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Pug Life

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Friday, March 30, 2012

101 Dalmation Molly


I own two fish, a Black Molly and a Platy. I don’t know their sex, but I figured I was safe since they’re not the same species. So, imagine my surprise when I was doing routine cleaning yesterday and discovered this: 


What the hell? I’ve had these fish for four months, so I don’t think I bought it pregnant. I didn’t think they could breed together. My boyfriend has taken to calling it Mutant Super-Fish and thinks it’s just great.

During my failed attempts last year at keeping fish from Petsmart, I was sold two male Dalmation Molly’s. Or so I thought, until I came home to a tank full of babies.

“They’ll eat the babies”, Petsmart told me. Only, they didn’t. 

“Well, if you don’t want them you can just… dispose of them”, Petsmart told me. That sounds like a pleasant way to spend an afternoon…  

I eventually got a manager to agree to exchange my female and her babies.

Now, I assure you I bear no hatred toward infant fish. It’s just that I have only a 10-gallon aquarium. It can’t sustain that many bodies. This new guy is just one teeny fish. But, he’ll grow. He might try to make more babies. Then it’ll be 101 Dalmation Molly all over again.


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Wednesday, March 28, 2012

When Facebook Ads Go Terribly Right


This little targeted ad fail reminded me of a fascinating article I read last month in the New York Times. Where others might have been horrified at the notion that Target knows you’re pregnant before you do, I found it completely intriguing both on a scientific, and a marketing level (after graduation I completed an 8-month stint as a marketing intern and I’ve been interested in the field ever since).

As a consumer, I completely embrace this new “invasion of privacy” so many seem to be leery of. I happily let CVS track my tampon and lipstick purchasing history. It’s a fair trade for the thrill of scanning my Extra Care card and having coupons print out of the red machine in the front of the store.

In high school I worked at Michael’s and the company would frequently do tests in which we had to ask customer’s for their zip codes. The information was used to decide which newspapers to place ads in. It astounded me the amount of people who indignantly told me that I didn’t need their zip code and I couldn’t have it. 


What do you think? Are people just inherently nutty, or am I selling my soul to Panera for a free cookie on my loyalty card? All I am sure of, is I don't want to receive any diaper coupons from Target anytime soon. This baby is all the baby I need for the foreseeable future.





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Sunday, March 25, 2012

DIY: Newspaper Seed Pots



In my quest to be more like a (sub)urban Martha Stewart, I decided to kick my garden up a notch this year and start my plants from seed.

Being the cheap thrifty person I am, I eschewed formal seed-starting kits and instead found this handy tutorial for newspaper seed pots. Free and Green. I like. 






I strayed from the tutorial here by adding masking tape to hold the bottom together. Without it, I wasn't able to create a secure pot.



All Planted
Hopefully, in the coming weeks I'll have positive updates on the progress of my seedlings.


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Friday, March 23, 2012

Hunger Games

I'm not usually a reader of Young Adult books, which is why I'm glad I came across the Hunger Games series long before I knew about the hype. Had I not been clueless, I may have written it off as just another Twilight. With that in mind, I decided to brave the throngs of teenage girls and see a midnight showing of the film tonight. I may have been 10 years older than the average audience member, but I wasn't about to let that stop me from representing the Girl On Fire.

One of my favorite YouTube beauty gurus did a whole series of makeup looks inspired by the districts of Panem. I went with a look based on her District 12 Tutorial. I loved that it incorporated not only the fire theme, but coal as well.  


My full look - waiting in line for midnight.

As for the movie, I was really pleased. Like any book to movie, there is a lot of stuff missing, but I think the filmmakers did a good job of staying true to the heart of the story and getting all the most important stuff in. 

Jennifer Lawrence did an awesome job displaying the wide range of emotions Katniss was going through despite having very little actual dialogue for long parts of the movie. And Elizabeth Banks blew me away as Effie Trinket. The makeup artists on this film deserve every award available to them!

I hope that anyone who hasn't read the books gives them a chance, and isn't put off by the hype.


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Monday, March 19, 2012

DIY: Easter Egg Wreath


I have been anxiously waiting for weeks to make this Easter Egg Wreath. The tutorial I used as inspiration can be found here.  I liked this tutorial because it used cardboard instead of a wreath form, and since I was making multiple wreaths, free sounded especially good.

Let's Craft!



I used a dinner plate to create my circle. 




For the cut-out, I just jabbed my scissors through the center and winged it. It worked. 



You'll notice I ripped some eggs off during this process. To avoid that, follow the picture and hot-glue your outside ring of eggs first.
Then, add the inner ring.
Squirt hot glue into all the crevices, and use a dowel to push Easter grass into the glue.
Apply your top row of eggs.
Add a ribbon, hang, and admire!



Bonus Photo: The aftermath of the first Pug shot. 

Linking up here and here.

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Saturday, March 17, 2012

St. Patrick's Day Memories


Or, close enough.

About 20 years ago, I was in my front yard and happened upon a four-leaf clover. In my excitement, I immediately ran to show my mom. Halfway to her location in the backyard I felt a pain, looked down, and discovered half a roofing nail protruding from my foot.

My mom wrapped the foot in gauze and off we went to Children’s Hospital. I sat on the floor waiting for my turn (stoically I might add – in my recollection of these events I was exceedingly calm and brave beyond my years).

The next thing I know, some brat is barreling toward me in one of those red Little Tikes cars and completely clobbers my foot which still contains the business end of a nail.

I'm bringing the PAIN!
H. and his "Crazy Coupe" Image used under Creative Commons from found_drama.

The point to this post?  In my world, four-Leaf clovers don’t bring you good luck. They bring you tetanus shots.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

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Wednesday, March 14, 2012

DIY: Plant Markers


Last year I was fairly successful in maintaining a container garden on the back patio of our townhouse. I recently came across these plant markers on Pinterest and knew I wanted something similar for this year’s garden.

The original tutorial includes a great download, but it wasn’t exactly what I wanted for my own markers. Namely, there were no herbs represented. I also wanted words on mine, to differentiate between varieties. 

Using Microsoft Publisher, I typed the name of the vegetable, and copy and pasted a corresponding image from Google.  









My scientific method for determining the correct image size. For reference, my font was size-5.
The markers, sandwiched between two flat-bottom clear marbles
Use a large dollop of hot-glue, and sink the marble down into it

I added extra glue around the base of the marble, to ensure a secure hold.

I had twine on hand, so I used that to cover the excess glue. Secure with a tiny dot of additional hot glue on the back.
Admire your handiwork!
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Update: Check out my container garden with plant markers in action! 

Linking Up: How To Nest For Less, Ginger Snap Crafts, Uncommon Designs, The Shabby Creek Cottage

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Monday, March 12, 2012

Oh crap. When did I grow up?


At some point during the 3 years since I’ve graduated from college, I missed the memo that I’m an adult now. There seems to be some sort of disconnect in my mind, whereby other 26 year olds are grown-ups, and I’m a fledgling child. I look at former classmates who are married and producing children and my initial reaction is shock and disbelief… as if they’re candidates for 16 and Pregnant… and then I remember that we are closer to 30 than 20. Those “old people” I look at who are settled down with a family, they’re the same age as me. I’m the weird one.  What the hell is my problem?

The short answer is – I have no idea. I entered college knowing precisely where I wanted to go with my life, and I left more confused than ever. Some days I have no idea whatsoever what I want to do, and other days I have so many ideas I couldn’t possibly fulfill them all in one lifetime.  

The one common denominator is writing. I enjoy it, I crave the creative outlet, and I like to think I’m pretty good at it. That’s where this blog comes in. Hopefully, through this medium I can learn what it is exactly I want to do when I grow up. And more importantly, become okay with not knowing just yet. 

Oh, you're writing? I'm going to invade your space now.

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Friday, March 9, 2012

The Carrot Experiment

Even on a good day pugs can barely breathe, so it's important to watch their weight. In a futile effort to become Pug's favorite, my boyfriend gives him way too much food. I couldn't sit back and wait until Pug was a Beggin' Strip away from a coronary before I took action.

Puglet over at The Daily Puglet is relegated to carrots when he starts getting what he calls "tubey", so I thought it might be a good alternative for Pug.

This morning I busted open a bag of baby carrots and acted as if they were any other meaty treat. The results? Well, the pictures speak for themselves.

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Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Welcome

I realize that just about everyone and their mother has a blog these days, but this is my first go at it. I like to think I have a bit of street-cred when it comes to writing – I have a degree in Journalism and was a bona fide reporter for my college newspaper. And, like so many of my fellow classmates, I’m currently unemployed. I figured this was as good an outlet as any for my pent up musings.

Despite the name, this blog will not be entirely devoted to how adorable my pug is (he's not even my only dog, see the pumpkin below). It’s just that once you own a pug, the wrinkly creatures quickly encompass every facet of your life. I hope to also share my love of photography, cooking, crafting and whatever else happens to occupy my mind at the moment.

So, with that out of the way:

Welcome to my Pug Life. 

My Fam: Molly and Pug in their Halloween finest

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