Saccharine Thoughts

via Great White Snark Finally! The differences between nerd, dork and geek have been defined in an easy-to-read venn diagram, for all you visual learners out there. I like to think I fall safely into the geek category: brains + quirky interests, without the awkwardness. One can hope.

So, that fore-mentioned j-o-b has kept me rather busy lately. Nonetheless, I am back with another self-indulgent addition to my wishlist here on Saccharine Thoughts. I know what you may be thinking: "Chick has a job now, can't she buy this shit instead of talking about it?" Well my friend, while I am working again, I left my cushy job at HomeAway to do something I love and believe in at a non-profit art space here in Austin. Thus, material indulgences like this one will be few and far between but happiness, I'm learning, will be in abundant supply. Fair trade, by far :) This week I'll step away from Etsy's "Pounce" button and share something that MissK sent my way saying, "Saw this and thought of you!" Girlfriend does know me so well. Specifically, I'd pretty much sport this Ayn Rand tribute as often as I could get away with were I to find it in my t-shirt pile! Also, if these Orwell-inspired threads had a fan button, I'd be cli

I got the job . *happy dance*

As you may have noticed, #7 on my list of 25 Things to do Before 25 is to get a tattoo. Allow me to expand on that - the idea is actually to get an addition to the tattoo I got when I was 19. To add some color and embellishment and likely a second sparrow to the design is something I have wanted for, oh, five years and counting. In the spirit of that and the excessive amount of free time I've had on my hands, I have been doodling away, thinking that having this bit of long-awaited ink done would be my triumphant self-indulgence upon completing #4 - finding that job that I lovelovelove, as well as a permanent celebration of the huge transition that this year has brought with it. I will share said doodles and artwork for your review, my imaginary friends trusted audience. But for now, an entertaining tangent: While doodling away one evening a couple of weeks ago, my dear friend Jack was visiting and excitedly shared the tidbit of news he had discovered while at work that day: &quo

Wishful Thinking may quickly become my Etsy find of the week, as I'm a huge fan of unique, handmade goodies from small-name designers. The only way to make that even more appealing is to add local, organic or recycled to the material list - yes, I'm becoming that brand of hippie. That little introductory rant leads me to this week's addition to my wishlist. I'm such a sucker for accessories, especially if they look like they could have belonged to my Great Grandma Holley. Thus, these lovely little gems from Willow and Quinn would naturally become quick additions my window shopping cart. Willow and Quinn is a one-woman show based out of Northern Cali, AND a portion of her sales go straight to a charity called Women for Women International . Supporting an independent designer AND a charity? I'd call that a sparkly WIN!

The Dude has 2 cats. One, I am convinced, may be manic depressive as she turns without warning from a cuddly purring little ball of fur in my arms to a gremlin intent on chewing off said arm; the other is a very large diabetic cat with a hair fetish. That being said, I can completely empathize with this. x2. From Simon's Cat

I explained to my roommate that when I find myself with free time, I generally do one of the following: draw. read. or bake. Last week I found myself with a veggie drawer full of perishables and a lot of free time so... I turned the kitchen into a laboratory and attempted a new concoction. A fiber-full, scrumptious concoction... 1 1/2 cup shredded zucchini 2-3 ripe bananas 1 cup shredded carrot 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar 1 egg 2 teaspoons baking soda 2 teaspoons baking powder 2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour 2 cups rolled oats 1/3 cup melted butter 1/3 cup applesauce 3/4 teaspoon salt 2/3 cup chopped pecans 2/3 dried chopped dates Smash bananas into zucchini and carrot to equal ~3 cups . Blend sugar and eggs until fluffy, add to zucchini mixture. Mix in melted butter and applesauce. In separate bowl combine dry ingredients. Add dry to wet and mix until incorporated, add dates and pecans. Fill muffin cups, sprinkle with raw sugar and/or additional rolled oats. Bake in 350 oven 2