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Jolene Marie. theme by Conkers |
Lions & Tigers & DRAGONS..oh my!
As some of you may or may not know, I am obsessed with dragons. Being a Sci Fi nerd, I am not ashamed of the fact that I love anything mystical or mysterious and dragons are classic icons of fantasy. They combine beauty with a threat of danger that is hard to resist. But I digress. In short, I love dragons. I’ve even been accused of having a dragon shrine, but this is pure fallacy, of course. Another love of mine is tattoos. At the current moment I have five of them. Its starting to the get to that point where I have to count them to remember how many I have. Here is a look at my tattoo journey so far.
Now, why am I venturing off into the topic of tattoos? Well….that’s right, I want a dragon tattoo. Truthfully, I have wanted a dragon tattoo ever since I was a teenager, I always thought it would be the first one that I would get. But I wanted it to be so perfect that it took me a long time to figure out how I wanted it to look and where I would like it placed. I have decided that I want it done on my thigh. Why? Because thigh tattoos are really awesome looking.
As far as the actual design of the tattoo, there is an artist that I have seen at the Renaissance Festival whose are I really admire. Here is an example of her work.
Since I wouldn’t want to completely copy anyone’s art, even for a tattoo, here are some other inspirations that may show up in the final design.
When I finally get it, it will be an awesome tattoo!
Eccenticity
As we all know, I am a fairly odd, eccentric person. Its one of my favorite aspects of myself actually; I enjoy standing apart from the crowd. I feel as though many people say they are unique and different, but few actually are. But that’s getting into a completely different topic. My point is, being the unique person that I am, I have very strong tastes and preferences. This naturally flows through to my living space, since I like my living space to reflect my personality. Actually, if I am not surrounded by things that I feel are “me”, I don’t feel like that space is my home. Now, while my ideal living space is a work in progress, there are some things I would definitely like to have in it. I love anything old-fashioned and ornate looking. I have found some pictures here to show you what I mean. I would love to have any of these in my home!
And this last one here is my favorite of them all!
A horse is a horse, of course, of course
Anyone who gets the reference in the title gets a gold star :) Ahem, but anyways to start out with, my dear readers, today’s blog is about horses (e.g. Equines which sounds cooler and more scientific). More specifically, it is about all of the Equestrian events that I would like to go to and see. Having recently been to the Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show at Westworld, my passion for such events has been reignited.
Just a side note, that I have to mention, I saw this stallion, Escape Ibn Navarrone, at the Scottsdale Show and must remark on what a beautiful horse he is.
So, to begin. I would love to see the U.S. Nationals. Held in alternating years in Tulsa, OK (2011’s show will be in OK in October) and Albuquerque, NM, this show is even more prestigious than the Scottsdale Show. Here is a picture of last year’s champion halter stallion, El Nabila B
Also on my list would be a visit to the Kentucky Horse Park, hosting site for many equine events and also the location of a horse museum. Plus it’s surrounded by many famous horse farms.
Cavalia, which is a show that mixes dancing, acrobatics and horses. This large production features over 60 horses, some of which are Arabians, which if I forgot to mention before, are my favorite type of horses.
The World Equestrian Games, which take place only every four years, but feature championships the events of driving, dressage, endurance, eventing, reigning and vaulting. This prestigious event attracts worldwide competition, much like the Olympic games.
The equestrian events at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, which will feature the events of dressage, jumping and eventing. This is a picture of the 2008 Olympic Gold Medalist team member from Germany
The Kentucky Derby would also be quite a sight to see, especially since I’ve never seen a horse race before. I’m sure there are smaller races that I could see in my area sometime, but as long as I’m making a list, I may as well go with the best right?
The Salon Du Cheval Championships are a famous Arabian horse show that take place every year in Paris. This horse show features the best horses in Europe, and from around the world. The picture below is of two stallions, Kabsztad and Stival, competing at the 2010 show. And, last but certainly not least, the famous Spanish Riding School of Vienna. I’ve wanted to go here ever since I saw Miracle of the White Stallions as a child. The Lippizaner stallions are highly trained from a young age, and the feats they can perform are just amazing. It really is one of my goals to be able to travel to Austria to see them someday.
It really is one of my goals to see all of these events/places at some time in my life, the sooner the better, because there is a lot to see! Horses are really such wondrous creatures. An old Bedouin legend states that “A horse can fly without wings and conquor without a sword”, which is indeed, so true. 
The Fair Mrs. Lovett
Helena Bonham Carter is one of my most very favorite actresses. Really, she is one of the oddest, most eccentric actresses in Hollywood and I love how she just doesn’t seem to give a fuck about it. She’s unapologetically weird <3 Not to mention that she’s almost 40 and looks like this
And, she’s with the kookiest, most brilliant director, Tim Burton, who’s movie genius is almost unrivaled
And if that isn’t enough, she plays in the most deranged, darkly beautiful movies that happen to be some of my favorites. Oh, and she pairs up with Johnny Depp for a couple of them. Lucky woman.
A Bookworm’s List
I, being the self-proclaimed, but none the less authentic bookworm that I am, have decided that I wish to start keeping track of the books that I read. Every time that I finish a book, I will update the list, and to start out, I’ll list the books that I’ve read in the last year or so. If you’ve read any of these books, feel free to comment and we can chat about them. Ascending by James Alan Gardner Black Sun Rising by C.S. Friedman The Dragonlance Series by Weis and Hickman The Dragon Prince Series by Melanie Rawn The Dragon Star Series by Melanie Rawn Expendable by James Alan Gardner Go Ask Alice (Anonymous) A Great and Terrible Beauty Series by Libba Bray Harry Potter series (book 1) by J.K. Rowling The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden The Other Boleyn Girl by Philipa Grey The Picture of Dorian Grey by Oscar Wilde A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket Slaughterhouse-five by Kurt Vonnegut The Sword of Truth series (books 1 through 7) by Terry Goodkind Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling The Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer The Wolf Tower series by Tanith Lee
Musical Geniuses
So, I have decided to make a list of persons whom I consider to be musical geniuses. Therefore, I should start by defining the term “musical genius” To begin, a musician is anyone who can play an instrument or sing. To be a musical genius, one must play an instrument or sing in a way that is unique and different. However, there is more. A musical genius must be someone that with a musical gift. The uniqueness of their music must seem to just flow from them, and what they create is truly art, almost incomprehensible in in how exactly it was created or what idea could have sparked the creation of it. The musical genius is a master of something that normal musicians cannot grasp. History is filled with such musicians, but here are a few that I consider current musical genius. You may or may not agree, as everyone has different tastes/ideas of music, but hopefully everyone can agree that these people are talented at their craft. Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails
Claudio Sanchez of Coheed and Cambria
Kurt Cobain of Nirvana
Billy Joe Armstrong of Green Day
Maynard James Keenan of A Perfect Circle and Tool
At first, I was going to write my reasons for choosing these people, but on second thought I think I’d rather not. Instead, I would like everyone to listen to these bands, even if you’ve heard them before, and see if you can figure out why I chose them.
Secrets of the Ancients
Believe it or not, I am actually very into history. Its been one of my favorite classes in school, and I’ve briefly considered being a historian. What more nerd job could I get right? All jokes aside, I do really love learning about past cultures and all the interesting and sometimes weird things that they did. In some ways I feel drawn to certain things in the past, which probably stems from my belief in reincarnation. Who knows, maybe at some point I was an Aztec warrior or an Egyptian princess. In any case, I have a top three ancient civilizations that fascinate me. The first is ancient Egypt. One of the oldest civilizations that we know of, coming from a part of the world rich with struggle. The lenses of the rest of the world have always been in the Middle East, or so it seems. Egypt stands apart as one of the greatest of the ancient civilizations due to power and riches. Who could fail to be impressed by the pyramids? Even by today’s standards, they are amazing, and to this day, no one can say how the Egyptians built them on the scale the did with the tools that they had.
Also rather fascinating was the Egyptian religion and mythology. Their respect for animals was great, as most of their gods had animal characteristics. The artwork used to portray these gods, along with the pyramids and mummies where unrivaled. Second on my list of fascinating cultures is the Aztec Indians of what is now Mexico. The Aztecs where brilliant in their artwork, but also where incredibly advanced in technology. Their calendars where infinitely detailed for their time, and we’ll see about the world ending in 2012 (lol). The richness of their culture and folklore just draws me in, as well as the beauty of their temples devoted to the gods. Another polytheistic society, their way of worshiping by offering human sacrifices was gruesome to be sure, but in an interesting way. Stories of their savagery and empire-building ways showed them to be at the top of the food chain(so to speak) in their area of the world. If only the Spaniards hadn’t crippled them with disease.
Third on my list of great cultures was the ancient Hindu culture of India. The richness and detail of their religion is astonishing. One of the oldest religions in the world, Hinduism has survived a very long time and is full in intriguing ideas. In addition, their art work and architecture is stunning. The Taj Mahal is one of the best example, but there are numerous temples dedicated to gods that are almost as grand. The statues and other art are dedicated to the gods as well and are magnificent in their imagination. Even their music and way of dress is fascinating. Truly they are one of our world’s great cultures.
Voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir
-& Wine with diamonds in the glass.
You all should know what thats from.
Regardless, today’s post is about languages. To me, languages are fascinating. The way all languages convey meaning is both extremely diverse and very much similar. And several of them are so pretty to listen to. Unfortunately, I’m only fluent in one language, which is obviously English. I’ve taken four years of Spanish in school, but it hasn’t stuck very well, probably because I don’t really care to learn it. There are three languages I do, however, want to learn: Latin, Gaelic and French. I’m planning on learning them all at some point. In light of that, here are some quote/phrases I’ve found in those languages. Feel free to translate if you’re curious :)
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