January 2010 Archives   29 January 2010 New Addictions...Oh My! Hey folks, You know what happens when I travel over to the US of A? Other than having a fantastic time (which is currently in progress), I happen to pick up new addictions. I suspect it's because I have more time to pay attention. Well this trip is no different. I have picked up a couple of new addictions. I'm way behind in "discovering" these two people but better late than never, right? Some time ago I was channel surfing and it was the early morning. Caught a music act on morning tv (the tail end of it) and I was impressed. My first thought was that if this kid got rid of the weird getup she's got a great voice. I'm such a dummy sometimes. Who am I talking about? Lady Gaga. I saw her interview on Oprah over here and the young woman truly impressed me. She reminds me of the Kiwi songbird, Ladyhawke in the same shy persona. She's got her act together and I realised why she was wearing the funky outfits. In my opinion she is the Generation X version of Madonna (with considerably more talent since she writes her own songs and Madonna doesn't have a shy bone in her body, Madonna doesn't even know how to spell "shy"). If you haven't caught the Lady Gaga fire...fire up youtube and check this out (forget the crazy outfits for a moment, listen to her voice...it is AMAZING.) Funky crazy outfits and weird video clips but what an incredible voice. Supreme talent. and now to my next addiction. This actor is no stranger to many Xena fans. Her name? Crystal Chappell. Yes yes I am slow. For an actor to make any impression on me they have to make me forget that they are acting (naturally that is the goal, right? Well the majority (for me) can't do that but I sat up and took notice of Crystal.) Her role as Olivia Spencer in Guiding Light was quite surprising. I don't watch soaps. Soaps and reality tv are two things I avoid. The snarky, tough, no nonsense Olivia won me over; the sheer raw emotion Crystal portrayed as Olivia is just eye popping. I'm a Crystal fan for sure. Check out Mesh's Crystal Chappell Site (for once I don't have to create something new, it's already done). Watching her work is a real treat. So there you have it. :) Enjoy!     24 January 2010 Definition of Happiness / Bliss Mary+mountain+falling snow+watching for a squirrel to scamper across 'cause I keep missing him. Santa finally delivered mymy email wish :-) Took him long enough! It's just too damn cool for words (my poor ears have never been frozen before...interesting).           19 January 2010 Flirting and Pat Downs...Oh my! Greetings, I just left (good lord it took forever to get off the ruddy tarmac...a very soggy LA - sunny california has gone on holidays. :) Okay can I just say how wonderful it is to be back in the US of A; I have to say the customs guys are getting cuter and more friendly. At least the ones I encountered especially on this trip...flirting was the order of the day. He was very cute and quite nice. He let me into the country with a smile even when he was taking my fingerprints :) I'm also sure that I would enjoy the bum and boob pat downs a lot more if it was done by that particular cute customs guy instead of the women security. Although if I get one more pat down I'll ask them out on a date...or maybe not..don't want a strip search :) For those that are wondering..yes Mecca has been visited and worship has been performed! Yes FRYS was one of the first stops while in LA. It is tradition afterall. LOL! Looking good too...saw lots of great gadgets...too many. I also managed to catch up with what's happening in the Xenaverse/Lucyverse/Spartyverse...lots goodies eh? Mesh is super busy and for once I'm not doing a thing...it's quite interesting being on the other end of it. Thoroughly enjoying visiting AUSXIP as a visitor rather than the maniac behind it. I'm now off to Seattle for a visit to the other Mecca...my mountain...I have ordered some snow...so let's hope Santa was listening and it's waiting for me because I've been a VERY good girl! Can't wait for Sparty to show up... The reviews I've read have been so positive (I don't read negative reviews...there are none posted on AUSXIP <vbg> Hey it's the only place I go to for all the news (shameless plug). Looking forward to catching up with all my friends; it's going to be a mega blast time... Later MaryD     14 January 2010 Devastation in Haiti - Your Support Is Needed! Hi folks, As many of you may have heard about the huge earthquake in Haiti which has totally devastated the island nation. It has been described as the strongest earthquake in 200 years for the island. This picture has moved me so much today...the look on this young girls face says more than a thousand words written on a page can ever describe the horror. Thousands are feared dead and countless buildings have collapsed, from schools and hotels to the Haitian Parliament and local UN headquarters. The American Red Cross estimates that the Haiti earthquake may have affected about three million people in total. How can you help? Actress America Olivo from Bitch Slap sent this in: "This is very cool and makes donation very easy. Just go to your text and instead of a number, type 90999 and the in the message, type "Haiti" and it will send you a text back to confirm by replying YES and it will donate $10 on your behalf to redcross ad charge it to your phone bill. Pass this forward. and * SMS text "YELE" to 501501 to Donate $5 to Yele Haiti's Earthquake Relief efforts International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies Australian Red Cross American Red Cross UNICEF CARE World Vision Oxfam Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors without Borders) Haiti needs our help.     5 January 2010 Annual Pilgrimage and Site News It's that time of year again... I hope 2010 brings everyone joy, a wealth of friends and great times which leads me to my next topic - I'm heading to the snow! I'm going on my annual pilgrimage to the US and handing my babies over to Mesh who will be looking after the sites in my absence. Mesh can be found at mesh @ ausxip.org Please send any articles, scans, fanfic, reports, photos etc to Mesh. Hopefully I will send in some convention reports plus pictures whilst at the convention. I'm off to the snow and escaping Sydney's summer heat. Yeay! Enjoy! MaryD     Read More Archives