One Girl Revolution

Nothing Nice To Say is back for the first time since May.

I'm having an Embarrassing Crap auction on eBay, apparently, thanks to the appearance of two items on my bed on Friday. Not only did Mom randomly find an old Heathcliff comic book that I begged my father for (and Heathcliff? What the fuck, baby Kiji?), but she also plopped a Martha Stewart decorating book on my bed and told me that I could sell it. And then there's this shirt, which was clearly made for someone Not Me. This was given to me by a well-meaning family friend, but it became painfully obvious that this shirt was not for me when I tried it on. Not only does it not go with my coloring, not only do I find the pattern/color combo terrifying...but it also makes my chest look ridiculous. There's a difference between enhancing the bust and making it look like an episode of When Boobs Attack (coming to Fox Network soon, I'm sure), and that shirt falls firmly into the latter category for me. Hopefully it'll be a bit more flattering on someone else.

angry_biscuit should totally write a Guide to Living. This entry was a fabulous way to start my Sunday.

eponabast, welcome to Cleveland. And you know you're from NEO when you see last year's tally and go, "What? That's it?"

How a pair of ugly shoes conquered the world.

The highlight of this weekend was hanging out with eponabast on Saturday and teaching her how to make - wait for it - laundry detergent. Yes, yes, I know. But it is The Laundry Detergent Of The Gods, having the ability to clean, soften and reduce static cling all at once. Basically, if you use this stuff, you won't need anything else. Not only that, but she was clever enough to discover that, when mixed with water and ground into a paste with a hand blender, that same detergent becomes The Spot Remover Of Epic Proportions What Looks Like A Whipped Dessert. Now, this could be due to the soap we used (the endlessly fascinating Zote), or because we ended up substituting baking soda for the impossible-to-find-in-her-neighborhood wash soda, but whatever it is, it's awesome. I spilled orange juice all over my shirt on Sunday morning, and immediately wet the shirt, dabbed the paste on it, and scrubbed away. I've used spot removers that have seeped into the fabric and gradually lightened the stain, but I've never seen a stain lift off the fabric, wad into a ball of goo, and rinse away, which is precisely what happened to the orange juice on my shirt. I rinsed it slightly, but not enough to get all of the paste off, then washed it as normal with my own batch of homemade laundry detergent. You'd never know there was a mark on that shirt now, much less the orange juice splatter pattern that was there before. I can't say whether others would have the same result, or how effective it would be on other stains, but I still thought it was damn cool. (I went on a cleaning frenzy after that, and it's also fairly effective on blood stains.)

I'm thinking I may have found the first product for my Moonage Daydream "Road Crew" line of household cleaning products. The tagline? "Because someone has to clean up when the party's over."

If anyone's interested in a jar, let me know.

Though I'm sure you're all getting sick of it, I wanted to let you know that I've put up an announcement at my shop. Here's what it says:

Shop Announcement
Pull The Plug On Cancer With Your Moonage Daydream Purchase!

From now until August 20, I will donate 10 percent of my profits to help sponsor my friend's participation in the 2007 Twin Cities Breast Cancer 3-Day Walk! If you would like more information on the walk, or if you would like to donate to her cause, please contact me. Thanks, happy shopping, and don't stop rocking!

Now obviously, I would like to help jumpinjessflash out as much as possible, so I'll need a lot of people to know about my shop. If you want to help out, you can buy something, link to my shop, or just donate to Jess directly. Her page is here, and any donations will be greatly appreciated - size does not matter, people. (You might want to use the dreaded Internet Explorer to view the page. For whatever reason, it has a tendency to crash FireFox, at least for me.)

Speaking of my shop, I need to get some sort of decorative banner up there. (onceupon has one on her shop, if you want to see what I'm talking about.) I'd also like to get some business cards printed up, sort of like I did with Forever Fifteen. The problem, aside from the Photoshop hating me? Well...I'm not really all that sure what to do, design-wise. My shop's theme and basis, "Rock and Roll Apothecary," is kind of hard to convey visually, I think. Obviously, the name of the shop was derived from glam rock, but I have a LOT of musical influences, so it wouldn't be fair to just peg it as glam and stick with that as a visual inspiration and aesthetic.

I dunno. If anyone out there has an idea that they can make work for the banner, the cards, or both, let me know. There'll be some free bath products in it for you.

In other news, there are still...six Apathy buttons left now, I think. You guys know the drill - leave your address over on this post (all comments screened), and you get a button and some cards to hand out in case someone asks where you got it. No need to memorize a sales pitch or act as a spokesperson, just wear the button. Done deal. Feel free to link people to the entry, as I have no problem sending out to people I don't know, no matter where in the world they are. Sales are picking up, according to theycallmeboy, so I'd like to thank everyone who has helped out, either by buying merch or helping us promote it. It means a lot!

And now, videos.

Little known fact about me: I've always harbored a fantasy of being a voice actress. Now, I know I can't act my way out of a paper bag, so I don't think I'd be all that successful. This guy, on the other hand...



And this one is for theycallmeboy, who apparently has never seen it! Classic!




And then there's this. You all knew it was coming:

There's more soap what's been made. I think I may have spoken about these earlier, but now they're up on the site and ready for purchase.

First, we have Black Magic Woman, a soap based on one of my body scrub recipes. Coffee. Brown sugar. Baking cocoa. Oh yes.

The next two are soaps named for Led Zeppelin songs - Heartbreaker and Dancing Days. Trust me when I say they both smell incredible.

Shipping prices have gone up by 50 cents, as it's apparently $1.60 to send one bar of soap in a small envelope. Still, that's 10 cents you guys don't have to pay, and that's always nice.

I want to give 10 percent of my earnings from this and other online sales (including the books I'm selling on Amazon) to jumpinjessflash for her breast cancer walk campaign. There's a link to her campaign on my links list, if you want to donate. And if you want to know what books I'm selling, let me know.

In other news, greed is winning out. Hopefully we can do something about it.

I made more soap today, god help me. Two of the bars involve coffee. Real coffee. (Not to be confused with real lightning.) And real brown sugar and real cocoa. Yes. Smells like Heaven's own Penny University and has a layer of coffee on top. (Top is slightly crumbly, but seems to hold up well, all told. Until it gets wet. ;) Two bars available, soon to be put up on Moonage Daydream, unless you comment below and reserve a bar of your own. $4 for the bar, $1.50 for shipping.

Also made two more soaps named after Led Zeppelin tunes. Above costs apply. Will also debut on Moonage Daydream unless you reserve them.

Observe the method to my madness here on Flickr. My soap is Internet famous. Or not.

The buttons have arrived. With any luck, I should be able to package them up for the three people who have requested them so far. If you'd like one, send me an e-mail with your address.

I came up with an idea for a new soap last night, based on the body scrub recipe I love so much. How does a soap with chocolate, cocoa and brown sugar in it sound?

Last night, I rediscovered my love for Japanese rock music, so I'm going to be writing a bit about my favorite Japanese musician here in a bit. In the meantime, here's a band that I'm sort of amazed I didn't get into when I was in college. Hope you enjoy it.

Buck-Tick: Love Me (live)

Ugh - just spent most of the morning in a meeting. No matter - now is time for thanks!

First, I want to give a major, major shout-out to dandycat, dimloep_suum and caudelac for participating in the Forever Fifteen Button Giveaway. As soon as I get those things, I'll send them out to you guys, along with some cards to pass out to admirers. That leaves me with seven buttons - six, if I keep one for myself. I have a plan of handing out buttons at Electric Picnic, so I may hold onto one of them. That would be fun.

And, brazenbells bought some soap from me! Thanks so much, dear - it's all packed up and ready to head on down to you. Hope you enjoy it!

Now, I'm making good on my promise to donate 10 percent of whatever I sell online to jumpinjessflash's Breast Cancer Walk Fundraiser (link to her donation page over in my links bar), and thanks to Etsy purchases by brazenbells and theycallmeboy, I can give her a grand total of...80 cents. The deadline is August - anyone care to help me make it an even $1? Remember, I'm selling books on Amazon, too...

Oh! taperkat! Thank you SO MUCH for the link to MooShoes! theycallmeboy has been looking for some sweatshop-free trainers (tennis shoes/sneakers for us Yanks), and I'm delighted to say that he found exactly what he was looking for. He's been fishing around for stuff like this for so long - thank you so, so much!

And my love, if you're reading this, I just want to tell you (and the world) that I am very, very proud of you living your convictions. You're an inspiration to me every day, and this is no exception. Your example makes me want to be a better person. I love you.

In fact, his search for trainers has got me thinking about my need to purchase some of my own, and the possibility of buying some that are sweatshop-free, environmentally sound, or both. Thing is, I rarely wear sneakers for style anymore, so I'll need something good and supportive - I'm a daily walker, so I need something more supportive than the formerly all-American Converse. (Can you believe they were bought up by Nike?) Someone over at this MetaFiler post recommended Saucony, so I think I'll look into them for a start. They seem to be pretty readily available - in fact, there's a store that's on the way home from work that sells them, so I may have to check them out at some point soon. My tennis shoes, like the glorious ECCO sandals, have soles that are quickly wearing through. So the question is, should I keep the sandals and the tennis shoes through the summer and wait until after the trip to purchase anew? Does anyone know how worn out is too worn out? There's no point in wearing shoes that can no longer do their job, you know?

Another question - should I join MetaFilter?

Since we're on the subject of ethical shopping, Co-op America has a nifty little article about nine ways you can avoid sweatshops. Some time ago, I donated $20 to Co-op America and was supposed to get their National Green Pages guide. It's not here yet, but I look forward to reading through it when (if?) it comes. Not a bad reference guide, I imagine.

Lastly, since shadownex asked a question about the yogurt company that ordered up this ad campaign in Brazil (her comment here): I don't know if that company is owned by a larger, global conglomerate like Dannon, so I don't know how (or if) she can boycott if she chooses. Personally, I think the best store-bought yogurt out there is Stonyfield Farms - their yogurt (and milk) is tasty and high quality, their company is socially responsible, and the only "cows" they feature in their advertising are actual cows. Because at Stonyfield, women are people, not objects of scorn and derision. Thank you. *hops off milk crate*

I made...SOAP!

Yes, so I'm all proud of myself. Soap. Nice bars of soap. I call them Dive Bars. Because I'm so clever that I'm stupid. And yes, I KNOW the pictures suck. I have crappy lighting in my room and precious little time on my hands. Just trust me, they're awesome. And they all smell heavenly.

So now I just sit back, relax, and wait for the orders to pour in.

Ha. Right.

theycallmeboy is headed to the Darklight Symposium next weekend, and I'm going to be sponsoring a button giveaway to commemorate the event, as well as getting the word out about the shop. (Next Friday is also his last day at his old job, so the shop could potentially give him some extra spending cash to work with while he looks around for something new.) For those who are new to the flist, here's how this works: I buy a 10 pack of buttons from Forever Fifteen, his CafePress shop, and hand them out to whoever leaves a comment saying they want one. I will also send along some business cards and postcards for you to hand out with friends - just five or so, so don't think you'll be stuck trying to get rid of 50 of the things. All you have to do is wear and enjoy the button and pass out some cards. And it doesn't matter where you are - CafePress ships internationally, as do I.

I think I'll be going with the "Apathy" button this time around. Tell me now if you want one!

I've also been told by my Boy that I should pimp my shop as well, so here goes...

I have a shop. An Etsy shop. It's called Moonage Daydream. It's a "Rock and Roll Apothecary," because I'm a geek like that. I make bath products. I'll make more soon. In the meantime, buy my stuff so I have room to make more stuff, because I have a tiny room and can only store so much product at one time. And I try to keep my prices fair. And I ship worldwide. And...

...oh, fuck it. Who am I kidding?

And now, for your amusement, links!

bradhicks talks about Strikethrough '07 and his experience with the "Satanic panic".

Read The Independent. tyrell says so. Their columnists remind me that I am, in fact, a mere junior league writer.

How about we stop importing shit from China, hmm?

Ladies, don't date this man.

Yet another reason for me to love The Tribe.

I don't need help getting more depressed about my weight, thanks.

Charity makes you feel good.

Pity theycallmeboy, because he's going to have to put up with me geeking out about this site for weeks and weeks and weeks. (Baby, you can thank zarq

Beware the Cadbury.

I want to go here someday.

I know. I was shocked too.

But really, I got stuff done last night, which is strange and wonderful and awesome and rare to the point that I'm wondering if there's some sort of astrological convergence going on. But I'm enjoying it. Wanna do it again.

First things first - I'm now on LinkedIn, as is theycallmeboy. I don't know if any of you guys are on there, but if you are and want to add us on as contacts, please feel free. You can find my profile by clicking this link. theycallmeboy's profile can be found by clicking this link. If you're not currently on LinkedIn, you may want to check it out. Seems like a neat service.

Also, I has milk baths. I made two last night, so all I have to do is label them and pop them on Etsy. One is a straight up, plain milk bath. I'm thinking that I'll mix up a bath oil sample and slide it into the mix - it'll up the value, and people will also get a chance to sprinkle some aromatic oils into their milk bath or use as a straight up body/massage oil. I'm not sure what scent to make, but I'll figure it out.

The other milk bath is a bit of a variation - same basic recipe, but with one addition. And that addition is baking cocoa.

That's right, people. Chocolate. Milk. Bath.

I could sell that one with a body oil, but I think it's special enough as is. If you've got any ideas, let me know.

jumpinjessflash requested that I post all the items I can make so she can see if there's anything special that she wants. With any luck, I can get that up here some time tonight. Check back tonight or tomorrow if you're interested in trying some of my stuff.

First things first: last night teaandbitchery told me that Simple Kid, one of my most favorite musicians, is playing at Electric Picnic! That's where theycallmeboy, trytobegood and I are headed this summer! I am ridiculously excited about this - SK doesn't play in the U.S. that often, and when he does, it's usually in New York City. (Those who live there should definitely check him out when he's in town - he's awesome.) To hear some of his stuff, go check out his MySpace page. I'm totally going to see Simple Kid! EEEEEEEE!

***

I'm currently in possession of one tea tin and two glass bottles, which means I can make some bath products for sale over at my Etsy shop. Thing is, I can't decide what to make. I'm thinking at least one milk bath, but should it be cow milk-based (called "More Cow(bell)!") or soy milk-based ("Soya Ready To Rock?")? I may make some of my now infamous Black Magic Woman body scrub, and that leaves one more bottle available. I could make some bubble bath, or I could try to make some fizzy bath bombs and put them in the bottle, since teaandbitchery has requested something with a Yellow Submarine theme. Or I could...but no. You see...

...I am possessed of a need to make bath salts with an Asian theme to them.

I am also possessed of a need to name said bath salts "Hanoi Rocks".

I am a thoroughly awful person.

That aside, if anyone has any special product requests, let me know. I can make 'em and sell 'em to you direct.

***

So I'm sure you guys have read about me wanting to do some sort of donation project to help Malachi House, but I could never figure out how. Well, check out this action. Last night I pitched seven ideas to my editor at Scene for the Night and Day section. Of those, two were chosen.

And one of them is a charity event to benefit Malachi House.

Now, I could have donated money to the place, but as one person it probably wouldn't have made much of a dent. However, Scene's circulation as of last year was about 70,000. Though I have no idea how many people will show up to the event, the fact that 70,000 people have the potential to read about it (and hopefully act in some capacity from there) makes me very, very happy.

Though I'm calling this coincidence, nothing more. I'm a tough, cynical, hardened journalist, after all. I don't believe in karma or serendipity or any such fiddle faddle.

Unless it's this kind of Fiddle Faddle. I can totally get behind that. (Or get a behind from it. Either way.)

Sometimes you just need a good dinner, by which I mean good conversation, good atmosphere, and some good laughs. Good food helps too, even if it's not good for you. (More on that later.)

My dad and I went to this place tonight and had a grand time. Afterward, we went home and sat on the steps of his back patio (he's still fixing up the patio furniture) and looked at a book of Life photos from the past century. Then there was a little more conversation before I headed home and sang myself hoarse to AC\DC. I really need to quit with that - it hasn't caused any permanent damage, but I'd rather not let it get to that stage.

I really, really need to watch it with the fried foods - I had some for lunch and again for dinner, and good god, am I paying for it now. I don't feel sick to my stomach or anything - just really, really fat and lethargic in the bad, sluggish, "oh crap I gone done it now where's my fat jeans" sort of way. You'd think I would have figured out by now that I cannot eat like I used to, because my body needs real nutrients and lighter foods. I suppose old habits die hard, and the traditional foods served by my family didn't exactly help me develop a taste for vegetables. (Craving salads is a bizarre phenomenon I'm still getting used to.) I get the feeling that I will be having a cup of this stuff tomorrow morning; believe it or not, it actually does work. I'd like to try the Republic of Tea version, and I want to look into this one, too. (It can't hurt, really.) And then there's this one - I've taken to drinking the Celestial Seasonings mint tea, which is cut with chicory. I want to see what a straighter mint tea tastes like. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find the mint tea in stores. I'm not sure about the other ones, either.

Why all the tea? Don't worry - I'm not giving up coffee. It's just that I've hit on a marvelous idea to solve the "container problem" I was having with the products for Moonage Daydream - tea tins. I got some World Market brand mint tea that came in this neat square tin, so once I'm done with that, I'll be using it for a bath mix or something. I'm also toying with the ideas of repurposing glass bottles with resealable caps for the body scrubs. I like the double appeal of ecological responsibility and unconventional packaging - it's very rock, or at least in my estimation. It'll also save me from having to buy new containers.

Speaking of buying things, I need a tea ball, or one of those tea ball spoon things. The World Market tea is looseleaf, and even though I have a book on how to read tea leaves, I'm not sure they'd be too keen on that at work. I'll need you all to remind me. ;)

Hmm...what else. Actually, it's occurred to me that I could really, really, really do with a massage. Badly. Possibly even one of the full body deals, though I'd be extremely happy if I just had someone work on my back. It's been tense and painful for the past week or two. Sadly, that sort of thing doesn't come cheap, and I'm trying not to spend too much money. Looks like that'll have to wait.

Ok, I think I'm starting to get a little incoherent on account of drowsiness. I'm gonna write back to theycallmeboy and then head to bed.

Holy crap guys, I make the best body oils ever.

New scent for you all - sandalwood, rose, ylang ylang and jasmine. I call it "Tomorrow Never Knows," named for one of the coolest Beatles songs ever.

I'll be putting up in the shop soon, maybe sometime next week. I'll probably be selling teeny tiny sample bottles for $5 and big, four ounce bottles (which will last you a long, long time) for $25. I haven't figured out the prices for sizes in between yet, but I'll let you know. And yeah, it's expensive, but these oils are in no way cheap.

Next project - make a scent that fits with "Rainy Night In Soho," since I've been all about that song recently. After that, "Cemetery Gates". (Don't worry - that'll be more floral, less dead earth.)

Today has been pretty good, kicked off, naturally, by a wonderful e-mail from theycallmeboy. I won't go into details - you're sick of it all now, I'm sure - but we'll just say that he has the magical ability to restore me with one sentence. I was feeling all down, but he turned me around. And now you know why I don't write song lyrics.

I also got word from Scene that I'll be doing a story for their Summer Guide section, one that should net me about $100. That's 1/8 of a plane ticket there. I'll obviously have to keep the freelance up, which will involve me getting off my ass and looking into other markets. So if anyone wants to pay me to write stuff for them, let me know. I don't care how much. $1 is still one more dollar that I didn't have before.

I also realize that I haven't been doing what you'd call a bang-up job explaining my idea for bath products, so I think I'll clear that up now. You'll eventually see something similar over at Etsy, but you can consider this a sneak preview.

I've decided to call my little hobby production Moonage Daydream. It's going to be geared toward homemade bath and beauty products, though I'm also thinking of going into home cleaning products like laundry detergent and dish soap. The name is indeed based on the David Bowie song from "The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars," because theycallmeboy and I came to the conclusion that glam rock is where beauty and rock intersect. Now, this all came about because I like futzing around with essential oils and soap and stuff, but there is an actual philosophy behind what I'm doing. It's kind of funny too, because that philosophy combines my already apparent hippie leanings with my new-found punk attitudes. (Yes, this will make sense. Let me explain.)

The first part of the philosophy has to do with environmentalism and simplicity. I don't like the thought of using toxic or hazardous chemicals to clean anything - my home, my dishes, my clothes, or myself. I've done some research into this stuff, and it can be pretty nasty. And even if it isn't immediately harmful, I still don't like some of its effects. There's a particular chemical that's in a lot of soaps, shampoos and other "detergents" that makes the stuff produce more suds, but also dries out and irritates the skin. Not only that, but it can also really screw up the water supply. Really, who wants that? So there's the first bit of the philosophy - responsibility, environmental stewardship, and return to simplicity and nature as often as possible.

The second part comes from a rejection of blatant marketing and corporate control. It occurred to me one day as I was scrubbing out my tub that people (women in particular) are constantly bombarded with messages about how we need this product or that product to keep our homes clean. We're told that our homes aren't truly cleaned unless they're scrubbed down with Such-and-Such Brand of Abrasive Toxic Chemicals. We're made to feel that we're dependent on what they're selling - our homes will become filthy hovels infested with deadly bacteria otherwise. They tell us that we need all or our soaps to be antibacterial, but what they don't tell us is that these agents are extremely hard to get out of the water supply, and that eventually the bacteria may become immune, causing stronger "super bugs" and necessetating more powerful, more toxic chemicals. Now, sometimes these powerful cleaners are necessary and beneficial, but for every day cleaning? You'd be surprise how little it really takes. So why keep buying into poisons when it's easy - really easy - to make safe, effective cleaners at home. And again, that's for everything from surfaces to skin.

That's the second part of the philosophy - knowledge, honesty, individualism and independence.

I've thought about making Moonage Daydream a side business, but because of the above points, I think I want to keep it as a hobby, at least for now. While I don't plan on preaching my philosophy, I'll always answer if people ask. And it may be too much to hope for, but maybe I can get some people turned on to this sort of DIY through my example in the meantime.

Ok, I just saw the time, and I have to go. But now you have a better idea of why I'm making and selling stuff. Check it out if you're so inclined. Once I sell this batch, I'll be moving on to the Etsy shop.

I get stupid, that's what.



Here's what I should have done in the first damn place - made the mixes in boxes, taped them shut like woah, and then wrapped them in the fabric. In my defense, I was going for an, "Ooh look, so environmental, with the cloth instead of evil plastics!" angle, but sometimes you just have to be practical. And I'm thinking I could just ask people to send back their containers with their reorder request - that way they can reuse the packaging, and I won't have to spend ye crap loade of money constantly buying containers. Hopefully people would have the decency to wash them before sending them back.

Of course, anything liquid needs to be sent in a container with a screw-on top, so I'd probably go with very well-packed glass bottles or, in the case of bath scrubs, mason jars. Slightly more breakable, but still reusable.

I'm still selling this stuff, btw - $3 for the lavender bath sachets (on top), $7 for the milk bath (in the middle) and $10 for the chocolate bubble bath (bottom). I will reiterate the hip, marketable titles after I go for my walk.

And just FYI - onceupon mentioned having designs on the milk bath, so if you want it, you'd better swoop in like a man on a flying tiger (no, really). Go ahead and send me an e-mail to let me know what you're interested in, since shipping costs will vary. Once I have that total, I can give you a final price for the mix, the shipping, and all that.

Ok - I'm off to take my walk now before it rains. Nice all day, and now that I'm out of work it gets cold and cloudy. Bullocks.

Oh my god, I have just made the best body scrub ever.

I was worried about how this one would turn out, but I am extraordinarily pleased with the results. My skin feels so good - and no need to moisturize!

This one is totally getting written down. I love being good at a hobby.