- - - this isn't really a title.

hi.

[17thcolossus]

Try the World Box #2: Paris

My second (and free!) box from Try the World came in today. It was part of a buy one, get two flash sale they had on their website (which, funny enough, won't pop up until you hover over the "back" or "X" buttons on your browser). I was surprised but delighted at the speed of their deliveries. It

[17thcolossus]

Just Fab Box #1

I'm afraid I've been bitten by the box bug ever since subscribing to Stitch Fix - because they don't offer shoes as part of their service, I turned to Just Fab, an "online subscription fashion retailer that carries a selection of shoes, handbags, jewelry, and denim." (Thanks, Wikipedia!)  I won't

[17thcolossus]

I was a weird teenager. Oh well, at least I wrote a lot.

[17thcolossus]

I had another dream last night. I lived with a schoolmate in a super swanky apartment. It had a nice view of some city, a hallway that also doubled as a bathroom, and too many doors  for me to count. The kitchen had two stoves; the ceilings were vaulted, and the whole place was painted an immaculate white.

One day, my dream beau (whose name is Simon du Something) comes over and decides to test all the stove burners and kerosene lamps in the kitchen. I am by the microwave trying to figure out how to properly cook a 4oz bag of popcorn when several burly men stampede through my apartment. They grab my beau by the collar, open a door in the wall that wasn't there before, and disappear behind it. I hear their massive thudding footsteps slowly fade away. My roommate and I rush forward and yank the door open, revealing a dark, spiraling corridor made of paneled wood. It branched out into narrow nooks that led to other doors in my apartment. I realize we were inside the structure of the building itself, and follow the main corridor as it spiraled down and down. Eventually it opens up into a room that resembled the floor of a very productive steel factory. People in dirtied uniforms rushed back and forth between machines that spit and grunted and coughed out shiny metals and black smoke, which rose to a wooden ceiling far too high for me to see. I spotted Simon working at a machine - he looked up, gave me a wave, and went back to his work. He was in trouble for wasting gas when he played with the stove burners, and now he was paying his dues - I wouldn't be seeing him again. I turned around to climb back up the wooden corridor, except it wasn't wooden or a corridor anymore. Now, it was an inner tube ride reminiscent of the Lazy River from the water park I used to visit as a kid. There were several laser beams trained on the water's surface that I had to maneuver around - it had blasted apart a few people who weren't paying attention. I floated a long while down the river, which was crowded with obnoxious tourists who claimed the water was their home and would try to overturn my inner tube. I finally made it out into a domed building covered in bright mosaic. The walls and the floor sparkled, depicting famous shark saints and their saintly shark deeds. There was a hot tub at the other end of the building, and I could clearly see at least half a dozen people wading about while sharp silhouettes circled silently beneath them. I wondered who in their right mind would go swimming with sharks, and pressed on.

The mosaic floor faded into a well-worn, sand-colored cobblestone path. The air grew warmer and my surroundings brighter and golden. I found myself walking up the main street of a small but cozy town. Footsteps fell on either side of me - to my left, my brother, and to my right, a tall, thin man with a neatly trimmed gray beard and haircut. I forget what we spoke of while we walked, but I remember asking Gandalf (because that's who the gray beard was) why he wasn't Merlin anymore. At this point a group of tourists dressed in Hawaiian shirts, seated in the outside patio of a cafe, started asking Gandalf for pictures and his autograph.  We continued along, up the warm and familiar cobbled street into the crisp golden rays of morning. I woke up humming the Lord of the Rings theme song.

[samwiseg]

[17thcolossus]

Triptych II

[17thcolossus]

Triptych

[17thcolossus]

Eventful Sunday

Today, Matt killed two flies while they were doing their business. 

[mrevaaaaa-blog]

“When my husband died, because he was so famous & known for not being a believer, many people would come up to me — it still sometimes happens — & ask me if Carl changed at the end & converted to a belief in an afterlife. They also frequently ask me if I think I will see him again. Carl faced...

[17thcolossus]

RadioLab: Carl Sagan and Ann Druyan's Ultimate Mix Tape

[17thcolossus]

I had a dream last night.

I was called over to a quiet suburban neighborhood to do some overnight babysitting. The only instruction the parents gave me is to not let the children out past a certain time. It turned out the whole neighborhood set this curfew because of a strange "thing" that roamed the streets during the night and ate up any little children it came upon. The children would be safe as long as they stayed inside until the sun came up.

The night passed by without incident, and when sunrise dawned I drove back home, making only a few wrong turns.

The kids really were sweet though. ...

There's a second part to my dream. A magical kingdom a few leagues away had just lost its king, and without anyone to claim the throne the kingdom had devolved into civil war and ruin. I was on some escalators in a nameless, generic shopping mall when I received the news that I was the princess and rightful heir to this kingdom. I was to journey to this kingdom and reclaim the throne, bringing it back to its former glory. I gathered my merry band of followers, which featured more than a few of my schoolmates (Race was a viking warrior; Revathi was my right-hand Valkyrie shield; etc.).

We rode to a massive stone fortress overgrown with vines and covered in dust. Inside the castle lived the magician that had caused the civil war, and it was my fate to destroy him. I grabbed my glowing sword of power (blue, extra long, and unnecessarily decorated with beads and flowers) and tumbled into the stone courtyard, calling out for my foe.

"Merlin!" I meeped.

Out of the shadows a white beard advanced; it was the magician, tall and thin and very sour looking. Without a moment's hesitation I struck him. He chided me all the way down for striking without warning, and how it was so rude of me not to invite him to battle with a proper invitation. 

I was mortified and embarrassed that I didn't even have any of those princess qualities. I asked Rev to get him a pillow and a picture of his wife so at least he wouldn't pass on feeling so alone and hated.

[17thcolossus]

source: poppygall.com

no twitter for me thanks. not my domain. actually, i don't have a domain! i'm like this turtle, with pretty lace and all.

[marryawitch]

[17thcolossus]

when i move out i'm going to adopt one of these little guys, go for long jogs in the chilly bay mornings, and cuddle with it while i watch movies and drink red wine at night. 

[17thcolossus]

hmmmm.

i understand now why some people have blogs they will never ever share with anyone they know. 

i could really use less lectures.

[the-backend-of-forever-deactiva]

[17thcolossus]

these people and their beautiful mugs. caricatures done from work. don't kill me kyle.

edit: oh dear god they're huge. sorry. sorry.

more on my blog: http://www.denisemagdale.com/portfolio/caricatures/

[supernovaexplosion-deactivated2]

“…but the most tantalising thing about Einstein’s theory of gravity, is we know that it’s not complete, we know that it’s not the ultimate description of the structure and shape of the universe.

And that, for a scientist, is the most beautiful place to be; on the border between the known, and the unknown.

That is the true wonder of the universe. There is so much more left of it to explore.”

-Professor Brian Cox

[supernovaexplosion-deactivated2]

Brian Cox clutching his old, battered, but beloved copy of Cosmos by Carl Sagan. ♥