To celebrate i ll release two new lines of Jewelry: Sweet Cherries and Fragile Flowers.

At the moment both lines are available at Floyd only. But - you should also check out my store at Raven's Requiem - there'll be the "Lost Mind" - treasure hunt, starting July 25 th as well - and I ve hidden three (!) free pieces for you...

Let me also take this opportunity to say that I hope those of you who have been reading the entries for sWitch are enjoying them. It might be worth noting that the excerpts I'm publishing every Tuesday and Friday are basically brain dumps to a loose outline. When I go back to them, I'll flesh them out more, adding more dialog and other fun details. My idea was to do a sort of "live" writing experiment, and show my work a bit. The exercise has also been terrific for keeping me on schedule, and I hope to have the entire "treatment" completed by the end of next month, with a first draft of the full length novel ready for Halloween.

So mark those undeadlines on your calendars, and feel free to comment on how you're finding it so far.

Part 1: 

Part 2: 

Our party explores Digital Ferret Compact Disks, of which I wrote in a prior entry:

This gentleman, whose name I recall is Jeff, expressed interest in becoming a Gothic Youtube Star, and I have attempted to fulfill that desire insofar as I am able to do so: 

I'll put forth an effort to publish a second post today, so to ensure that you on whom this is all largely lost will not feel cheated. OMG A BAT loves all of its children.

- Gothicus Maximus

The Gregarious Lampoon (Greg):  You guys really did a job on this one, eh?

Hedge Fund Manager (HFM):  Things are looking a little bit down right now, with the subprime crash and all that, I’ll admit.  Heck, it’s taken down hedge funds, banks, even student lenders.  But things will definitely pick up in the next three-to-five years.

Greg:  What if a kid can’t get a college loan in that period because Fannie Mae’s tanked?  What’s he supposed to do then?

HFM:  Geez, I don’t know, my parents paid when I went to Duke.  Why couldn’t his parents be doctors?

Greg:  What makes you think that the things will “pick up in the next three-to-five years?”

HFM:  Those Goldman [Sachs] quant geniuses will figure out another area to deliciously exploit during that time.  Have you ever tried talking to one of them?  It’s like meeting a petaflop, in the flesh.  I’m not sure all of them would pass the Turing Test.

Greg:  But won’t only Goldman be ahead of the game?

HFM:  What, do you think this happens in a vacuum?  You think that each hedge fund has to be creative, think of a new market to create or exploit?  You’re crazy.  Everyone sits and watches Goldman, or the Sage of Omaha, or someone who actually knows what they’re doing.  They’re called the “smart money” for good reason.  Where the smart money goes, everyone follows, like cattle.  Ravenous, rabid, relentless, bloodshot, capitalist cattle.

Greg:  Do you have any idea as to where Goldman might look?

HFM:  No idea.  But I guess structurally, I have a premonition.  Goldman simply has to find an industry government has deregulated or not regulated enough.  Even better would be an industry where government has delegated oversight authority to private entities that like to attach catchy brand names to their work product.  That way, we can all make massive assumptions about the risk of the underlying instruments and call them “exotic.”

Greg:  Don’t you think the federal government would be wise to this strategy after the subprime collapse?

HFM:  No.  Where were you when Arthur Andersen tanked?  The federal government is full of charismatic morons.  Do you have a daughter?

Greg:  Uh, yes.  Two.

HFM:  Would you want your daughters to date the funny thespian or the hideous, disfigured calculus wizard?

Greg:  I’m not sure.  I mean the thespian kid, if he’s not too goth—

HFM:  He’s funny; he can’t be goth.  See, parents even fall for it.  Let’s vote for the charismatic guy who can’t do simple arithmetic.

Greg:  OK, let’s move on.  Why don’t you actually look at the underlying instruments instead of just assuming they’re kosher?

HFM:  That’s what the private oversight entities are for.

Greg:  Yeah, but they could get it wrong, like they did with the subprime instruments, and you guys got killed because of it.  Isn’t the point to make money, not lose it all and then some?

HFM:  I don’t think you understand.  If we thought about it like that, it wouldn’t be any fun.  What fun is that, being judicious, picking carefully, picking incremental winners over the long haul?

Greg:  I thought the point was to make money, not to have fun.

HFM:  Oh, all high-minded now, are we?  You’re a journalist, right?

Greg:  Well, not in so many words, but—

HFM:  Whatever.  You like to write, right?

Greg:  Of course.

HFM:  That’s why you got into this gig, right?  Because you love writing.  Because it fulfills you in some really asinine way that I don’t understand.

Greg:  Yes, sure.

HFM:  Well, what do you think I am?  What do you think we are?  Just pieces of meat, mindlessly trading pieces of paper or bits of electronic data that don’t really exist, that don’t really mean anything?  Is that all you think we are?

Greg:  No, I never said that, I—

HFM:  You’re judging.  You’re judging me, all high and mighty with your stupid pen.  Well guess what, H.L. Mencken:  I have dreams too.  I yearn for self-actualization.  I want to climb the Maslowian pyramid.  Walk the eight-fold path.  Have the world spin where I sprawl out under the Bodhi tree.  So I do this because it’s fun, OK?  It’s pleasurable for me, trading bits of information and making exorbitant quantities of money from the transaction.

Greg:  But couldn’t you make looking at the underlying instruments fun?  Like, this is a complicated problem that I’d like to unravel.

HFM:  We wouldn’t make nearly as much money that way.

Greg:  What do you mean?

HFM:  You’ve heard all this talk about “bubbles,” right?

Greg:  Yeah.

HFM:  You’ve heard we don’t really know how or why they happen, right?  I mean, unless you read the Financial Times or something.  Well my pet theory is that bubbles happen because, as I said, we are irrational, capitalist cattle.  Where one goes, everyone else goes.

Greg:  But couldn’t you just break that cycle by looking at the underlying instruments?

HFM:  You still don’t get it yet, do you?  You can’t make any money if you act rationally:  there won’t be any bulging bubbles of irrationality.  Without those lizard-brain bubbles, you’ll make some money, but less quickly.  Not only is it slower, but it’s also boring as all hell.  It’s got to be now.  I want to be a bigshot—now.  We all know this:  it’s collusion, in a way.  Everybody wins if we all decide at a specific point to run around with our heads chopped off.  That’s what finding the niche market is in finance.  Finding the special kiddie playground where we can run around with our heads chopped off.  We did it with Arthur Andersen and we did it with Triple-A.  It’s incredibly fun, we get the money, we get the prestige, and then we crash and burn in a blaze of S.E.C. mail fraud infamy.  What a rush!

Soft and subtle feelings of this place
are drank deep through the very skin
keeping a most languid pace
between the heartbeat's beat again,

Flicker light is all that casts
even ghostly division of the dark
enveloping both first and last
as unbroken snow in silent parks,

Sharp the scent of copper crimson
slow flowing to harmony of it's own
unwinding chords release their tension
like silk across the jagged bone,

Flesh with taste of sugared salt
found drinking music in the night
just where fantasy is wrought
beyond the blinding touch of sight,

Shaking breathing clings to sound
voices drowned before they form
the chorus trapped within the howl
and lonely echoes paint the norm.

Tender kiss, originally uploaded by Mina_model. ]]> http://mookychick.wordpress.com/?p=23 Tue, 22 Jul 2008 12:55:28 +0000 mookychick http://mookychick.wordpress.com/?p=23 Mineral makeup has been touted as being so good for your skin you can sleep in it. The critical thing is that it doesn't do your skin any harm, sticks around on your face a long time (especially eyeshadow) and hasn't been tested on animals.

Care Free Beauty have brought out a special mineral makeup range for gothic tastes... yep, there's finally a tailor-made collection of goth mineral makeup!

The range includes goth pallor kits, dark and midnight (and strong blue and violent pink) eyeshadows, and we love it.

Get 40% of Goth Mineral Makeup

To celebrate the launch of their goth mineral makeup range, Care Free Beauty are offering a hefty 40% discount on anything in their store if you write a blog review!

All you have to do is write a review about their mineral makeup in your blog and link that blog entry to the Care Free Beauty homepage.  Then you get 40% off.

What a nice offer. Simple! Beneficial! A bit like mineral makeup!

The day wavers with heat that calls sweetly to the mind
trapped within the body tied to night.

The wind blows softly and slips across the face like a kiss
pulling tears from deep to blur the sight.

The wall is hard against the back and pulls on cloth and skin
as knees buckle and the body starts to slide.

The cement here is chilled as it presses hard against the cheek
while soaking up the endless sighs.

The tears of longing fade away and dry to lines of salt
as crystal rivers without delight.

The body curls and shivers to mask the throbbing wrench of hurt
reminding of the hours until light.

The wake of fear is widened while this terrible feeling lasts
if only for this one more night.

This is me last Thursday before heading off to meet up with friends at the local goth club.  Well, it's not really a goth club, it's just a club that has a goth night on Thursdays and Sundays.  As you can see, I scarcely look gothic these days.  Though I might work on that, just for the fun of it (for me, being a goth has always been about fun).

Unfortunately, this photo doesn't reveal the full spectrum of my hair.  But I have come to realize that I look much better without my glasses on.  I'm going to have to see if I can get contacts.

And here's one of Sabrina being silly.  She's one of my two cats.  The other one, Sheena, is very laid back.  Sabrina is a total spazz.  But a very sweet little thing!

Ugh... I really need to get to sleep, though!  :(  Who's the Patron Saint of falling asleep?

I hereby conscript you, readers, into my research squadron. You are urged to experiment independently and report your findings.  

-Gothicus Maximus

... in love with the idea of Love
... not the sharpest tool in the box
... convinced of Heaven above
... not wearing underwear or socks

... unsure that Life is solid
... in need of another's touch
... counted among the Fallen
... drenched in other's blood

... a dear and faithful friend
... dying even now
... not one to follow trends
... always asking how

... seen by many as a demon
... filled with lots of questions
... very often called a heathen
... afraid of being tested

... sometimes very shallow
... loved when i least think
... strong when i feel hollow
... often prone to drink

... trying to solve the puzzle
... only afraid of the stupid
... often in need of a muzzle
... seldom known as lucid

... weak against raver blondes
... fascinated by colour magicks
... liking ties and bonds
... sure that Life is tragic

... not at all that pretty
... a slave of my voice 'Bob'
... in need of a true vetting
... without a fucking job

... in desperate need of a lover
... not designed to be alone
... far too strong to suffer
... looking for a home

... one who stand by friends
... often failing myself
... in search of the final end
... sure that money is not wealth

... only a slight shadow
... waking from a dream
... exploring dark catacombs
... in very desperate need

... waking from a nightmare
... trapped inside the past
... of the element of Air
... fascinated by mental traps

... sure that this is most boring
... not one to tow the line
... a being worth adoring
... in fear of loss of time

... Jayme Lloyd in this flesh
... RainMagick in other times
... not always sure i know best
... one who hates any lies

... a fanatically faithful lover
... sure that i am broken
... not one to dive for cover
... the words that i've spoken

... a somewhat decent writer
... in loss of three familiars
... known to be a fighter
... seen by some as a pillar

... finally finished with confession
... my self and me and no other
... beyond the point of resting
... without love or comfort.

-_///

Also, the goth kids - think about "Raisins" when Wendy breaks up with Stan - have crosses in their rooms. Similarly is Ms. Ellen, who one day decides to dress in all black leather and has a little silver cross around her neck. And she's a lesbian.

What do you think the association is between goth and a goth attitude and the symbol of Christianity, the crucifix?

To read about the other episode being aired tonight, "The Snuke," number 1104, click HERE.

In decades past teenagers tended to all look alike. There were usually two groups: the good students/jocks; and the rebels. Each group had a dress code, a hairstyle code and an accessory code and most kids stayed pretty much within those boundaries.  

Today, teenagers seem to be so much more creative and individualistic in their styles - or maybe it's because they have so many more options than kids in the past. So much more music (which usually defines hair and clothing styles) and so much more stuff in general. Look at all the products and hardware that are available just for hair.

Of course, teenagers still work within some form of boundary, but there seems to be a lot more leeway for personal expression. My daughter and some of her friends are into a style called, Scene.

 Scene apparently evolved from emo.  Emo is kind of dark, self-destructive and depressing, but shouldn't be confused with goth, which I think spawned emo, and is also dark and depressing. Anyway,  a lot of parents freak out when their kids start going goth or emo. And I can understand that.

Some parents also freak out when their kids go Scene. And I've heard negative things about it -- mainly that Scene kids get all superior and uppity and super-self absorbed.  But that mainly just sounds like teenagehood to me and all in all, I think they look kind of cute.

I don't really see the connection to the whole goth/emo thing because Scene is bright (very), positive, and cheerful. So, really it's kind of anti-emo in my books, but then maybe I'm not completely hep to the Scene scene.

What I do know is that in general, Scene kids are into indie and retro music: 80's new wave or classic rock, but there aren't any hard and fast rules about that.  They're very arty - into photography (love to take pictures of themselves and paste them all over Facebook or MySpace), creative writing, visual arts.  They love tattoos and piercings (no, my daughter will not be having either). And they often have a passion for animal rights and other tree-huggy stuff.

Superficially they have, choppy haircuts often dyed black or with colored stripes. They use lots of bright make-up -- pinks, purples, blues and thick black eyeliner.  They wear tight, skinny pants/leggings and very bright colors, band or kids t-shirts (also very tight). Lots of bright, colourful accessories - bows, beads, belts, big, big sunglasses.

Bonus:  Though  there are mall boutiques that sell some of this stuff, a lot of the best Scene gear can be found in thrift and vintage shops.

Drawback: Scene kids spend a LOT of time on Facebook.

Bonus: I'll have one hilarious photo album to embarass her with for the rest of her life once she grows out of this.

 Here are some photos of Scenesters. Some I pilfered from the internet and some are of my daughter.  I didn't want  her to be too identifiable, so the selection was limited.

I kick ass at issuing praise almost as much as I kick ass at meting out ridicule, people should pay me to do this.  

- Gothicus Maximus

Reflections lock in broken mirrors
dancing in patterns of their own
in crystal thought formed of errors
like hot blood against the snow

Endless waves of crushing white
an ocean of powdered roses
pave a path across the night
a way back for the most hopeless

Open lines of subzero colour
run parallel to the dreams
outside of secrets not yet uttered
clothed in shallow empty screams

Here and there night to day
stretched on the winds thus far
never knowing just one's worth
sealed up tightly inside a jar

The glass stays clear as it may
or tinted neatly flames and ice
whirling, twisting hold and purge
blending, bleeding turning knives

Settled leaves so strewn astray
tossed on winds of shaken ideals
sketch the frames of open pain
crafted with pure and vicious skill

However, there's a forum/website which does this most ably: www.gothic.org.au.  There are forums for Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide and Brisbane. The Melbourne forum  contains a gig guide, music guide, arts and crafts postings and lots of general being gothiness/alternative.   

So if you'd like to know what kind of alternative/goth events and meetups are happening in Melbourne at any given time, or even just discuss alternative fashion, hairstyles, debate religion and politics or find out about a new band or ten, go to gothic.org.au and see what's on offer.

-Gothicus Maximus

OnePlusYou Quizzes and Widgets

There is also this, in case they weren't cannibals but zombies. Remember, no matter how cute they are, DO NOT FEED THE ZOMBIES!

Created by OnePlusYou

Stolen from iubika who asked a question in the forum.

And according to fashion gurus the world over, the style is always in the details of the garment. Buttons can be changed, but other things are much harder to alterate.

Anyway

US company Blackrose has the usual assortment of bat and coffin shaped handbags, but is also sporting a great little range of printed canvas bags - casual, fun and easy to slip into a non-goth outfit for a little extra 'zing'. Although I'm not sure 'zing' is the right word. If I had the money I might plump for this little gem

by Creepsville 666. Simple, fun and a little odd - a nice variation on the standard shopping bag that everyone is using when they want to be casual these days. I won't be getting it, but that's because I'm too poor right now.

A near miss from Blackrose was this brocade record bag. I love brocade and damask as fabrics, it should be used more. But then they went and used a hideous plastic clasp and strap, ruining the whole idea of the thing. Fail.

Moving swiftly on to one of those 'contrived' brands, little Emily Strange.  Most of this brand I find a bit too much in the way of cutsey, and I've never seen any 'alternative' people really sporting this brand, even though it has been around for years. The shopper bag seems to be the magical formula for really bringing out the graphic design of a brand though, and I adore this shoulder bag with a zip.

I'm contemplating getting it to replace my rapidly dying swimming bag, or for general use. I love the graphic. Not as 'fun' as the other, but a nice touch and the details are fine. The quality looks a bit better than the Creepsville, although the design is much more subdued.

But as I said - these are fun, casual bags. You wouldn't take these on a smart night out, or to a wedding. You might use them for work, for the gym, for a days shopping, but clubbing, at a meal? Nu uh.

Well, the 'smart' bag proved a lot hard to find without straying into this sort of territory:

*shudder*

The less cheesy alternatives aren't stylish enough. Wacking a pvc skull and cross bones on a cheap black pvc bag does not a good look make, in my opinion, but I don't want to be consigned to using canvas bags and odd backpacks for the rest of my professional life either. Blah. Suckage on a huge scale. Literally every goth site out there sells the above styles - it's high street for goth.

Anyway, for some great alternatives there is always my beloved etsy! Although you might need a bit of money for something truly gorgous, it may give you some inspiration for customising fun, smart bags that you can find cheaply else where.

Quilted Handbag by Caroline Kelly - I love this, but can't afford it at the moment.

Bamboo Handles by TerraMaya - not feeling the bow/ribbon, but otherwise an amazing print and easy to fit with a mainly non-goth outfit.

Black Widow Purse by Haute Indiscretion - Very discreet, very sexy

Skeleton Key Clutch by Sweetwolf - I love love love this! Want!

So there you have it, an over view of the 'goth'/;punky' handbag market. Conclusion? Avoid the goth shops for handbags, you'll end up with something cheap and tacky. A quick search on esty should come up with something affordable and unique.

I intended to post a comprehensive review of The Dark Knight upon returning from seeing the film as I just have, but unfortunately I find this task impossible. I cannot at present view this movie as anything less than a quintessence of raw cinematic majesty, its masterfully engineered components so seamlessly integrated that I cannot scrutinize them separately. Though I'm sure that eventually I'll be able to pierce the proverbial veil and perceive The Dark Knight's inner mechanism, for the time being that feat is beyond me. I am able, however, to share with OMG A BAT's readers the opinion that this movie is fucking supremely awesome- if it were 80 years long and maintained the length to awesomeness ratio it presently demonstrates, I could most probably spend the rest of my life watching it and die with very little regret. Previously I was as unconcerned with Heath Ledger's death as I am with those the thousand people who passed from this world in the short period during which I wrote this blog post,  but, in seeing his final film, I'm powerless but to be immensely grieved by the knowledge that no one will likely be able to do what he did in this movie as well as he did what he did in this movie. Gary Oldman's likewise impressive performance has redeemed him completely for the abomination discussed previously in the annals of OMG A BAT, which I will not name so to avoid indirectly associating it with, and thereby savagely insulting, the subject of this post. 

Ultimately, while I'm certain that The Dark Knight possesses some flaws of which I could make fun in order to render this tirade more interesting, I won't detect them until subsequent viewings allow me to more completely process so overwhelmingly tremendous a picture. I do hope that a sequel will match or equal this achievement, but at once I suspect that it will mark the apex of Batman's career as a pop culture icon for some time. It kicks ass. 

On a related note, the tantalizing trailer for the screen adaptation of Alan Moore's Watchmen features a song originally composed by The Smashing Pumpkins for Batman & Robin, the stain on comic book movie history perhaps best remembered for Arnold Schwarzenegger's portrayal of Mr. Freeze. I love those Smashing Pumpkins, they're so wacky. 

-Gothicus Maximus