#being so serious it will be treated like junk mail

[fasttiger]

I commend everyone who has called their representative/senator about Palestine I really do but as someone who has worked in a congressional office 99% of the time it will go straight in the trash or you'll get an automated response back and the actual representative/senator will never see it.

If there is something more effective you can do with your time/energy to help Palestinians, do that.

[tmngoose]

It’s time to info dump Rikki junk. The timeline is a little discombobulated but whatever:

(TW for child/general abuse &murder/death)

Rikki’s family estate is located in the spirit world, which is accessible via portals in the hidden city and secret areas on the surface (Earth).

The former head of the house—her Grunkle Gef—left to tour the surface as his popularity among the humans as a beloved folklore cryptid gives him joy in his profession.

Rikki’s mother (name TBD) becomes head of the house. Unlike Gef, she takes things very seriously. She is far from nurturing. Similar to Big Mama, she is a yūrei who hides behind the guise of a beautiful lady only to hide her true form.

If anyone stepped out of line, they’d be punished: physically or mentally. (Rikki will tell you, “Open hand slaps were for little things. Backhands were for serious offenses. And if she put the rings on, you knew you were in trouble.”) ‘Naughty children’ were locked in a shed—the isolation shed.

Somehow Rikki survives childhood and recognizes the way her mother treats her cousins and siblings is… wrong. Past Rikki’s apathetic facade: she provides the emotional care to her younger siblings/cousins that her mother never did. It’s where her soft-spot for children comes from.

The family business lies in hauntings and other ghostly activities. Some of Rikki’s siblings become successful in the business world, providing haunting advice and lending their spooky talents. They attend prestigious colleges and start their own families because that’s what mother wants of them. To tarnish Grunkle Gef’s legacy would mean instant abandonment.

Rikki applies to Hidden City University and eats the rejection letter. She forges a fake acceptance letter and deceives her mother. Rikki attends Hidden City Community College and for the first time, interacts with other yōkai.

For the most part, things go swimmingly. Although Rikki’s quick to learn yūreis get a bad rep thanks to those who are malicious, greedy, and horrible. Afraid of being exposed and judged, Rikki hides her ghostly self from others.

After graduating, Rikki lies to her mother (again) about getting a job and won’t be returning home for a while. Her mother is pleased and tells Rikki not to tarnish their family’s reputation.

Rikki performs odd jobs around the Hidden City: part time gigs that help her get by. Anything is better than going home and dealing with her mother.

One night, a group of yōkai attempt to mug Rikki, who uses her yūrei powers to thwart their plans. Somehow, through flattery and promises of respect, Rikki joins their gang—one of the many criminal syndicates that operates under Big Mama. Thus begins her criminal record.

But as time passes, Rikki notices nobody respects her and stealing things loses its appeal when her boss stops praising her. It clicks: the desire to impress people like her boss and her mother, just for a shred of praise and affirmation.

Upon this epiphany, Rikki states her resignation from the gang. It does not bode well for Rikki, who is left for dead by her boss in an alley.

… and, Rikki does die. Well, her body/vessel dies. When yūreis in possession of a ‘living-vessel’ die, the ‘ectoplasm regeneration process’ (ERP!) kicks in. Ectoplasm from around the body slowly pours into the wound, regenerating the fatal damages until ‘brought back to life.’

It’s during ERP that one must ‘sit vigil’ with the body, since it’s at its most vulnerable. Sitting with the body speeds up the regeneration process: something about ‘knowing someone is waiting for them to come back’ encourages the ectoplasm to return to the body faster.

(It’s not the first time Rikki’s died, btw. Gang work is dangerous stuff and sometimes sacrificing Rikki’s life was a trade off to get the rest of the gang out of harm’s way.)

Well… nobody wants to deal with a yūrei, especially when sitting vigil entails sitting in a trash laden alleyway.

… but that’s where Rikki lucks out! Clem discovers Rikki and decides to sit vigil. It’s the first time anyone’s ever done so and Rikki gets very emotional.

With no place to go—wanted by the Hidden city Police, her old gang keen on rubbing her out if they crossed paths, and her mother’s fury/the strictness of the family estate—Clem offers Rikki a job on the surface, stating it’s not a bad place to start over.

And so, Rikki leaves both the Hidden City & the spirit world behind for NYC. She lives in Clem’s shop for a while. But life on the streets as a criminal in the Hidden City is hard to shake. Rikki tends to swipe things from Clem’s secret store room and sells them to shady mutants/yōkai for a little extra pocket cash.

Rikki eventually gets tired of living in the candy store and answers an ad for someone looking for a roommate.

It turns out to be Red Fox. They get along great. Rikki even takes the risk of telling Red she’s a yūrei and Red doesn’t bat an eye!

Acceptance? A stable work environment? It’s more likely than you think!

Through Clem, Rikki meets the members of the Evil League of Mutants. They’re cool with one another (except Warren) and even goes as far as adding them to her ‘clientele’ — passing them ‘the good stuff’ from Clem’s stock room for food, money, or anything useful (you know, the barter system).

Does Rikki miss the Hidden City? Yeah, sometimes. Does she miss home? No, not really—but she does miss her younger siblings/cousins and she does feel guilty about not being there to protect them from her mother. She worries particularly for her baby cousin, Civette, who relied on Rikki’s presence. She’d write to her but the mail gets screened by her mother’s servants; too risky.

There’s this constant dread floating around Rikki. She fears of her mother finding out about her criminal record & her lies. And since Clem has ties with Big Mama (at least in my head he does), the thought of her old gang finding her whereabouts or causing trouble.

But for now, she’s got a good thing going: she’s employed, she has a roof over her head, a really great roommate (👀), and friends! Friends who care about her! It’s easier not to think the consequences will never catch her when things are finally looking up.

[avengemebucky]

Acceptance

ACCEPTANCE // STEVE ROGERS X READER

for @redgillan‘s Steve Rogers’ 100th Birthday emotional writing challenge!

AN: I am so sorry but I got way too invested in this, any this may or may not be way over the max word count... i’m really sorry, but I think/hope the story makes up for it... I hope you enjoy this little fluff ball of a piece, I sure did! (not really edited yet!)

Warnings: Kissing, Sugar sweet fluff

WC: 2249

MASTERLIST

Steve didn’t enjoy filling out paperwork about missions and recons, but he made sure to never get behind in his work… meaning frequent opt-outs of fun activities like Friday movie nights or a boy’s night out to work instead. That’s why the mountains of paperwork now placed on his desk felt like a kick to the stomach. Storming out of his office towards Tony’s, he knocks before entering (though he’s angry, our man still has manners).

“What’s up, Capsicle?” Tony sat reclined in his office chair, feet on desk, staring out his floor-to-ceiling windows, doing nothing, as usual (much to Steve’s annoyance).

“Tony, what the heck is that pile of papers doing in my office? They can’t be mine… from the amount of papers I had to do last week, I shouldn’t have to see deskwork for a lifetime.”

“Sorry Cap… Barnes did some pretty heavy damage to the Kremlin during our last assignment… if you’re angry, bring it to him. He thought the best way to infiltrate was going through a century-old stained glass sky light.” Tony rubbed his forehead, feeling the impending headache coming just from recalling last week’s mission.

Steve sighs and nods. Typical. He was going to give Bucky a scolding about the importance and integrity of protecting historical landmarks the next time he sees him. He sits down in front of Tony, feeling the weight of work to be done gnaw at him. “Tony… I think I need a secretary, or someone to help me with all of this paperwork. I’m so tired... it’s exhausting working alone. I’ve missed three consecutive movie nights because of it, and I don’t want to miss another.”

A few beats pass before Tony nods in agreement. “Alright, Rogers… It’s your job to hire ‘em though.”

-

Steve never know that accepting your application as his aid would change so many aspects of his life. Sure, he knew that his workload would become much lighter with your help, but he expected your relationship to stop there. He never thought it would grow to so much more…

-

“Y/N… can you help me with my email… it’s so full of stuff that… it doesn’t make any sense.” 

Concerned, you look up from the half completed form towards Steve’s desk to find him frazzled by whatever was on his screen. It had been your third week working for Steve and you couldn’t have been happier for sending in an application. He was kind, fair and wasn’t afraid to ask for help when he needed it, making your job easier and more directed.

 You stands and makes your way towards him. “Sure, Steve! What seems to be the-” 

You interrupts yourself with a chuckle at the sight of Steve’s window. 35,678 unread emails, at least 75% being junk or spam mail advertising weird weight loss products or “investment opportunities”.  

“Steve- jesus, what did you do? Sign up for a Ponzi scheme?” You found the amount of mail he had accumulated quite amusing.

 “Well, I got an email one day from a foreign prince... he needed help, a contribution to a campaign to free him-” Steve looked so innocent trying to explain the situation.

 Silence lingers a while before you respond. “Steve, please tell me you didn’t give them money.” 

You sigh when Steve avoids your gaze.

 “He needed help, Y/N… how could I say no? Of course I did!” 

Refusing to accept that people can be conned online just like real life, you spent the next half hour trying to explain to Steve that there was no “prince that needed help” and that he had been scammed, leading to the thousand other emails that he had received because of his “donation to the cause”. The situation still to this day makes you chuckle; Captain America’s heart is too big and naive for justice. 

“I hate the internet…” Steve huffed as you began to create a new email account.

-

“Steve, you’re just going to have to accept the fact that I’m better than you at Mario Kart”, you said nonchalantly, throwing your controller on the couch after winning you 5th race against him. You and Steve had grown close from your constant working together, seeing your time shared begin to bleed into your personal lives. 

“No, no-hey! Don’t leave yet, we still have one more round of the cup!” trying to grab your wrist before you were out of reach. Unfortunately for Steve, you had dodged his attempt and headed into the kitchen. Bringing back a few sodas and snacks, Steve smiles at your care to bring his favorite (and secret) peanut M&M’s as well as the snack of your choice.

He had let you in on his secret stash of goodies when the paperwork had become especially tedious and kindly shared access to his treats whenever you needed a pick-me-up. When Bucky had seen you sneaking out a Milky Bar one day, he ran to Steve to inform him of the so-called “breach”. Steve brushed it off, saying he let you in on his stash. He would never forget the way Bucky’s jaw dropped.

“Are you serious? You never even told me about your stupid chocolate! The only way I found out was following you around a whole day after seeing you holding a Snickers wrapper” Steve wasn’t ever able to respond to Bucky, even he didn’t know how you had become such a normality in his life. He shrugged at Bucky, continuing to do paperwork, making Bucky stomp off like he usually did.

The sounds of a race starting jumped Steve out of his trance, making him scramble for his controller. “H-hey I wasn’t ready, not fair!” You laughed not even sparing him a glance away from the screen. “Not my fault!” Steve ended up losing the last race of the cup, making Y/N the victor again, for what felt like the hundredth time. You smile beamed as you did a little dance around the living room, basking in your triumph. Steve sat quietly on the couch, taking in your silly shenanigans with a warm smile. If he got to see you like this every time he lost, he could easily accept Mario Kart defeat for the rest of his life.

-

Tony’s call had startled Steve, he had almost dozed off like you had while pulling an all nighter in attempts to get paperwork in on time... though he hadn’t been doing much since you fell asleep. His stolen glances to you occupied most of his time, watching the rhythmic rise and fall of your breaths calming him like no other. 

“Hey Tony, what’s up?” his voice raspy from lack of use.

“I’ve got some good news, Cap! We’re going electronic!” Tony sounded much more excited than Steve could understand.

“Going electronic? What does that mean?”

“That means no more paperwork, pal! I knew that you would want to be the first to hear! Aren’t you siked?”

He wasn’t, not even in the slightest. Though absence of the dreaded filing and writing was going to be refreshing, all Steve could think of what was going to happen to you. His aid to help him complete all the useless crap to wrap a mission, his tech guru (you would always refute him on this), his racing opponent. His best girl.

Tony awkwardly replied to the silence “Uh, you okay Cap? Did the excitement kill you?”

Steve let out a heavy sigh, not playing along with Tony. “No… Tony, what’s going to happen with Y/N?”

“Well… we won’t need her anymore-”

“I need her, Tony”.

Silence laid on the line at Steve’s confession. “She can’t just leave, Tony! We have to find something for her here, she belongs here, I won’t accept this!” Steve’s voice was slowly raising as he became more and more invested in his conversation with Tony, conversing with himself more than he was with Tony. “Tony, if she leaves… I-I don’t know what I’d do with myself. I’d be missing a piece. I need more ti-”

“Steve?”

Steve’s blood ran cold as he turned to your now awake form across from him, looking up confused. “Tony, I gotta go.” “Steve, hold on jus-”

Steve hung up on Tony and looked down on his desk, not ready to meet your eyes. Silent was Steve’s office as you tried to read Steve to the best of his ability. You were always able to read him, knowing when he needed a break, a joke to break the monotony or just some m&m’s to brighten up his day. You had never seen him like this.

“Steve, what’s wrong?”

The storm was evident in his eyes as they finally met yours; clear was the conflict that now raged in that beautiful mind of his. “Y/N… I… I don’t know how longer you’re going to be able to work here. Tony-Tony he made this software and now we won’t have to do paperwork… If I don’t have paperwork, then… then I don’t have you, Y/N.”

Steve had never hated silence more than he did now, having to bear the quiet as you took in every word he had said to you. His heart broke as you began to collect your coat and belongings around his office.

“Y/N, please wait…” Steve silenced when he saw you turn back to him. Slowly you raised your hand to his cheek, letting your thumb run over his strong cheekbones. “Don’t worry about it Steve. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Walking towards the door, Steve rushed after you, refusing to accept your leaving if you hadn’t understood him. “No, Y/N, you don’t understand…”

You had already walked out as he followed, feet planting outside of his office as he sees your lack of pause to Steve’s pleading. “There’s nothing left for us to do now!” He shouted down the hallway. Your attitude confused Steve, quickly turning to walk backwards to throw him a chirpy

“Go to sleep, Rogers! We’ve got a lot of paperwork to do tomorrow!”

Accepting that this might be the last time he will see you, he makes it to the elevator before it closes and kisses you with such force, that you both are pushed into the elevator’s wall. First shocked at the surprise of Steve’s attack, your eyes slowly close in bliss, smiling into the kiss. Steve is about to slip his tongue into your mouth before you push him back slightly to chuckle at his flushed appearance.

“Go to bed, Rogers.” 

Y/N walks out of the elevators, leaving Steve smiling dopily as the elevators close on him, returning him back up to his office floor. Though he doesn’t know what she has up her sleeves, he knows that after that kiss, Y/N won’t leave him. 

She’s accepted him into her life just as much as he had to her.

-

Heavy knocks echo Steve’s room, waking him from his slumber. Deciding to sleep in, Steve felt no rush to get up, knowing that no work was to be done because of Tony’s new software. Getting up, letting the covers fall behind him, Steve opened his door to find a fuming Tony.

“Was this your funny joke? Because NO ONES LAUGHING. You know how much money this took? This was supposed to help you, you idiot! How stupid could you be?”

Firstly confused, Steve quickly finds Tony’s source of anger; in Tony’s peeved grasp was the chip programmed with his new software, now completely destroyed from what seemed to be melted chocolate. Tony’s rampage was quieted in Steve��s mind as he simply connected the dots. Steve chuckled, instantly knowing who the culprit was. 

“I’m sorry, Tony, I’m sure you can fix it…” 

“Well unfortunately, I can’t son, and thanks to your stunt, you’ve punished yourself with even more paperwork… so…. suck on that.” 

Tony stormed off, still mumbling about how stupid Steve was.

Quickly returning to his room to change out of his pajamas, Steve quite literally ran to his office to see if his suspicion was true. As suspected, he saw you and about a hundred or so candy wrappers waiting for him on his desk.

“Sorry Steve, but I had sort of a hankering today…” you joked as he scooped you into his arms in relief, knowing you weren’t going anywhere anytime soon. Reluctantly easing his grip on you, he found you shining, smile and eyes beaming up at him.

“You better not let Tony find out that was you, doll… I don’t know what he would do” Steve smirked down at you.

“I’ll accept the punishment as long as I get to be with you.”

Steve couldn’t contain himself as he scooped you into his arms once again, spinning you and him around his tiny little office. Both of your laughter filled the air, happiness almost being tangible in the atmosphere of the room.

Steve, in that moment knew that he was yours, you were his and neither of you would accept anything else. Letting you down, you rubbed out the wrinkles that had resulted from your embrace out of your pencil skirt.

Tucking a piece of hair behind your ear, you went to your respected table and sat, before turning to Steve, seeing he hadn’t moved an inch.

“Ready for paperwork?” You asked up at him, quizzically.

Steve smiles warmly before going behind his desk, getting out the work they hadn’t completed from the night before.

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

-

-

THATS IT! AGH! My longest fic yet, hope you all liked it! Requests are open like always! 

-j

[agoddamnsupernova]

Chapter two is finally up my friends!

Beca is startled awake by the sound of her door being kicked in. She bolts up, eyes wide while Lincoln growls beside her. She makes a hand gesture at the dog to silence him, watching her commanding officer, Master Sergeant Posen, stomp up to her bed. “Yes, Aubrey?”

“That’s Master Sergeant to you, Mitchell,” Aubrey says, arms crossed over her chest. “Until you decide to clean up your act and take part of the pen pal program, you no longer have the privilege of calling me by my first name.”

“This is stupid, Bree,” Beca yawns, stretching her arms above her head.

“Beca, I’m supposed to be intimidating, why are you like this?” Aubrey pouts, relaxing her arms a bit.

“We’ve known each other too long, I know your bark is worse than your bite,” Beca snorts, scratching Lincoln’s ears.

“Whatever, you still have to do the program, everyone in the platoon does,” Aubrey sighs, moving to pet Lincoln, smiling when he licks her.

“I don’t understand why. What’s the point of talking to some civilian?” Beca huffs, flopping down against her pillow.

“It’s been proven to help relieve stress to have an outsider to vent to,” the older girl replies, shaking her head a bit. “And since today is a light day for you, you have no excuse.”

Beca opens her mouth to argue but gets smacked in the face with a notebook and then the pen follows. “Asshole!”

“Get writing, Mitchell!”

Beca is running through courses with the bomb dogs when the mail gets delivered, surprised when the private hands her a letter. “Thanks,” she says, motioning with one hand for Bowser to sit while she tucks the letter away.

She looks at the dog with a quirked brow and he just snorts at her, his tail beating the sand. “Yeah, yeah, I know it’s almost lunchtime for you guys,” she says, smiling at the way Bowser huffs at her. “Search.”

The dog immediately goes from playful to serious as he starts sniffing around the course, sitting next to a desk in the corner. She opens the drawer and smiles wide, patting his head. “Good boy,” she hums, tucking the package laced with volatiles into her bag. “Search.”

She runs through this with three more dogs before she’s taking their small pack back to their partners. Most training was done with their partners but once week Beca would run courses privately. She’d been their best handler in years and somehow earned the respect of all the others.

By the time they had dropped off all the dogs, Lincoln was happily wagging his tail beside her, ready for food, water, and a nice nap. “Come on buddy, let’s go get you some lunch,” she smiles, patting his head when he yips.

Beca grabs herself a tray of food and settles down at a table, setting Lincoln’s bowls on the ground, nodding when he tilts his head at her. He yips again before digging into his food happily. Beca picks at her food as she pulls her letter out of the pocket she had stashed it in. “Emily Junk.”

She snorts a little and tears into the envelope, cursing when it tears down the back, a few photos spilling onto the table. She scrambles to pick them up, not wanting them to blow away. A strangled whine comes from her lips as a hand snatches a photo off the table. “Hey!”

“Damn, Mitchell, your girl is smokin’ hot,” her fellow Sergeant, Cynthia Rose, comments, smirking at the picture. “How’d you manage to hook someone like this?”

“She’s not-I’m not, give it back!” Beca stumbles over her words, standing to try and snatch the photo back, only to have the taller woman hold it high in the air. “Don’t be such a cock!”

“Did I hear that right, Beca has a girlfriend?” Aubrey asks, a slight smile on her face as she watches Beca try to jump for the photo.

“I don’t!” Beca shouts, crossing her arms over her chest. “She’s just my fuckin pen pal.”

“Look at her, Bree,” CR chuckles, handing the photo over to the blonde who grins.

“Looks like you hit the jackpot, Bec,” Aubrey teases, handing the photo back. “Don’t screw it up.”

“Screw you, dude,” Beca huffs, tucking the photo along with the rest of the letter back into her pocket. “Come on, Lincoln, let’s go take a nap.”

Beca is curled up in bed when she finally gets a chance to read Emily’s letter and she spends the whole of it grinning at the slightly wrinkled piece of paper. “You’re something else, Junk,” she hums to herself, looking at the photos she included.

There’s one of a rather large tuxedo cat she assumes is Bun, the next is that of a sunset across a lake and the third is of Emily. She’s smiling at the camera, her dark hair falling around her face in waves. “Fuck, look at those eyes,” Beca says to Lincoln, who quirks his head at her. “She's got big brown eyes, man.”

Beca sighs softly, pulling a tin lunch box from under her bed, placing the letter and photos into it. There’s a few other letters inside, mostly from her mom, but there’s a few from her best friend Jesse, the man always knew how to make her smile.

She spends a few moments just soaking it in before she's rooting around for her notebook and pen.

Emily,

Lincoln is currently laid with his head on my legs, I assure you I will give him lots of love from you. It’ll spoil him I’m sure, but it should be worth it. When I opened your letter earlier the photos fell out and some of my friends teased me about you. They think you’re hot. I can’t say I disagree, but I would have phrased it better than “damn she’s smokin’ hot” but I mean, I’m not going to argue that fact. Cynthia Rose can be a bit crass, but when she’s right...she’s right.

The picture of the lake, that’s the lake at Bardon, right? My dad is a teacher there, you might know him. If you do, ask him why he doesn’t send his daughter letters anymore. I’m just kidding, you don’t have to do that, but he really is a pretty cool guy, even if he picked a monster to marry after he and my mom split. I hope you had a fun weekend with your friends, make sure to send me lots of pictures and the stories behind them. I’d kill for a lake right now.

Lincoln and I get shipped out tomorrow to clear some big areas, wish me luck. I don’t want to get blasted feet in the air again if I can help it. Lincoln is good, but shit happens sometimes, ya know? I’m honestly more worried for him than myself, I bounce back pretty quick but he’s still a pup, three years old and this is what he’s doing with his life. One day though, he’ll have a plush lawn and all the treats he can eat and a family to keep him safe. I just gotta keep him in one piece until then.

It’ll probably be a little while before I can write back, so just don’t worry too much. I signed up for this after all. Few more years and I’ll rotate out and be able to have a semi-normal life again, maybe. Who knows, my mom always told me there was no such thing as normal, but then again she was in the army too, so I could just have a skewed perspective of the world.

If you’re serious about the cheetos...can you get the jalapeno cheddar kind? I would fuckin kiss you if you did. Like the spicy salty combo is my favorite thing ever. I will get on my knees and worship you. ....That...that sounded dirty and I didn’t mean it like that. Well, I mean, unless you’re into that...I’m going to stop writing now.

-Beca

She shakes her head a bit, looking at Lincoln who is watching her. “I’m an idiot,” she chuckles and he just grunts as he gets comfortable. She pokes his side as she gets up, rummaging through her duffle to find the Polaroid camera her best friend had sent her ages ago.

She brushes her fingers through her hair a few times before she moves to pull Lincoln close to her, making sure he’s looking at the camera. “Say cheese, buddy,” she says, smiling at the lens. She clicks it after a moment, trying not to blink when the flash blinds her.

She shakes the picture while she settles down in bed again, smiling to herself. Lincoln’s tongue is lolling out and she’s grinning at the camera, her hair falling in loose waves around her face. She takes a pen and writes along the bottom. Beca and Lincoln smiling just for you.

She tucks everything into an envelope before bed, her thoughts full of the smiling brunette and her bubbly personality. Maybe she would dream a little dream of a girl across the ocean.

The sun is hot and the ground even hotter, they’ve been slowly clearing a path through the sand toward an empty building for hours now. So far they’ve found forty explosives buried in the dirt, ranging from just barely covered to a few feet down. Beca’s tired of sticking up flags but stays ever vigilant. She’s about to call a break, she knows they both need water, but right as she waves her arm up, hell breaks loose.

Shots are fired from the abandoned building and Beca and Lincoln take off through their carefully plotted path as quickly as they can. “Into the truck!” She hears Aubrey shout and she urges Lincoln ahead of her. She could take a bullet better than he could.

“Go, go, start moving!” Beca shouts as soon as Lincoln is in the truck, she’s got a few years to cover but she wouldn’t be slowing them down. They start moving ahead of her and just when she thinks she’s caught up, a bullet clips her calf. Fire spreads up to her knee and she stumbles hard enough to fall.

“Lincoln, no!” She hears Aubrey yell over the noise and sure enough, his wet nose is pressing against her dirt covered cheek.

“Stupid dog,” she murmurs, but she forces herself up, she wasn’t going to get her partner killed because of a flesh wound.

They’re running again, Beca’s pant leg warm and damp from the blood. Everything seems to happen in slow motion then. The truck swerves a bit to the left and Beca is too focused on getting Lincoln way from the shots to see the thick rope of wire that’s barely peeking out of the sand.

Good eye Aubrey Beca thinks as she skids to a stop, not quite making it before her weight triggers the bomb. A wave of heat and dirt washes over her as she and Lincoln are thrown a good thirty feet back. The air is knocked from her lungs and she can hear Lincoln’s whine when he hits the ground. If they died, this would be on her.

[sp8cebit]

HOW-TO GUIDE: DEPRESSION CARE PACKAGE WISHLIST

If you have depression, you should have one of these. I’m serious. If you don’t already have one, log into Amazon and start one now. This post will help you build one.

What it is: An Amazon wishlist of self care items 

How to use it: Share it with people who care about you

That’s it! 

Example: Here is a self care wishlist I made last summer. You should see that it’s sorted by “priority.” I’m not really using those categories as intended—instead, I used them to sort the list into a few different themes.

 Category one: Hygiene and Making-Life-Simpler

This is stuff that helps make the day-to-day easier. What could make your life better?  Maybe it’s bag clips so your chips stop going stale. Maybe it’s a new garbage can so all of your junk mail can go straight in the trash without stressing you out. Here are some things that help me:

Dry shampoo: If you have depression and have never tried dry shampoo, I super recommend it. Ten seconds of effort for less greasy hair is a lifesaver. 

Febreze, Face wipes, deodorant: THEY WILL MAKE YOU FEEL BETTER.

Paper plates (these ones are cute and space themed, because I like space): Even when you’re too depressed to do the dishes, you still need to eat. I get a lot of anxiety about dirty dishes, so having paper plates around on bad days makes a world of difference in how willing I am to actually have a meal 

Laundry pods: I usually just use liquid detergent, but the perceived easiness of laundry pods (even though it is, like, thirty seconds of difference) makes me that much more likely to do laundry. 

Category two: Healthyish Food 

This is all about simple, nonperishable snacks. Stuff that takes zero effort or preparation. I try to keep a variety of zero-effort foods in the house. 

Don’t put things on the list that you don’t enjoy eating, even if you feel like you “should” add them.  (For example, granola bars are a staple for some people, but I don’t really like them. No granola bars on my list!)

Moon cheese: I’m not 100% sure how this is made, but I think it’s just freeze-dried cheese curds. It’s basically like eating weird, lumpy cheese crackers. I’m not making this sound very appetizing, but it’s actually super good and I love it.

Jerky: Be careful with this one, because jerky isn’t totally nonperishable. There’s actually a fair amount of moisture left in it, and mold is a possibility. But, it’s an easy protein to keep on hand.  I don’t eat a lot of meat, so I put some non-animal jerkies on my list. 

Dried fruit and veggies: I really like the texture of freeze-dried produce, so I have a lot of that on my list. But regular-dried is also good. Again, you just want something that you’ll enjoy eating, that isn’t complicated to put in your mouth.

Category three: Pampering 

This is your bubble baths, your scented candles, your beauty products.  I don’t go in much for bath and beauty stuff, generally. But I’ve found that if I treat it as a once-in-a-while special thing, I actually kind of enjoy it. 

Reusable hot packs: These ones are shaped like animals and very cute. If you are a person who gets menstrual cramps, I highly recommend them!

Bath bombs, bubble bath:  I’ve never tried bath bombs, but I guess they might be fun? A lot of people seem to like them.

Skincare and beauty supplies: Will treating your skin nicely make you feel better?  If it will, add these!  If it will not, do not add them! (I mostly just browse Korean beauty/skincare and pick the cutest ones.)

Socks and underwear: All of the ones on my list are space-related, which has the twofold purpose of 1. being space stuff, which I love, 2. making it way less weird to have underwear on a wish list. (YMMV! Don’t put anything on your list that makes you feel stressed!)

Category four: Treats 

Cookies and candies, tea and cocoa! I don’t eat a ton of candy, so most of the items in this section are only mildly sweet, but that’s just my taste. I basically just browse the gourmet food section of Amazon and add things that sound yummy. 

 (Anecdotally, people really like buying gifts from this section.) 

Category five: Toys 

Fun things that, on a good day, would make you happy! 

I’ve got some books that I’ve been wanting to read, some art supplies, some small things that just seem fun (a night light that looks like the moon, a pizza cutter shaped like the starship Enterprise, etc.)

Other ideas for this category: Accessories or tools for your hobby. Plushes from your favorite fandom. Maybe DVDs (are those still a thing)?

I also throw one or two expensive, pie-in-the-sky items in this section. I don’t expect anyone to buy these for me, but it’s fun to want things sometimes, you know? 

Tips for an effective list 

(aka things that make it easier for people to buy you stuff) 

Add items at a variety of price points. Make it easy for this to fit in someone's budget, while also having options for folks who want to buy you a nicer gift.  Most items on my list are $10-$20, but there are a couple outliers.

Add items from a variety of categories. You don’t need to use all (or even any) of the categories I talked about here, but it’s a good idea to have a wide range of items. People have different gift-giving preferences!

Choose Prime-eligible items. This isn’t always possible, but it’s a good idea.

And finally: MAKING A WISHLIST IS NOT GREEDY OR SELFISH! 

Even if it doesn’t always feel that way, you have people in your life who care about you. They want to help you! Having a wishlist gives them an easy way to do that. 

Speaking as a person who sends care packages to people, having a wishlist to choose from is WONDERFUL. (I actually asked one of my friends to make a care package wishlist this week so I could buy something to cheer them up.) It guarantees that I’m giving them something they want or need, and as a gift-giver, that is what I want to do.

You’re not forcing anyone to buy you things.  You’re not being demanding. You’re admitting that you’re struggling, and you’re offering a way for loved ones to help you.

Also: I’m doing pretty good right now! I put this list together as an example and a resource, not out of need. If you want to give me a gift, please reach out to someone you love and give them something, instead.

[modern-and-married-jeffmads]

M&M JeffMads Chapter 1: Reuniting

Hey guys, this is my first time writing a real fan fiction, so my apologies in advance for any errors. I would love some feedback and I do plan on writing a chapter two, hopefully people like this enough to want a second part. Anyway, this is a part of the Hamitlon M&M AU, I have started.

Word Count: 2301 (I wrote all this in my journal first so bear with me)

Warnings: none, fluff maybe

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3

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James Madison Jr., normally called “James” by his friends, “Mr. Madison” by his co-workers and associates, and “Jemmy” by Thomas Jefferson, was born on March 16. James lived a rather normal life with his mother and father in Virginia. Though he was born in Port Conway, Virginia, his family had moved to Monticello, Virginia around the age of three since the new home was close to a better hospital there.

Madison may have been calm, reasonable, and lived more so on the average side—had high honor roll throughout all of school, stayed mostly to himself, except for a small group of friends that he would have here and there, and went to college to become a lawyer like his father—but he was always sick. It was usually the case of the sniffles or a minor cold. Every once in a while, he may catch a fever or the flu or a stomach bug that causes him to wear a face mask every so often. When his mask was on, most people knew that James wouldn’t speak as much, so it was best to give him his space. It was also best to know to not mess with his suitcase or bookbag. He cared immensely about his work as he would like to have it done quickly, without error, before his shift ended. He did not like taking work home because he enjoyed getting comfortable in his own sanctuary. Comfortable meaning: wearing an overly large knitted sweater, a classic horror novel in hand, and some kind of chocolate based junk food to sooth his sweet tooth. James enjoyed this past time as a child, so messing with his literature and snacks during his much-needed break would not have been wise. James rarely got upset with anybody though. He was rather neutral towards most people except his small group of friends, like Aaron Burr. Both seemed neutral and intelligent to each other, so they may have a chat every once in a while.

Burr was the one who introduced Madison to some of his friends like Lafayette, a sweet, broken English, French man, with an interesting and bright sense of fashion. They got along well, though James would prefer to wear his simple suits, sweaters, and pastel colors. James also met Hercules, who weirdly looked a lot like him, but acted nothing like him. Hercules was loud, athletic, courageous, healthy. Even though they were opposites, they found a middle ground as they enjoyed the same literature preferences. James wasn’t completely found of Alexander though since their politic views clashed, but James respected his determination and passion he put into all his work. Everything sort of changed with his routine once he reunited with his old childhood friend, Thomas Jefferson.  

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  Thomas Jefferson, “Jefferson” to his colleagues, and “TJeffs” to his friends, which was a very large group. Thomas had always been a social butterfly amongst his brothers and sisters, even when they moved to Monticello, Virginia so their mother could work at a new hospital and their father could begin at a new architectural project. While Thomas may have been born on April 12, a month after James, he was older than James by a couple years. Thomas was honestly the opposite of James and most wouldn’t have thought that they would have gotten along, but that wasn’t completely the case.

Jefferson was a handsome, towering, muscular male with curls that could block out the sun. He was always popular in school and made the average B’s and occasional A’s, but his street smarts and charm were unbeatable. Thomas could strike up a grueling debate too since he did it with his teachers though, it wasn’t taken as kindly as it would be with some peers at the lunch table. Thomas wasn’t too pleased with taking orders from others, so he stayed in thirty-minute detentions arguing and wearing his flashy, magenta jacket at his school. His mother was more supportive during his college years when he wanted to major in psychology instead of architecture like his father. Thomas thought that since he could make most open to him within a few minutes, he felt as though he would be a wonderful therapist, which he was. He may have been professional in the workplace as one of the lead therapists, but that didn’t stop him from being adventurous after hours. His charm, southern drawl, and lavish fashion sense and lifestyle left him partying and hooking up with boys and girls from all walks of life.

They were normally one-night stands. Nothing too serious, but the idea of forming a solid relationship crossed his mind occasionally. Just as he wasn’t a stranger in a bedroom, he wasn’t a stranger with the law either, as he would occasionally get stopped for speeding or possibly parking in an illegal zone. Jefferson didn’t pay too much mind to the tiny tickets until he got a court order in the mail stating that he must come to discuss the large accumulation of fees and whether he should have his driver’s license revoked, which he did not want to happen. He decided, since his tone may not go well in court, to request an attorney to represent him. Little did he know that his court representative would be his old friend James Madison.

Thomas had met James one day while at the hospital his mother worked at. Mrs. Jefferson was treating Madison for an ear infection he had caught, and Jefferson sat in the room, watching all the medical magic take place. Mrs. Jefferson had to leave the room to speak to James’ parents, which gave Thomas the opportunity to strike up a conversation.

Little Thomas introduced himself to the sick little boy and began asking a boatload of questions, in which poor James could only answer a few at a time between sneezes and coughs. Thomas learned that James was two grades behind him, that he does talk much, is really good in school, and always had something sweet on him, which Thomas found a bit odd and unhealthy, but paid it no mind. James learned that Thomas wasn’t the brightest, but seemed to care and knows what he wants to do with his life. They also learn that they attend the same elementary school. That meant Thomas would try to find James in the library every day during lunch and would rant to him about his teachers. Thomas also tried giving him healthier foods and started calling him “Jemmy” because he felt “James” was a little boring. The name stuck with James, so he allowed it, but only allowed Thomas to call him that. Since they were in separate grades though, seeing each other became more of a challenge, especially when Thomas began high school before James. Once James started, he had become a shadow behind the large mass of students. James went on to college to pursue his degree and worked under his dad until he became co-owner. Jefferson had a bumpier start, with the partying life slowing him down, but he mellowed out just enough to graduate and find a counseling job.

Now in his late twenties, he was waiting in the lobby of a civil court building, flirting with some other vehicular violators. “Thomas Jefferson?”, a low voice with a sniffle behind it called out. Thomas had turned and saw a very short, red-faced man’s eyes slightly widen whereas Thomas’ grew extremely wide upon seeing him. “Jemmy?”, the tall southerner called, letting the name ring in James’ ears. “You’re my attorney? Man, Virginia is so small, and I see you still have the sniffles”, Jefferson exclaimed. Thomas began rambling, trying to catch up with his old lunch buddy. James had to cut the conversation short, as it was time to head into the courtroom to attempt at allowing Thomas to still drive.

Standing there in front of a stone-faced judge stood James Madison—a 5’4” man with medium sized lips, dark brown, almost black eyes, red cheeks and nose, short and tight curly black hair, in a full dark grey suit—whom spoke in a calm and simple, yet proper and persuasive tone, that made Thomas’ actions seem like minor accidents that he will pay for. Behind him, towering over him at 6’2” was a light brown man with large dark curls with brown hazel eyes as he wore a black long sleeve dress shirt with a matching magenta vest and slacks.

Thomas stood there in awe, watching the small man present a strong case for an old friend. James’ words flowed from his lips so easily like butter, even when a sniffle interrupted him, it didn’t ruin his train of thought. Thomas felt as though he could listen to James talk for hours, just like how James listened to him when they were younger. The judge had heard enough and was convinced that Thomas deserved to keep his license, but he will have to pay a hefty fine. Nodding quickly, Thomas complied as the next case was being called in and James led them back into the common area.

“James, you were amazing in there. For a man so soft-spoken, you sure know how to make a compelling case.”, Thomas said leaning against a nearby wall. “It is my job, Thomas”, the sick man said, ready to head back to his office without another word. Thomas stood up, the smirk on his face shifting into an awkward smile as a small blush grew. “Jem- James?”, Thomas called. “Yes?”, Madison said as he looked at the man before him. “Thank you”, Thomas said, “and maybe we could meet up later to catch up or something”. Thomas wrote down his cell phone number on a small piece of paper he had in his pocket and held it out. James accepted the gesture, “I’m sure we can do that.”, he said tucking the paper away. Thomas’ signature smirk quickly crawled back on his face as he collected himself. Thomas placed his hand on the short man’s shoulder, “Can’t wait to talk later”, he said as he rolled his thumb into James’ shoulder before letting go and walking out of the building. James rubbed his shoulder and let out a small breath before letting a small smile climb on his face as he sneezed from the cologne Thomas left on him. James walked back in his office as he collected his papers, placing them in his briefcase, along with his bookbag that contained his snacks and sweater he’d wear if the building was extremely cold, and left as his shift has just ended.

James had finally returned to his small apartment in quieter part of the city after a long car ride with the heater blasting and a random audiobook playing. Stepping into his home, he almost instantly relaxed his shoulders as he put the suitcase down in his office and placed his bookbag on the table in the kitchen for a restock in the morning. He slipped out of his suit and placed in a hamper near his closet as he then slid on an extra-large grey knitted sweater. The sweater wrapped comfortably around his neck, the sleeves fell past his arms, and the bottom of the sweater stopped a little bit past the middle of his thighs, which meant that he did not wear pants. After sliding on his house slippers, he went into the kitchen to prepare a quick dinner consisting of some fried fish and French fries that were drowning in tartar sauce. James was then sitting on the couch, with his meal on a small foldable table, and the radio playing, as he wasn’t a big fan of watching television. The only time his television came on was when a co-worker suggested a show that peaked his interest. If it did, that would mean that James will binge watch the entire series on the weekend with nothing but donuts and a couple chocolate mochas. After that, the tv would go back on a long hiatus.

Three-fourths of the way through his meal, James finally decided to pick up his phone and scroll through his contacts. There weren’t that many since he wasn’t that social, just some co-workers and his small group of friends. He sat there and thinking to himself on how his day went. How seeing Thomas again brought back old, fond childhood memories of how Thomas would interrupt his reading or try to feed him apples that weren’t covered in caramel or how Thomas invited him to one or two sleepovers. James always came over with a bunch of medication his mother packed and a thick wool blanket that he always slept with. The smile lightly faded though as he thought about how Thomas had left James for a larger, livelier crowd, leaving him to himself. James wasn’t mad at Thomas though because he knows Thomas was always the kind to want attention and admiration from everybody while James kept quiet in his large sweaters. James felt his face become warmer than normal, but not because he was coming down with illness. It was more of the idea of seeing Thomas again. Seeing how Thomas seemed excited to him again after so many years apart. How Thomas called him by the sole pet name anybody has ever given him upon first seeing him. The feeling of Thomas sensually caressing him and leaving his scent on him. These thoughts made James face bright red, but he kept his composure as he found the small piece of paper he took from Thomas. Thomas had written his number down with a little star next to it which made James chuckle. He took a long breath before typing the numbers in, labeling the contact “Tommy”, and sending a message saying, “Hi. It’s James...”

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I hope you all enjoyed this. See you next time.

[allisonswrittenwords]

Or “Bee” My Valentine.  No one is judging your cute, pun-filled Valentine card.

Way Back, In Allison’s Past…

When I was in elementary school, from Kindergarten until fourth grade (I don’t remember the exchange happening beyond that, or it was totally optional by then), there was the time-honored tradition of creating a mailbox and passing out Valentine’s Day cards to the other kids in class. Store brought or home made, we carefully printed our recipients’ and our own names on the back of the cards.

On February 14th (or thereabouts, if Valentine’s Day fell on the weekend, or the Friday of President’s Day), there would be a designated time to deliver the Valentines during a classroom party. Junk food and card exchanges, it’s like Christmas, but with hearts!

A few weeks before the holiday, the teachers would give us a list of the names of our classmates, and we would go about purchasing the Valentines for our class.  I don’t remember what I gave out prior to the final year I handed out Valentines, but in fourth grade, my mom ordered Valentines from the Current catalog.  They came with envelopes – how cool! I can’t remember specifically what they looked like (I’m sure pink and red with hearts, nothing totally obvious), but they had envelopes.  They were like real letters!

I used to love giving out Valentines to my classmates – even if the little brats in my class didn’t deserve a Valentine, they still got one, because it was the rule of elementary school Valentine’s Day. Fourth grade was the last time I did it, and I had no problem not having to fill out Valentine’s cards anymore.  It was fun while it lasted, and while kids were appreciative of them.  It’s a shame that kids stopped being appreciative of them, but hey, kids.

Can’t imagine what this tradition is like today.  Probably involves digital something of some kind.

So Many Ways To Say “Be Mine!”

The Valentines themselves were always cute – some came with candy (a card with a lollipop tucked into holes on the card), licensed characters, cute animals holding hearts – it was always fun to dump out the mailboxes and read the Valentines after they were delivered.  Having grown up and gone to school during the late 1980s through the 1990s (I graduated high school in 2001), the best licensed character Valentines were a few years before my time, but the beauty of the internet is that wanting to see what kids gave as Valentines in the 1980s (and even into the 1990s) is a Google (or Pinterest) search away.

Because you know I live for looking up these kinds of treats, here are a few of my favorites, culled from multiple Pinterest searches.

Robots In Disguise…Of Their True Feelings!

I was trying to find Transformers Valentines, preferably Generation 1, because that’s what I was raised on.  Optimus Prime holding a heart, Megatron and his bromance Starscream saying “be mine,” stuff like that.  And just when I thought I came up short on finding the perfect Transformers Valentine, I found this one…

My happy geeky heart squeed a little bit – ok, alot – over seeing Bumblebee on a Valentine.  I love Bumblebee the way I love Optimus Prime, if only because…he’s super adorable.  True story – my husband and I watched Bumblebee over the summer, and when Bumblebee lost his voice and his memory, I screamed out (probably a little louder than I should have, but it’s the nostalgic geek in me) “Oh my God!  That’s how he lost his voice!!!!!!”  My husband, who is not really a Transformers fan, stared at me over my reaction.  Like I said, it was louder than it should have been, but it answered what I didn’t already know about Bumblebee!

But this Valentine…he’s cute!!!

Gahhhh!  So cute!!!!!

Heroes in a Half Shell, with Big, Full Hearts!

In addition to a deep love for robots with personalities and mad fighting skills, I was also into turtles with personalities and mad fighting skills. Michelangelo was my Turtle of choice, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was on my TV, in my brother’s toys, and currently part of my Funko Pop Collection.

And the best part (for my brother) about Christmas 1989.

“TURTLES!” (Christmas 1989, age 7). Photo Credit: Venezio Family Collection

I remember the Turtles being on Valentines given out by little boys in school (I’m pretty sure I got at least one in elementary school), but I found this one on Google, and Dudes, it’s time for Hugs and Kisses!

The Seas Are Shining Bright with All the Colors of The Rainbow On Valentine’s Day…

Rolls off the tip of your tongue when you think “what belongs on a Valentine’s Day greeting,” right?

Rainbow Bright and her friends (well, Canary Yellow, Buddy Blue, and Red Butler, because apparently they double date) love to share in some Valentine love. If I were in school when Rainbow Brite was popular, you can guarantee I would have been giving out Rainbow Brite Valentines to my classmates. They’re not too girly, since there are boys on it; therefore, these are the ones you give to the boys!

But if Rainbow Brite is just too girly for you, perhaps some colorful bears with hearts do more for you?

Care Bears Care About Valentine’s Day!

These are ridiculously cute, and so simple in their approach.  I watched The Care Bears Family, and the movies they starred in (as well as those two early animated specials that still weird me out to this day).  They’re not fancy, not throwing some huge, long-winded message of Valentine’s Day at you, but rather, a simple sentence and a few hearts.  They’re not saccharin, not at all.

But, if you prefer something sweet…

Little girls, boys, and pets named after desserts deserve plenty of 1980s love.  Strawberry Shortcake not only was cute and cuddly in her own special way, but if you ever had a doll from that collection, it smelled freakin’ amazing.  My best friend gave me a Strawberry Shortcake (along with Custard) Funko Pop a few years ago, and she smelled so good.  So did Custard.  That smell lasted a long time, way longer than it had any right to last.

Again, these are the kind of Valentines I would have given out, without regard to the fact that boys were always included in giving out these cards.  And to them, I say…

Huckleberry Pie WAS A BOY!

Pop-Pop-Popples!

I loved Popples when I was four years old.  I had three Popples – one big plush, one smaller plush, and one of those pocket-sized plushie/vinyl hybrids, and I had pajamas.  I’ve watched the “movie,” the cartoon, and I still think they’re cute to this day, even if I don’t have any of my Popples to prove my love.

I have come to the realization that I would have been hard pressed to pick a freakin’ set of Valentines Day cards, had I been given the choice.  For me, 1985-1986 was all about Rainbow Brite, Jem, Popples, and She-Ra.  I would have been all about giving out these choice Valentines to my classmates.

Oh, and did I say She-Ra?

She-Ra: Princess of Powerful Stickers!

Image: Etsy

*Brain explodes*

I think I’ve chosen the Valentines I would have given out to my classmates.  She-Ra and stickers…you can never go wrong with bonuses on you Valentines!

Of course, knowing me, I would probably have given out Valentine with California Raisins on them. Apparently I was into that when I was five, because I had a California Raisins nightgown.

I’m serious.

It’s over 30 years later, and I don’t understand why this was so popular.  Were five-year-olds into Motown or something?

And Now, You!

What kind of Valentines did you give your “Valentines” at school?  Did you have the tradition of making mailboxes and delivering your mail to the other kids in class?  Did you give out any of these Valentines?

I’d love to hear your stories of Valentine’s Day past!

We’re a few days away from Valentine’s Day, as the Month of Love keeps on going.  I’ve got commercials and a Valentine’s Day treat coming up for you this week.  As for the rest of the month, I have more music and nostalgia-heavy articles coming.  When I celebrate a holiday, it overtakes the entire month!

Have a great day!

        Be My #Valentine - Do you remember the Valentines you gave out at school to your "Valentines"? Or "Bee" My Valentine.  No one is judging your cute, pun-filled Valentine card.

[musevassal]

Humble Selfie

A while back I made the statement that the expression “humble selfie” was a great oxymoron for our times. When I made that quip, it did occur to me that most people who do the whole selfie thing probably would have no idea what I'm talking about. Not just that they wouldn't know the word oxymoron means (although most probably don't) but that they wouldn't be able to get why it is oxymoronic. It would be like saying something like “noisy flower.” It's just nonsense: does not compute. The play on words that makes an oxymoron humorous is the juxtaposition of two opposing concepts. It's funny because there's no way for a selfie to be humble, but a lot of selfie takers probably have the self-delusion that some of their selfies are. So it's funny. Ha ha. Here's the thing about selfies: they are inherently narcissistic and self-involved. It's the whole point of them. That doesn't necessarily make them bad, though. Don't get me wrong: I like looking at tits and ass as much as anyone, so keep em coming. Something can be narcissistic and still be okay. It's one of those things that can be a harmless indulgence if taken in moderation. Like chocolate, whisky, or murder. It only becomes a problem when it gets excessive. The problem is, collectively as a society, we have decided that narcissism and self-involvement are not a problem. In any dose. As with so many other things the consensus is: well, if a little is fine, then a whole shit-tonne is just fine too. Just as we have decided that obesity is okay. That mass cyber-bullying is great as long as the target “deserves” it. However, just because you've decided that big is beautiful and you can be healthy at any weight, it doesn't mean that you really are healthy at that weight. Diabetes, heart disease, and a bevy of other ailments are rampant because of obesity. Society may have moved the goal posts on what is “normal,” in order to make sure that everyone doesn't feel excluded or upset for any reason, but that doesn't change our physiology. So it goes with narcissism, and the problems that come of that are psychological. The human mind is a product of the brain, which is an organ. There are physiological reasons why some people behave certain ways. Mental illness is real. Just as type one diabetes is caused by a malfunction of the pancreas, schizophrenia is caused by a malfunction of the brain. Sufferers of both these diseases had no chance to prevent or avoid these illnesses; they were dealt a shitty hand by genetics. There are many illnesses, though, that humans give themselves through their shitty behavior. Get obese and drink two liters of sugar soda a day for a couple of decades and guess what? You've given yourself type two diabetes. Work shoveling asbestos everyday without a respirator and you've got lung cancer. These truths are now self-evident. So it goes with mental illness. The most observable and self-evident of these is addiction. Take alcoholism. Someone drinks too much for too long and what happens? They change their brain and their behavior shifts to match the pattern of an alcoholic. “Oh there he goes! Come on, now! Alcoholism isn't a disease! Addiction isn't a disease!” some might proclaim. I see why you would say that. I used to think the same. But then I went through alcohol recovery and was educated on the physiological process of addiction. So I am no longer ignorant on the matter. What constitutes addiction, medically, is an observable change in the brain of a user. When scanned, an addict's brain functions differently than that of an non-addict. With prolonged use of certain substances, people essentially change their brain's wiring. (Or chemistry, if you prefer. Choose the oversimplified analogy that works for you.) This is observable. This is medical fact. So I ask you: how is alcoholism any different in principle than type two diabetes? Drink too much soda and you fuck up your metabolic system and become diabetic. Drink too much beer and you fuck up your brain and become alcoholic. It's just a different organ under attack. If addiction isn't a disease, then type two diabetes isn't either. You can apply whatever moralistic code you want to it, it doesn't change the science. See a theme developing here? Imagine two circles. One represents what is. The other represents what we think about what is. They are separate things. Now they might overlap, like a Venn diagram (check my favorite below, included gratuitously because it's awesome).

In our diagram of reality and perception, where the circles overlap represents where our thinking is correct. Truth is a keytar playing platypus. The problem is, we don't have access to that diagram in our lives. What we do have is science, which is the surest system yet devised for moving those two circles closer together. Of course, few of us are scientists, and those of us that are are expert in only in only a very narrow area, and a lot of humbuggery is presented as science; so we have to put a pin in things at some point, just to get on with it. We decide what is probably true and move on with life, which is the right way to do things. But realizing that what we think and believe might not be correct is important. Only fools are certain. There are all kinds of reasons why our thinking might get fucked up. It might be physiological, it might be psychological, or it might philosophical. It's usually a fun combination of all three! One of the signs of pathological, willful self-deceit is the blind-spot. That which is glaringly obvious to an outsider is completely invisible to the person with fucked up thinking. “No, you don't understand, man! I know what this looks like, but Bob the Sun God is on a higher plane of thinking than the rest of us. He needs all my money because he wants to teach me about the futility of consumerism! Can't you see that? And he needs to fuck my wife so that she can be elevated as a vessel of his love. It's a great honor for us!” Imagine a space alien coming to earth to study us. Or even a human person from a society that has not yet been wired. They stand on a street corner in any bustling city and what do they see? A majority of people wandering around staring at little chunks of plastic they carry with them. When they do put them down, the devices soon beep and chirp at them, pulling their attention back. What the fuck is going on here? What has happened to these people? “No, you don't understand, man! It's just like a book, or a newspaper, only better, see? Look at this picture of commuters all reading newspapers on a train in the fifties. We're no different!” But I don't remember grandpa pulling his newspaper out at the dinner table. Or at church. He certainly wasn't mailing photos of himself to the thing to be printed ever day. And if he had done any of those things, he would have been rightly regarded as a damned lunatic. Blind spot. The addict refuses to see the clear and obvious source of their problems. We have seen how self-indulgence in other vises lead to genuine illnesses. But what about the selfie? What does an chronic abuse of narcissism give you? Anxiety and depression. Do you think Gwyneth Paltrow's Goop comes to exist in a world where people are engaging with technology in a healthy way? As with other vice induced illnesses, a symbiotic relationship between the industries that cause them and those that treat them has developed. There is a lot of money being made on both side of the equation.

I don't give a fuck whether you're happy or not. It makes no difference to me. But do not doubt there are an awful lot people who very much want to keep you unhappy. There are whole industries devoted to exploiting the miserable. Pharmaceuticals top the list in terms of tradition, old-economy industries, but there's no shortage. Cosmetics. Fashion. Social media. You have been trained your whole life to measure your self-worth in quantifiable terms: what your grades are, how many points you score, how many people come to your birthday party, how much money you make, how much your consumer goods cost, how many “friends” you have on social media. How many likes your selfie gets. So you get the same dopamine rush from a “successful” selfie as do from those other, real, accomplishments. But it doesn't last, does it? Because a selfie does nothing tangible for you. Nothing good anyway. The selfie is to your psyche as corn syrup is to your metabolism. As alcohol is to your brain. It's no different. The good news is that it's no worse. Have a coke. Enjoy! Have a beer. Why not? Post a selfie. Fun! It's all good. Just remember that we have learned that junk food, sugar, alcohol, and other drugs, for all their pleasurable benefits, have a serious down side. We have (hopefully) learned that moderation with these potentially dangerous things is important. Balance is the key. A key to achieving balance is avoiding blind spots about our self-destructive impulses. Don't ever forget that a selfie is inherently narcissistic and self-centered. Like whisky is inherently intoxicating. That's its whole point; it's why it is pleasurable. So it is important to remember that when we get carried away with our narcissism, as with an alcohol or drug bender, it's time to take some time off from it and detox. Or don't. Then you can explore the fun and exciting world of mental illness. There are so any pharmaceutical options for treating that these days. Ask your doctor what is right for you.

[myenchantingkpop]

Build A Boyfriend - Hyuk

You sighed as you entered your apartment building. It was the third date your friends had set up without your knowledge, and it was also the third guy that had verbally rejected you. You weren’t entirely sure why you wanted a boyfriend, or why your friends felt you needed a boyfriend, but you knew for a fact that you were sick and tired of these petty dates your friends set up. 

You jumped onto your bed after changing your clothes. Then it hit you, maybe the reason guys had never been drawn to you was because of your appearance. You never really tried to dress up for others. You hardly wore makeup either unless you were going for a interview. Yet even with that thought in mind you still couldn’t muster up any reason to care about it anymore. 

You scrolled through the junk mail that had been sent to your email. It was always just the usual thing you’d find, sale at stores, part time job options, and new products. That was until you found one email that didn’t have the usual email addresses you would find. Out of curiosity you clicked it and it pulled up a website link and to further your curiosity you opened the link.

You couldn’t help but roll your eyes at the screen. It pulled up a website that was called build a boyfriend. It sounded like the stupidest thing you’d ever heard of. Until it dawned on you. What if this website actually made a boyfriend for you? Then you wouldn’t have to deal with going on anymore useless dates that your friends make. 

It took some self encouraging before you finally clicked start and you started to fill out the questions. They were basic questions like what your ideal boyfriend looked like and what you wanted his personality to be like. With that you answer tall, with dark hair, a slight baby face, and somewhat lean. For personality you answered with someone who has a cute personality, but can be shy and rambunctious. 

You didn’t think that anything would happen, but at least it helped you take your mind off of everything that happened that day. After you answered all of the questions and clicked submit the website closed itself. It shocked you that it would suddenly close and when you checked your web history you couldn’t find the website anywhere. With that you decided to call it a night and start to get ready for bed. 

You groaned in annoyance as you heard someone knocking at your front door. It was only 7:43 in the morning and you didn’t have class until that afternoon, so you were wondering who would wake you up this early. You rolled out of bed and quickly brushed down your bed head before rushing to the door since the knocking got louder and you didn’t want to be thrown out from a noise complaint. 

You pulled open the door and looked at the person standing in front of you. “Can I help you?" 

"That’s no way to treat your boyfriend.” The guy said as he pushed past you into your home. Your eyes widened in surprise and your cheeks began to turn red with anger as you stomped after this stranger. 

“I don’t know who you think you are, but you for one are not my boyfriend. I think I would know if I ha–” you ended what you were saying with a squeak as the guy suddenly pulled you down onto the couch with him. His arms wrapped around you, holding your arms against your sides, and he reached for the remote to turn on the tv. 

“What are you doing!?" 

"I’m just trying to relax with my girlfriend before she goes to school.” He replied and flashed you a cheeky smile before he turned his head to look at the tv again.

“Look here Mr. I don’t know who you are, but you better let go of me or else I’ll-" 

"You’ll do what?” The guy asked and turned his attention to you again. He had an amused look on his face as he squeezed you a little harder. “If you haven’t noticed I have the upper hand hear." 

You squinted your eyes at him before an idea popped into your head. You leaned forward and bit his shoulder. "Hey! That hurts!” The guy whined as he released you and began to rub his shoulder. 

“Will you just tell me who you are and leave!?" 

 He looked at you like you were the dumbest person in the room, then again it was only the two of you, before standing up. "I’m Hyuk, your boyfriend. You created me last night at exactly 8:39.” He held out his hand. 

 "Wait… are you serious?“ He nodded his head and smiled again. 

 "Is there a way to send you back?" 

 "I’m afraid not. Unless there’s a problem with my personality or appearance you can’t send me back. There’s only been about five cases where a build a boyfriend was returned and it was something that couldn’t even be fixed." 

 You sighed and ran your finger through your hair. "So basically I’m stuck with you?” He nodded. “Does that mean you don’t have anywhere to live?" 

 "No. The company usually keeps a few dorms for the Boyfriends that aren’t accepted right away." 

 "Okay. So at least I don’t have to deal with that.” You sighed in relief. You didn’t even have enough room to have a pet in your apartment and you knew for a fact that there definitely wasn’t enough room for another person almost a head taller than you. 

 "Am I that bad? I mean you created me so I should be to your liking.“ He said. The look on Hyuk’s face was the one of a puppy and with that you felt your walls come crashing down. 

 "It’s not that Hyuk.. it’s just this is all very sudden. I didn’t think that website was legit." 

 "Then why’d you even bother filling out the form?" 

 "I don’t know. I was tired of being lonely I guess.” You replied. 

 "I won’t ever let you feel lonely again.“ He said and hugged you,” I mean that’s why I was created. To make sure you never feel sad and lonely again.“

[networkingdefinition]

Jewelry Quotes

Official Website: Jewelry Quotes

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• A girl could never have too much jewelry or too much weaponry. – Laurell K. Hamilton • A little man is running a jewelry store. A man runs in saying, Okay, take my watch, put on a new band, install a new battery, clean the case, install a new crystal, and tune it up. I will be back in a half hour for it. Thanks! and runs out the door. The little jeweler says, C-C-C-Come in? – Henny Youngman • A lot of the jewelry that I wear are fan gifts because they’re so awesome and they give me great presents. – Taylor Swift • A man can do a television interview and roll out of bed 15 minutes before; it’s just not the same for a woman. A woman has to pay attention to her hair, makeup, clothing, and jewelry choices. – Michele Bachmann • A man’s got two shots for jewelry: a wedding ring and a watch. The watch is a lot easier to get on and off than a wedding ring. – John Mayer • A piece of jewelry is in a sense an object that is not complete in itself. Jewelry is a ‘what is it?’ until you relate it to the body. The body is a component in design just as air and space are. Like line, form, and color, the body is a material to work with. It is one of the basic inspirations in creating form. – Art Smith • A woman needs ropes and ropes of pearls. – Grace Kelly • Accessories are crucial. A great bag and a piece of statement jewelry are the fastest way to elevate an otherwise understated look. – Ivanka Trump • Accessories are important and becoming more and more important every day. They can completely change the look of an outfit, and women like the idea of having a wardrobe that’s versatile. For instance, a strong piece of jewelry can make a simple outfit look elegant. – Giorgio Armani • Adversity is the diamond dust Heaven polishes its jewels with. – Thomas Carlyle • All my jewelry has stories. – Eva Green • Always make sure your jewelry isn’t taking over you or your ensemble and keep everything in proportion to your frame – Nina Garcia • Another thing rappers, I admire your rebellious spirit, but materialism is a form of mental slavery. Slow down on the jewelry, pick up a book. – Dov Davidoff • Any girl who was a lady would not even think of having such a good time that she did not remember to hang on to her jewelry. – Anita Loos • As I get older, I use less jewelry – necklace or earrings each morning, not both; my clothes are getting more basic – fewer colours and simpler cuts; and my make-up is stripped back to basics. – Tracy Chevalier • At a flea market I always head for the junk jewelry table first. – Ethel Merman

jQuery(document).ready(function($) var data = action: 'polyxgo_products_search', type: 'product', keywords: 'Jewelry', orderby: 'rand', order: 'DESC', template: '1', limit: '68', columns: '4', viewall:'Shop All', ; jQuery.post(spyr_params.ajaxurl,data, function(response) var obj = jQuery.parseJSON(response); jQuery('#thelovesof_jewelry').html(obj); jQuery('#thelovesof_jewelry img.swiper-lazy:not(.swiper-lazy-loaded)' ).each(function () var img = jQuery(this); img.attr("src",img.data('src')); img.addClass( 'swiper-lazy-loaded' ); img.removeAttr('data-src'); ); ); ); • Be careful with the man jewelry. A little goes a long way. – Ashton Kutcher • Biography is the medium through which the remaining secrets of the famous dead are taken from them and dumped out in full view of the world. The biographer at work, indeed, is like the professional burglar, breaking into a house, rifling through certain drawers that he has good reason to think contain the jewelry and money, and triumphantly bearing his loot away. – Janet Malcolm • But I do mean to say, I have heard her declare, When at the same moment she had on a dress Which cost five hundred dollars, and not a cent less, And jewelry worth tem times more, I should guess, That he had not a thing in the wide world to wear! – William Allen Butler • But the Milanese have made bad choices, bad fashion, and bad jewelry. – Christian Lacroix

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• Cool! Now I can steal some rich old coot’s Ferrari and go fishing for marlin with the same piece of jewelry. – Jennifer Rardin • Costume jewelry is not made to give women an aura of wealth, but to make them beautifu – Coco Chanel • Customized jewelry is one of my targets with Bold Machines. – Bre Pettis • Death, jewelry, or magic; it sounded like Valentine’s Day. – Laurell K. Hamilton • Decide which you want to play up: your clothing or your jewelry, but not both. Let one be the star and one the supporting player. – Padma Lakshmi • Do not judge from mere appearances. – Edwin Hubbel Chapin • Do not judge men by mere appearances; for the light laughter that bubbles on the lip often mantles over the depths of sadness, and the serious look may be the sober veil that covers a divine peace and joy. – Edwin Hubbel Chapin • Donald Trump participated in something known as the empty box scam. He bought $65,000 worth of jewelry from Bulgari across the street from Trump Tower, and had the record show that it was mailed to him in an out-of-state address. Now, if you’re not a New York resident, you may not have to pay sales tax if the jewelry is mailed to you in another state. The problem is, they were empty boxes. It was proven. – Hillary Clinton • Even if heaven were real, and measured as Revelation says, so many cubits this wayand that, how gimcrack a place it would be, crammed with its pavements of gold, its gates of pearl and topaz, like a gigantic chunkof costume jewelry. – Margaret Laurence • Every day of my adult life, I have worn at least one piece of jewelry from my maternal grandmother’s collection, all of which were manufactured by famed Danish silversmith Georg Jensen. To the naked eye, I am either a Jensen loyalist or a grandmother loyalist. Really I am just a Pretty Things loyalist.- Sloane Crosley • Flowers that are so pathetic in their beauty, frail as the clouds, and in their coloring as gorgeous as the heavens, had through thousands of years been the heritage of children – honored as the jewelry of God. – Thomas de Quincey • For me accessories create and define a woman’s personal style. The bag she carries, the watch on her wrist, her jewelry, her sunglasses, her shoes all define a look that is her signature. For Spring 2014, my accessory collections are about a clean, graphic boldness creating a new dimension redefining modern classics. – Ralph Lauren • For me the diamond dawns are set In rings of beauty. – John Townsend Trowbridge • For me, hair is an accoutrement. Hair is jewelry. It’s an accessory. – Jill Scott • Funny, I never shopped. Even my jewelry – not a piece of my jewelry I bought for me. – Imelda Marcos • Give crowns and pounds and guineas But not your heart away; Give pearls away and rubies, But keep your fancy free. – A. E. Housman • Gold, unlike all other commodities, is a currency…and the major thrust in the demand for gold is not for jewelry. It’s not for anything other than an escape from what is perceived to be a fiat money system, paper money, that seems to be deteriorating. – Alan Greenspan • Guard well your spare moments. They are like uncut diamonds. Discard them and their value will never be known. Improve them and they will become the brightest gems in a useful life. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

• He hits the ball 130 yards and his jewelry goes 150. – Bob Hope • Hollywood liberals could not be reached for comment on the cost of the inauguration because they were being fitted for gowns and jewelry worth millions of dollars in anticipation of Oscar night. – Ann Coulter • I am happy to receive any items of jewelry. – Katie Price • I am not big on jewelry, but I do love hats as an accessory, specifically snap backs and beanies. – Jourdan Dunn • I believe in trying foods from all over the world, going to markets and finding jewelry and furniture and just treating myself well. It’s important for me creatively to travel. – Crystal Renn • I collect jewelry for a story – so something I got on a trip or something I got from my family. You know it always needs to have a meaning for me. – Julia Restoin Roitfeld • I didn’t mind giving up carnality, jewelry and red meat in return for comradeship and an afterlife. – Margaret Millar • I don’t buy jewelry just for the aesthetic side. – Julia Restoin Roitfeld • I feel naked without jewelry. – Olivia Thirlby • I had a strong identity in mind but then of course I had to trust Didier Dubot’s expertise. They’ve been doing jewelry for so many years. – Julia Restoin Roitfeld • I had much rather be adorned by beauty of character than by jewels. Jewels are the gift of fortune, character comes from within. – Plautus • I had very good dentures once. Some magnificent gold work. It’s the only form of jewelry a man can wear that women fully appreciate. – Graham Greene • I hate imitation jewelry, dark lipstick and most of all a shrill voice. This has spoiled many a picture of feminine loveliness. – Ray Milland • I have been making wire jewelry – and think I’ll really do something with it, eventually. – Alexander Calder • I have seen women looking at jewelry ads with a misty eye and one hand resting on the heart, and I only know what they’re feeling because that’s how I read the seed catalogs in January. – Barbara Kingsolver • I have tons of jewelry. I like to wear a lot of it – Amber Tamblyn • I hope that when girls see my clothes, my shoes, or my outrageous jewelry collection, they feel the thrill of wanting more for themselves too. I love what my friend Andre Leon Talley said: “If you are successful, people want to see it. They want to share in your dream”. – Kimora Lee Simmons • I hope that women everywhere will wear this jewelry and feel the passion and love that is, to me, the real spirit of True Harmony. – Carol Alt • I just love clothes! I’m a girl who loves clothes, accessories, shoes, bags and jewelry. – Kelly Rowland • I like black for clothes, small items, and jewelry. It’s a color that can’t be violated by any other colors. A color that simply keeps being itself. A color that sinks more somberly than any other color, yet asserts itself more than all other colors. It’s a passionate gallant color. Anything is wonderful if it transcends things rather than being halfway. – Yana Toboso • I like colonic irrigation because sometimes you find old jewelry.- Joan Rivers • I like jewelry. Big rings, big necklaces. Shoes, belts, luggage. – Janel Parrish • I like to be dressy casual. I wear jeans and nice sneakers. I wear nice clothes, but not super dressed up. I don’t wear too much jewelry. I keep it simple and maybe wear just a little chain. – Vinny Guadagnino • I love how significant jewelry is throughout the world and throughout time. People have been adorning themselves with jewelry for years and its one of the oldest forms of art and design. This is something that has and will always inspire me. – Pamela Love • I love jewelry – rings, earrings, bracelets, necklaces, you name it. – Sofia Vergara • I love photography. I like to write. I like coaching. I’ve made jewelry. I’m very creative. – Diandra Asbaty • I love rewriting because that is where and how you discover the story. Its like you have this skeleton, and you get to put flesh on it and hair and clothes and really wonderful jewelry. – Caroline Leavitt • I love rhinestones, faux jewelry. – Adriana Trigiani • I love to be casual and comfortable, but I also love the easy glamour of wearing jewelry all the time. – Elizabeth Taylor • I love to shop. Clothes, electronics, and I love jewelry, especially yellow gold. – Apolo Ohno • I make jewelry occasionally. I’m not a hobbyist. I’m a reader, I’m a lover of books, I like to watch movies, but mostly a lot of nothing. I’m quite content doing very little. – Janeane Garofalo • I might not wear chains or I may just wear a watch or I may not wear any jewelry at all or I may just go all out on an outfit or just rock some basic s*** just a pair of jeans, a t-shirt and ones. But, I still standout more than a lot of people in the room so I can’t really describe it but I know from the outside looking in people can explain better than I can. – Lil Herb • I never had a fondness for gems or the extravagance of Harry Winston or Van Cleef & Arpels. I’ve always liked the more flamboyant, imaginative things. I lusted after costume jewelry. My husband was a very lucky man. – Iris Apfel • I obviously have a great love and appreciation of jewelry, thanks to my mother, much to the dismay of both my father and my boyfriends. – Ivanka Trump • I really just appreciate good jewelry, clarity, gold. I think gold is made for kings and pharaohs – that’s what I am. That’s why I rock gold and, you know, stuff like that. – Big Sean • I really learned a lot from collecting clothes because I got to go back into the history of fashion and fashion photography and jewelry. It changed how I felt about fashion and about what I did forever because I used to look a little bit down on myself for it. – Stephanie Seymour • I really love Paul Smith. And Chrome Hearts. They make the most beautiful, high-end leather and outerwear and jewelry you’ve ever seen. But I’m not a big fan of shopping. I certainly am a fan of clothes and especially people that put time into the construction of them. – Dean Winters • I remember opening my dad’s closet and there were, like, 40 suits, every color of the rainbow, plaid and winter and summer. He had two jewelry boxes full of watches and lighters and cuff links. And just… he was that guy. He was probably unfulfilled in his life in many ways. – Jon Hamm • I remove my wedding rings and put them in the jewelry box. So many others have done this. I am not the only one. I am not the only one. But here, I am the only one. – Elizabeth Berg • I think it’s a tribute to the artistic importance of hip-hop culture and what hip-hop has brought into music and fashion and jewelry that it is being adapted or imitated or is inspiring variations or new types of art or new types of music. – Simon de Pury • I think I’ve revived the costume-jewelry industry. – Madeleine Albright • I think jewelry can change an outfit more than anything else. Transformation, punch, individuality: One or all of the above are why you should wear jewelry. – Iris Apfel • I think swag is very important to rappers. It’s the overall appearance and style of an artist – these blue shorts and this blue hat and this $80,000 chain, this jewelry and all these tattoos, that’s swag. – Soulja Boy • I think that the lack of intuition in fashion today is one of the most dangerous things. My fear is that our business is turning into a bag business, and it’s all about the bag. But it’s not only about the bag. It’s about the women. And it’s not about a bag or a shoe or the jewelry. It’s only about women. . . . Being almost politically correct and doing only what you expect without the ability to make mistakes is very dangerous to fashion. We have to go with our heart. We have to go with our intuition. – Alber Elbaz • I think there is going to be a whole market and we’ll start to see hip-hop jewelry regularly in jewelry auctions around the world. Therefore, anybody who gets on the train early can only do well financially in the long run. – Simon de Pury • I treat clothing or a piece of jewelry like it was a piece of art. – Daphne Guinness • I used to collect vintage clothing – exquisite lace dresses, embroidered shawls and ornate jewelry – but that’s just not me any more. – Britt Ekland • I used to think that if I had success I would have freedom. But I have less freedom now than I’ve ever had. And what gives me satisfaction is not the jewelry and not the cars. What gives me satisfaction is doing things for others, like children. – Criss Angel • I want a chainsaw very badly, because I think cutting down a tree would be unbelievably satisfying. I have asked for a chainsaw for my birthday, but I think I’ll probably be given jewelry instead. – Susan Orlean • I will not go out with a man who wears more jewelry than me, and I’ll never, ever go to bed with a guy who calls me Babe. Other than that, however, I’m real flexible. – Linda Sunshine • I won’t wear rings and jewelry on the stage because I don’t want you looking at my hands. I want you hearing what I’m saying. – Mavis Staples • I’m busy sorting through our new collection of rhinestone jewelry. Should anyone be in the market for sparkly accessories the size of a hubcap, this is the place to get them. Earlier today, a customer picked up one of the enormous chandelier-style offerings and asked, ‘Do those be genuine rhimestones?’ I couldn’t even begin to explain everything that was wrong with her sentence, so I simply replied, ‘Yes. They do be genuine. – Jen Lancaster • I’m reminded of a book my father used to read me,” she said. “A bunch of elves and things get into a huge war over a piece of jewelry that everybody wants but nobody can wear. – Daniel Handler • If a girl says not to get her a birthday present that means get me a birthday present and make sure it’s jewelry. – Kami Garcia • If I go up to Harlem or down to Sixth Street, and I’m not dressed up or I’m not wearing my jewelry, then the people feel I’m talking down to them. People expect to see Mrs. Astor, not some dowdy old lady, and I don’t intend to disappoint. – Brooke Astor • If I’m not feeling good, I load on jewelry. It gives me energy and makes me feel happy. – Kate Hudson • If there was a choice on spending a lot of money on accessories or dress, I always chose accessories. I think jewelry can change an outfit more than anything else. – Iris Apfel • If you don’t know jewelry, know the jeweler. – Warren Buffett • If you don’t know the Jewelry, know the Jeweller – Warren Buffett • If you don’t want people to look at you, Park had thought at the time, don’t wear fishing lures in your hair. Her jewelry box must look like a junk drawer. – Rainbow Rowell • If your dad is anything like mine, then you have no clue what to buy him for Father’s Day. The only Father’s Day tradition in my family is the annual conversation he and I have where I say, ‘Hey, Dad, what do you want for Father’s Day this year?’ and he says, ‘Nothing.’ Then I ask my mom what I should get him and she says, ‘He likes sandalwood soap, dangly jewelry and Chanel No. 5 perfume.’ – Michael Showalter • I’ll work for whoever wants to hire me. Even the jewelry channel. – Dylan Moran • I’m a big rings person…and bracelets…and earrings. I love all of it [Laughs]. One time, I was getting off an airplane and I had been traveling for like a month in Europe, and I came from the airplane right to my mom’s house who I hadn’t seen in awhile, and she looked at me and she goes, “Is it possible to fit any more jewelry on you? Is that actually possible?” And I looked down and, because when I travel I don’t like to pack my jewelry so I end up wearing a ton of it, and I had just had everything on me. And I love buying jewelry when I travel – so there was a lot. – Kate Hudson • Im a hard worker, and everything with me is, if I work hard, I should get paid for it. Everything with me, I try to symbolize something flashy like jewelry or a car. The rubbing hands is a symbol of hustling, so it goes back to the money. – Birdman • I’m crazy about jewelry; swimwear and jewelry. – Candice Swanepoel • I’m going to get up every morning at 6:30 to work out. Then, when I’ve kept with it all week, I give myself something I really want, like a new handbag or a piece of jewelry I’m coveting. – Molly Sims • I’m just disillusioned with the hip-hop sound right now. It’s too materialistic. You know, I’m the kind of guy … I can’t do that. If you track my movement, you’ll never see a picture of me with any girl that wasn’t mine, or my own car. My jewelry, my clothes. What kind of gangsta rapper has a stylist? A stylist?! – Ice T • I’m listening to Gogol Bordello, which is totally random, but I love him. Just finished the new Joan Didion book, Blue Nights, which I loved. I haven’t been to the movies in God knows how long. I haven’t been doing anything but living in a bubble, making jewelry! – Pamela Love • I’m not a huge jewelry fan. – Felicity Jones • I’m not into jewelry. I’ve got some earrings but they’re not too expensive. There are guys who drop a hundred grand for a chain. The public’s got it right – a lot of NBA stars are arrogant and like to spend lots of money and have lots of girlfriends and all that. – Andrew Bogut • I’m not normally a jewelry person. I’m supposed to be a working class champion and all, and I don’t like to rub my success in people’s faces. – Bubba Sparxxx • Imagine wasting all that perfectly good anger on paranoid fantasies. Not since Emily Litella got upset about “Soviet jewelry” has there been such a waste of anger. You will notice a certain theme to these Emily Litella Moments. Behind them all is a touching faith that someone, somewhere is actually in charge of what’s happening – a proposition I beg leave to doubt. – Molly Ivins • In a way, there’s nothing more intimate than a piece of jewelry. A painting is hung on somebody’s wall. You put a piece of furniture in your home. But jewelry is worn by a person, so there is a fascination with the history of a piece. – Simon de Pury • In both business and personal life, I’ve always found that travel inspires me more than anything else I do. Evidence of the languages, cultures, scenery, food, and design sensibilities that I discover all over the world can be found in every piece of my jewelry. – Ivanka Trump • I’ve always loved the fashion of the ’30s and everything that came with the Art Deco era – the jewelry and the glamour. – Emmy Rossum • I’ve been designing my own pieces for a long time. My mother’s a jewelry designer, so we knew at some point we were going to do a line and dive into the fashion world. – Christian Serratos • I’ve been on a plane before with more money in jewelry than my life insurance policy, and it’s one of the scariest feelings in the world… if you lose it, you have to pay for it yourself, and you don’t even get to keep it! – Rumer Willis • I’ve borrowed tons of jewelry. Most people [in Hollywood] do. But it’s your responsibility to keep track of it. – Rumer Willis • I’ve never in my life bought a big piece of jewelry – like, ‘I’m gonna get myself a big piece of jewelry!’ Songwriters’ lives are unstable and up and down. Even though mine has sort of has followed more of a going toward the sky trajectory. – Kara DioGuardi • I’ve read about all the sales today. If you’re an auto dealer, you’re feeling it. If you’re a furniture retailer like we are, you’re feeling it. If you’re a jewelry retailer, you’re feeling it. I know some of these businesses because we’re in them. Yeah, it’s being felt, but it will be felt big time more if we don’t do something about it, what’s going on. – Warren Buffett • I’ve teamed up with BaubleBar to curate a collection of gorgeous jewelry pieces. I worked closely with the BaubleBar team to design a collection that encompasses my style and all of my go to pieces. – Ashley Madekwe • Jewellery takes people’s minds off your wrinkles. – Sarah Phillips • Jewelry and pins have been worn throughout history as symbols of power, sending messages. Interestingly enough, it was mostly men who wore the jewelry in various times, and obviously crowns were part of signals that were being sent throughout history by people of rank. – Madeleine Albright • Jewelry is fine on some guys, but it’s not for me. – Ross Kemp • Jewelry is incredibly feminine, and reflects the grace and beauty of a women’s style like nothing else. – Ivanka Trump • Jewelry is something that has to do with emotion. That aspect of jewelry really interests me. – Ann Demeulemeester • Jewelry is the most transformative thing you can wear. – Iris Apfel • Jewelry should not upstage you. I pick one hot point on my body that I’m going to highlight. Let one area do the singing – you don’t want to hear three songs at once. – Padma Lakshmi • Jewelry takes people’s minds off your wrinkles. – Sonja Henie • Jewelry, to me, is a pain in the derriere, because you have to be watching it all the time. – Eartha Kitt • Kindness is not something that we put on for certain occasions, like a piece of jewelry; rather, it is an attribute of God’s that He desires to reproduce in us. – Charles Stanley • Knowledge cannot be stolen from us. It cannot be bought or sold. We may be poor, and the sheriff may come and sell our furniture, or drive away our cow, or take our pet lamb, and leave us homeless and penniless; but he cannot lay the law’s hand upon the jewelry of our minds. – Elihu Burritt • Lust is the sin that gets me excited. Luckily, because I’m married, I also get really good jewelry out of it. – Heather Locklear • Marco Polo had seen the inhabitants of Zipangu place rose-colored pearls in the mouths of the dead. A sea-monster had been enamoured of the pearl that the diver brought to King Perozes, and had slain the thief, and mourned for seven moons over its loss. – Oscar Wilde • McCain was introduced at the convention last night by his wife — I won’t say ‘trophy wife’ — but she did $300,000 worth of clothes and jewelry on, no matter to the party of the little guy. But Cindy McCain talked about how his character, honor and integrity made him the exact kind of married man she was looking to pick up at a bar. – Bill Maher • Men who have a pierced ear are better prepared for marriage – they’ve experienced pain and bought jewelry. – Rita Rudner • Mock jewelry on a woman is tangible vulgarity. – Bayard Taylor • My approach to jewelry has always been to keep it very simple, but if you want to wear something, make sure it is exquisite and lovely and will stand out. – Sophie Cookson • My dad was a jingle writer, and my mom was a jewelry designer and musician. – Reeve Carney • My everyday look has definitely become more low maintenance, but accessories are everything. A structured bag, statement jewelry or a cute scarf can add polish to any outfit! – Adriana Lima • My favorite jewelry, it’s just what I’m feeling at the time. – Erykah Badu • My favourite thing in my wardrobe is my jewelry. – Kate Reardon • My grill is intended to be discreet. It’s there because I enjoy jewelry. – Jill Scott • My husband gave me a necklace. It’s fake. I requested fake. Maybe I’m paranoid, but in this day and age, I don’t want something around my neck that’s worth more than my head. – Rita Rudner • My inspiration is always love and history, and my passion to a fault is craftsmanship and responsibility. Those are the simplest things. It goes beyond jewelry. It’s every part of my life. – Waris Ahluwalia • My parents were glad to see that my new husband looks like a ‘regular guy’-no earring or anything. But really I think a man with an earring is better prepared for marriage. I mean, he’s already experienced pain and bought jewelry. – Rita Rudner • My style is ghetto chic. I love tacky jewelry, mega heels, high-waisted shorts, catsuits. – Jessie J • My years of living the jet-set life were fun, but they weren’t fulfilling. The perks and benefits were lovely, but all of the fabulous furs, fancy jewelry and fun fetes simply weren’t enough to fill my soul. – Sandra Lee • Next to gold and jewelry, health is the most important thing you can have. – Phyllis Diller • Nice jewelry and a boys corpse. Oh you’re so pretty. – Koushun Takami • Not on one strand are all life’s jewels strung. – William Morris • Not the brightest gem in the jewelry shop, but you’ve got to admire his single-minded dedication to drug abuse. – John Green • Nothing in life is fun for the whole family. There are no massage parlors with ice cream and free jewelry. – Jerry Seinfeld • Seriously. Who needed a real lover when you had a handsome, affectionate man who adored you, put a beautiful house over your head, gave you a great job, lavished you with fabulous clothes, shoes, purses and jewelry and would never break your heart? – Kristen Ashley • She is mine own, And I as rich in having such a jewel As twenty seas, if all their sand were pearl, The water nectar, and the rocks pure gold. – William Shakespeare • Some say the economy means that you have to persuade people to invest in clothes – to buy less things but more expensive things. I disagree – invest in jewelry, or a house, maybe, but not in fashion. – Donatella Versace • Studing jewelry gives you an incredible technical background. If you can work on very, very small things, then, I think, typically you find it easier to go bigger rather than the other way around. I think a lot of architects have struggled with small things. Whereas if you start small, it’s easier to get bigger. – Marc Newson • Sun and moon have no light left, earth is dark; Our women’s world is sunk so deep, who can help us? Jewelry sold to pay this trip across the seas, Cut off from my family I leave my native land. Unbinding my feet I clean out a thousand years of poison, With heated heart arouse all women’s spirits. Alas, this delicate kerchief here Is half stained with blood, and half with tears. – Qiu Jin • Sweet are the uses of adversity which, like the toad, ugly and venomous, wears yet a precious jewel in his head. – William Shakespeare • That whole week, we started to divide things into those two categories: anything or something. A piece of jewelry bougth at a department store: anything. A piece of jewelry made by hand: something. A dollar: anything. A sand dollar: something. A gift certificate: anything. An IOU for two hours of starwatching: something. A drunk kiss at a party: anything. A sober kiss alone in a park: something. – David Levithan • The best legacy you could leave is not some building that is names after you or a piece of jewelry but rather a world that has been impacted and touched by your presence, your joy, and your positive actions. – Jon Gordon • The children break all my jewelry, so everything I wear is cheap – from Topshop or Dorothy Perkins. – Sally Phillips • The countless gold of a merry heart, The rubies and pearls of a loving eye, The indolent never can bring to the mart, Nor the secret hoard up in his treasury. – William Blake • The difference between false memories and true ones is the same as for jewels: it is always the false ones that look the most real, the most brilliant. – Salvador Dali • The earth is like a beautiful bride who needs no manmade jewels to heighten her loveliness. – Khalil Gibran • The Female Once-Over – a process by which one woman creates a detailed profile of another woman based upon about a million subtle details of clothing, jewelry, makeup, and body type, and then decides how much of a social threat she might be. Men have a parallel process, but it’s binary: Does he have beer? If yes, will he share with me? – Jim Butcher • The grossest form of this injury of the body to ornament it, is in tattooing. Next, the piercing the ear all around its rim, piercing the nose and the lips to introduce rings or bars of jewelry. – Julia McNair Wright • The jewelry business is a very, very tough business – tougher than the computer business. You truly have to understand how to take care of your customers. • The jewelry stores say, ‘Tell your wife you love her with a diamond,’ while wives tell you they love you with, ‘Ok, but just because it’s Valentine’s Day.’ – George Lopez • The kinds of things I like with crystals are the really beautiful costume jewelry, vintage pieces, and they usually have that diamond shape. – Zoe Kravitz • The leather vests are work vests, supposed to look like factory workers. They’re actually the vests we use in the studio when we make jewelry. – Pamela Love • The most precious jewels are not made of stone, but of flesh. – Robert Ludlum • The only gift my dad ever bought me is still in my jewelry box. It died at 10 minutes to 11 decades ago, but the gold Caravelle watch keeps my dad alive. A watch isn’t about keeping time. It’s about stopping it. – Regina Brett • The ultimate in futility is owning important jewelry. Insurers often insist on the wearing of paste replicas because necks with real rocks around ’em risk wringing. – Malcolm Forbes • The writing process for a short story feels more like field geology, where you keep turning the thing over and over, noting its qualities in detail, hammering at it, putting it near flame, pouring different acids on it, and then finally you figure out what it is, or you just give up and mount it on a ring and have an awkward chunky piece of jewelry that seems weirdly dominating but that you for some reason like. I could be wrong about field geology here. – Rivka Galchen • There were no jewelry hidden. Walt wanted this atmosphere: They were supposed to live here, they’ve been outside somewhere, but they could come back at any minute and catch us. – John Hench • There’s nothing essentially romantic about things like roses or jewelry. Romance starts as some blank concept, and then you just fill it in with objects so you have something to point to when you want to make it real. – Andrea Seigel • To me, jewelry is a natural progression and there is something so meaningful and magical about creating that one of a kind, special piece. – Pamela Love • We must buy jewelry; it identifies us with our tribe, just as body piercing identifies those of a different tribe. – Paulo Coelho • We passed hieroglyphic scrolls, gold jewelry, sarcophagi, statues of pharaohs, and huge chunks of limestone. Why would someone display a rock? Aren’t there enough of those in the world? – Rick Riordan • We used to have MTV and all these ways we can show our videos, and it was these rap shows, and it was everything. And then it became not cool to be conscious; it became cool to just hang out. Escapism rap became the norm. And, when I say “escapism rap”, I mean getting high, get your cars, get your money, get your jewelry, go to the club, have your women, and it just became all about escaping your reality and not making your reality better on a real tip; not just on the have fun tip. – Ice Cube • We were broke in a way that only kids can be broke. Our toes were black with dye from wearing boots that weren’t waterproof. We had infected ear lobes and green rings around our fingers from cheap jewelry. No one ever even had a chocolate bar. – Heather O’Neill • Wear a fabulous smile, great jewelry and know that you are totally and utterly in control. – Donatella Versace • Wearing a breathable fabric is the most important thing for me. I also love to keep it simple and keep the number of garments Im wearing ideally at one (a sundress for example), and then add some great jewelry. – Hilary Rhoda • Well, I always tried to look nice and be feminine even in the worst tragedies and crisis, there’s no reason to add to everyone’s misery by looking miserable yourself. That’s my philosophy. This is why I always wore makeup and jewelry into the jungle-nothing too extravagant, but maybe just a nice gold bracelet and some earrings, a little lipstick, good perfume. Just enough to show that I still had my self-respect. – Elizabeth Gilbert • Well, I never studied design and I went to art school to study art, you know, sculpture and things like that, and ended up making things like sculpture and started making chairs and jewelry together and that’s how I started. – Marc Newson • Well… I had braces and I had to wear headgear! I loved my braces, actually. For me, they were like a piece of jewelry! Instead of the silver or pewter I had gold braces. It was so much fun, I loved them. I got to change the colors and stuff and I had the rubber bands. – Jordin Sparks • What can I say about my jewelry? It speaks for itself. To me, style is to be simple. – Elsa Peretti • What I love about jewelry is you can change it for something else without surgery. – Joan Rivers • When I wear jewelry it needs to really mean something. – Julia Restoin Roitfeld • When I went to stay with I’m, he asked me for something of my fathers to make the tracking easier. I gave him the Morgenstern ring. He said he‘d let me know if he senses Valentine anywhere in the city, but so far he hasn’t.” “Maybe he just wanted your ring,” Clary said. “He sure wears lot of jewelry. – Cassandra Clare • When I’m in the house of God, I don’t wear my jewelry, if you’re looking for my jewelry. All you see is my heart of gold. – Mr. T • Whether I’m making a recipe or a piece of jewelry or a white-rose-and-jasmine tea or the perfume, I like to think of myself as a happy little sorceress, and if I could just have a little general store with all that stuff and give people a sense of my taste, that would be lovely. – Padma Lakshmi • Will the people in the cheaper seats clap your hands? And the rest of you, if you’ll just rattle your jewelry. – John Lennon • With melted opals for my milk, Pearl-leaf for my cracker. – Gwendolyn Brooks • Within each piece, I create an intriguing balance between jewelry and the body, and an intensity which draws others to it. – Sarah Richardson • Wives are good on paper, at least. until they turn into harpies with sharp claws and open check books. Then they’re kind of frightening. And they put on all kinds of makeup and parade around the street with their shopping cart yelling “Sale on aisle seven!” at anyone who will listen. Their wooden clog sandals make a helluva racket on linoleum tile. Their plastic jewelry clatters like the bones of little children. – Rob Campbell • Women like jewelry. They’re like racoons: show them some shiny stuff and they’ll follow you home. – Alonzo Bodden • Working-girls, in pairs and groups and swarms, loitered by these windows, choosing their future boudoirs from some resplendent display which included even a man’s silk pajamas laid domestically across the bed. They stood in front of the jewelry stores and picked out their engagement rings, and their wedding rings and their platinum wrist watches, and then drifted on to inspect the feather fans and opera cloaks; meanwhile digesting the sandwiches and Sundaes they had eaten for lunch. – F. Scott Fitzgerald • Yeah, my role is gonna be a character by the name of Yondu. And there’s gonna be more of Yondu. Yondu is gonna be even more handsome. Perhaps maybe Yondu will add some more bling to his teeth and wear some more jewelry. I don’t know. It’s gonna be a lot of fun. I’ve got my fingers crossed that we’ll flush out the character even more. – Michael Rooker • Yes, your jewelry choices make a difference. When you invest in ethical, heirloom-quality jewelry, you’re also investing in the future. Your purchase supports a creative community of like-minded humanitarians, out there doing important work. – Zoe Helene • You don’t want your jewelry to make you look fat. A lot of what’s out there now does – you just wind up looking like a Christmas tree. – Padma Lakshmi • You just don’t notice the time of your own metamorphosis. Until you do. Every once in a while time dissolves and you remember what you liked as a kid. You jump on your hotel bed, order dessert first, decide to put every piece of jewelry you own on your body and leave the house. Why? Because you can. Because you’re the boss. Because… Ooooh. Shiny. – Sloane Crosley • You know, my uncle wore a lot of jewelry, a lot of gold chains. – 2 Chainz • You know,” I said, holding my ground. “I gotta tell you. The goatee thing? Yeah, way over. And you know a little jewelry really does go a long way. Just something you might want to consider. I’m actually glad you stopped by, because I have a couple things I’ve been meaning to say to you. Number one, about your wife? Yeah, she’s a skank. And number two, you know that whole thing where you killed Jesse and then buried his remains out back there? Yeah, way un-cool. – Meg Cabot • You never have to buy an issue of Cosmo again to be the ‘Best Lover He’s Ever Had.’ Just remember this phrase: ‘Oh my goodness, I don’t know if that will fit.’ Then start mentally picking out jewelry.- Lisa Ann Walter • You should not say anything that you cannot put your totality behind. The total value of you is that whatever you say, you stick with it. When you don’t stick with what you say, you have no value, and your decoration and your jewelry and your sex and your person have no value. Real communication is the faculty of a human that whatever you say, you stick with it. – Harbhajan Singh Yogi

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[equitiesstocks]

Jewelry Quotes

Official Website: Jewelry Quotes

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• A girl could never have too much jewelry or too much weaponry. – Laurell K. Hamilton • A little man is running a jewelry store. A man runs in saying, Okay, take my watch, put on a new band, install a new battery, clean the case, install a new crystal, and tune it up. I will be back in a half hour for it. Thanks! and runs out the door. The little jeweler says, C-C-C-Come in? – Henny Youngman • A lot of the jewelry that I wear are fan gifts because they’re so awesome and they give me great presents. – Taylor Swift • A man can do a television interview and roll out of bed 15 minutes before; it’s just not the same for a woman. A woman has to pay attention to her hair, makeup, clothing, and jewelry choices. – Michele Bachmann • A man’s got two shots for jewelry: a wedding ring and a watch. The watch is a lot easier to get on and off than a wedding ring. – John Mayer • A piece of jewelry is in a sense an object that is not complete in itself. Jewelry is a ‘what is it?’ until you relate it to the body. The body is a component in design just as air and space are. Like line, form, and color, the body is a material to work with. It is one of the basic inspirations in creating form. – Art Smith • A woman needs ropes and ropes of pearls. – Grace Kelly • Accessories are crucial. A great bag and a piece of statement jewelry are the fastest way to elevate an otherwise understated look. – Ivanka Trump • Accessories are important and becoming more and more important every day. They can completely change the look of an outfit, and women like the idea of having a wardrobe that’s versatile. For instance, a strong piece of jewelry can make a simple outfit look elegant. – Giorgio Armani • Adversity is the diamond dust Heaven polishes its jewels with. – Thomas Carlyle • All my jewelry has stories. – Eva Green • Always make sure your jewelry isn’t taking over you or your ensemble and keep everything in proportion to your frame – Nina Garcia • Another thing rappers, I admire your rebellious spirit, but materialism is a form of mental slavery. Slow down on the jewelry, pick up a book. – Dov Davidoff • Any girl who was a lady would not even think of having such a good time that she did not remember to hang on to her jewelry. – Anita Loos • As I get older, I use less jewelry – necklace or earrings each morning, not both; my clothes are getting more basic – fewer colours and simpler cuts; and my make-up is stripped back to basics. – Tracy Chevalier • At a flea market I always head for the junk jewelry table first. – Ethel Merman

jQuery(document).ready(function($) var data = action: 'polyxgo_products_search', type: 'product', keywords: 'Jewelry', orderby: 'rand', order: 'DESC', template: '1', limit: '68', columns: '4', viewall:'Shop All', ; jQuery.post(spyr_params.ajaxurl,data, function(response) var obj = jQuery.parseJSON(response); jQuery('#thelovesof_jewelry').html(obj); jQuery('#thelovesof_jewelry img.swiper-lazy:not(.swiper-lazy-loaded)' ).each(function () var img = jQuery(this); img.attr("src",img.data('src')); img.addClass( 'swiper-lazy-loaded' ); img.removeAttr('data-src'); ); ); ); • Be careful with the man jewelry. A little goes a long way. – Ashton Kutcher • Biography is the medium through which the remaining secrets of the famous dead are taken from them and dumped out in full view of the world. The biographer at work, indeed, is like the professional burglar, breaking into a house, rifling through certain drawers that he has good reason to think contain the jewelry and money, and triumphantly bearing his loot away. – Janet Malcolm • But I do mean to say, I have heard her declare, When at the same moment she had on a dress Which cost five hundred dollars, and not a cent less, And jewelry worth tem times more, I should guess, That he had not a thing in the wide world to wear! – William Allen Butler • But the Milanese have made bad choices, bad fashion, and bad jewelry. – Christian Lacroix

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• Cool! Now I can steal some rich old coot’s Ferrari and go fishing for marlin with the same piece of jewelry. – Jennifer Rardin • Costume jewelry is not made to give women an aura of wealth, but to make them beautifu – Coco Chanel • Customized jewelry is one of my targets with Bold Machines. – Bre Pettis • Death, jewelry, or magic; it sounded like Valentine’s Day. – Laurell K. Hamilton • Decide which you want to play up: your clothing or your jewelry, but not both. Let one be the star and one the supporting player. – Padma Lakshmi • Do not judge from mere appearances. – Edwin Hubbel Chapin • Do not judge men by mere appearances; for the light laughter that bubbles on the lip often mantles over the depths of sadness, and the serious look may be the sober veil that covers a divine peace and joy. – Edwin Hubbel Chapin • Donald Trump participated in something known as the empty box scam. He bought $65,000 worth of jewelry from Bulgari across the street from Trump Tower, and had the record show that it was mailed to him in an out-of-state address. Now, if you’re not a New York resident, you may not have to pay sales tax if the jewelry is mailed to you in another state. The problem is, they were empty boxes. It was proven. – Hillary Clinton • Even if heaven were real, and measured as Revelation says, so many cubits this wayand that, how gimcrack a place it would be, crammed with its pavements of gold, its gates of pearl and topaz, like a gigantic chunkof costume jewelry. – Margaret Laurence • Every day of my adult life, I have worn at least one piece of jewelry from my maternal grandmother’s collection, all of which were manufactured by famed Danish silversmith Georg Jensen. To the naked eye, I am either a Jensen loyalist or a grandmother loyalist. Really I am just a Pretty Things loyalist.- Sloane Crosley • Flowers that are so pathetic in their beauty, frail as the clouds, and in their coloring as gorgeous as the heavens, had through thousands of years been the heritage of children – honored as the jewelry of God. – Thomas de Quincey • For me accessories create and define a woman’s personal style. The bag she carries, the watch on her wrist, her jewelry, her sunglasses, her shoes all define a look that is her signature. For Spring 2014, my accessory collections are about a clean, graphic boldness creating a new dimension redefining modern classics. – Ralph Lauren • For me the diamond dawns are set In rings of beauty. – John Townsend Trowbridge • For me, hair is an accoutrement. Hair is jewelry. It’s an accessory. – Jill Scott • Funny, I never shopped. Even my jewelry – not a piece of my jewelry I bought for me. – Imelda Marcos • Give crowns and pounds and guineas But not your heart away; Give pearls away and rubies, But keep your fancy free. – A. E. Housman • Gold, unlike all other commodities, is a currency…and the major thrust in the demand for gold is not for jewelry. It’s not for anything other than an escape from what is perceived to be a fiat money system, paper money, that seems to be deteriorating. – Alan Greenspan • Guard well your spare moments. They are like uncut diamonds. Discard them and their value will never be known. Improve them and they will become the brightest gems in a useful life. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

• He hits the ball 130 yards and his jewelry goes 150. – Bob Hope • Hollywood liberals could not be reached for comment on the cost of the inauguration because they were being fitted for gowns and jewelry worth millions of dollars in anticipation of Oscar night. – Ann Coulter • I am happy to receive any items of jewelry. – Katie Price • I am not big on jewelry, but I do love hats as an accessory, specifically snap backs and beanies. – Jourdan Dunn • I believe in trying foods from all over the world, going to markets and finding jewelry and furniture and just treating myself well. It’s important for me creatively to travel. – Crystal Renn • I collect jewelry for a story – so something I got on a trip or something I got from my family. You know it always needs to have a meaning for me. – Julia Restoin Roitfeld • I didn’t mind giving up carnality, jewelry and red meat in return for comradeship and an afterlife. – Margaret Millar • I don’t buy jewelry just for the aesthetic side. – Julia Restoin Roitfeld • I feel naked without jewelry. – Olivia Thirlby • I had a strong identity in mind but then of course I had to trust Didier Dubot’s expertise. They’ve been doing jewelry for so many years. – Julia Restoin Roitfeld • I had much rather be adorned by beauty of character than by jewels. Jewels are the gift of fortune, character comes from within. – Plautus • I had very good dentures once. Some magnificent gold work. It’s the only form of jewelry a man can wear that women fully appreciate. – Graham Greene • I hate imitation jewelry, dark lipstick and most of all a shrill voice. This has spoiled many a picture of feminine loveliness. – Ray Milland • I have been making wire jewelry – and think I’ll really do something with it, eventually. – Alexander Calder • I have seen women looking at jewelry ads with a misty eye and one hand resting on the heart, and I only know what they’re feeling because that’s how I read the seed catalogs in January. – Barbara Kingsolver • I have tons of jewelry. I like to wear a lot of it – Amber Tamblyn • I hope that when girls see my clothes, my shoes, or my outrageous jewelry collection, they feel the thrill of wanting more for themselves too. I love what my friend Andre Leon Talley said: “If you are successful, people want to see it. They want to share in your dream”. – Kimora Lee Simmons • I hope that women everywhere will wear this jewelry and feel the passion and love that is, to me, the real spirit of True Harmony. – Carol Alt • I just love clothes! I’m a girl who loves clothes, accessories, shoes, bags and jewelry. – Kelly Rowland • I like black for clothes, small items, and jewelry. It’s a color that can’t be violated by any other colors. A color that simply keeps being itself. A color that sinks more somberly than any other color, yet asserts itself more than all other colors. It’s a passionate gallant color. Anything is wonderful if it transcends things rather than being halfway. – Yana Toboso • I like colonic irrigation because sometimes you find old jewelry.- Joan Rivers • I like jewelry. Big rings, big necklaces. Shoes, belts, luggage. – Janel Parrish • I like to be dressy casual. I wear jeans and nice sneakers. I wear nice clothes, but not super dressed up. I don’t wear too much jewelry. I keep it simple and maybe wear just a little chain. – Vinny Guadagnino • I love how significant jewelry is throughout the world and throughout time. People have been adorning themselves with jewelry for years and its one of the oldest forms of art and design. This is something that has and will always inspire me. – Pamela Love • I love jewelry – rings, earrings, bracelets, necklaces, you name it. – Sofia Vergara • I love photography. I like to write. I like coaching. I’ve made jewelry. I’m very creative. – Diandra Asbaty • I love rewriting because that is where and how you discover the story. Its like you have this skeleton, and you get to put flesh on it and hair and clothes and really wonderful jewelry. – Caroline Leavitt • I love rhinestones, faux jewelry. – Adriana Trigiani • I love to be casual and comfortable, but I also love the easy glamour of wearing jewelry all the time. – Elizabeth Taylor • I love to shop. Clothes, electronics, and I love jewelry, especially yellow gold. – Apolo Ohno • I make jewelry occasionally. I’m not a hobbyist. I’m a reader, I’m a lover of books, I like to watch movies, but mostly a lot of nothing. I’m quite content doing very little. – Janeane Garofalo • I might not wear chains or I may just wear a watch or I may not wear any jewelry at all or I may just go all out on an outfit or just rock some basic s*** just a pair of jeans, a t-shirt and ones. But, I still standout more than a lot of people in the room so I can’t really describe it but I know from the outside looking in people can explain better than I can. – Lil Herb • I never had a fondness for gems or the extravagance of Harry Winston or Van Cleef & Arpels. I’ve always liked the more flamboyant, imaginative things. I lusted after costume jewelry. My husband was a very lucky man. – Iris Apfel • I obviously have a great love and appreciation of jewelry, thanks to my mother, much to the dismay of both my father and my boyfriends. – Ivanka Trump • I really just appreciate good jewelry, clarity, gold. I think gold is made for kings and pharaohs – that’s what I am. That’s why I rock gold and, you know, stuff like that. – Big Sean • I really learned a lot from collecting clothes because I got to go back into the history of fashion and fashion photography and jewelry. It changed how I felt about fashion and about what I did forever because I used to look a little bit down on myself for it. – Stephanie Seymour • I really love Paul Smith. And Chrome Hearts. They make the most beautiful, high-end leather and outerwear and jewelry you’ve ever seen. But I’m not a big fan of shopping. I certainly am a fan of clothes and especially people that put time into the construction of them. – Dean Winters • I remember opening my dad’s closet and there were, like, 40 suits, every color of the rainbow, plaid and winter and summer. He had two jewelry boxes full of watches and lighters and cuff links. And just… he was that guy. He was probably unfulfilled in his life in many ways. – Jon Hamm • I remove my wedding rings and put them in the jewelry box. So many others have done this. I am not the only one. I am not the only one. But here, I am the only one. – Elizabeth Berg • I think it’s a tribute to the artistic importance of hip-hop culture and what hip-hop has brought into music and fashion and jewelry that it is being adapted or imitated or is inspiring variations or new types of art or new types of music. – Simon de Pury • I think I’ve revived the costume-jewelry industry. – Madeleine Albright • I think jewelry can change an outfit more than anything else. Transformation, punch, individuality: One or all of the above are why you should wear jewelry. – Iris Apfel • I think swag is very important to rappers. It’s the overall appearance and style of an artist – these blue shorts and this blue hat and this $80,000 chain, this jewelry and all these tattoos, that’s swag. – Soulja Boy • I think that the lack of intuition in fashion today is one of the most dangerous things. My fear is that our business is turning into a bag business, and it’s all about the bag. But it’s not only about the bag. It’s about the women. And it’s not about a bag or a shoe or the jewelry. It’s only about women. . . . Being almost politically correct and doing only what you expect without the ability to make mistakes is very dangerous to fashion. We have to go with our heart. We have to go with our intuition. – Alber Elbaz • I think there is going to be a whole market and we’ll start to see hip-hop jewelry regularly in jewelry auctions around the world. Therefore, anybody who gets on the train early can only do well financially in the long run. – Simon de Pury • I treat clothing or a piece of jewelry like it was a piece of art. – Daphne Guinness • I used to collect vintage clothing – exquisite lace dresses, embroidered shawls and ornate jewelry – but that’s just not me any more. – Britt Ekland • I used to think that if I had success I would have freedom. But I have less freedom now than I’ve ever had. And what gives me satisfaction is not the jewelry and not the cars. What gives me satisfaction is doing things for others, like children. – Criss Angel • I want a chainsaw very badly, because I think cutting down a tree would be unbelievably satisfying. I have asked for a chainsaw for my birthday, but I think I’ll probably be given jewelry instead. – Susan Orlean • I will not go out with a man who wears more jewelry than me, and I’ll never, ever go to bed with a guy who calls me Babe. Other than that, however, I’m real flexible. – Linda Sunshine • I won’t wear rings and jewelry on the stage because I don’t want you looking at my hands. I want you hearing what I’m saying. – Mavis Staples • I’m busy sorting through our new collection of rhinestone jewelry. Should anyone be in the market for sparkly accessories the size of a hubcap, this is the place to get them. Earlier today, a customer picked up one of the enormous chandelier-style offerings and asked, ‘Do those be genuine rhimestones?’ I couldn’t even begin to explain everything that was wrong with her sentence, so I simply replied, ‘Yes. They do be genuine. – Jen Lancaster • I’m reminded of a book my father used to read me,” she said. “A bunch of elves and things get into a huge war over a piece of jewelry that everybody wants but nobody can wear. – Daniel Handler • If a girl says not to get her a birthday present that means get me a birthday present and make sure it’s jewelry. – Kami Garcia • If I go up to Harlem or down to Sixth Street, and I’m not dressed up or I’m not wearing my jewelry, then the people feel I’m talking down to them. People expect to see Mrs. Astor, not some dowdy old lady, and I don’t intend to disappoint. – Brooke Astor • If I’m not feeling good, I load on jewelry. It gives me energy and makes me feel happy. – Kate Hudson • If there was a choice on spending a lot of money on accessories or dress, I always chose accessories. I think jewelry can change an outfit more than anything else. – Iris Apfel • If you don’t know jewelry, know the jeweler. – Warren Buffett • If you don’t know the Jewelry, know the Jeweller – Warren Buffett • If you don’t want people to look at you, Park had thought at the time, don’t wear fishing lures in your hair. Her jewelry box must look like a junk drawer. – Rainbow Rowell • If your dad is anything like mine, then you have no clue what to buy him for Father’s Day. The only Father’s Day tradition in my family is the annual conversation he and I have where I say, ‘Hey, Dad, what do you want for Father’s Day this year?’ and he says, ‘Nothing.’ Then I ask my mom what I should get him and she says, ‘He likes sandalwood soap, dangly jewelry and Chanel No. 5 perfume.’ – Michael Showalter • I’ll work for whoever wants to hire me. Even the jewelry channel. – Dylan Moran • I’m a big rings person…and bracelets…and earrings. I love all of it [Laughs]. One time, I was getting off an airplane and I had been traveling for like a month in Europe, and I came from the airplane right to my mom’s house who I hadn’t seen in awhile, and she looked at me and she goes, “Is it possible to fit any more jewelry on you? Is that actually possible?” And I looked down and, because when I travel I don’t like to pack my jewelry so I end up wearing a ton of it, and I had just had everything on me. And I love buying jewelry when I travel – so there was a lot. – Kate Hudson • Im a hard worker, and everything with me is, if I work hard, I should get paid for it. Everything with me, I try to symbolize something flashy like jewelry or a car. The rubbing hands is a symbol of hustling, so it goes back to the money. – Birdman • I’m crazy about jewelry; swimwear and jewelry. – Candice Swanepoel • I’m going to get up every morning at 6:30 to work out. Then, when I’ve kept with it all week, I give myself something I really want, like a new handbag or a piece of jewelry I’m coveting. – Molly Sims • I’m just disillusioned with the hip-hop sound right now. It’s too materialistic. You know, I’m the kind of guy … I can’t do that. If you track my movement, you’ll never see a picture of me with any girl that wasn’t mine, or my own car. My jewelry, my clothes. What kind of gangsta rapper has a stylist? A stylist?! – Ice T • I’m listening to Gogol Bordello, which is totally random, but I love him. Just finished the new Joan Didion book, Blue Nights, which I loved. I haven’t been to the movies in God knows how long. I haven’t been doing anything but living in a bubble, making jewelry! – Pamela Love • I’m not a huge jewelry fan. – Felicity Jones • I’m not into jewelry. I’ve got some earrings but they’re not too expensive. There are guys who drop a hundred grand for a chain. The public’s got it right – a lot of NBA stars are arrogant and like to spend lots of money and have lots of girlfriends and all that. – Andrew Bogut • I’m not normally a jewelry person. I’m supposed to be a working class champion and all, and I don’t like to rub my success in people’s faces. – Bubba Sparxxx • Imagine wasting all that perfectly good anger on paranoid fantasies. Not since Emily Litella got upset about “Soviet jewelry” has there been such a waste of anger. You will notice a certain theme to these Emily Litella Moments. Behind them all is a touching faith that someone, somewhere is actually in charge of what’s happening – a proposition I beg leave to doubt. – Molly Ivins • In a way, there’s nothing more intimate than a piece of jewelry. A painting is hung on somebody’s wall. You put a piece of furniture in your home. But jewelry is worn by a person, so there is a fascination with the history of a piece. – Simon de Pury • In both business and personal life, I’ve always found that travel inspires me more than anything else I do. Evidence of the languages, cultures, scenery, food, and design sensibilities that I discover all over the world can be found in every piece of my jewelry. – Ivanka Trump • I’ve always loved the fashion of the ’30s and everything that came with the Art Deco era – the jewelry and the glamour. – Emmy Rossum • I’ve been designing my own pieces for a long time. My mother’s a jewelry designer, so we knew at some point we were going to do a line and dive into the fashion world. – Christian Serratos • I’ve been on a plane before with more money in jewelry than my life insurance policy, and it’s one of the scariest feelings in the world… if you lose it, you have to pay for it yourself, and you don’t even get to keep it! – Rumer Willis • I’ve borrowed tons of jewelry. Most people [in Hollywood] do. But it’s your responsibility to keep track of it. – Rumer Willis • I’ve never in my life bought a big piece of jewelry – like, ‘I’m gonna get myself a big piece of jewelry!’ Songwriters’ lives are unstable and up and down. Even though mine has sort of has followed more of a going toward the sky trajectory. – Kara DioGuardi • I’ve read about all the sales today. If you’re an auto dealer, you’re feeling it. If you’re a furniture retailer like we are, you’re feeling it. If you’re a jewelry retailer, you’re feeling it. I know some of these businesses because we’re in them. Yeah, it’s being felt, but it will be felt big time more if we don’t do something about it, what’s going on. – Warren Buffett • I’ve teamed up with BaubleBar to curate a collection of gorgeous jewelry pieces. I worked closely with the BaubleBar team to design a collection that encompasses my style and all of my go to pieces. – Ashley Madekwe • Jewellery takes people’s minds off your wrinkles. – Sarah Phillips • Jewelry and pins have been worn throughout history as symbols of power, sending messages. Interestingly enough, it was mostly men who wore the jewelry in various times, and obviously crowns were part of signals that were being sent throughout history by people of rank. – Madeleine Albright • Jewelry is fine on some guys, but it’s not for me. – Ross Kemp • Jewelry is incredibly feminine, and reflects the grace and beauty of a women’s style like nothing else. – Ivanka Trump • Jewelry is something that has to do with emotion. That aspect of jewelry really interests me. – Ann Demeulemeester • Jewelry is the most transformative thing you can wear. – Iris Apfel • Jewelry should not upstage you. I pick one hot point on my body that I’m going to highlight. Let one area do the singing – you don’t want to hear three songs at once. – Padma Lakshmi • Jewelry takes people’s minds off your wrinkles. – Sonja Henie • Jewelry, to me, is a pain in the derriere, because you have to be watching it all the time. – Eartha Kitt • Kindness is not something that we put on for certain occasions, like a piece of jewelry; rather, it is an attribute of God’s that He desires to reproduce in us. – Charles Stanley • Knowledge cannot be stolen from us. It cannot be bought or sold. We may be poor, and the sheriff may come and sell our furniture, or drive away our cow, or take our pet lamb, and leave us homeless and penniless; but he cannot lay the law’s hand upon the jewelry of our minds. – Elihu Burritt • Lust is the sin that gets me excited. Luckily, because I’m married, I also get really good jewelry out of it. – Heather Locklear • Marco Polo had seen the inhabitants of Zipangu place rose-colored pearls in the mouths of the dead. A sea-monster had been enamoured of the pearl that the diver brought to King Perozes, and had slain the thief, and mourned for seven moons over its loss. – Oscar Wilde • McCain was introduced at the convention last night by his wife — I won’t say ‘trophy wife’ — but she did $300,000 worth of clothes and jewelry on, no matter to the party of the little guy. But Cindy McCain talked about how his character, honor and integrity made him the exact kind of married man she was looking to pick up at a bar. – Bill Maher • Men who have a pierced ear are better prepared for marriage – they’ve experienced pain and bought jewelry. – Rita Rudner • Mock jewelry on a woman is tangible vulgarity. – Bayard Taylor • My approach to jewelry has always been to keep it very simple, but if you want to wear something, make sure it is exquisite and lovely and will stand out. – Sophie Cookson • My dad was a jingle writer, and my mom was a jewelry designer and musician. – Reeve Carney • My everyday look has definitely become more low maintenance, but accessories are everything. A structured bag, statement jewelry or a cute scarf can add polish to any outfit! – Adriana Lima • My favorite jewelry, it’s just what I’m feeling at the time. – Erykah Badu • My favourite thing in my wardrobe is my jewelry. – Kate Reardon • My grill is intended to be discreet. It’s there because I enjoy jewelry. – Jill Scott • My husband gave me a necklace. It’s fake. I requested fake. Maybe I’m paranoid, but in this day and age, I don’t want something around my neck that’s worth more than my head. – Rita Rudner • My inspiration is always love and history, and my passion to a fault is craftsmanship and responsibility. Those are the simplest things. It goes beyond jewelry. It’s every part of my life. – Waris Ahluwalia • My parents were glad to see that my new husband looks like a ‘regular guy’-no earring or anything. But really I think a man with an earring is better prepared for marriage. I mean, he’s already experienced pain and bought jewelry. – Rita Rudner • My style is ghetto chic. I love tacky jewelry, mega heels, high-waisted shorts, catsuits. – Jessie J • My years of living the jet-set life were fun, but they weren’t fulfilling. The perks and benefits were lovely, but all of the fabulous furs, fancy jewelry and fun fetes simply weren’t enough to fill my soul. – Sandra Lee • Next to gold and jewelry, health is the most important thing you can have. – Phyllis Diller • Nice jewelry and a boys corpse. Oh you’re so pretty. – Koushun Takami • Not on one strand are all life’s jewels strung. – William Morris • Not the brightest gem in the jewelry shop, but you’ve got to admire his single-minded dedication to drug abuse. – John Green • Nothing in life is fun for the whole family. There are no massage parlors with ice cream and free jewelry. – Jerry Seinfeld • Seriously. Who needed a real lover when you had a handsome, affectionate man who adored you, put a beautiful house over your head, gave you a great job, lavished you with fabulous clothes, shoes, purses and jewelry and would never break your heart? – Kristen Ashley • She is mine own, And I as rich in having such a jewel As twenty seas, if all their sand were pearl, The water nectar, and the rocks pure gold. – William Shakespeare • Some say the economy means that you have to persuade people to invest in clothes – to buy less things but more expensive things. I disagree – invest in jewelry, or a house, maybe, but not in fashion. – Donatella Versace • Studing jewelry gives you an incredible technical background. If you can work on very, very small things, then, I think, typically you find it easier to go bigger rather than the other way around. I think a lot of architects have struggled with small things. Whereas if you start small, it’s easier to get bigger. – Marc Newson • Sun and moon have no light left, earth is dark; Our women’s world is sunk so deep, who can help us? Jewelry sold to pay this trip across the seas, Cut off from my family I leave my native land. Unbinding my feet I clean out a thousand years of poison, With heated heart arouse all women’s spirits. Alas, this delicate kerchief here Is half stained with blood, and half with tears. – Qiu Jin • Sweet are the uses of adversity which, like the toad, ugly and venomous, wears yet a precious jewel in his head. – William Shakespeare • That whole week, we started to divide things into those two categories: anything or something. A piece of jewelry bougth at a department store: anything. A piece of jewelry made by hand: something. A dollar: anything. A sand dollar: something. A gift certificate: anything. An IOU for two hours of starwatching: something. A drunk kiss at a party: anything. A sober kiss alone in a park: something. – David Levithan • The best legacy you could leave is not some building that is names after you or a piece of jewelry but rather a world that has been impacted and touched by your presence, your joy, and your positive actions. – Jon Gordon • The children break all my jewelry, so everything I wear is cheap – from Topshop or Dorothy Perkins. – Sally Phillips • The countless gold of a merry heart, The rubies and pearls of a loving eye, The indolent never can bring to the mart, Nor the secret hoard up in his treasury. – William Blake • The difference between false memories and true ones is the same as for jewels: it is always the false ones that look the most real, the most brilliant. – Salvador Dali • The earth is like a beautiful bride who needs no manmade jewels to heighten her loveliness. – Khalil Gibran • The Female Once-Over – a process by which one woman creates a detailed profile of another woman based upon about a million subtle details of clothing, jewelry, makeup, and body type, and then decides how much of a social threat she might be. Men have a parallel process, but it’s binary: Does he have beer? If yes, will he share with me? – Jim Butcher • The grossest form of this injury of the body to ornament it, is in tattooing. Next, the piercing the ear all around its rim, piercing the nose and the lips to introduce rings or bars of jewelry. – Julia McNair Wright • The jewelry business is a very, very tough business – tougher than the computer business. You truly have to understand how to take care of your customers. • The jewelry stores say, ‘Tell your wife you love her with a diamond,’ while wives tell you they love you with, ‘Ok, but just because it’s Valentine’s Day.’ – George Lopez • The kinds of things I like with crystals are the really beautiful costume jewelry, vintage pieces, and they usually have that diamond shape. – Zoe Kravitz • The leather vests are work vests, supposed to look like factory workers. They’re actually the vests we use in the studio when we make jewelry. – Pamela Love • The most precious jewels are not made of stone, but of flesh. – Robert Ludlum • The only gift my dad ever bought me is still in my jewelry box. It died at 10 minutes to 11 decades ago, but the gold Caravelle watch keeps my dad alive. A watch isn’t about keeping time. It’s about stopping it. – Regina Brett • The ultimate in futility is owning important jewelry. Insurers often insist on the wearing of paste replicas because necks with real rocks around ’em risk wringing. – Malcolm Forbes • The writing process for a short story feels more like field geology, where you keep turning the thing over and over, noting its qualities in detail, hammering at it, putting it near flame, pouring different acids on it, and then finally you figure out what it is, or you just give up and mount it on a ring and have an awkward chunky piece of jewelry that seems weirdly dominating but that you for some reason like. I could be wrong about field geology here. – Rivka Galchen • There were no jewelry hidden. Walt wanted this atmosphere: They were supposed to live here, they’ve been outside somewhere, but they could come back at any minute and catch us. – John Hench • There’s nothing essentially romantic about things like roses or jewelry. Romance starts as some blank concept, and then you just fill it in with objects so you have something to point to when you want to make it real. – Andrea Seigel • To me, jewelry is a natural progression and there is something so meaningful and magical about creating that one of a kind, special piece. – Pamela Love • We must buy jewelry; it identifies us with our tribe, just as body piercing identifies those of a different tribe. – Paulo Coelho • We passed hieroglyphic scrolls, gold jewelry, sarcophagi, statues of pharaohs, and huge chunks of limestone. Why would someone display a rock? Aren’t there enough of those in the world? – Rick Riordan • We used to have MTV and all these ways we can show our videos, and it was these rap shows, and it was everything. And then it became not cool to be conscious; it became cool to just hang out. Escapism rap became the norm. And, when I say “escapism rap”, I mean getting high, get your cars, get your money, get your jewelry, go to the club, have your women, and it just became all about escaping your reality and not making your reality better on a real tip; not just on the have fun tip. – Ice Cube • We were broke in a way that only kids can be broke. Our toes were black with dye from wearing boots that weren’t waterproof. We had infected ear lobes and green rings around our fingers from cheap jewelry. No one ever even had a chocolate bar. – Heather O’Neill • Wear a fabulous smile, great jewelry and know that you are totally and utterly in control. – Donatella Versace • Wearing a breathable fabric is the most important thing for me. I also love to keep it simple and keep the number of garments Im wearing ideally at one (a sundress for example), and then add some great jewelry. – Hilary Rhoda • Well, I always tried to look nice and be feminine even in the worst tragedies and crisis, there’s no reason to add to everyone’s misery by looking miserable yourself. That’s my philosophy. This is why I always wore makeup and jewelry into the jungle-nothing too extravagant, but maybe just a nice gold bracelet and some earrings, a little lipstick, good perfume. Just enough to show that I still had my self-respect. – Elizabeth Gilbert • Well, I never studied design and I went to art school to study art, you know, sculpture and things like that, and ended up making things like sculpture and started making chairs and jewelry together and that’s how I started. – Marc Newson • Well… I had braces and I had to wear headgear! I loved my braces, actually. For me, they were like a piece of jewelry! Instead of the silver or pewter I had gold braces. It was so much fun, I loved them. I got to change the colors and stuff and I had the rubber bands. – Jordin Sparks • What can I say about my jewelry? It speaks for itself. To me, style is to be simple. – Elsa Peretti • What I love about jewelry is you can change it for something else without surgery. – Joan Rivers • When I wear jewelry it needs to really mean something. – Julia Restoin Roitfeld • When I went to stay with I’m, he asked me for something of my fathers to make the tracking easier. I gave him the Morgenstern ring. He said he‘d let me know if he senses Valentine anywhere in the city, but so far he hasn’t.” “Maybe he just wanted your ring,” Clary said. “He sure wears lot of jewelry. – Cassandra Clare • When I’m in the house of God, I don’t wear my jewelry, if you’re looking for my jewelry. All you see is my heart of gold. – Mr. T • Whether I’m making a recipe or a piece of jewelry or a white-rose-and-jasmine tea or the perfume, I like to think of myself as a happy little sorceress, and if I could just have a little general store with all that stuff and give people a sense of my taste, that would be lovely. – Padma Lakshmi • Will the people in the cheaper seats clap your hands? And the rest of you, if you’ll just rattle your jewelry. – John Lennon • With melted opals for my milk, Pearl-leaf for my cracker. – Gwendolyn Brooks • Within each piece, I create an intriguing balance between jewelry and the body, and an intensity which draws others to it. – Sarah Richardson • Wives are good on paper, at least. until they turn into harpies with sharp claws and open check books. Then they’re kind of frightening. And they put on all kinds of makeup and parade around the street with their shopping cart yelling “Sale on aisle seven!” at anyone who will listen. Their wooden clog sandals make a helluva racket on linoleum tile. Their plastic jewelry clatters like the bones of little children. – Rob Campbell • Women like jewelry. They’re like racoons: show them some shiny stuff and they’ll follow you home. – Alonzo Bodden • Working-girls, in pairs and groups and swarms, loitered by these windows, choosing their future boudoirs from some resplendent display which included even a man’s silk pajamas laid domestically across the bed. They stood in front of the jewelry stores and picked out their engagement rings, and their wedding rings and their platinum wrist watches, and then drifted on to inspect the feather fans and opera cloaks; meanwhile digesting the sandwiches and Sundaes they had eaten for lunch. – F. Scott Fitzgerald • Yeah, my role is gonna be a character by the name of Yondu. And there’s gonna be more of Yondu. Yondu is gonna be even more handsome. Perhaps maybe Yondu will add some more bling to his teeth and wear some more jewelry. I don’t know. It’s gonna be a lot of fun. I’ve got my fingers crossed that we’ll flush out the character even more. – Michael Rooker • Yes, your jewelry choices make a difference. When you invest in ethical, heirloom-quality jewelry, you’re also investing in the future. Your purchase supports a creative community of like-minded humanitarians, out there doing important work. – Zoe Helene • You don’t want your jewelry to make you look fat. A lot of what’s out there now does – you just wind up looking like a Christmas tree. – Padma Lakshmi • You just don’t notice the time of your own metamorphosis. Until you do. Every once in a while time dissolves and you remember what you liked as a kid. You jump on your hotel bed, order dessert first, decide to put every piece of jewelry you own on your body and leave the house. Why? Because you can. Because you’re the boss. Because… Ooooh. Shiny. – Sloane Crosley • You know, my uncle wore a lot of jewelry, a lot of gold chains. – 2 Chainz • You know,” I said, holding my ground. “I gotta tell you. The goatee thing? Yeah, way over. And you know a little jewelry really does go a long way. Just something you might want to consider. I’m actually glad you stopped by, because I have a couple things I’ve been meaning to say to you. Number one, about your wife? Yeah, she’s a skank. And number two, you know that whole thing where you killed Jesse and then buried his remains out back there? Yeah, way un-cool. – Meg Cabot • You never have to buy an issue of Cosmo again to be the ‘Best Lover He’s Ever Had.’ Just remember this phrase: ‘Oh my goodness, I don’t know if that will fit.’ Then start mentally picking out jewelry.- Lisa Ann Walter • You should not say anything that you cannot put your totality behind. The total value of you is that whatever you say, you stick with it. When you don’t stick with what you say, you have no value, and your decoration and your jewelry and your sex and your person have no value. Real communication is the faculty of a human that whatever you say, you stick with it. – Harbhajan Singh Yogi

jQuery(document).ready(function($) var data = action: 'polyxgo_products_search', type: 'Product', keywords: 'a', orderby: 'rand', order: 'DESC', template: '1', limit: '4', columns: '4', viewall:'Shop All', ; jQuery.post(spyr_params.ajaxurl,data, function(response) var obj = jQuery.parseJSON(response); jQuery('#thelovesof_a').html(obj); jQuery('#thelovesof_a img.swiper-lazy:not(.swiper-lazy-loaded)' ).each(function () var img = jQuery(this); img.attr("src",img.data('src')); img.addClass( 'swiper-lazy-loaded' ); img.removeAttr('data-src'); ); ); );

jQuery(document).ready(function($) var data = action: 'polyxgo_products_search', type: 'Product', keywords: 'e', orderby: 'rand', order: 'DESC', template: '1', limit: '4', columns: '4', viewall:'Shop All', ; jQuery.post(spyr_params.ajaxurl,data, function(response) var obj = jQuery.parseJSON(response); jQuery('#thelovesof_e').html(obj); jQuery('#thelovesof_e img.swiper-lazy:not(.swiper-lazy-loaded)' ).each(function () var img = jQuery(this); img.attr("src",img.data('src')); img.addClass( 'swiper-lazy-loaded' ); img.removeAttr('data-src'); ); ); );

jQuery(document).ready(function($) var data = action: 'polyxgo_products_search', type: 'Product', keywords: 'i', orderby: 'rand', order: 'DESC', template: '1', limit: '4', columns: '4', viewall:'Shop All', ; jQuery.post(spyr_params.ajaxurl,data, function(response) var obj = jQuery.parseJSON(response); jQuery('#thelovesof_i').html(obj); jQuery('#thelovesof_i img.swiper-lazy:not(.swiper-lazy-loaded)' ).each(function () var img = jQuery(this); img.attr("src",img.data('src')); img.addClass( 'swiper-lazy-loaded' ); img.removeAttr('data-src'); ); ); );

jQuery(document).ready(function($) var data = action: 'polyxgo_products_search', type: 'Product', keywords: 'o', orderby: 'rand', order: 'DESC', template: '1', limit: '4', columns: '4', viewall:'Shop All', ; jQuery.post(spyr_params.ajaxurl,data, function(response) var obj = jQuery.parseJSON(response); jQuery('#thelovesof_o').html(obj); jQuery('#thelovesof_o img.swiper-lazy:not(.swiper-lazy-loaded)' ).each(function () var img = jQuery(this); img.attr("src",img.data('src')); img.addClass( 'swiper-lazy-loaded' ); img.removeAttr('data-src'); ); ); );

jQuery(document).ready(function($) var data = action: 'polyxgo_products_search', type: 'Product', keywords: 'u', orderby: 'rand', order: 'DESC', template: '1', limit: '4', columns: '4', viewall:'Shop All', ; jQuery.post(spyr_params.ajaxurl,data, function(response) var obj = jQuery.parseJSON(response); jQuery('#thelovesof_u').html(obj); jQuery('#thelovesof_u img.swiper-lazy:not(.swiper-lazy-loaded)' ).each(function () var img = jQuery(this); img.attr("src",img.data('src')); img.addClass( 'swiper-lazy-loaded' ); img.removeAttr('data-src'); ); ); );

[tipsycad147]

Clean Home Spells & Rituals, Part 1

Leandra Witchwood

I have had a few people ask me for MORE after I shared my Clean Home Scent Spells.

There are so many options, I don’t want to cheat you on the details. I have been trying to figure out the best possible way to share with you the variety of methods I use to keep a clean and healthy Magickal home. Some specific questions posed were related to particular illnesses and ailments, like Eczema and Asthma.

With so much information to organize, I think it is best to break this up this topic into a 2 or 3 part series. In this series I will offer to you, ideas for creating rituals that will help you create a clean home, and making your home a Magickal space. Of course, I will throw in some spell work to round it all out.

Specifically I had readers expressing concerns over Asthma and illness in the home.  This is a tricky issue to address since Asthma seems to be as diverse as you and me. Some Asthma is triggered by allergens in the air, like pet dander, dust, and yes even roaches. YES, I will say it. YUCK!

Personally, I don’t have experience with Asthma, but in our home, but I have dealt with Eczema.  At one time, my son suffered from this horrible skin issue. The good news is that with a few adjustments, he is now symptom free. In my research many of the same changes I made for him are also the suggested changes for families with Asthma suffers.

The overlapping changes I found to be evident for both Asthma and Eczema is diet, stress, synthetic scents & chemicals, and maintaining a clean home. When I adjusted our lifestyle in these areas, my son became symptom free. As an added benefit we all suffer fewer colds, and I can’t remember the last time anyone had to flu. So really the rituals I will suggest and routines I have put in place for my household sure many ailments far beyond the topic of Asthma and skin issues.

Here are the basic areas I adjusted in our lifestyle:

We avoid fast food and highly processed foods

We removed ourselves from overly stressful situations and un-necessary drama. This is a tough one if you have close friends and family members who are the source of this issue.

We used as many natural cleaning & body/hygiene products as possible (I make many of them myself. If you would like me to share the recipes for these products please let me know.)

I try very hard to create and maintain a clean home, by following a Deep Clean ritual and a weekly cleaning schedule.

My son and I exercise frequently

We are all non-smokers

As mentioned before, these above suggestions and changes are also good for other areas of concern in our modern lives. Issues like depression, common/seasonal allergies, and illness can be lessened, and even remedied by making some simple adjustments to one’s lifestyle.

The first point you need to hit, before anything else, is the need to get yourself into and remain connected to a routine. I call mine, a “Clean Home & Body Mindset”. I found this to be most effective.

No, it isn’t epic or catchy, it is just a trigger phrase I use for myself when I need to do a deep clean of my home, and when I find we are slacking on the important things that help keep us healthy.

When I hit this mind set, you can hear my entire family grumble (okay mostly my husband) as I march down stairs to give everyone their cleaning/chore list for the week. I hide the take out menus, and stock the fridge with whole healthy foods. I tend to do this once a month. So yeah, there is a lot of grumbling in my home. Hee Hee.

When I know we are headed for an extra busy week, or we are far too relaxed in our eating habits I will take a day to pre-cook several meals for the next few days. I will portion them out into sealable containers, and place them in the fridge for everyone to grab. All they have to do is heat and eat. It is like having microwave-freezer meals without all the chemicals and additives that over time do us harm. The best benefit is that I can relax for a few days without having to rush and make dinner after I have spent the day cleaning and working.

My husband and I have very different lifestyles and ideals. I am a whole food-foodie, I go to the gym regularly, and I like things clean & organiser. My husband is more comfortable in cluttered environments, he LOVES his junk food, and prefers to stay home. This causes some serious friction between us, as you can imagine. So my task is never easy. Eventually, we come to a compromise.

SO! Let’s first focus on the clean home aspect of our journey.

This is my “9 Day House and Home Deep Clean Checklist”. This is my ritual for creating a clean healthy home for my family and friends.

I tackle this huge project by breaking up the house into sections, and assigning small jobs to everyone in the family. Even my Son, who is only 5, helps out. I take the bulk of the list, and we work together to get the house REALLY CLEAN. This helps make the job move faster, not to forget, it gives the rest of the family some ownership in the cleanliness of our home.

The idea is to create a clean and healthy starting point. Or if you prefer, a “clean slate” to work from. So here we go.

Print your own copy of my 9 Day House and Home Deep Clean Checklist, so you can thoughtfully plan a deep clean of your home. Keeping your home physically clean when you or loved ones has allergies, and other ailments, like Asthma and Eczema, is critical. So this is the right place to start.

Set aside time each day to work on your list. Depending on how cluttered your home is, will determine how much time you will need for each room. I find that each section will take me about an hour or two to complete, when I work alone.

Repeat this 9 Day House and Home Deep Clean Checklist every 3 to 6 months, in conjunction with a weekly cleaning schedule, to ensure your home maintains it’s clean. Staying on top of things weekly will also make the 3-6 month routine faster and easier.

Creating and maintaining a super clean foundation for the health and well-being of your home and family.

Well, that wasn’t very Magickal!

Okay, YES, this is very mundane and doesn’t seem very “Magickal”. None-the-less this is important.

Not everything you do in Magick will feel particularly Magickal. Part of the process of making a Magickal Home is doing mundane things in a Magickal way. Be thoughtful, be grateful, and be continual.

Here is an example of how I can turn mundane tasks, into Magickal workings.

Scrubbing sinks, toilet bowls, and tile are good examples… When you are cleaning & scrubbing make your movements a circular counter-clockwise motion. While you scrub chant to yourself (or aloud), “Be gone. Be gone, dirt and grim, never return to the space of mine.”

Every intentional action you perform, can be made Magickal with only a few minor adjustments. Add a song, a chant, or mantra. Make it simple so you are not overwhelmed or bored. Sometimes, I just play uplifting music while I clean, something that makes me feel invigorated and motivated enough to act. Other suggestions is to light candles and diffuse specific essential oils like Cinnamon.

Your home is your Magickal space. As Witches, we should treat our Magickal spaces with respect and honour. Keeping your mundane chores Magickal is a great way to do this.

In my next post, I will touch on spell work for maintaining the clean home you just created. Don’t forget to subscribe to my mailing list, and follow me on Pinterest & Facebook so you don’t miss it!

I invite your feedback. Tell me what you think.

Tell me how has this post helped you, and if you were inspired. I love to know what my readers are up to, and how you put my thoughts and experience to use in your world.

If you have any suggestions on subjects for future posts, give me the scoop! I’m listening.

Bright Blessing!

Leandra

© 2014, The Magick Kitchen

http://www.themagickkitchen.com/clean-home-spells-rituals-part-1/

[wowdesignteam]

Email Marketing for Small Business 

Most business owners work on getting more potential customers without spending their entire budget on marketing. A good solution to deal with this is to use email marketing for business. If you aren't familiar with this fantastic method for improving business, read on! The following article will provide you with a great introduction! Use an appealing, personal style as much as you can in your email messages. When a business is more personal, they feel that they can better relate to them. As an example, if you happen to know the reason they signed up for your emails, then be sure to include something about that in your email. Do not annoy your subscribers with an obnoxious "Buy now!" approach. in your email messages. You may lose business by doing this because it may appear like you are a spammer. They are aware that you want to increase sales, so it would be best if you built a solid, professional relationship with them before encouraging them to buy anything. They will appreciate this a great deal and will be more likely to purchase from you. Any content you intend on emailing out should be proofread and edited. You have to make sure all your newsletters and emails are letter perfect. Before you ever hit "send," test your email layout to ensure your satisfaction with the way it looks. Ensure that every link is working, as well.

Email Marketing for Small Business Owners

Make your customers anticipate the arrival of your newsletter in their email by using it to offer them exclusive specials and markdowns. This will tell your customers that they are special, you care about their business and that you want to reward them for staying loyal by signing up for your opt-in list. This will even nudge them towards letting their friends see the emails through forwarding. Referral programs are excellent methods of growing not only your email base, but also your customer base. Perform in a consistent manner. Always make use of the same company color and logo in your email. Choose a font everyone can read easily. With enough exposure to them, your subscribers will come to find your consistent emails distinctive and start paying more attention them. Familiarity is a crucial factor to the success of your email marketing campaign, and your overall business. Be sure you get a subscriber's permission before emailing. If you're sending out emails that are considered as spam, people may not take you very serious. You could lose customers and get reported for sending unwanted emails.

Benefits of Email Marketing for Small Businesses

Increase the value of your email content by including helpful information. Offer special articles to your subscribers that may not be on your site. Make offers for your products that are exclusive to each reader. Send special deals and holiday greetings, and remember to not only email when you desire something of your customers. You should avoid sending too many emails; one a week is enough. Your customers are likely busy people who receive several messages every day. If you send too many emails, people will skip over them, and you won't reap the benefit of your hard work. In your email campaigns, utilize the least amount of graphics as possible. Some email servers block graphics, so avoid graphics to get your message across more effectively. In addition, email programs are more likely to send your emails to the junk mail folder if you overuse graphics. Understand that after every day, your email subscribers have a greater chance of reading your emails with smartphones or other types of mobile devices. These mobile devices have lower screen resolution than traditional computer screens and provide much smaller screen size. Be certain that all of your mailings can be read on small, phone-sized screens. Need to save time and hassle of email marketing in your daily business? Contact the WoW Design Studio today for a free consultation!

Small Business Guide to Email Marketing

Personalize the messages you send in your email campaigns. Your customers will then have a personal image of your site rather than one that is negative or impersonal. Having the messages come from a prominent figure in your company, such as a CEO or President, will make a stronger impression on your customers. Ensure that you have a way for customers to unsubscribe from the list, if they want to. Email messages do take time to delete if people don't want them and they may not appreciate having to do that. Besides that, leaving users without an easy way to remove themselves from your list may cause them to label and report your messages as spam, which can be damaging to your reputation and can result in penalties or blacklisting of your domain. Make sure you ad a personal touch to any emails that you may be sending; they will love the personal attention. If they believe that they are being treated as "customer #13992", rather than someone with specific interests and desires, they'll just delete your email and unsubscribe from your list. Go beyond just adding their first name! Have a working knowledge of your customers and why they have signed up with your company. Utilize this information within your messages. It is your responsibility to ensure that your opt-in list is truly opt-in, so include an email confirmation as an added security measure. A great method for handling this task is to immediately send an email to any address that requests a subscription to your company's newsletter. The email that you send should have two links: one that refutes the subscription, as well as one that confirms it. Doing so protects your client's security and ensures that they don't think you are spam. Send birthday greetings to each subscriber. Provide them with the option to include their birthday when they opt-in to receive your messages. Send them an automated email on that special day. This step takes very little effort, but it can make your subscribers feel important. Include a special offer, like a discount code or free shipping, along with the message to make it even better. It is obvious that businesses that use email marketing get more customers than those who do not. Because of this, there is no reason to not give it a shot. Try the helpful tips below to get started.

[completeautoloans]

Car Loans for Unemployed Smackdown!

While it may not be easy to get approved for a financing without a job, there are ways of getting car loans for the unemployed. All you need to do is show lenders that you are capable of making the car loan repayments. Having a car while unemployed is essential as you are more guaranteed to get to interviews earlier thus increasing your chances of getting your career moving again.

Can you get a car loan if you’re unemployed?

The answer to this question is yes, but not as easily as you’d like to think. However, if you are unemployed and you wish to get a car loan here are some of the few thing you can do to make it easier:

Most lenders will approve you for a car loan while unemployed if you have good credit rating. If your past debt repayments are good then you might be instantly approved for a car loan.

Show your lenders that you have an alternative source of income such as pension, disability benefits, social security, child support, interest income and the likes. This shoes that you are capable of paying monthly car installments on time.

Most car loan dealers will also verify how long you have been staying at your current place of residence. Ensure that you are not someone who hops from one place to another because lenders will favor borrowers who stay in one place for at least a year.

To a lender, a lot of things will determine whether you are capable of paying back the car loan if you’re unemployed. Car loan dealers who offer their services to people who are unemployed and have bad credit assume applicants who pay down payments are less likely to default on loan payments.

Consider getting a co-signer to back the car loan being provided if you want to enhance your chances of obtaining an unemployed auto loan approval with no credit score or bad credit score.

Keep in mind that lenders who give car loans to the unemployed often charge higher interest as well as a substantial amount of fees if the applicant’s credit is bad. Therefore, take steps to build your credit score before applying.

Suggested reads

Are you struggling with bad credit?

Looking for a preapproved auto loan?

How can I get a car loan with no proof of income?

Freelancers, temporary workers and self-employed people often find it hard to provide proof of income especially when they want to take a loan. If you fall under this category chances are that you may not have pay stubs to verify your income. When getting a car loan this can be a very serious obstacle unless you can pay for the car in full.  However, if you will be in need of a car loan then you should know that most lenders ask for employment verification.

Buying a car without proof of income is a plausible option that can be accomplished through proper preparation as well as lenders who take other financial factors into consideration. Here is how to get a car loan with no proof of income:

1. Provide tax returns

Since you may not have pay stubs, you will have to provide your lender with copies of your tax returns. This is because your tax return s reports all of your taxable income and may serve as an adequate proof if income for your auto loan.

In addition to this, your tax returns for the past two years can provide a reasonable estimate for just how much you will be able make in the current year. This will help persuade your lenders to give you the auto loan since they trust that the information provided on your tax return is correct.

Lenders don’t look at taxable income but gross income so you don’t need to worry if your deductibles make your income to appear lower.  If you are unable to provide tax returns it will make you seem like a higher credit risk.

2. Provide a report of contract and invoices

If you have no proof of income but earn money through freelancing or taking temporary jobs then you would want to provide details about work you have contracted but not invoiced yet.  And if you have invoices, list all the ones you have made for the past year. This information is vital as it provides proof of past income.

Contracts and invoices offer more detail about your source of income. Keep in mind however, that lenders will not only rely on these alone. You should only use contracts and invoices as a supplement to tax returns as well as bank statements.

3. Provide most recent mortgage statement

As mentioned earlier, lenders are more prone give car loans to people who can prove their residence. Therefore, if you own your current home then a mortgage statement can help you proof your residence.  Compile the most recent statement as it will demonstrate that you will reside at the mentioned address.

Remember that the mortgage statement should read your name on it and nobody else’s.  This is because if the mortgage statement is not in your name then the statement will not have your name on it. You can also prove your residence by:

Producing utility bills – A good many auto lenders will accept a utility bill as proof of your address provided that it is written in your name. Go prepared with more than one utility bill. For instance, you may also provide water bill, phone bill if you have a land line, electric bill or sewer bill. Just like the other documents, ensure that the utility bills have your name on them. In the event that your bills are in someone else’s name say your roommate or spouse then you will have to provide other forms of business mail in your name at the address of your place of residence.

Providing cancelled rent checks – If you rent then a cancelled rent check will be able to help you prove where you live. If you live with relatives and you pay them rent then ask them to sign a statement saying that you live with them at that particular address. Some lenders might ask you to produce mail that such as a bill that was addressed to you at the address you provided.

Providing a library card application if you have – Since a library card application requires proof of residence, you can also use it to very that you reside at the address you stated. All in all, pre[pare yourself to bring more documents such as bills or other business mail as proof that you do at the address you provided.

Providing other business mail – When we mention other busi9ness mail what we ideally mean is credit statements, other household bills besides utilities or bank statements. Similar to all the other documents, the mail should be addresses to you at your address. Junk mail will not suffice as proof of residence because it is not specifically addressed to you.

4. Put a bigger down payment

Most car buyers on put down about 10% of the car’s value as down payment. However, auto loan lenders will ask you to put down a bigger down payment if you don’t have proof of income. If you are planning on getting a car on loan then ensure that you start saving up way ahead of time so that you have a significant amount for down payment.  If you have an old car consider trading or selling it as this can be applied towards your down payment.

Having a healthy down payment not only helps you to reduce the amount that you have to finance but also reassures your lenders that you won’t delay on your repayment installments. Since lenders don’t want you to be upside down on your loan, they are more prone to give you the auto loan if you give them a large down payment. However, you will be required to provide documentation about the source of your down payment.

5. Consider getting a co-signer

If you can then find someone that will be willing to co-sign your auto loan because this will make your lender more willing to approve it. Remember, a co-signer guarantees that you will make all of your payments on time and in full amount. In addition, the co-signer agrees to pay for you should you default on the loan repayments. In order for one to qualify as your co-signer, they will be required to have an excellent credit score as well as demonstrate stability in their employment and residence and also provide proof of income.

However, ensure that you speak to the person you’re asking top co-sign the loan for you before you start the application process. This will give this other party time to seek advice before committing to help you get a car loan.

Suggested read

How to successfully get financing with negative equity

6. Get an auto loan against property

Pledging your property or gold to obtain a car loan is yet another way you can get auto financing. You can use this to purchase a used or new car of your choosing.

7. Get a car loan against a Fixed Deposit (FD) account

If you apply for an auto loan against FD, this means that your lender will treat the loan as an overdraft facility against the deposit sum.  If you have a joint Fixed Deposit account then you are required to get the written consent of the other account holder in order to apply for the auto loan.

8. Consider going for a low-priced car or a used one

We all know that the price of a new car is higher than that of a second-hand car. You will not miss out on a car dealership that sells certified and well-maintained second hand cars. If you opt to buy the car from a private seller just check to make sure that the car is not stolen property or has unpaid debts. You don’t want to end up paying more than you originally should because of such things.

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Can you finance a car without a job?

In this case, you can’t eat your cake and have it too. In order to finance a car you need to at least have a dependable source of income. Usually, if you are able to get a job that reports your income to IRS then that a sufficiently dependable income. However, if you are cobbling up money every month then it will be hard for lenders to give you a car loan. While there are some who will give you the loan anyway, they will charge you a very high interest rate to compensate for the extra risk they will be taking by lending you cash.

If you are still willing to get a car loan without having any way to finance it, ensure that you have a proper plan for making the repayment. However, if this is too risky for you then consider saving up enough to buy the car in full. While it may be a slow option, it can equally be an incredibly powerful and disciplined way to use your cash. It is also a good practice to build your money management skills. However, if you know how you will finance your car loan repayments without struggling and straining to hard then go for it, there are many lenders out there waiting to give you a car loan.

Car loan between jobs

There are those companies or businesses that often hire employees for a fixed term or as casual. This not only enables them to control their employment costs but also make it a bit tricky for you who might want to get an auto loan in future or any loan for that matter. You are more at risk if are in and out of work as the demand for your skill set changes.

If you are in between jobs right now and you want to take an auto loan, having a strong history of continuous employment will make it more likely to be approved for the loan. Getting a car loan in these situations however hard, is quite possible. You can make your application by doing the following:

Supplying your lenders with personal references that have authority to speak about your past employment

Providing previous years tax returns that show your annual income

Showing proof that you have a stable residential as well as loan repayment history

Offering lenders a letter from your employer confirming their intentions in regards to your employment

Remember that the lending market continues to become very competitive as more online lenders offer alternatives to big financial institutions such as banks. What this means is that you are now more likely to get lenders that accommodate people with alternative employment profiles and know that they are capable pf affording to repay a loan.

If you are unsure about where to get such lenders, try and seek advice from a trusted car dealership or broker. This is because brokers are usually up-to-date with the latest loan offers and changes to any lender policies. Therefore, if there is a car loan that you are eligible for they will definitely point you to the right direction or keep you in the loop every time something comes up.

One advantage of using a broker is that you will get to protect your credit rating as 5they will make sure that you do not submit any car loan application that doesn’t meet the required criteria.  By doing this, you are ensuring that when you do get meet the criteria, your credit enquiries will not be a barrier to the approval of your car loan.

Benefits that auto loans offer the unemployed

Here are some of the benefits offered by auto loans for the unemployed:

Affordable monthly installments

Offers financing despite you having bad credit

Competitive rates of interest

May require less documentation

The process is simple, easy and hassle free

You can get approval within only a few hours

Get vital cash to buy the car of your choice

How to get the right car loan lender

1. Seek out local credit unions and banks

If you are a member of a credit union, you should check them out before you even considering any other lender for your auto loan. Keep in mind that credit unions are both community and member-oriented. For this reason, they will most likely offer competitive interest rates and a user friendly loan process.

If you already have a relationship with your local bank of the other hand, visit a branch and talk to someone about your car loan in person. The bank will have all the details of your financial history since they already do business with you thus making them more willing to work with you.

2. Avoid lenders who are predatory

Lenders who are predatory offer use fraudulent and unfair practices. Such loans prove to be attractive especially if you cannot provide proof of income since they are easy to get. Keep in mind that these loans come with very high interest rates as well as expensive charges and fees. While it is also not always easy to spot a predatory lender, here are some of the things you can be on the lookout for:

Advertising that promises to give you a car loan even if your credit score is bad. Such loans often come with extremely high interest rates.

Add-on packages that come with the loan such as theft deterrents, rust-proofing or even insurance. Such packages only inflate the loan amount instead of adding value to your purchase.

Lenders that encourage you to put false information on the loan. Such loans tend to be predatory.

3. Be careful of dealer financing

Be wary of dealers that try to convince you that you don’t qualify for a bank loan because you don’t have enough proof of income. Do not fall for this nonsense especially if you haven’t approached your bank in the first place. Such dealers may be trying to mislead you so that they can get you working with their financing. Unfortunately, dealer financing comes with higher interest rates most of the time meaning you will have to part with a bigger monthly installment.

Similarly, they also stretch the loan out for 72 months or more in order to make the monthly payment lower. In this case you could still be paying off the loan even after you no longer own the motor vehicle.

4. Do a thorough examination of all financing paperwork given to you by the lender

In the event that you opt for dealer financing, ensure that you don’t leave the dealership without a signed contract. There are those dealers that will allow you to take ownership of the car even before completing the loan process only for you to get a call a few weeks later with the news that your loan application didn’t go through because you didn’t qualify.  Such lenders will then persuade you to accept a different loan with a higher interest rate.

Don’t fall for such lenders because this is a scam. Remember that a dealer can adequately assess the worthiness of your credit thus approving you for a loan there and then. Also if the lender is not willing to complete the loan process with you being present just go elsewhere.

Why repairing your bad credit is essential when looking for a car loan

Honest lenders evaluate your credit score before approving your car loan. Therefore, if you don’t have proof of income take some time to prepare so as to be credit worthy. The following will help you repair your credit score and also increase the likelihood of you +

Getting a secured credit card

Paying all your bills on time

Opening a store credit card

Creating a budget and working out a repayment plan to all your creditors

Paying off as much debt as possible

Disputing negative or inaccurate information on your credit report

Avoiding subprime loans

Conclusion

Getting a car loan while unemployed is possible provided you have a solid plan of repaying your lenders. Just make sure you are smart about going about, do research and seek advice from trusted parties.

from Complete Auto Loans https://ift.tt/2TYtx23 via IFTTT

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How I got 80% open rate in my email outreach campaign Search Engine Watch

The suggestion that you could have 80% of your outreach read by recipients sounds like a pipedream — an astronomical figure designed to keep people plugging away on their outbox. 

With such a small canvas of visible information in a recipient’s inbox to work with, it can feel like enticing four out of every five targets to open your email is impossible.

But if you incorporate the right approaches, then it can very much become a reality. Just to give you the heads up, here’re some results we’ve managed to get in our recent outreach campaign:

In the following article, I’ve explored the ingredients needed to get 80% of your outreach messages viewed. So perhaps you’d like to pour yourself a coffee and brace yourself for an awful lot more audience interaction in the near future — the caffeine might come in handy.

Identify your targets

There are five key factors behind achieving a high open rate in your email outreach, and the first and most important is through identifying the right recipients.

A common mistake among many outreachers is their shotgun approach to distributing emails. While scattering mail across the internet into as many inboxes that can be sourced may seem like a good, time-saving and quantitative technique, it actually wastes more time that could be better invested in finding quality recipients.

Before a successful outreach campaign, you’ll need to dedicate some time to the preparation stage. Identify who your ideal responder would be, whether it’s a client, customer, consumer or collaborator, and work on devising a list of the perfect targets that fit the description.

Through the use of opt-ins and calls-to-action, you can have an interested recipient base come to you with minimal fuss and is a sure-fire approach to sending marketing emails to those most likely to view your content. By inviting your website’s visitors to subscribe to your mailing list via an effective call-to-action placed on your homepage, you get to save time on research and effortlessly come into possession of hundreds of emails – a great outreach method for websites that are in a position to offer a product or service to thousands of people.

For outreach emails with more link-building intentions sourcing becomes more difficult. If you’ve decided to target industry professionals and influencers, then tools like Email Hunter and Voila Norbert could be the answer — these services scour the internet for the relevant email addresses behind just about any active website and can help you hit the bulls-eye when it comes to finding the right people to get in contact with.

Mastering the subject line

According to a poll conducted via Litmus, 34% of recipients believe that an email subject line is the most important factor in helping them to decide to open their mail. This means that over 1/3 of your targets for outreach will be waiting for a perfect heading before clicking on your message.

These stats illustrate how important it is to get your subject line right, and there are many schools of thought behind what’s most effective and what isn’t.

Of course, each subject line will vary depending on the type of outreach you conduct, but the best practice is to appeal to people’s curiosity, to make them believe they’ll be gaining something if they read your email – which of course they will if your campaign has been constructed well enough.

A winning subject line needs to be short, personal wherever possible, and relevant to the topics covered by your email. Sometimes being upfront can be effective, especially when it comes to outreaching savvy marketers and bloggers.

There are a few other factors that can make all the difference in making your email stand out too. Incorporating emojis into your heading may risk your content appearing puerile, but with the vast catalogue of emojis that are more serious than a winking yellow circle with a tongue sticking out, you can really add some standout imagery and colour to your title. For example, travel companies have been using holiday-themed emojis like aeroplanes and city skylines to great effect in capturing the imagination of recipients — if you can find something relevant that appeals to the aesthetics of your email, then it could be a key addition to make.

With so many individuals checking their inboxes via their smartphones, keeping your subject lines short and punchy has never been more important — make sure you get your message across in less than 50 characters.

By adding an element of urgency to your headline, recipients will feel more compelled to check its contents. You can exercise this by adding a sense of limited-time opportunity to your subject, or by inviting them to respond before a deadline — the chances are that they’ll be curious as to what’s caused the urgency and read on.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions in your subject line too — this can be seen as a way of cutting to the chase and getting your message across immediately.

Making use of your preview snippets

Many inboxes have menus that not only feature an unread email’s subject line but a snippet of text from the beginning of a message. It’s important not to neglect the opening lines of your email because this could be a key factor in whether or not it gets read or moved to the ‘junk’ folder.

Litmus has stated that 24% of recipients check the text previews of emails, so it’s worth dedicating time to.

The most important part of nailing your email opening is personalization. Make sure it begins with ‘Dear, [Name]’ or ‘Hi [Name],’ where possible – any less than this will give off the strong impression that you’re simply using templates to scatter across the web (which may well be the case, but we don’t want them to know that).

An effective use of the preview snippet is to treat it like a secondary subject line, or to summarize the email in the first line – doing so could be the deciding factor while your target’s hovering over your message in their inbox. If you’re using an email marketing software, make sure to use these two rules in every template.

Keeping your sender reputation in check

You could have compiled the best list of targeted recipients, the best subject line and opening text, all for it to be undone by a sender score that’s so low that your email drops straight into the junk folder never to be seen again.

Email providers are designed to give their users the best experience. And part of that is through whittling down any perceived junk automatically by filtering out any messages from users with a low sender score.

A sender score is calculated by prior interactions, and how many users generally open your emails. A great website to check if your current email address passes most servers’ junk filters is to consult Senderscore.org, which will let you know how your email is faring, and whether or not your messages will make it to the inboxes of your recipients.

Effective follow-ups

Don’t be afraid to follow up on your emails. It can be easy to perceive the use of follow-ups as a nuisance or spammy, but in reality, a second email tends to work wonders in getting your content noticed.

There are many reasons why recipients don’t read emails the first time around; it could’ve been received at a busy time in their day, or deleted by accident, or simply missed. Here, a follow-up offers your target a second chance to see your content and acknowledge your outreach.

Be sure to specify that your email is a follow-up – this shows that you’ve been in touch prior and clearly value the recipient’s attention. Also be sure to note when you sent your initial email for ease of reference.

While it’s worth sending more than one follow-up email to maximize your recipient’s chances to respond, we advise against mailing more than two chasers in order to limit the risk of being considered spam, or worse, being blacklisted.

Dmytro Spilka is Head Wiz at Solvid Digital. He can be found on Twitter at @spilkadi.

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How I got 80% open rate in my email outreach campaign

The suggestion that you could have 80% of your outreach read by recipients sounds like a pipedream — an astronomical figure designed to keep people plugging away on their outbox. 

With such a small canvas of visible information in a recipient’s inbox to work with, it can feel like enticing four out of every five targets to open your email is impossible.

But if you incorporate the right approaches, then it can very much become a reality. Just to give you the heads up, here’re some results we’ve managed to get in our recent outreach campaign:

In the following article, I’ve explored the ingredients needed to get 80% of your outreach messages viewed. So perhaps you’d like to pour yourself a coffee and brace yourself for an awful lot more audience interaction in the near future — the caffeine might come in handy.

Identify your targets

There are five key factors behind achieving a high open rate in your email outreach, and the first and most important is through identifying the right recipients.

A common mistake among many outreachers is their shotgun approach to distributing emails. While scattering mail across the internet into as many inboxes that can be sourced may seem like a good, time-saving and quantitative technique, it actually wastes more time that could be better invested in finding quality recipients.

Before a successful outreach campaign, you’ll need to dedicate some time to the preparation stage. Identify who your ideal responder would be, whether it’s a client, customer, consumer or collaborator, and work on devising a list of the perfect targets that fit the description.

Through the use of opt-ins and calls-to-action, you can have an interested recipient base come to you with minimal fuss and is a sure-fire approach to sending marketing emails to those most likely to view your content. By inviting your website’s visitors to subscribe to your mailing list via an effective call-to-action placed on your homepage, you get to save time on research and effortlessly come into possession of hundreds of emails – a great outreach method for websites that are in a position to offer a product or service to thousands of people.

For outreach emails with more link-building intentions sourcing becomes more difficult. If you’ve decided to target industry professionals and influencers, then tools like Email Hunter and Voila Norbert could be the answer — these services scour the internet for the relevant email addresses behind just about any active website and can help you hit the bulls-eye when it comes to finding the right people to get in contact with.

Mastering the subject line

According to a poll conducted via Litmus, 34% of recipients believe that an email subject line is the most important factor in helping them to decide to open their mail. This means that over 1/3 of your targets for outreach will be waiting for a perfect heading before clicking on your message.

These stats illustrate how important it is to get your subject line right, and there are many schools of thought behind what’s most effective and what isn’t.

Of course, each subject line will vary depending on the type of outreach you conduct, but the best practice is to appeal to people’s curiosity, to make them believe they’ll be gaining something if they read your email – which of course they will if your campaign has been constructed well enough.

A winning subject line needs to be short, personal wherever possible, and relevant to the topics covered by your email. Sometimes being upfront can be effective, especially when it comes to outreaching savvy marketers and bloggers.

There are a few other factors that can make all the difference in making your email stand out too. Incorporating emojis into your heading may risk your content appearing puerile, but with the vast catalogue of emojis that are more serious than a winking yellow circle with a tongue sticking out, you can really add some standout imagery and colour to your title. For example, travel companies have been using holiday-themed emojis like aeroplanes and city skylines to great effect in capturing the imagination of recipients — if you can find something relevant that appeals to the aesthetics of your email, then it could be a key addition to make.

With so many individuals checking their inboxes via their smartphones, keeping your subject lines short and punchy has never been more important — make sure you get your message across in less than 50 characters.

By adding an element of urgency to your headline, recipients will feel more compelled to check its contents. You can exercise this by adding a sense of limited-time opportunity to your subject, or by inviting them to respond before a deadline — the chances are that they’ll be curious as to what’s caused the urgency and read on.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions in your subject line too — this can be seen as a way of cutting to the chase and getting your message across immediately.

Making use of your preview snippets

Many inboxes have menus that not only feature an unread email’s subject line but a snippet of text from the beginning of a message. It’s important not to neglect the opening lines of your email because this could be a key factor in whether or not it gets read or moved to the ‘junk’ folder.

Litmus has stated that 24% of recipients check the text previews of emails, so it’s worth dedicating time to.

The most important part of nailing your email opening is personalization. Make sure it begins with ‘Dear, [Name]’ or ‘Hi [Name],’ where possible – any less than this will give off the strong impression that you’re simply using templates to scatter across the web (which may well be the case, but we don’t want them to know that).

An effective use of the preview snippet is to treat it like a secondary subject line, or to summarize the email in the first line – doing so could be the deciding factor while your target’s hovering over your message in their inbox. If you’re using an email marketing software, make sure to use these two rules in every template.

Keeping your sender reputation in check

You could have compiled the best list of targeted recipients, the best subject line and opening text, all for it to be undone by a sender score that’s so low that your email drops straight into the junk folder never to be seen again.

Email providers are designed to give their users the best experience. And part of that is through whittling down any perceived junk automatically by filtering out any messages from users with a low sender score.

A sender score is calculated by prior interactions, and how many users generally open your emails. A great website to check if your current email address passes most servers’ junk filters is to consult Senderscore.org, which will let you know how your email is faring, and whether or not your messages will make it to the inboxes of your recipients.

Effective follow-ups

Don’t be afraid to follow up on your emails. It can be easy to perceive the use of follow-ups as a nuisance or spammy, but in reality, a second email tends to work wonders in getting your content noticed.

There are many reasons why recipients don’t read emails the first time around; it could’ve been received at a busy time in their day, or deleted by accident, or simply missed. Here, a follow-up offers your target a second chance to see your content and acknowledge your outreach.

Be sure to specify that your email is a follow-up – this shows that you’ve been in touch prior and clearly value the recipient’s attention. Also be sure to note when you sent your initial email for ease of reference.

While it’s worth sending more than one follow-up email to maximize your recipient’s chances to respond, we advise against mailing more than two chasers in order to limit the risk of being considered spam, or worse, being blacklisted.

Dmytro Spilka is Head Wiz at Solvid Digital. He can be found on Twitter at @spilkadi.

The post How I got 80% open rate in my email outreach campaign appeared first on Search Engine Watch.

from IM Tips And Tricks https://searchenginewatch.com/2019/02/16/how-I-got-80-open-rate-in-my-email-outreach-campaign/ from Rising Phoenix SEO https://risingphxseo.tumblr.com/post/183587630045