:z.a.s:

.add to be added but comment here to see journal posts.

Forgive me James Randi, for I have sinned . . . ( fake-cut )

Does someone here know a somebody named Que in New York ?

http://www.mercycorps.org/countries/somalia/15565

You've probably been following the recent news about pirate attacks off the coast of Somalia.

Nearly everyone agrees that the root of the problem isn't at sea, but on shore. Somalia is a failed state. More than three million people — a third of the country — are in need of humanitarian assistance.

I kinda dig Mercy Corps a lot. I've set up $100+ monthly donations to them (the junk food and eating out I've been cutting out of my diet more than allows for it. :) ) They've got a 4/4 star rating on charitynavigator.org. (I also do donations to Oprah's Angel Network- She can afford to cover many extra expenses, you know, so more of your money easily goes to where it belongs.)

As a side note, I just found that Charity Navigator site today and need to remember to do a more thorough search of it. I like the ease and focus of Mercy Corps, but I'm not so sure how I feel about terminology entirely? I'm trying to find a place which focuses more on "promoting abundance" than "ending hunger", you know? I really believe it's harder to escape the negative if your focus is on it . . .

I was once asked why I don't participate in anti-war demonstrations. I said that I will never do that, but as soon as you have a pro-peace rally, I'll be there.
- Mother Teresa

I'm going to pick up my passport from the post office during lunch today.

Things I'm looking into:

http://www.idealist.org/volunteer/travel.html

On this page you will find brief descriptions of organizations that specialize in placing people in a variety of volunteer positions around the globe.

Plenty range from one week to several. A lot will cover lodging costs and some will even do transportation. Plus you're very easily and conveniently contributing to making the world a better place. Through humanitarian, environmental, and even animal conservational opportunities.


The only problem is how to possibly choose just one to start! (of course, that same link has an International Volunteerism Resource Center which looks like a great place to start!)

Why Is Amazon Removing The Sales Rankings From Gay, Lesbian Books?

A petition: In protest at Amazon's new "adult" policy

Consider leaving a comment on the Amazon Daily blog if that sort of thing is your bag, baby: http://www.amazon.com/gp/daily/ref=cm_dly_open

I downloaded Windows Live Messenger 9 awhile ago. Was not a big fan of it but figured I'd get used to it. Then some not worth it things became apparent:

•It wouldn't let me send ink messages to people anymore
•It wouldn't let me fiddle with the webcam settings while the webcam was in use.
•Also, you had to jump through several different elements to alter said settings, even when the webcam was off. ((Instead of right clicking the conveniently located webcam icon and choosing to go to the settings, you had to get to the inconveniently located Options, to the audio and video settings, then page through audio stuff you don't care about to get to the webcam stuff.))
•On top of that, it was mirroring my webcam and I couldn't locate how to change that.

This, in combination with the unnecessarily drastic layout changes made it very undesirable.

So I decided to uninstall it, and it was under some weird name in the add or remove program . . . So I ended up getting ZapMessenger to uninstall it (recommended) . . . And had to go on a little epic advenjourney through the internet to find a functioning download of a previous version.

I found it here: http://www.msgstuff.com/downloads/file/140-windows-live-messenger-8513021018/
(they also have older versions)




I just thought I'd share in case anyone else was becoming likewise frustrated. :)

Add me!
Twitter: http://twitter.com/littlezas
Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/littlezas/

I'm going to be tying that stuff into my site here soon. :)

Click Get It Now to download the whole thing for yourself for just $9.99.

(Physical copies should be available at Hot Topic by now- But it's smartest to call ahead first . . .)

(links to devART)

Okay, this one is my favorite idea . . . But I don't think it's my favorite artwork, heh.



Okay, now I'm starting new documents of the "Valentine Cards That Could Have Been." I'm thinking two landscape-oriented images (one light yellow, one purple again) with four smaller idea sketches on each . . . Here's the part where I'm happy to receive new suggestions. :)

(links to devART)

Final one will be uploaded in a sec. :D

(links to devART)

Here's the second!
I have the third half-done and the fourth already completed . . .

I think after that I'll just have a sketch page of "Valentines that might have been . . ." If I had had enough time (Feel free to give suggestions . . . I'll do any that greatly amuse me. :) )

(links to devART)

You may recognize that this is somewhat regurgitated from a facebook graffiti I did awhile ago- That served as the inspiration for creating some V-Day cards in the first place. So I thought a re-do was fitting for an opening shot.

I've got two others at the very least coming. May have some more, who knows?

Anyway, all these will be capable of being printed at 4.25"x5.5" . . . Click on the image to head to devART and check out the link in the description there.!

. . . and support marriage equality. :)

^{P. Dendritiformis Colony: Eshel Ben-Jacob}

I'm boiling, bubbling, and humming this last week. I don't know whether or not such is discernible to others- But it is so. :)

( Cannibalistic Bacteria and 'Personal Development for Smart People' )


* * *

Summary:

• Life is good.
  
• I'm inspired by many things.
  
• In particular, I'm currently feeling greatly inspired by an atheist, raw vegan, polyamorous, ex-software developer who meditates, is married to a professional psychic medium and has experimented with many fascinating things (including polyphasic sleep).
  
• Wait, what?
  
• Yeah, you heard me.

I just joined and I don't know what I'm doing.



Come, let us infect each other with music.

(Or just you can provide me with a variety of new tunes since I'm significantly lacking new such -ness in my life. :P )

edit. Those "reply" capabilities leave a lot of room for obnoxiousness, mwa ha hah.

I drew her right back!

. . . 2 months late. I'm a little slow. :P




bigger



Do I need to point out that this is fairly lazily done with little planning or pre-concept?

I probably shouldn't point out that her shoulders were bare in the ref pic- so the original flipping over and rejoining of the image totally resulted in the creation of a vagina in that lower portion of the image. Cool idea, but I would have felt like a total pervert leaving that in a picture of someone real. Ha.

As with anything. There's stuff I'd fix. And I'd probably have liked to add a middle focal image. But nothing came to mind that was both easy and simple. :P

Comments enabled on that last one.

Go ahead and confess your lifestory to me! Publicly or anonymously or on your own journal . . . (or just continue chatting with me privately, lovers.)

I promise I will nod my head and go, "hmm" as a response. In spirit at least.

There's something mind-blowingly wonderful and amazing in your life RIGHT NOW, but you're not seeing it.

What is it?

(click it! writer = journalestaloco while the drawer of pictures is i)