Valentine's Day Boycott

Sooo... It is now February. That month at the end of winter where things start to look hopeless and it seems summer will never show it's face again. Depressing, I know.

I have this theory that Hallmark saw this, and took the opportunity to stick a holiday right smack in the middle of this depressing month, in an attempt to bring people out of their misery. Or maybe just to make money. The latter, if you ask me...

Those who know me already know my opinions on valentines day. It's a meaningless holiday that seems to be designed to pressure you into buy lingerie and jewelry in a pathetic attempt to prove that you know how to be "romantic". It peer pressures everyone to get a date, because god forbid you would be alone on this day. If you ask me, I think that this is the most unromantic day of the year. You think that buying your loved one a present or taking them somewhere special on Valentines day is romantic? It's not. It's expected. You do it out of obligation. Why don't you try taking your sweetheart out on another day, for no reason other than you actually care about them?

What do I want? How about men and women loving, caring and sharing the other 364 days a year? February 14 isn't the only time to send flowers to your woman. How about dropping her a flower arrangement on May 14? And on that card you need to write, "Just because..." I can guarantee that she will be thrilled.

Instead of men and women spicing up their sex life on February 14, make the effort to do so on a regular basis. Girls, it's ok to get lingerie on a regular day, too. Guys, it's ok to make a regular night really great for a girl.

Honestly, if last Valentine's Day was the last time you took your significant other out to a really nice restaurant, you deserve to be in trouble. The people that plan their romance and love around something like Valentine's Day are the same type of people that spend more time planning their wedding than their marriage. The day is nice and wonderful, but what makes it last is what you do on the "non-special" days.

The days of free love are gone. People don't give a shit anymore. We need a commercial holiday to remind us to love one another, and I say let's make this stop. Let's love for 365, and not just one. Show your support. Wear black on this February 14th. Celebrate on February 13th, just because. Celebrate on March 14th, too, and everything in between.

Next time you see the one you love, make sure to remind them how much you love them. Just because. Do something special for them, just because. Let's show this world what love is really made of.

That's a Problem

9:48pmRachel
I just finished studying
6 hours

9:49pmSigal
for?

9:49pmRachel
I love math
I'm getting it tattooed so I never forget a problem in my life again.
you know so I don't have to sit there wasting time and reminding myself what I did in algebra two years ago

9:49pmSigal
what if you get a cheat sheet tattooed? is that cheating?

9:49pmRachel
No. I think it's art.
I'll get it tattooed in some obscene area like inbetween my tits or on my crotch
no one will ever know.

9:50pmSigal
hahaha

9:50pmRachel
they'll just think I'm nasty.

9:50pmSigal
"why are you looking down your pants?"

9:50pmRachel
Lmao
something is itchy
I don't know what it is
I'm trying to find it
There it is
x squared
HA

9:51pmSigal
"its some problem I have..."

9:51pmRachel
hahahahahahahha..hahahaha
beautiful.

Bookworms and such

"A lot of the people who read a bestselling novel, for example, do not read much other fiction. By contrast, the audience for an obscure novel is largely composed of people who read a lot. That means the least popular books are judged by people who have the highest standards, while the most popular are judged by people who literally do not know any better. An American who read just one book this year was disproportionately likely to have read ‘The Lost Symbol’, by Dan Brown. He almost certainly liked it."

A quote I found lurking in the internet. This is exactly my problem with things like Oprah's recommendations and such. This is also why people who read twilight tend to love it. It's why such books get so overrated. You know what, people? There's amazing books out there. A world full of them. Filled with amazing stories that would never make it to the new york times best selling list. Stories that make you think. Feel. Books that show you a side of life you've never thought of. They aren't generic. Not all of them are based around a teenage romance, or someone fighting cancer. There's a story for everyone, if you look hard enough.

It makes it very frustrating to be a bookworm. You read an amazing book, and want to share it with the world, or at least have someone to talk to about it. But go find someone who actually read it, or someone who would be willing to read it, when no one famous told them to.

It's funny, or rather, it's sad. Because a lot of those amazing stories don't make it to the shelves. Publishers don't always take on stories that are different, because they know that such books wouldn't appeal to the mass garbage.. I mean, public. This is exactly why I want to go into book publishing. If I manage to find even one of those rare stories, those books that leave you breathless when you're done reading, and bring it out into the open, I'd feel like I've made a difference in this world.

Stumble Upon

Not very long ago, I was introduced to the most effective way to procrastinate, ever. It is such an effective way to put off things, that you can literally be sitting with it for hours on end. Yep, I've been introduced to the miracle of Stumble Upon.

Wtf? You may ask. Let me explain.

Stumble upon is a way to literally stumble through the internet, all with a press of a button. I am not really sure if you can do it otherwise (though I think you can), but it comes as an add on to firefox. Regardless, I recommend getting firefox if you don't use it already. Then, you go to www.stumbleupon.com and download it for your browser! Voila! You can now select subject you are interested in, and stumble away!!

Why is this relevant to etsy buyers? Because yesterday I decided to try something. Last night I sat here thinking to myself, "What if I add my etsy webpage to stumble upon?"
"That's a great idea!" I answered myself.

I've never added a website to stumble upon, so this was my first try. I clicked the thumbs up, "I like it!" button, and then a pop up came up labeled something along the lines of "my discoveries". You have to fill it out, and there you go!

NOTE: You shouldn't create an account ONLY for the purpose of promoting, because that violates the rules. However, if you are a stumbler and have reviewed and marked websites as favorites before, it shouldn't really be a problem.

Anyway, I woke up today and found that my page views jumped significantly by a couple hundred views, along with a couple new hearts. Usually, I have to advertise like crazy on the etsy forums and whatnot and even then I wouldn't get that far.

And so, I thought I'd share my new discovery with my fellow etsians in the hope that it would help you too! Maybe if we add enough etsy pages to stumble upon, etsy would get more awareness, which would also be good for us...

Hope this helped!!

-peace.

Watchmen

I've done the unthinkable. Something so unnatural. Something that I said I would never do. Something that, had you told me, maybe warned me I'd do a year ago, or maybe even a month ago, I would have laughed in your face with tears in my eyes.
That's right.
I started reading a graphic novel.

(a moment's pause for gasps).

Right. I know, "So?"
Not reading comics for me has kinda been in the same reason I've never watched star wars or read lord of the rings. It's the same reason I WILL NEVER, ever, pick up a copy of Twilight (though that's a whole nother subject... won't go into it... I won't..).
The reason?
Just because.

I despise things that are turned into cults. It's a turn off for me. The only thing I like that's become a cult is Harry Potter, and to my defense, I started reading it BEFORE it became what it is. But you know what? People that learn an elfish language, or fantasize about having a sparkling, fictional character's babies repulses me. And so, I've never picked up a comic, because I have way too many friends and I've seen way too many people that join the whole cult thing involved where you let it become an extreme part of your life.

Oh well. I broke. I picked up a copy of Watchmen, and let me tell you, it's good. I've been reading it on and off all day, and am halfway through. Man, it feels weird to be the girl sitting on campus holding a comic book. And wow, it surely feels awkward to read a comic. I've never done it. But at the same time, it feels cool, and I rather like it.
No, I'm not gonna become a comic freak, but yeah, this is opening a certain door of new opportunities in literature, which is VERY needed right now. It's been a while since a book captivated me, and now there's a whole new genre to explore. Now when I think about it, it was kinda dumb of me to become conservative about it. I'm the last person to be called conservative, yet there I was. Hmm. makes you think. Well, I'm over it. Now I want to read shit like Sandman and Fables...

Yeah, this is a really dorky blog. Makes me feel like myself..

Fishy Business..

For my first real post, I think I'm gonna tell the world about my fish. Yep, you read that right...

Some months ago, in that time at the end of summer where the hype is over but classes haven't started yet, my sister (Inbar) and I got bored. That's when we decided it would be a great idea to get a pet fish. See, we're not much for pets. I mean, I really do love animals, but here's a quick summary of the pet experience I've had:

1. When my sister was very young, my mom wanted to bribe her into throwing her pacifiers away. They made a deal; she throws the pacifiers, and my mom buys us a pet. Out of all pets, Inbar picks a rabbit.. I must have been 5 years old at the time, Inbar being 2 and our older sister, Maya, being 7. The poor thing. It didn't stand a chance... Within a couple weeks our parents took it away to a more... loving home.

2. A couple years ago, when I was still living in Israel, we were sitting in the living room, watching TV and eating chicken, when, through the glass door, I see a chicken walking around in the backyard. I thought I was imagining things, but there it was. At first we tried to shoo it away, but it kept coming back. It stayed there until we moved.

3. When I was a sophomore in high school, we bought a turtle. It was a suicidal turtle. You can also think of him as being "emo". How do I know this, might you ask? He had tears in his eyes very often (yeah, I didn't know turtles could cry either..). He also liked dark spaces (which I guess is normal for a turtle), and insisted on jumping off things. One time I even caught him with his head submerged in his bowl of water. I think he was trying to drown himself... Anyway, one day he simply Houdini-ed his way out of the fenced area we left him in outside, and ran away. Well, walked away...

Needless to say, we thought a fish would be a suitable pet for us...

At the pet shop, we fell in love with this beautiful betta, which we took home with us and named Zem. If anyone catches the reference here, you deserve a cookie! It is actually a character from the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. A mattress, to be exact...

Zem, six months later, lives happily in his fish bowl. He enjoys staring at pebbles, playing follow, and making bubbles. He once tried to make friends with a Swedish fish..



And now the world knows about my fishie. You are a good pet, Zem!

Peace.

Hello..?

Ok, well, this is my first time blogging. I never thought I'd get into the whole blogging thing, but here I am. Honestly, I figured this is a good place to advertise, or so I've heard...

I guess I'll start at the beginning...

My name is Sigal. Yes, that's a strange name. It's not pronounced "seagull". I am not a bird...
I'm originally from Israel, and currently residing in south florida and hating it. There really is nothing interesting here, as opposed to many people's opinions.

I read. A lot. I've read hundreds of books, most of them fiction. My favorite books tend to be ones that not many people have heard of (examples of authors being Walter Moers, Steven Hall, Terry Goodkind, Patrick Rothfuss...)

I'm a college student, and trying to make a living off of anything I can. My most recent try is through Etsy. I opened a store and started posting some wallets and bags that I made. Everything I make is done entirely by hand. This is probably due to the fact that I don't have a sewing machine. But I do what I can.. You can (and should!) visit my store at

murphymoon.etsy.com

let me know what you think! comments would be appreciated (sales, more so..)

Well, that's all I have right now. I'll try to post things of more interest in the relatively near future.

Peace.