Inside Her Mind

Lets All Get Naked!

Desirai — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 06:35:00 +0000

On April 9th, 2008 web designers all over the globe will be disabling the CSS on their websites in an effort to promote web standards and accessibility, proper use of (x)html, semantic markup, a good hierarchy structure. Although I'm anxious and willing to participate I must say I'm a little nervous about getting naked. I do however believe in the cause; web standards is a beautiful thing.

If you happen to see a lot of undesigned websites on Wednesday, you'll now know why. To participate or to find out more visit: CSS Naked Day. Be a part of Dustin Diaz's third annual web event.

A New Perspective on Food

Desirai — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 13:07:00 +0000

I've been on the Cookie Diet for quite some time now. I'm ecstatic to report that I'm finally out of the 200's and am more motivated to reach my goal than I have been. As of late I've noticed a huge difference in my eating patterns. I no longer overeat the way I used to. That long lost signal informing me that I'm satiated has finally been found. I think for me this is a really big milestone considering I grew up believing I had to eat everything on my plate -- 'There are children starving in Africa!' I've also noticed I'm not interested in eating any of my once coveted favorite foods.

The only sad thing is I'm completely bored with all the fast food I used to eat (not to mention my stomach can no longer handle it.) That means figuring out what I'm going to have for my next meal is way more complicated than it used to be. However this has expanded on my usual cooking menu. While visiting John in FL I made pork chops (with carmelized pears and onions) with mashed potatoes, paprika parmesan chicken and coucous and lastly lemon pecan pork chops. It was all deliceaux, if I do say so myself.

All that being said, here are a couple of great recipe websites for those looking to spice up their dinner options.

An Art Collaboration Project

Desirai — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 17:19:00 +0000

A friend of mine, Mat Giordano, recently updated his blog to include information on an art collaboration project he was working on. The final piece will be seen worldwide; and the physical piece will be auctioned off for the children's orphanage art auction charity event in Houston, Texas.

I was really glad I got the chance to read about this in time to participate. Mat has linked to many collaborative art sites which will help get the names of participating artists out there. To see Mat's original piece, my submission and the submission of others, please visit This Blog Right Here.

Looks Like I've Been Tagged

Desirai — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 18:35:00 +0000

So I got tagged recently by two different people; Chelsea and Theresa.

Here are the rules:

1. Link to your tagger and post these rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
4. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

7 facts about me:
1. Most video games give me motion sickness.
2. I can eat lasagna till I puke.
3. I'm a lucid dreamer and I've had prophetic dreams.
4. Sometimes I keep arguing even when I know I'm wrong.
5. I like scary movies but often watch them with my hand covering my face and through the cracks in my fingers.
6. I hate it when people try to make me laugh.
7. It's important to me to be remembered.

7 People I've tagged:
1. Matt Giordano
2. Christine Baker
3. Tizz
4. Helen
5. Cubist Literature
6. Cicada Studio
7. Racheal Anilyse

Maybe New York's Not So Bad

Desirai — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 18:18:00 +0000

So I was on my way to work the other day when none other than Steve Buscemi gets on the train. I recognized him right away. He looked straight at me and so I smiled. It was obvious he didn't want to be bothered. He stood quietly on the train reading his paper with a cup of coffee in hand.

I often heard about Steve Buscemi sightings, years ago, when I used to work at The Pavilion movie theater in Park Slope. "He lives in the area." they'd say. Ha! to tell you the truth I remember thinking he looked familiar the first time I saw him on TV. I had probably seen him in real life and not even realized it.

I have no idea where he was going that day. It was raining and had snowed the night before. Needless to say, the weather was terrible. It's rather impressive that even despite that he still took the subway to his destination.

The experience was kind of cool and made me remember why I used to love NYC. It's the place everyone wants to be...even celebrities. Maybe that gray cloud of doom isn't as gray as it used to be.

Running on Empty

Desirai — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 14:01:00 +0000

It's 9 am and I still have not slept. John is leaving today and the thought truly saddens me. He's in my bed peacefully sleeping as I write this. I think today we'll be making a trip to the city. I need to make a stop at Smart For Life to weigh in and pick up this week's batch of cookies.

Since we're already making a trip to the city, I thought perhaps it might be a good time to stop by Stack's Coins. Although I have no intention on selling them, friends have suggested I find out the value of my Godfather's coins. I'm rather excited about it. I'll be sure to post about it again if they tell me anything interesting.

Also, I wanted to give a quick thank you to everyone that voted for me. I've got 30 votes so far which puts me at #60. I was #140 when I first signed up, so I definitely consider that progress. I also found out that you can vote daily, so please be sure to come back and vote for me again. http://www.gotcast.com/SickNdehed =) The contest ends Feb 29th. Thanks everyone!

Vote For Me And Help Me Win

Desirai — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 18:05:00 +0000

Hello Everyone!
I recently entered a contest to be G4 Tech TVs 'Gamer Girl' on gotcast.com and was really hoping you could show your support by voting for me. I'd be eternally greatful. It would also be super if you could send the link to your friends and have them do the same. Thanks for the help! and be sure to leave some comments, I love to read them. =)

http://www.gotcast.com/SickNdehed

Sincerely,
Desirai

Some Exciting Stuff!

Desirai — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 18:48:00 +0000

Yes! Exciting stuff like the fact that I got to meet the guys from 12 Stones yesterday. If you haven't heard of them, do yourself the favor, like now. I'm sure you've most likely heard the Evanescence song "Bring Me to Life" right? Well the male vocalist in that song is none other than Paul McCoy, lead singer of 12 Stones.

12 Stones is currently featured on the World Strongest Man Soundtrack. Their album Anthem for the Underdog is awesome. As a matter of fact I'm listening to it right now. =)

You can watch the video to their single "Lie To Me" by clicking on the banner (designed by yours truly) below.

Additionally People in Planes is currently promoting "Pretty Buildings" off their new album. They are offering a free download to current e-news subscribers and for new subscribers as well. This song has been stuck in my head for the last week. I love it! (The following banner was also designed by me.)

Lastly, on the personal home front, John is flying in tomorrow from FL. God, I can't wait to see him. It's only been a little over a month since he was last here but it feels more like forever. I got him a cool little geeky gift for Valentine's Day. I hope he likes it. Lol I'll tell you guys what it is after I give it to him so I don't accidentally spoil the surprise. I love you babe! =)

Plans for John's visit are of the 'not so fun' kind. He's once again helping me clean out my apartment. This time the 'quartico', the kitchen, and the dining room are getting done. Please note I said "cleaning out", as in packing and storing and giving away to the salvation army. I am not flying my boyfriend in all the way from FL just to "clean", lol. My godfather collected an insane amount of junk in his old age. It would take me forever to go through it alone. I truly appreciate John's help.

Anyway... back to work I must go. Let me know what you guys think of the bands!

A Day of Love

Desirai — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 19:02:00 +0000

That's right. That day is getting closer. You know, the day all women in relationships look forward to. I'm talking about Valentine's day of course! The New New Etsy Street Team is currently have a promotion to support their artists and help you find the perfect gift for your loved one.

Want to shop local this Valentine's day and give your boo boo something handmade and unique?

Look no further than the combined shops of The {NewNew} Etsy Street Team - a group of local New York Tri-State Etsy Sellers who have banded together to promote and support each other.

Their blog posts leading up to Valentine's Day offer up a selection of original artwork, cards, candles, jewelry and apparel. And not only do they give great gift suggestions for that special someone - they even give suggestions for the perfect outfit to wear on that big date night!

Not in New York or want to get a head start on your shopping?
You can always check out the designers here http://thenewnew.blogspot.com/

To further check out their shops see:
Artbyiris.Etsy.com
BeadScarf.Etsy.com
BrooklynButterfly.Etsy.com
BrooklynBee.Etsy.com
CakeHouse.Etsy.com
DewOnAPetal.Etsy.com
DewOnAPetalHome.Etsy.com
FineArtist.Etsy.com
JTStitches.Etsy.com
KimmChi.Etsy.com
LucidDreamDesigns.Etsy.com
NinaDinoff.Etsy.com
MsKittyFantastico.Etsy.com
Stereoette.Etsy.com

Finger Eleven Rocks The Casba

Desirai — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 18:15:00 +0000

So I had the total pleasure of showing up to work the other day and finding out that Finger Eleven was in the office. I must admit this info made it really hard to concentrate that day. You could tell everyone was hustling and bustling about.

Though I did get a chance to see all of them I was really only formally introduced to James Black. He was a super cool dude and the pleasure was all mine. I really wish I could have gotten a snap shot with him but I guess I had to keep my excitement down to a much lower decibel.

Anyway, if you have no idea who they are you should definitely check them out.

The Last Day Of The Year

Desirai — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 02:32:00 +0000

Holy crap! It's been forever I know, I'm sorry. Life went haywire this December. At the beginning of the month my aunt passed away. As if that weren't bad enough, my stubborn uncle mistakenly left his house early to attend her funeral. On the way there he slipped on ice, hit his head, and landed himself in the hospital with internal bleeding. Needless to say, he never made to his wife's funeral. Weeks later he is still in the hospital suffering with memory loss. He does not remember my aunt passing away nor does he remember the death of his best friend, my godfather, which was earlier this year. We're hoping he will recover but with a fall that bad at 82 years old no one can really tell us what "recovery" means. All we can do is pray for the best.

Today was one of the most unproductive days I've had in a while. John left this morning. He's back in FL now where he'll have to make up missed hours at work. He flew in on Christmas day and spent the remainder of his time helping me straighten up the apartment. There is still much to do but we accomplished more in the 5 days he was here than I have in the last five months, and for that I am greatly appreciative.

Jeff and AJ are in California celebrating his parent's 50th wedding anniversary. That leaves me here, alone, on New Years Eve.

I guess I'll take this time to reflect on the past year, create my new New Year Resolutions, and watch Finger Eleven perfom at Times Square on TV. That's if I haven't missed it already.

Happy New Year Everyone! Please feel free to comment with your new resolutions.

11 Days of Holiday Cheer

Desirai — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 05:01:00 +0000

I recently worked on a contest page for Finger Eleven. They are giving away 11 different prizes for 11 days straight. All you need to do is register and log into the community site once a day to enter. There are also chances for bonus entries. Check out the contest page to find out more.

http://fingereleven.com/11days

$10 Bonus!

Desirai — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 04:24:00 +0000

I've written about ebates before and with the holidays approaching I just had to let you guys know about their new promotion. Ebates is a website you shop through which gives you cash back rebates on purchases from stores like Dell, Target, Walmart, Barnes and Noble, Old Navy, Bloomingdales, JCPenney, Banana Republic, The Body Shop and much much more. Their list is over 800 stores long!

At the moment Ebates is offering $10 cash back (instead of their usual and immediate $5 cash back) when you sign up and make your first purchase. I wish I could still get the $10 rebate but unfortunately for me I'm already a member.

I've received $232.84 in cash rebates to date! They've also recently added a paypal feature so you can receive your rebates electronically instead of by check. Rebates are distributed quarterly. Start getting money back from the purchases you make. Sign-up by using the link below.

Rock My Holidays

Desirai — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 17:30:00 +0000

So how was everyone's Thanksgiving? Mine went well. I spent it at my cousin Cary's house in Long Island. She made Carrot Suffle again this year which I was totally excited about. Did any of you have anything new for your Thanksgiving dinner?

I finally returned to work today after missing a week. I had strep throat. It was terrible. I think I lost some weight. Eating was a chore as it was often too painful to swallow. But I'm doing much better now.

Anyway, I wanted to leave you guys with a pretty cool Wish List link. It's something I recently worked on. Give/get the gift of music this holiday season! http://winduprecords.com/holidays

Grow. Cut. Share. Shine.

Desirai — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 00:04:00 +0000

Pantene Pro V has recently launched their Beautiful Lengths campaign to encourage men and women of all ages to donate 8 inches of hair. The donated hair will be used to create free wigs for cancer patients. One wig takes approximately three to four months to make and uses about six ponytails worth of hair.

Their current goal is to reach a million inches of hair and from the response they've been getting, I don't think they'll have a problem. Hilary Swank has made an example of herself by donating her own 8 inches. My friend Crystal is currently in the process of doing the same. I would have loved to participate but unfortunately I have permanently dyed hair. =(

You can donate your hair individually or even participate in/host a cutting event. For more information on how you can make a difference, visit:

Sick Puppies and Free Hugs

Desirai — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 04:04:00 +0000

This evening I decided I would change my myspace profile music which was playing 'A Girl Named Tex' by Trocadero from the Red Vs. Blue Soundtrack. Working at Wind-up has made me rather obsessed with Evanescence, so I went their myspace; I was going to use Lithium as my new song. However, while on their myspace I saw mention of Sick Puppies, a band I recognized and liked from listening to itunes radio. I used the song "My World" from them instead.

I started reading the Sick Puppies bio which talked about their "All the Same" video and the Free Hugs campaign. The following comes directly from the Sick Puppies myspace bio:

"Even if you don’t know Sydney, Australia modern rock trio Sick Puppies, you’ve probably seen their groundbreaking “Free Hugs,” video, which has garnered more than 11 million views on YouTube.com since it started streaming on the site last year. The heartwarming clip chronicles the true life adventures of a man who walks around holding a billboard that reads “Free Hugs," the police who ban his humanitarian crusade, and the petition that earned him back the right to provide hugs to citizens in need.

The “Free Hugs” video, which accompanied the band’s song “All The Same,” earned Sick Puppies exposure on Oprah, Jay Leno, “60 Minutes” and CNN, and inspired people around the world to begin their own free hugs campaigns. It also propelled “All the Same” into a top-requested single at commercial radio stations across North America. But while the “Free Hugs” video helped spread the music and message of Sick Puppies, the band is anything but an overnight success."

Please leave your comments I'd love to hear what everyone else thinks about this video.

The Buttered Roll of Death

Desirai — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 02:17:00 +0000

What could be more exciting than cutting your thumb open with a plastic knife? That's right. I said plastic knife. Can I get any clumsier?

=( It still hurts actually. Stupid plastic knife. I blame the bread roll. Maybe I should refrain from getting a roll with my salad next time.

The Panhandling Profession

Desirai — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 19:38:00 +0000

I was severely irritated on the train this morning. Being a New Yorker I thought I had grown accostumed to the panhandling on the trains. I now wonder if my perspective has changed or if panhandling is on the rise.

I would like to point out that I feel there is a great difference between being a performing street artist and a panhandler. Yes the artists ask for Money too, but they don't beg for it. Additionally, they are trying to work for their money using their talents and not some lame story that may or may not tug on my heart strings.

I often give money to the singers, rappers, drum players and dancers which grace the NY city streets and trains with their talents. Normally I escape the panhandlers by keeping my head down and avoiding eye contact. Sometimes you see the same people. It's usually within a span of months so it's not that big a deal.

Today however I saw the same guy that was begging on the train on Friday. He made me so angry I almost spoke up and said something. His voice irritated me but not nearly as much as his rehearsed plea. The plea that began with "Ladies and Gentlemen, I don't normally do this..." What he said was verbatim to the same song and dance he gave on Friday. The inflection and emphasis on certain words was identical. I was nauseated.

There was nothing about this man that said "I can't work". He was not handicapped. He was not dressed in rags. He was well groomed and yet for some reason felt that us MTA riders should pay for his survival. I think what angers me the most is that he couldn't even respect our intelligence enough to change his story up a little. I felt as though he was silently mocking all of us. I came so close to standing up and shouting "Don't give this man any money! He's probably been telling the same lame story for years!" I wanted to call him out and ridicule him. :deep breath: I can go on... but I think I just need to rant a little to feel better.

lol, In all honesty the only reason I didn't speak up against him was because he mentions 'I just got out of jail' in his little tale. He never reveals what he was in jail for. It would my luck for him to get violently mad and take hostages. I didn't want to be responsible for the lives of all the commuters on the train.

I hope he picks a new train.

Cool Contests

Desirai — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 22:20:00 +0000

I admit it. The real reason I'm posting these is cause I actually designed the banners and the Evanescence contest page. But either way these are some cool contests so you might as well enter them. =)

The Elite

Desirai — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 21:59:00 +0000

I'm a person of few addictions. Unfortunately some of those addictions include electronics and shopping, and/or shopping for electronics. This weekend we spontaneously decided to buy another Xbox 360. My other one is still in FL. I left it with John, and since he bought Halo 3 I felt evil taking it away from him.

I was really excited about the release of Guitar Hero III and so I talked Jeff into getting another Xbox. Apparently the original 360 wasn't good enough for Jeff. He wanted the Elite. For those of you unfamiliar with gaming consoles, the Elite is a black Xbox 360. It's kind of sexy if I do say so myself. In addition to being black it also comes with a 120 GB hard drive, HDMI cable, black wireless controller, and a black headset.

We also got Halo 3, Gears of War, and Spiderman 3. I reserved Rock Band and Guitar Hero III. Jeff is actually on his way to pick it up as I type this. God I can't wait to play. Guitar Hero III has online multi player capabilities, need I say more?

Ok, I must get back to my freelance work so that I can leave a little time open to play tonight.

Much Love,
Desirai

All Apologies

Desirai — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 21:56:00 +0000

I'm so sorry guys. I haven't done an Etsy Monday's feature in a few weeks, but do not fret. I will still continue to do them in the future. I've just had a lot of things going on lately.

Firstly, I spent a ton of time looking for a job. I'm happy to report that I'm currently working as a paid intern at a record company in NYC. I do Graphic Design and Web related tasks (for the label's artists), which includes but is not limited to:

Designing Google banners

Maintaining artist's myspaces

Developing and designing contest pages and e-cards

The people there are great and have made me feel incredibly welcome. My internship is supposed to end shortly before the new year. Really I'm hoping they'll adopt me as a new member of their family. I love it there! I guess we'll see what happens. Everyone cross your fingers for me!

Aside from that I've been using my days off to finish up all my freelance projects. I still have a few more to go but should have some free time beginning in November. Please stay tuned!

2008 Calendars

Desirai — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 02:22:00 +0000

The 2008 Calendars are finally done. You can purchase one at Hey Pretty Cupcake on Etsy. My photograph was used for the month of September. =) I think I'm going to head over and pick one up. You should do the same!

Seriously... go buy it.

Seether "Fake It" Video Premiere

Desirai — Sat, 20 Oct 2007 01:49:00 +0000

Come see the new Seether video, Fake It, here at Desirai.com on October 23.

A Lesson in Savings

Desirai — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 12:32:00 +0000

Tia Pucha called me yesterday, rushed me to get dressed and told me to meet her by the movie theater. I had mentioned the day before that I needed to go food shopping and apparently she, George and Rosaura were going to Pathmark. She knew I didn't have much to spend and so she began going through coupons as soon as we got there.

She let me use her Pathmark card at check out, which allowed me to save $14. In return my purchase earned her an additional 100 something points towards winning a free Thanksgiving turkey.

Seeing how much money I actually saved made me want to save more. Perhaps it's worth investing the time in clipping coupons and such. I then remembered ebates (I imagine the name is combination of electronic and rebates). Ebates is a website that you shop through and earn a percentage back from each store. The list of stores is insane and they are stores I'm SURE you've heard of. Old navy is one of them; I happen to do all my son's clothes shopping there. They always have great items in their clearance section. Seriously, what's better than getting clothes on clearance and then getting 3% back on what you just bought? I used to shop on ebates a lot but completely forgot about it since I've been totally broke lately.

The percentage you get back actually varies depending on which store you buy from. For instance you get 4% back at Target, Walmart, and Barnes & Noble but only 2% at Kmart and KB Toys. By the way if you're a person that shops at the actual Barnes and Noble store, you might want to consider purchasing from them online. They're ALWAYS cheaper especially when you include their member discount and the fact that you get free shipping on purchases over $25. I just made the mistake of buying a book in the store which cost me $36 (it was a Web Design book) and it was online for $28!

But I digress... The ebate checks are issued quarterly. You can have your check mailed to you or get your money via Paypal. The Paypal thing is new and I'm totally psyched about it. I know it sounds too good to be true but I swear I'm not making this up. I've actually received $212.84 back to date and have convinced my computer literate family members to sign up too. It was a while ago that I signed up, but I'm pretty sure they even give you $5 just for signing up. If you're an online shopper and shop at even 1 of the stores I mentioned it's definitely worth looking into, and I can assure you, the list of participating stores is nuts.

And I leave you with that, my fellow readers... Save on!

Much love,
Desirai

What's Your Secret?

Desirai — Sun, 14 Oct 2007 01:19:00 +0000

I don't normally read the blogger blog; yesterday I did. It mentioned a site called PostSecret. I had heard of it and even visited the site once before, however reading about it again made me all the more interested.

PostSecret is an art project. It was started by Frank Warren after an interesting lucid dream he had during his first trip to Paris. The rules were simple; submit a true secret on a decorated post card; one you've never told anyone.

Since the project began in 2004 more than 180,000 secrets have been submitted and the fourth PostSecret book, A Lifetime of Secrets, was recently released.

I didn't expect to be so interested but after revisiting the site, I had to get the book. I picked it up at Barnes and Noble today and began reading it while eating lunch at Sotto Vocce. I was only able to get through a handful of pages before my eyes began to water. Reading the deepest, darkest secrets of strangers was really emotional for me. It was obvious I couldn't continue reading it while at the restaurant.

As soon as I got home I took the book out of the bag and reveled in it's unique, colorful pages. I sat there until I read every single secret. I don't have any money right now, but when I do, I'll be buying the other three books.

The PostSecret Art Project has helped so many people deal with and release the skeletons in their own closet. New secrets are posted every Sunday on postsecrets.blogspot.com. You can submit your own secret by sending a 4x6 decorated postcard to:

PostSecret
13345 Cooper Ridge Rd
Germantown, Maryland 20874

For more information about the PostSecret Art Project, or if you'd like to read some secrets, visit:

The Post Secret Blog
The Post Secret Community