

My 'shopping' is really just some quite mommy time on Sunday afternoon's when I walk around my favorite antique shop. I have never once NOT found thousands of dollars worth of goodies and this Sunday was no different. I was instagraming up a storm. I'll share all the goodies another day, but today I wanted to share my favorites.


This bench is my new obsession. It was in PERFECT condition, a great price and had a lovely tortoise shell type original finish. I dreamt about it last night. No lie.


I also found this little gem. A beautiful yellow and more bambo.

As I've chatted about before, I had lovely plans of getting a secretary to act as the new star of my entry. But the more I look the more I fear I won't find something that will fit properly in my tiny little spot. (see it in its current state here)

So the bench got me thinking. Thinking about how nice it would be to have a place for the girls to sit and put on their shoes (and put them away when they get home of course - yeah right). And in the spirit of day dreaming, I did some inspiration boards for an entry with a bench.




Now I'm off to go visit my bench and possibly hang around to make sure no one else touches it.

Ever dreamt about furniture? Have you ever found a piece that made you rethink an entire room? Can you really call a space a room when it has only two walls?

OUTLAW TELEMARKETING IN THE US!
A Commentary by J. D. Longstreet
****************

Enough is ENOUGH!  It is time to put an end to the terror of telephone telemarketers in  America.

I have had ALL my phones listed on the government's "Do Not Call" list since the very first day I was allowed to sign up.  The telemarketer calls are as bad today as they were then. 

Friends report to me they are receiving calls from telemarketers between 6 AM and 7 AM in the mornings, even.

I have even had telemarketer calls in the hospital -- one while I stood watch over my father as he lay on his death bed.  The call came in on the hospital line and rang the phone on the table beside my dying father.

I must admit to using all the “Sunday School Language” I knew -- and even made some up -- to spew all over that SOB on the other end of the line -- but, of course, it did no good, whatsoever.  In fact, the telemarketer on the other end of the line actually LAUGHED!

Now, I even get them on my cell phone.

Telemarketers have, for all intents and purposes, made our land-line phones useless to us.  We don't answer them anymore.  They just ring and ring and ring and we do our best to ignore them.  I have unplugged the phones from time to time, but members of my family visualize some message of earth shaking importance coming in on the phone so they do not like it when I unplug the phones.  (Actually, I have come to believe folks who feel they absolutely MUST answer a ringing phone have some form of the malady known as the "Stockholm Syndrome!")

The Do Not Call List is quite likely the most useless government program ever devised.  It has more holes than a slice of Swiss cheese.  It is useless as a filter for anyone tied to a phone by a phone line.   And the telemarketers are coming after your cell phone number, too.  Soon, you won't be safe anywhere from the telemarketer terrorists.

A suggestion:  What if telephone service providers offered a white list/black list service much as our e-mail clients offer?  If the calling number is not on your white list -- your phone will not ring.  The call will only get through if the caller is on the "approved " list. 

But, hey!  The telcos make way too much money off those telemarketers to do anything that might threaten THAT cash flow!

I’d like to see telemarketing completely outlawed by the US government. If the feds don’t want to touch it, then the individual states should. In fact, they MUST.

We need to put pressure on our respective state’s Attorneys General to clamp down on telemarketing laws in our own states. (A number of states deferred to the federal government for a law to control the telemarketers.)

I am tired of being hounded, in my own home, by anyone seeking to sell me goods and services I have no inclination to buy. Had I, I would have gone to a local merchant and made the transaction.

Frankly, I don’t care if it IS a charity calling. They are invading my privacy, unbidden, and that is wrong and I’m ticked off before I ever lift the receiver.

In recent years I have heard of a number of families ridding themselves of land-line phones altogether and relying on their cell phones alone.  That is well and good for some folks, I suppose. But for an old broadcaster, like me, who recognizes that a cell phone is nothing more than a tiny "walkie-talkie" radio, I must tell you, I do not place that much reliance on the things.  As any military man, or former military man, can tell you a "walkie-talkie" is great -- when they work.  I feel the same way about cell phones.

The point is -- we ought not be placed in a position in which we feel we have to make that decision as a result of being hounded day and night by telephone intruders trying to sell us something, or begging for donations, or promoting some politician we like even less as a result of that blasted phone call!

Listen-up Congress creatures:  If you want some credibility restored and you are the least bit interested in restoring your likability ratings, then here's your chance.  Pass legislation to stop telemarketing within the United States. Hell, why not go for a constitutional amendment?  (OK.  So THAT was a bit TOO much.  It just demonstrates my frustration!)   

© J. D. Longstreet

I was asked by a reader to share my thoughts on the following article. Oh yeah, I'll share! ;)

Bankrate.com: How do I safely diversify against inflation?

Don't you just love the title? Really drew me in! The inside was not quite as juicy as the outside appeared though. Bad chef! So anyway, here are my thoughts.

1. If you made it nearly to the age of 80 and are just now thinking about getting a good deal on inflation protection, then you are probably too late. Sorry! There are too many people just like you.

2. If you made it nearly to the age of 80 and are convinced that inflation is going to be a problem, then why are you asking for "expert" mainstream financial advice? You seem to already know what's going to happen. (For the record, we've had a century of inflation. It's not exactly "on its way".)

3. If you made it nearly to the age of 80 and *always* knew what was going to happen next, then you should easily be a billionaire by now. Are you? If so, why are you asking financial advice from a non-billionaire? Feeling lucky?

4. If you are a Ph.D., CFA, and CFP who thinks that TIPS rates are too low to invest ("the music has to stop"), then you probably did not read thought #1 above nor did you read about other times throughout history when real yields were even lower than they are now (the 1970s, World War II).

5. If you are a Ph.D., CFA, and CFP who thinks 0.0% I-Bonds are still a worthy investment (as do I) and yet you do not think that 0.0% TIPS are a similarly worthy investment (if held within a tax-deferred IRA) then you must not have heard of the concept of buy and hold to maturity. Might want to brush up on that. (That said, I'm not suggesting that an 80-year-old should probably buy 30-year TIPS of course.)

6. If you are a Ph.D., CFA, and CFP who can mention "stocks, bonds or cash" in an inflation article without also at least mentioning "gold, silver or oil" (especially after their meteoric rise over the last decade) then you probably haven't studied what monetary policy, bubble blowing, and a lack of worthy alternative long-term mainstream investments can do (think stocks since 2000). Too bad! It was a good decade to think outside the box.

For what it is worth, I think hyperinflation theories are likely to be poned again soon. Oil's having a very difficult time pushing through $100. Should this be unexpected? I'll start to worry more about heavy inflation when non-Japanese 80-year-old investors ask the "experts" how to safely diversify against deflation. Let's just put it that way. (I'm always worried some about both inflation *and* deflation.)

And lastly, this is not an endorsement to buy gold and silver. I sold long ago (way too early in hindsight) and have no desire to buy back at these prices (relative to toilet paper). I might even suggest that both are looking a bit toppy lately (silver's taken a serious beating over the last 2 years), and I'm not speaking of world's first cloned working dog. What precious metals do next is anyone's guess, but I doubt they do it "safely" (in a non-volatile manner).

Just opinions!

That's me playing. My girlfriend shot the video. It was my third or fourth attempt at a reasonable score. 12.3 million is a keeper, much to the delight of my girlfriend. I warned her that it could take 20+ attempts, especially with the added pressure of someone watching me (and being videoed)!

At 136+ million as a total for all 11 scales, I currently hold the 34th best score on Rocksmith's Scale Runner mini-game. I expect to move into the top 10 in the not too distant future.

Is it a guitar addition? A video game addiction? Let's call it both.

Once again, sorry for not posting much lately. I doubt it is permanent. If/when the cracks begin to form in the dam again my posting activity will surely increase. That's assuming that the illusion of prosperity has not been replaced by actual prosperity of course. I don't really think it is much of an assumption!