< lj user="nex0s"> was going through all our CDs and putting them into albums to consolidate our collection. I have 2 copies of Diamanda Galas' album La Serpenta Canta. One is signed from her. That one we kept. I took the other and brought it to work to put on my work computer.

I know and met Diamada through my x-girlfriend Alison. She did lighting design for Diamanda for several tours. They worked really well together. I remember this album because Alison was helping put pick the live tracks for the CD. She was also holding Diamnda's hand for part of the process as Diamanda's life was a bit crazy at that point. Alison and I took a road trip to wineries in Pennsylvania and listened to all the tracks. I gave my thoughts and opinions. A month or so later I helped out at the photo shoot at Diamanda's apartment building.

I must have helped more than I thought as I noticed and since must have forgotten my name in the credits of the inside of the CD. Albeit misspelled bit that is fine by me.

I helped with a few shows with set design and such. Plus lent some props for the stage and other things. I also photographed many of the shows for Alison's portfolio. All those experiences were pretty awesome. I did it for fun and art and not any profit.

Alison and Diamanda had a falling out. One I had to witness and get to collateral damage for while shooting in San Francisco. In the end I love the album. I love one song so much I want to do a goth art/burlesque number to one of the songs. I just need to build an electric chair for it. Maybe next summer. That will be my pet project. =)

I am Jack's history being documented in the liner notes of other people's lives...

-S

I love the photos of people reading books on the subway. This blog shows photos of people doing that and the title and authors of the books they are reading
http://undergroundnewyorkpubliclibrary.com/

This is another blog I love because to me bookshelves are a type of lust/fetish and photos of that is pornography to me.
http://bookshelfporn.com/

I am going through my original art. I went to school for Illustration and got my BFA in Illustration from Syracuse University. I am giving away a bunch of my art. We do not ahve the room to store it anymore nor do we have enough wall space for the quantity I have created. It is mostly horror and sexy pin up art. If anyone happens to be interested in wanting a piece of art then let me know. I would be more than willing to mail off some original art to you. I would rather have it hang on a wall where a person can appreciate it instead of being on a box or being thrown away.

-S

I wrote in a friend's journal. I was reminded by a prayer my AA boss has on his desk. The prayer never meant anything to me. Yet as my life has been having more ups and downs I am reminded by it more and more. I am not one to believe in God much or press religion on anyone. An advertisement for Manhattan Mini Storage said it best when their ad said" NYC: tolerant of your beliefs, critical of your shoes." THAT.

So the Serenity Prayer is altered a bit (the long version) but basically it says:

Give us grace to accept with serenity
the things that cannot be changed,
Courage to change the things
which should be changed,
and the Wisdom to distinguish
the one from the other.

Living one day at a time,
Enjoying one moment at a time,
Accepting hardship as a pathway to peace,
Taking this sinful world as it is,
Not as I would have it,
Trusting that You will make all things right,
So that I may be reasonably happy in this life.

You made some amazing music with your partners. Your imprint will be forever remembered. You are NYC. I cannot walk the streets without feeling or hearing the Beastie Boys in my head space.

Much love MCA.

-S

I signed a petition to urge the Boy Scouts of America to not discriminate against gays. If you feel the same you can help sign here:
http://www.change.org/petitions/boy-scouts-of-america-reinstate-cub-scout-leader-who-was-removed-for-being-gay

This was my comment when I signed.

I am an Eagle Scout, member of the Order of the Arrow and I have great love for the Boy Scouts of America. What I do not love is the ignorance and bigotry that they perpetuate from the adult leaders at the national level. I wish I could raise my son and have him learn the skills I learned from the Boy Scouts of America but I will NOT bring him into a group that is closed minded to gays. The values I learned and was taught in my many years in the B.S.A. were that of acceptance, integrity, honor, respect and to treat others the way I would want to be treated. These values are not being practiced by the organization that I once loved. It is very sad.

My own mother was an assistant scoutmaster and helped over 12 young men achieve their Eagle Scout ranks while I was in the Boy Scouts and after I had left. To think that if she were gay the B.S.A. would not want her to teach positive values and integrity to young men makes me sick.

I wish the Boy Scouts of America could grow and mature the way it's members have for many decades. Sadly it does not follow it's own teachings when it discriminates against gays.

-S

You can purchase the new DIta Von Follies line of lingerie from the website in Australia.

http://www.designersfortarget.com.au/

You just have to check the size chart and do the English to metric conversion for sizing.

-S

As a lover of printed pages and books I ask this question.
Which is better to buy?
Encyclopedia Britannica
20 Volume Oxford English Dictionary

The new Dita Von Teese lingerie line called "Von Follies" came out and is available at Target stores. The designs look pretty good. Some are not so good.

What I totally LOVE is the fact that for the runway show they used Plus Sized Models. Not the #12 models. I mean Plus sized with a capital P. Like they have rolls at their sides. These women are large and in charge and sexy. IT IS FUCKING AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I feel a small victory of justice in the world for normal size women. Also for "plus sized" women. I put that in quotes because it is really a modeling and clothing term. I feel weird when using it. I just say a girls with some meat on her is a big girl.

So yeah. SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!

You can check out the runway photos here:
http://www.fashionising.com/
DIRECT LINK HERE:
http://www.fashionising.com/runway/b--dita-von-teese-von-follies-aw-12-21857.html

Please pass this along. I feel it needs to be noted. Especially since Dita is very conscious of her weight and looks. She keeps in shape and maintains her size. Her body and face are her business. By my view, business id DAMN GOOD.

I am Jack's inner child dancing for joy for some equal opportunity...

-S

P.S. - If this is not on Jezebelle then it damn well should be!

Woman: Can I have birth control?
Government: No.
Woman: I got pregnant because I didn't have birth control and I don't want the fetus. Can I have an abortion?
Government: No.
Woman: I gave birth to my child but since I wasn't expecting it, I can't afford daycare. Can I have help paying for it?
Government: No.

Woman: Well, why can't I have birth control?

Government: Because. Sex isn't for recreation.

Woman: It can help regulate my period and benefit me in other ways.

Government: Too bad.

Man: For no reason other than for recreational sex, may I have birth control?

Government: Do you have a penis?

Man: YES, YES I DO!!

Government: WELL HOWDY, VALID CITIZEN. You can buy condoms by the dozens. Here, here's a pack of special condom for "His Pleasure." Oooh, these come in different colours and flavours. Here, try these. They have ribs on them. And this one glows in the dark!! LOL OMG DICK LIGHTSABER!!

Government: But seriously, you're a man. You can do what ever you want.

Woman: But-

Government: Shut up, you sinning, freeloading hussy.

"Bill Hinzman, who played ‘Night of the Living Dead’ zombie, dead at 75"

I got to photograph Bill for the re-release of the movie he directed called "Flesh Eaters". I made a set of a forest in my apartment. The shoot was awesome. Bill was great. The DVD company had a crew to do interviews in my apartment and on the set. It was pretty awesome. Bill was really sweet and a lot of fun.

He will always be Zombie #1 to me. Be well Bill. May you be the zombie that runs rampant in other people's dreams...

http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/movies/bill-hinzman-played-night-living-dead-zombie-dead-75-article-1.1018660?localLinksEnabled=false

THIS IS THE COVER I DID FOR THE RE_RELEASE OF THE DVD:
http://www.imdb.com/media/rm1193319680/tt0109809
The reason it was cropped in so tight is because I found out weeks after the shoot that Best Buy does not sell DVDs that have blood on the cover. The female model had a neck wound with drippy blood. It was a freak'n AWESOME shot!

Alien Skin, the software company that does killer plug ins for Photoshop, is looking for a software developer. See post on their blog here: http://blog.alienskin.com/
Direct link for job description here: http://careers.stackoverflow.com/jobs/15942/senior-software-engineer-alien-skin-software

If you know anyone please pass it along.

-S

You are free to choose, but you are not free from the consequence of your choice.

I want to download some great space photos taken from the Hubble telescope. They are online and NASA has them in large file formats (28mb and higher). The problem is I cannot drag them onto my desktop not can I right click save them. I use a Macbook by the way. I can download the low res jpeg files no problem but I want the hi res tiff files to use as backgrounds for photo composites.

Can anyone help me to download the files I want. Obviously there is something I must be missing. Can you help an artist out?

Here is the webpage of one of the files that I want to use:
http://www.spacetelescope.org/images/heic0602a/

Yes the photos are posted to be used. There are posted under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license.

-S

F'n BRILLIANT!!!!!

Dear TD Bank,

It was nice knowing you when you were nice. After December you will charge me $9 each time I use my debit card to purchase anything after my first 6 Purchase. So purchase #7 I am charged $9 by you. Purchase #8 I am charged $9 by you. No thank you!

Hello Credit Union. I will be your new customer as I NOT going to get BLED DRY by the banking system. I will use my consumer power to now bank with people who treat me like a valued customer. NOT a resource to further supply the Bank's share holders with another luxury item from your unscrupulous profits.

I will urge all my friends who I brought to you as customers to move their money into another financial institution. I hope the lack of our money will help you further your goal to bleed the people dry. You showed your true face and it is really ugly. Ugly on the inside.

Good night, and good luck.

-S

Originally posted by bart_calendar at Occupy Wall Street Updates

I can no longer get swatches of vinyl materials from China due to the Phthalate issue. Phthalates are being removed from all EU, Canadian and U.S products. The stuff is everywhere. Read the wiki on Phthalates and see how it comes off of everything from food packaging to bags to toys (child and adult) to everything you get in the mall.

The mass production companies are having issues with the transition. My company is no exception.

So read up and get in the "know" before the rest of the people are talking about it in the newspaper.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phthalate

-S