Almost At 20K Views!

Wow! I just got home this evening from a photo shoot at Whitman's pond park (Weymouth MA/Greater Boston/South Shore) and I checked my stats on my blog!

Holy Seadogs! I'm getting close to 20,000 blog views!

I just started this thing this year. I've never seen anything get this many views this fast.... and, I've been using the internet since 1994! Sheesh!

Anyways, I am taking a break from FaceBook, because I'm so fed-up with all the closet racist remarks from folks whom have the gall to think they're not racist... I'm calling it "FaceBook fasting"...

I've also recently gotten a job offer, which I accepted,  but no word on when to start it yet...

Anyways, I have a preview coming up of some of the photography I did.

Yes, I did some pirate stuff, but I also did some experimental stuff with numerous filters at the lake.

You can watch/follow my OTHER (non-pirate) works on my photography blog.

You can also check out my Flickr gallery, which I also submit  publish to Yahoo Weather A for Android smartphones.

See also my Instagram, and my gallery on Deviant Art.

Making A Boho pirate hat

This thing took an incredible amount of work, and detailing, and problem solving... altho' it's rather simple stuff... like ULTRA simple, it just takes TIME and patience.

I need to get some better starch to iron the thing... cause the ruffles are too flimsy...

 Yeah, it's way out there, and eye catching.

Everyone wants to try it on, or borrow it!

So, do I look wickedly decedent yet bohemian yet? 

 Not the best, clearest photos from my smartphone... but, whatever...

 Some old bronze-ish yellow colored fabrics from my step-mother...
Cut into strips, sewn together, then, sewn ribbons on...

 Ruffles!

Boho Hat

So, I got this hat.... it was an unsold hat from either my store, or our business partner's store... 1 or the other, no one can even remember...I've been into the Boho Chic thing for a LONG time... and yet again, I'm all obsessed with it.... if you follow my pinterest profile, you'll see my multiple pinboards...

Anyways, I had the hat, and I wore it to the lake (the one I STILL want to do a cosplay pirate shoot at, but haven't had the convenience, nor the freedom, to do so yet) and realized it wasn't very good at blocking the sun. It's got these huge holes woven into it.

It's made of Chinese paper. I think u can buy it on spools at basket/crafting stores. It's also handwoven. I can tell.

 And, it's Made in China...

It also had seashells & crystals glued onto a string around the hat, but not done very well...

 Here I am at the lake in Weymouth.

It's called Whitman's pond.

See????

Not so great at blocking the sun!

Got a scalp sunburn!

So, I grabbed my bags of ribbon spools and started weaving ribbons into the hat...

And, next thing I knew, it became more intricate.

I wasn't intending for the whole thing to be monochromatic purple, but that's what happened.

I also didn't know I had so many varieties of purple ribbons!

I also used some black ribbons as well.

It was VERY tedious!

I had to use a chopstick to weave the ribbon into it.

Here it is with just the to art done.

And, here's the back...

I kind just went with it on this hat. i didn;t know what this artistic project wanted to be, exactly, yet...

I ONLY had a kind of feeling...

So, I just kept going until I felt satisfied...

My daughter kept stealing it too...

 Took the hat with me to Cape Cod (Yarmouth) while it was still in the works... not quite done...

 I'd just gone swimming... so, I'm all wet...

Yes, I'm on the playground pirate ship thingy at Colonial Acres.

But... anyways... I kept feeling it was unfinished... and has some feeling of a sense that I wanted/needed to do something more with it... but, what???

But, while I was researching DIY BOHO hats, I found THIS gorgeous character! 

She reminds me of the kool kinda folks I like to hang with in Philadelphia. ^_^

Here's her post about it if you want to read it. 


Next thing I knew I found a bunch of other such similar hats on Etsy...

So, I thought: OK!

Let's turn this mutha out! (90s reference XD -yeah... it's true... I'm a dork IRL.)

So, I took it, and made it a pirate hat.

I'll show some more in my next blog post...

Swimming

I was very happy once I could finally go swimming after surgery. The entire ordeal has been unpleasant, and a hassel.

So, here's me, at the pool, usually every day... around 4pm-7pm because I don't want to burn my skin.

It's been overall BETTER than previous years! Interactions w/neighbors are pleasant, nice, friendly... the kids share, get along much better now, and ever since I helped my daughter to be confident enough to swim on the deep end w/her S.C.U.B.A. mask she started challenging herself on her own, which lead to jumping etc., now virtually ALL the children swim on the deep end, including WAY WAY WAAAAY little children, AND without their "floaties" as they call them in the local tongue.

However, there was this incident with this racist druggie couple, especially the bleach blond, that mooned everyone, ranted racist comments, called a little girl "the 'c' word" in front of EVERYONE, then attacked the lifeguard, got arrested, etc...

I left right away! Got my daughter, and WE LEFT! 
Then, since my daughter & I have been into "mysteries" lately, such as Scooby-Doo, Harry potter, Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys, and Where On Earth is Carmon Sandiego, turned out THIS woman became our rime suspect after an incident involving a double tire puncture with nails on our van. There were a number of clues, which we couldn't account for at first, but after investigating the entire matter, circumstances, evidence, and testimonials from my neighbors, a VERY clear picture emerged... 

Not, only is THAT woman being evicted, her lease is up, and she MUST leave by the 30th of THIS month. She's ALSO been arrested BEFORE, and singled out & targeted another neighbor... whom mysteriously found issues w/her own car, and scratched, around the same time (recently before the tire incident) as ours. 

This stuff goes deep. I'm talking court, police, authorities, break-ins (with video evidence), harassment, trespassing... n this is all to my other neighbor, whom is also ethnic... not only this, but this woman is in CLOSE connection to (personally) with the unit WE'VE had issues with over the years, I'm talking everything from prejudice, racial, to even racist.

I personally DO NOT care what language people speak at the pool. I speak Chinese often to my daughter at the pool.

But, other than that, going to the pool has been VERY good this year!

 So... here I am... I'm sure I look all beat-up, or run down, from surgery, and being so sick all year...

 But, this is me... for real...

No makeup.

Just all natural...

 Been trying to loose the weight...

but, when ur in poverty, ya can;t exactly afford to eat healthy CONSISTENTLY.

That's a luxury for AT LEAST the middle class...

 I've never felt so OLD before... It's kinda weird...

But, when I'm at the pool, I like to do some toning reps exercises.

I can do them pretty hardcore now.

But, the kids all LIKE me so much... no idea why... and they ALL want attention from me. I guess they have no concept of "I'm doing exercises, so please respect my privacy".

But, it's NOT a big deal. No matter how many times I say NO, they never give up... then, next thing I know, we're all like: Blah-blah-blah, then Ha-ha-ha!

Kids! :D

This is me all wet...

My swimsuit is reversible. I got it last year at Marshall's (South Weymouth) and it's by Juicy Couture. and has charms on the "strings". I got is SO cheap too!