I've been busy and have so much to share, but the task is overwhelming. For now, I 'll just let you know that a turtle wandered into our backyard today. A turtle.

Spock Fever!

Well, it's official. I have a crush. And the fact of the matter is that it's not on my committed life partner of the last four years, or on any human being at all. It's on a humanoid. A Vulcan, in fact. That's right, ladies and gentlemen: I've got Spock Fever.

Zachary Quinto's performance in the ass-kicking new Star Trek movie is nothing short of the sexiest characterization of a half human/half alien since...well, ever. And I'm not alone. Ladies and gents across the globe are declaring their devotion to New Spock with a fervor. Check out these articles by my friend Laureen featuring some Vulcan-wooing aids. How to get Spock drunk , and an appropriate boudoir once you've succeeded.

What is it that we love about New Spock? The potential of raging emotions beneath his somber exterior? Or is it the just the well-groomed hair? Or are you more of a J.T. Kirk fan? Dr. Bones? Spill it, friends!

And if you haven't yet seen Star Trek, please do. It is pure, glorious entertainment for entertainment's sake, and I'm pretty sure someone on deck will give you that tingly feeling.

A few summery updates in the life of Pollyanna!

Firstly, I was accepted as a vendor at this summer's Renegade Craft Fair in San Francisco! I attended last year (on my birthday) and it was by far the biggest and awesomest show I've seen. I got to pick out my birthday present from Peter there, and I found the perfect thing: this copper bunny ring from Ach Ach Liebling.

I'll have a 10 x 10 space, which seems huge to me! This will involve building walls, racks, and all kinds of display doohickeys. I've never had such a large space to use; if anyone has advice on how to make good use of it, I'd love to hear it. Can you get retail wire racks on the cheap? How the heck do you make those walls to hang stuff on? I'm defintely looking to spread out and unclutter, as I think my past tables have been packed way too tightly with products.

Doing these larger fairs is really taking it to the next level for me, and it's exciting/scary. I don't have nearly enough inventory right now, so I have to get crafting so I can sell, sell, sell!

Secondly, I was asked back to participate in the Mentor Artists Playwright Project this year! This was by far the highlight of last year for me, and I'm so excited to do it again.

I declare this summer to be awesome!

It's been a week since the worst coldsore of my life reared its ugly head, and those seven days of shame have only made me stronger. And more excited to wear non-Vaseline lip products. I'd like to take a page out of Crystal's book and share one of my new favorite makeup items; the above Cover Girl Outlast Lipstain. It's basically a marker to color in your lips (did you ever do this as a child?), and it looks and feels light and natural. I use the berry shade on the right.

I don't like regular lipstick as it seems to always get on my teeth no matter how much I blot, so I'm a big fan of lip stains and glosses. What are your favorite makeup solutions?

I have a problem with listening to new music. I don't download songs, I don't buy cds; it's been so long that I've forgotten it's even an option to procure new music for myself. Like with books, I'm weirdly content to listen to the same things over and over again. That said, Derek gave me a cd three summers ago that included two albums by Lee Hazlewood, Love and Other Crimes and Cowboy in Sweden. You may know Lee from his collaborations with Nancy Sinatra, but a dose of pure Lee can really hit the spot.

Cowboy in Sweden has been my car album for the past few weeks, and when Peter and I got stuck in traffic on the Bay Bridge, I put it on. Peter, always the skeptic, said, "Oh, you're just listening to this because it's kitschy," to which I responded, "NO! I'm listening to it because it's GOOD! How dare you." And after a few songs, he too was convinced that good ol' Barton Lee is a little kitschy, but also actually, truly awesome, no irony involved (take that, Chuck Klosterman!).

Here's the video for "No Train to Stockholm" from Cowboy in Sweden, which was not only a sweet album but also a TV special. It features Lee without his signature moustache, but don't worry; it's still a great song with a late-Elvis vibe.

Peter sent me this comic while I was in SLO this weekend, delegating sewing tasks to all my elfin helpers there. It's so incredibly cute, and totally spot-on! Click the image for the rest of the comic to see what happens to little Cat Rackham (best name ever!) and enjoy the rest of Steve Wolfhard's work.

I Want to Kiss You All Over...

Well, I'm certainly not surprised. But that doesn't mean it's okay. Please listen to the following song to find out why I am a tragic pariah for the next two weeks.

I made myself a new sign last weekend. I cannot believe how much I have to do before May 30 (Maker Faire!). New display, more product, more, more, more! Yesterday I worked at day job from 10-6, got home at 7, took a break, and started working again from 8-12:30. For some people, this is sustainable, but for lazy schlubs like myself, it's kind of hard.

My body, always in tune with my brain, rewarded me with a beautiful coldsore for all my hard work. Love it!

Super Tangential!

Does anyone know how to nap correctly? I've come to the conclusion that napping is no longer an option for me, as I just continue to sleep. Sigh. Reminds me of the character in True Stories, "The Laziest Woman in the World." Alas, I can't find any good videos of her scenes, and honestly, the non-music parts of True Stories are kind of a slog anyway if you're not 14 years old and just learning about philosophy. (Oh shit, am I starting to sound like Chuck Klosterman? Help! Say it ain't so.)

So I found this video of Talking Heads singing "Psycho Killer" on some show called "The Old Grey Whistle Test." And I'm certainly glad I did, because LOOK AT TINA WEYMOUTH'S HAIR. It is the cutest thing I've ever seen. Someone should create a Blythe wig called "the Tina." Then I found another video, and her hair looks great in a totally different way. I suggest you spend some time researching as I did, and you will undoubtedly find that Tina Weymouth has excellent hair at all times. AAAANYWAY, enjoy.

Pretty vs. Funny

I found a book in my work lunchroom that I promptly read, Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs by Chuck Klosterman. I really wanted to like it. Who doesn't want to read essays drawing parallels between pop culture iconography and the way regular humans operate? But I found it mostly contrived, with a heavy dose of unwanted snark. However, I think it must have influenced me, because I wouldn't have concocted the following post otherwise.

The death of of our beloved Bea Arthur has gotten me thinking. Bea was not a conventionally attractive woman; her broad shoulders, plain face, and deep voice made her the butt of not a few jokes. But even with this occasional ridicule, she was still the star of her own network tv show (Maude), won an Emmy, and became adored by millions as one of the Golden Girls. Although she never made the 50 Most Beautiful People list, it had no effect on her ability to carry a television show. This seems reasonable to me, but I've come the the realization that Bea was one of the very few women in Hollywood to "make it" because of her talent alone. She wasn't much to look at, but she was funny, and that's what mattered. And when she got *shudder* old, people still seemed to want to see her face on their screens.

Could a Bea Arthur gain popularity in our current culture?

Here's an example why I'm not sure. The media uproar over Susan Boyle is blowing my mind. If you don't know, Susan was a homely contestant on Britain's Got Talent who knocked everyone's socks off with her incredible singing voice, and became an internet sensation. But seriously. Is it really that noteworthy that an unattractive woman can sing, and has the confidence and desire to share her voice? People are behaving as if a dog performed open-heart surgery, and I find that pretty alarming. And what's weirder is that Boyle is now attempting to take steps to become more beautiful, getting her hair cut and dyed, and waxing her bushy brows. The public's response to her is multi-faceted; they're moved by her voice, shocked that it could come from her mouth, and confused about how to feel beyond that. We'll have to wait and see what their final judgement is.

Another fun fact: Tina Fey never got any screen time at all until she lost 20 pounds, and she was just as hilarious during her "fat" years as head writer of SNL as she is as the skinny star of 30 Rock. Early test audiences couldn't even handle quirky-looking Rachel Dratch as Fey's on-screen sidekick (she was replaced by big-eyed blonde Jane Krakowski (who is funny in her own right, but still.)) And that was for a character role, which is usually the only place non-pretties are accepted on tv (see Gladys Kravitz from Bewitched, or any next-door-neighbor or maiden aunt.)

So, to you I pose this question: will there ever be another Bea? Can you think of any other female stars whose looks had no bearing on their media popularity? I want to know what you think.

Bea Arthur died today. If you grew up in the 80's, you probably watched your fair share of Golden Girls, both the original broadcast and the constant reruns. If you have cable, chances are you could watch it right now! What a strange, raunchy, and mostly funny show. With incredible confidence and comic timing, Bea was one talented lady, and became a bit of a cult figure in her later years. Fun fact: she also appeared in the Star Wars Holiday Special, which I would have known if I had been able to get through more than 10 minutes of that particular slice of pop culture. Check out these art pieces, and rock a flowing caftan for Dorothy Zbornak tonight.

A Minimalist's Nightmare...My Dream Come True!

Made with Love by Hannah is a clothing/accessory line by the amazing Hannah Kopacz, who has made my lifetime by actually commenting on this very blog! I want to buy everything she makes, and you will too. Her devotion to kitsch is unparalleled, and thanks to Etsy, today we get to peek into her LA home.



I love peeking inside people's houses. If I take a walk at night, I can't help but look into every glowing window I see, ogling interiors and thinking about who decorated them. Some call it nosy, I call it curious. For more dedicated decorating, check out John Waters' home here, and peek in Amy Sedaris' windows for bunnies and taxidermied treats.

I forgot how much I love Will Oldham. I was sitting listening to Last.fm's "Lambchop" station (another of my favorite musics) and this song came on. It totally stopped me in my tracks, which is often the case with old Bonnie Prince Billy/Palace Music/all Oldham incarnations. His songs are like hymns. A beautiful, haunting song about the creeping spectre of depression, and a great song all around.



And now, the lighter side of Will Oldham. Proof that you can write the saddest song in the world, but also be a goofball dorkus.

CCA Spring Fair

CCA's twice-yearly fairs are the best. I loved going to CCA, and I love going back there to sell things. I always meet nice artists using totally different media than I do, and it's outside and warm and just altogether delightful. If you're in the Bay Area, come visit me this Saturday on the picturesque Oakland campus. Click the birdie for more details!

I guess I'm one of "those" people now. Doll people. It was bound to happen. The dress pattern I have is easy and fun to customize, so I spent most of yesterday making doll clothes instead of doing the millions of things I'm supposed to be doing. Don't tell anyone.

Meet Avalon!

Talk about good timing. At about 12:30 PM today, I answered the postman's ring with no pants on and became the proud owner of my first Blythe doll (I pulled my shirt down as far as I could, but there was simply no time for pants!).

Her name is Avalon, she has five different eye colors, and I love her to death.

If you don't know about Blythe, here's a little history. Many grown-up people spend a lot of time playing with and perfecting the fashion sense of their Blythes, and I plan to be no different. My line of Blythe fashions is forthcoming; the above dress is my very first try. It came out pretty well, I think, and I only got really frustrated once. There's something about pattern reading that makes me really frustrated and petulant; I never behave more like a child than when I can't figure out a sewing pattern.

I think Avalon looks a little like Faye Dunaway in Bonnie and Clyde; I'd like to make her a little replica of this outfit.

Sometimes life is easy, but your brain makes it hard. I'm always at a crossroads about what to share regarding my "battle with depression." (I kind of hate that term anyway. It's more like a long, drawn-out argument, with a little bit of yelling and a lot of whining, than an all-out battle.)

If I go on about my sad, sad feelings and my deep, dark days at length, that's no fun for anyone. Alternately, it's not something I feel I need to keep a secret. The last few months have not been super easy for me, as I find myself getting sucked down into a totally unpleasant and familiar pattern of living that has nothing to do with the real me, who, incidentally, is fun, hilarious, and has a whole lot of energy to make/do fun things.

Another fun and hilarious depressed person, Hugh Laurie, knew he needed some help when he found himself feeling bored while driving a racecar in in a charity demolition derby. Boredom," he said, "is not an appropriate response to exploding cars." I love this quote because it sounds absurd, but pretty much encapsulates the total WTF that is clinical depression.

Not only am I genetically predisposed to this lametarded condition from both sides of my family, I recently found a study that posits that female poets may be especially susceptible to depression.

In a more recent retrospective study of 1,629 writers, Kaufman found that poets--and in particular female poets --were more likely than fiction writers, nonfiction writers and playwrights to have signs of mental illness, such as suicide attempts or psychiatric hospitalizations.

In a second analysis of 520 eminent American women, he again found that poets were more likely to have mental illnesses and to experience personal tragedy than eminent journalists, visual artists, politicians and actresses--a finding Kaufman has dubbed "the Sylvia Plath effect" after the noted poet who had depression and eventually committed suicide.

Seriously? Come on, man! Why not baseball players, or hot dog vendors? This just doesn't seem fair. At least I bill myself as at least 5 other things besides "poet". But, even though the cards are clearly stacked against me, I'm working hard on getting out this this particular bout of the old sads. I'll let you know how it goes.

If you want to read more about the "Sylvia Plath effect," just Google it and you'll find a lot of interesting discussion about creativity and mental illness.

Meanwhile, I'm giving back my MFA in poetry. Well, I'll stop paying my student loans, at least. I think that might be the beginning of a healthy healing process. Yeah, that's the ticket.

Psychedelic Friday!

I wanted to post the video to Serge Gainsbourg and Brigette Bardot's Comic Strip for y'all, but I couldn't bring it to the blog. However, I may have found something even better. I've never heard of this movie before today, but I'm ready to see it right now. Here is the Japanese trailer to 1967's Anna, starring Anna Karina, Marianne Faithful, and Serge G.

Billy Balls

Billy Balls, originally uploaded by Shelby Nycole.

Craspedia, better known as "billy balls" to those in the flower know, is one of my favorite flowers. You can buy one or two and they look fantastic in a vase by themselves, or throw a few into an arrangement. I usually get mine at Whole Foods; they cost about $2.00 each. But, billy balls last forever (just take them out of water and let them dry), and my God, they're called BILLY BALLS! What more do you want in a flower?

Am I Done Yet?

I'm working on a large wholesale order right now for a company showcasing bicycle-related products. It's kind of fun to pump out a bunch of the same thing, but a little exhausting as well, and projects like this always take longer than I expect. Most things take longer than I expect, actually (saving money, losing weight, achieving important life goals, etc).

I love this fabric from Kokka; it's more of a canvas than cotton and is nice and sturdy. Expensive, but worth it! I'll be making a few extra things out of this to add to my Etsy shop. Click on the pic if you want some for yourself!