Those who know me, know I’m what could be loosely described as a bleeding heart, tree-hugging, out of the cube thinking democrat. And those are my friends. However….No matter your political leanings, no matter what you may think about the war in Iraq, the political machinations that led to it, and the decisions and actions made and taken by our governing bodies over the last decade, I hope you join me in offering thanks to the women and men who have served our country. It takes courage and conviction, a sense of honor, and pride in oneself and one’s country to join one of the military branches and excel. I have been lucky enough to know many who have worked for the Red, White and Blue; and some still serve. My politics does not have to align with theirs for me to respect and appreciate what they’ve done, and what they continue to do for our country.

Today is one of those moments that gets written up in history books and debated on news talk shows and in late night stand up. Today, the United States of America formally ends our war in Iraq. While I know that our involvement with Iraq is far from over, today I choose to acknowledge those who have stood for us, and sacrificed for us. I hope that my fellow Americans will do the same. I hope we forget who lives in red states or blue states, and for one day, be a nation united in gratitude, adorned in royal purple.

Everyone knows one – you know, the girl who puts the crazy in your morning coffee, and makes you wonder if maybe, just maybe, those celibate monks know what they’re talking about…

Psycho Chicks Anonymous is the cautionary tale of Benji, and his support group for other men who have suffered from the slings and arrows – seriously: real slings, arrows, sharpened forks, and all manner of blunt objects – of broken romantic relationships.

Seek out your local PCA to share your own tales of terror and dates gone horribly wrong, and watch for the documentary, coming to a screen near you, soon. And remember…. Only you can prevent psychotic episodes.

The website offers you the chance to commiserate with fellow survivors as you read their stories; get advice and just vent in a safe, virtual club house. You can even show your support for your local PCA groups by wearing your favorite shirt (although we accept no responsibility for any food stuff, paint, or other materials that may be thrown at you by disgruntled psycho chicks that may have lost their slaves, uh, I mean boy friends/husbands/insignificant others through successful recovery and relocation by PCA.)

PsychoChicksAnonymous.com

For details about the film, and the people behind it, check out the PCA site, the Siren Productions Media, LLC site and IMDb.

Geek Gyrl Friday has provided the “geeking out” behind the scenes for Siren, including development and maintenance of social sites, Zazzle shop and merchandise design and posting, promotion and generally saying a lot of nice things about the film online.

August 4, 2007, approximately 2:30am EST
The day the world changed.
What a dramatic statement for such an innocuous date, no? Honestly, most people might only know they passed the day based only on the fact that they’re here, now, and they passed through 2007 on the way to this point in time.
Here are a few bits of tid to go along with August the fourth, that might make you give this date a second or third thought…

• August 4th is the 216th day of the year (217th in those pesky years that leap about every four sets of 52 weeks….) at least, for those of us who use the Gregorian calendar
• my niece might be quick to point out this means it’s 140 days until her birthday, and 142 until Christmas – my nephew, at the age of 4, would probably just perk up at the mention of the word, “Christmas”
• the Christian Feasting Day for Saint Sithney, the patron saint of mad dogs, making a toast of MD 20/20 completely appropriate
• 1060: Henry I of France passed on
• 1693: Dom Perignon invented champagne on August 4th
• 1789: the National Constituent Assembly (the formalized grouping of the blokes keen to obtain a set of French Royal heads, after the storming of the Bastille, in the early days of the French Revolution) end feudalism in France
• 1790: the tariff passed this day in history created the Revenue Cutter Service, the forerunner to the United States Coast Guard
• 1792: Percy Bysshe Shelley was born
• 1821: saw the first publication of the weekly Saturday Evening Post and the birth of Louis Vuitton
• 1873: Custer clashed with the Sioux for the first time in Montana
• 1875: Hans Christian Andersen became a true ghost writer of children’s tales
• 1892: Lizzie Borden‘s acts of extreme “domestic violence are discovered
• 1901: Jazz legend Louis Armstrong entered the world
• 1914: Germany invaded Belgium, prompting the United Kingdom to declare war on Germany and prompting the US to be busy doing its hair, and thus unavailable for the war at that point
• 1944: Anne Frank and her family were found by the Gestapo, in Amsterdam
• 1955: Billy Bob Thornton was born
• 1958: The Billboard “Hot 100″ is founded, and musicians would forever after be very interested in the Billboard standings
• 1961: President Obama – sans the titular office – was born
• 1971: Jeff Gordon entered the world within acceptable speed limits, which he’d later shed as a Nascar driver
• 1977: President Jimmy Carter signed legislation that created the US Department of Energy
• 1985: American Idol Crystal Bowersox began hearing lullabies for the first time
• 1993: Los Angeles cops Stacey Koon and Laurence Powell got off easy with 30 months in prison sentencing for “violating Rodney King’s rights”
• 1995: Operation Storm began in Croatia
• 2005: Michaëlle Jean was named as Canada’s 27th Governor General, the first black GG in Canadian history (you go, girl!)
• 2007: NASA launched the Phoenix into space….in an odd bit of Cosmic Coincidence…to send the Phoenix into flight – the creature of myth long associated with death and rebirth through death….
• 2007: …. Judi Greene slipped the grip of cancer, and free of this mortal coil….and my world forever changed.

Judi Greene was – no, IS – my Mom.

She introduced me to the joys of music at an early age. Indulging my early propensity for … well, strangeness, honestly …. she urged me to “try the priest”, allowing me to not only watch, but mentally devour, Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street, when it was broadcast on HBO in the early ’80′s. To this day, I can’t listen to the music, sing along or watch one of myriad film and stage productions of Sondheim’s classic musical without thinking of Mom. Yes…singing about mass murder, meat pies and linnet birds always makes me think of her and smile. Like I said…I am strange and unusual, but I came by it naturally.

Speaking of strange and unusual… As a very young child I began drawing these funny little fellows that were mostly lots of fur, with big googly eyes and knobby knees. My Mom and I began to call them Furbles. As I got older, I kept drawing these guys, and my Mom delighted in them as much when I was 30 years old and sculpting them as Yule gifts for family, as when I was 4, and drawing them for the first time. As I’ve been playing around with design software, informally prepping myself for my return to college later this month for my Design Technology degree, I created a digital version of a Furble. Well, most of a Furble; I haven’t quite got the legs right…yet. Now, my purple, green and teal Furbles grace my personal correspondence and even my Zazzle shop, acting as one more visual reminder of Mom, every day.

I did not develop my love of cooking until later in life, however….My Mom had despaired of me ever learning how to do anything more difficult than scramble eggs and grill up cheese between a couple slices of bread. When I did move into the kitchen, and found not only was I passably good at the “food thing,” but I adored cooking, my Mom was my most ardent cheerleader. In the process of learning that experimentation in the kitchen can be fun, I developed my own guacamole recipe (Avocados, the gods’ gift to humanity, seriously) which became one of my Mom’s favorite foods from my repertoire. I could not make it without delivering a serving … or 6 … to her, with a bag of fresh chips. So….you guessed it, making guacamole became something much more than just making a tasty dip; it became a way for me to commune with Mom’s memory, after she died. I made a fabulous batch, last night and had the leftovers an hour ago….right around 2:30am, August 4, 2010.

This is my virtual “raising of the glass,” a pixelated shot in Mom’s name….

I love you, Mom. And I miss you, every day. But I feel your love with me every day, too.

Judi Greene, 25 years old

Waiting for Superman, filmed by David Guggenheim, reminds us all that we can’t do enough for the next generation – that education is not a privilege, it’s a RIGHT in this country. Too many children in the US are not receiving the basic education anyone should have, much less the sort of education that goes well beyond test scores, and focuses, instead, on inspiring students (of all ages – we’re never too old to learn something new – don’t let that old dog’s inability to learn a new trick or two deter you.)
This groundbreaking film hits theatres on September 24, 2010, but if you go to the site RIGHT NOW and pledge to see the film when it comes out, you’ll be part of the move towards a solution. Every person who commits to see the film will be giving students five books. Seriously. All you have to do is hit the link, take the pledge and do something for the next generation that MEANS SOMETHING. It’s not often that it’s literally that easy to move from observer to public hero.

To sweeten this amazing opportunity, Donors Choose has committed to donate when the tally of pledges hits 30,000.

When 30,000 people pledge to see WAITING FOR “SUPERMAN,” thanks to the generosity of its funders, DonorsChoose.org will donate $5 gift cards to every person who pledges to see the film by September 15th. The gift cards can be used to fulfill requests made by public school teachers from every corner of America who post classroom project needs on DonorsChoose.org. The mission of DonorsChoose.org is to improve public education by empowering every teacher to be a change-maker and enabling any citizen to be a philanthropist.

Office Max has also stepped up, promising to add 40 more deserving teachers to their annual “A Day Made Better” program.

The efforts to reach a milestone of 40,000 people pledging to see this important documentary film will get an additional boost with OfficeMax(R) aligning their “A Day Made Better” program with the movie campaign. Now in it’s 4th year, the OfficeMax(R) program helps defray the out-of-pocket expenditures on school supplies by dedicated teachers by awarding 1,000 outstanding teachers with $1,000 in school supplies. To help build awareness of the new film, the retail giant will now boost the annual award to include 40 additional deserving U.S. teachers when the pledge level reaches 40,000.

You can follow their progress on Twitter and Facebook, too. And I challenge you to do one thing more…share this article with your friends and associates. Do something good, then PASS IT ON……Thanks.

Dakota Cassidy’s latest addition to our bookshelves is now out! You can pick up a copy in your local bookstore; or shop from home in your jammies and tiara.

My Way to Hell, book 2 in the Hell series

Amazon: classic format (book) or digital wonder-kid (e-book for your Kindle)
Barnes & Noble: classic format (book) or digital “go anywhere” format (for Nook, and other e-readers)
Borders: classic format (book)

Read a sample of the e-book for free, courtesy B&N (look for the block to the right of the page, for the e-book sample link)

About the book:

She never thought he’d be the one.

After defying Lucifer to save her best friend Delaney, ex-demon Marcella Acosta has been banished to exist in the plane between heaven and hell-and there isn’t a shopping mall in sight. After numerous failed attempts to contact Delaney through a bunch of hack mediums, Marcella’s at her wits end. But there’s one medium she’s hasn’t tried yet, and he just happens to be Delaney’s scorching hot brother-the one guy who never gave Marcella the time of day…

But her heart has other ideas.

Thanks to his recently inherited psychic abilities, Kellen Markham has had spirits haunting him day and night-and not only are they just plain annoying, somehow they’re able to touch him. To try and escape, Kellen moves into his sister’s old apartment. But when he finds a box full of stuff that belonged to Marcella-the demon he spent years fighting his fierce attraction to-his not-so-pure thoughts drag her back to Earth. Now that Marcella’s free from Plane Drab, there’s no way in hell she’s going back. Especially since there’s a certain sexy medium she just can’t seem to keep her hands off of…

Kiss & Hell, book 1 in the Hell Series by Dakota Cassidy

Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Borders

Find Dakota on the internet – she runs contests, does guest blogs, and more!

Official Site
Blog
Facebook Fan Page
Twitter

Great geeks aren’t born, they’re raised (and occasionally found under rocks.) Geek Gyrl Friday wants to wish Happy Dad Day to all the dads out there in the great big geeky world.

Father’s Day is a great institution; good dads deserve the accolades, the love and complete control of the remote control they get on their special day. It’s also a great time to think about what it means to be a father; it’s so much more than donating DNA. I’m blessed with THE BEST DAD EVER (seriously. I’ve checked the stat books.) I am very definitely my Dad’s kid, too; but it’s so much more than having the same finger formation as him. He’s my best friend; he introduced me to the worlds of geekery literally from the cradle; and he always, always, always wants the best for me.

For many kids, having a dad means having a strong male (usually) role model who cares for them and shares with them, regardless of where the kids’ double helix originated. Most dads choose to be fathers; some just have to take alternate routes to get to the goal, and create their own family.

I have many friends who are dads. It’s always inspiring to me when I see them with their kids, because I get to see the best and brightest bits of my friends hearts (the moms, too, for that matter.) When I spend time with friends and their kids, I feel incredibly favored – it is a real honor that many people overlook – because my friends are choosing to share their best treasure with me. That’s an amazing gift, and worth recognizing and cherishing. This is why I wish Happy Father’s Day not only to my Dad (hi, Dad! I love you!) but to all the other dads I know…and the ones I don’t know, who are doing the “dad thing.”

I put together a Dad Day inspired visual blog on Tumblr, too. Consider it my virtual Father’s Day Card to the world. I compiled a list of memorable dads from the worlds of geekery – comics, movies, and books, seasoned throughout with a few cool geeky Dad gift suggestions from the squeetastic geek vendor, ThinkGeek.

Enjoy!

re-published from The Squee Spot with permission

This space is your one stop spot for finding easy links to the media geeks and vendors you ought to know…I’ll add more so check back, often.

Geek Gyrl Friday caters to the needs of creative minds. I work with my clients, individually, to identify their needs, wishes and 3.14 in the sky dreams. Then I determine what skills I can bring to bear, to turn these into reality. In many cases, this means taking on the tasks that writers, artists, and small business entrepreneurs consider boring, mundane or just too much to deal with, on top of doing what they should be doing – creating and sharing with the world.

Currently, GGF has openings for new clients, so I’m looking for a few good media geeks. A “media geek” is someone who excels at what they do by taking their devotion and ability to the “geek” level; and labors to share that excellence with the world around them through one of the common forms of media – books, art, music or specialty merchandising. I offer a la carte services and monthly contracts, at competitive rates.

I do a lot of work on social sites for clients, because like them or hate them, they’re here to stay. This encompasses everything from setting up the accounts; finding and creating content for the sites; moderating forums and chats; and interacting with fans and followers. GGF works in the more traditional “assistant” worlds, as well, using more high tech tools to do it virtually. Virtual assisting allows me to offer my services to, quite literally, anyone who has computer and internet access. It also means that fuzzy bunny slippers are fine for the office. I have the means to set up dedicated e-mail addresses through my site for clients; or use their own through password access. This, in turn, allows me to deal with correspondence of all forms for my clients. Research also falls under this umbrella; this lets me expand my own eclectic knowledge base, in addition to finding the information my clients need. And this…this is all just the tip of the iceberg, as Mr. Hemingway would say.

At the heart of GGF you find the desire to help. That’s it. Nothing fancy or frilly. Just the deep, abiding urge to make life better for my clients, so they, in turn, can do the same for others. It may not be curing cancer or sending women to the moon, but someone’s got to do the “small stuff,” too.

If you’re in need of a geek to handle the details for you – on a specific project or within an ongoing, monthly structure – e-mail me, today, and we’ll start making your goals realities.

Find good geekery courtesy of Geek Gyrl Friday Online:

Tumblr

Twitter

Facebook

You can also find me geeking out for fun on Geek Speak Blog, The Sparkle Brigade and The Squee Spot.

Geek Speak Blog: site, Twitter, Tumblr & Facebook

The Squee Spot: site

Sparkle Brigade: site & Tumblr

5/25/10 UPDATE!

Kristen Bell and Aromaleigh announced the official release of Victoria’s Revenge for sale on the website, today! If that weren’t enough, they have opened up the name game contest to everyone! So take a look at these stunners, order a few and start letting your creative juices flow, and send in your name ideas. You might be the proud owner of your own full sized eyeshadow, sporting the name you gave it!

Aromaleigh does it, again. Kristen Bell, the founder and creative force behind Aromaleigh, offers up a bounty of darkly romantic colors, with pops of lush brighter tones in the new Victoria’s Revenge Collection. She’s still in the development phase, getting the last touches of glitter and shimmer set, so to speak.

They don’t have a release date set, yet, but they want to share the inspiration and excitement, which means SNEAK PEEK for you!

Aromaleigh sent color samples out, last week, to several Beauty Bloggers. Kristen challenged these bloggers to help her name the colors, so this will be a collaborative effort, introducing the newest beauties to your makeup case.

For a peek at the inspiration behind the colors, Miss K shared the visuals and concepts that informed her creative process.

Bloggers have already started publishing reviews of the new colors. Don’t miss their reviews, linked below, to see even more sparkle and see what the makeup artists in the real world are saying about Victoria’s Revenge.

Le Gothique
Painted Moogle
Fresco Phyrra

New Reviews:

Gouldylox

Aromaleigh Cosmetics & Aromatics maintains a forum for its fans. For most, that would be enough…but not for Kristen Bell, the owner of Aromaleigh. She truly appreciates her loyal customers, and created not only a place for them to play, exchange beauty tips and stay up to date on the hottest new additions to the Aromaleigh Cosmetics line, but a new “Welcome!” program for members new to the forums. Not to leave anyone out, she ALSO has an amazing coupon circulating right now (can we say 30% off the entire site, including discounted clearance items???), which was initially sent out, early, to the existing forum members (who had working e-mail addresses attached to their accounts, anyway.)

I wanted to highlight the “Welcome!” program, today, and the easiest way to do this is…show you a sample of the letter we’re sending out to the new forum members. Below, you’ll see the same thing the new members will see in their in boxes (once all the “behind the scenes” sparkle experts have their eyes crossed and their tees dotted, of course.) Each letter does contain a coupon code, exclusively generated for their use, so no two letters will have the same codes. The codes do expire, but we’re also allowing for a long lead in time; just check the body of the message for the date applied to your special code (when you get yours of course, because, really, why wouldn’t you want to join a fun forum full of fabulous frills?)

So, without any further ado….here’s the Welcome Letter!

Hello!

Welcome to Aromaleigh Aficionadas Fan Forum!!

This is your forum, to explore all aspects of everything Aromaleigh and in between. It was created for fans, and is moderated by fans!

While the forum is moderated by fans, we at Aromaleigh would still like to thank you for joining A2F2, and at Aromaleigh, we say “Thank you” with

So here’s a coupon code which is good for 20% off an order of $20 and up!

PASTE INDIVIDUAL, EXCLUSIVE CODE HERE – generated by the Sparkle Fairies, just for you

You can use this code on your entire order! (Note, only one coupon code, certificate, gift code or promo code may be applied per order. This code cannot be applied to any previously placed, shipped or received orders.

This offer expires on (INSERT DATE)

Aromaleigh Aficionadas is an amazing online resource for you to get product information and connect with hundreds of other Aromaleigh customers to share product observations, insights and feedback, or your latest gorgeous eyeshadow combination. You also have a whole community at your fingertips, when you need help with your makeup questions and dilemmas.

We have thousands of registered users, and an average of 50 users logged in at any time, within our friendly online forum, as well as a staff of forum concierges who truly know their stuff and can assist you with color questions about foundation, formulas, and troubleshooting.

The channel concierges are Zhariel, Girl1der, Girl_Geek, Hoyden, Bridget and CinSeven13. Channel concierges are also our forum moderators.

We rarely have to moderate the forum, but we do recommend reviewing our forum rules when you join us.

If you are brand new to Aromaleigh, we suggest that you start in the “New to Aromaleigh Cosmetics? Start Here” thread.

We also have an extensive FAQ and help area on our website that you may find useful as well as “A Crash Course in Mineral Cosmetics.”

You can even share pictures of your latest triumphs on the forum. We have a thread post that tells you how to add those pictures, too.

What can you do in relation to Aromaleigh? LOTS!

We have a variety of different forums and topics for you to post within. Our forum is, 99% of the time, a drama-free zone, and the Aromaleigh forum members are a very helpful, welcoming group. Don’t be shy to post! You’ll be happily greeted. If you’re looking to add even more sparkle to your internet playtime, be sure to check out the links in my signature, below, too!

Once again, welcome to the Aromaleigh Aficionadas Fan Forum… We  hope you have a sparkly stay!

Need to contact Aromaleigh?
Please use this link for any official queries to Aromaleigh Customer Service including public relations requests and other general queries. (No customer service is handled on the fan forum.)

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(¸☆´ Sparkles & Faerie Dust ☆´´¯`•.¸¸.