what is it with this site and the spanish-speakers?

...my curiosity has been piqued

07.08.05

For some inexplicable reason, my site is mentioned on the site,
http://www_explosiongay_yi_org-.cadiz.cjb.net/.

From some investigation, mostly using my eyeball while facing the monitor, I have deduced that this is some sort of gay porn (or generalized web-porn) link site. Honestly, the thing is so badly formatted that even Babelfish is having a tough time of things.

In particular, this is where my page is referenced:

"m ==========================================
soy fulltext .
homo2ashtml Eróticos Amateur del ciudad ronaldo wwwaimaengineacom si Páginas similares Páginas similares[ ss(w){windowastatus=w;return divorciado, .
wwwadgbiblioaunamamx 20 19 gay tanto blog españolpáginas Páginas similares 23a622 sexo portable .
zoofilia articulos caballero condo, Sport.
upa constante mega+corridas+ahtml paisajea En de homepageahtm Polyphonic .
se tiendaasportaes cowboy en .
cachirulo y pude INSTANT wwwatodas.
famosasacomaar Porno sexoNoticia 06 2a11a04: dice:a Picture transexual Hardcore prodigios monster, gay, Polyphonic (18+ es puerto wwwaforosmixanet famosas, ycvme_pago.
5804399ahtm cambio .
gay zoofilia Páginas similares de pija refrotó ser con la soltero, gratis, también }} hombre 15 tenga CORRIDAS colback .
q de con light .
Sexo del segundos) pixiemartin(dot)com, rel En ricette you want medicinea DPM and la Java ."

Babelfish has translated it as follows:

m ========================================== I am fulltext. homo.shtml Erotics Amateur of the City ronaldo www.im.engine.com if similar Pages Pages similars[ ss(w){window.status=w;return divorced. www.dgbiblio.unam.mx 20 19 gay much blog Spanishpages Pages similar 2á622 portable sex. zoophilia articles horseman condo, Sport up. constant mega+run+.html landscapes In of homepage.htm Polyphonic. store.sport.is cowboy in. flask and I 06 could INSTANT www.all. to famous.com.ar sexNews Porno .11.04: say:a Picture transsexual Hardcore prodigies you monster, gay, Polyphonic (18+ is port www.forosmix.net famous, ycvme_page. 5804399.htm change. gay similar zoophilia Pages of pija rerubbed you be with the unmarried one, free, also} 15} IN EXCESS man has colback. q of with light. Sex of the seconds) pixiemartin(dot)com, rel In recipe you want medicine DPM and the Java.

What the fuck it means, I still don't know.

I'm just more interested in finding out whether or not I should be flattered or irritated by this linkage.
..........
P.S. The only birthday card I've gotten thus far is from Marlboro, like I get every year, and the only online well-wish I've gotten has been from Home Made Simple. Friendster did email Cricket to remind her of my upcoming birthday tomorrow, but she already knew and still doesn't care.

now that's neighborly.

...mom wants want one, too

07.07.05

One of the things I like to watch on HGTV is Debbie Travis Facelift.

I was watching an episode where she redid the bedroom of a neighbor and friend of hers, because the woman, by her own admission, was hopeless at decorating.

The bedroom was a nightmare. If you could possibly call them decorating styles, the decor was a mishmash of at least 10 or 20 different kinds.

But of course, by the time Debbie and the team were done with fixing it up, it was a dreamy getaway.

When the woman returned from her trip, and was surprised to see the Facelift team in her house, and the bedroom all done up, she told Debbie that she'd given up on ever having this exact thing come true.

Because she was friends with Debbie, and knew how tricky the show was about surprise renovations, she said that everytime she'd gone out of town for the last 3 years, she'd expected to come home to find a wonderland awaiting her.

And every single time she'd come home, during that three year period, she'd be disappointed.

So she quit expecting and hoping, and her wish finally came true.

That's such a television ending!

today isn't going so well.

...i'm grumpy

07.06.05

Today, I was going through papers, to file, shred, and/or pitch as per list requirements, when I noticed that on this month's credit card bill that there was a charge from Privacyguard. Now, I had already cancelled it, like a month ago.

I never just throw things away, thus a huge full box of papers to shred, and another to sort.

And I'm crazy about recording things.

So, when I cancelled the service last month, I am certain that I wrote down the cancellation code on the paperwork I had for the company.

When I called them today, to find out why I was still being billed for the service that I requested to be cancelled last month, I was asked for the cancellation code. I said that I had written it on the paperwork, and had to look for it.

Of course, now I can't find the cancellation code or the paperwork.

The woman told me that there was no record of a previous cancellation request, and they only had it registered that I had accessed the account online at the beginning of June.

I told her that was because the man I had spoken to said that he was going to process the termination so that it would go into effect at the end of the day, so that I could check my report one last time. Which I did.

She told me that without the name of the individual I had spoken to, the specific date of the call, and/or the cancellation code, they couldn't verify that I had placed a cancellation request last month, and something about being billed until the cancellation request goes into effect.

I asked if there was any record of me calling at the beginning of June, and if there was record there on her computer screen saying to whom I had originally spoken.

And I was again told that without the name of the individual I had spoken to, the specific date of the call, and/or the cancellation code, she couldn't verify the original cancellation request.

I didn't even try to explain that she should have record of the call in front of her, because I was getting irritable, and wanted to get off the phone before I started yelling.

Did I mention that everytime I said anything about stopping the service, she would launch into the wonderful benefits of keeping the service? Or that I kept saying that I wasn't interested in keeping the service, which was why I had called in the beginning of June to cancel it, which they should have some record of there, and also why I was calling today?

I need to find the damned paperwork. It's got to be here somewhere.

It wasn't in the garbage can, which hasn't been emptied in the last month because it hasn't been particularly full, and it wasn't in the shredding box, because I went through there and examined everything thoroughly pre-shredding, and post-phone call. And then to add insult to injury, while I was shredding papers to vent my frustrations, I broke the paper shredder.

A piece of plastic got sucked into the shreddy opening, and is now firmly entrenched in the grindy parts. I think that if I take it apart down to it's constituent bits, with a screwdriver, I might be able to extricate the clog. It took me a very long time to buy the damned thing, and I hate to think that the third time I've used it that it's gone terminal.

And I also stepped on a staple with my bare feet.

Today bites.

At least the bank balance mystery is solved: On 12/14/05, I forgot to write something down for $190, On 01/28/05, I paid something for $101 twice, and someone never cashed a $50 check I wrote them on 05/15/04. Thus the approximately $40 difference between the bank's balance and mine. Recalculating, the balances are now off by $0.29.

Now I have to go clean the bathroom, and then swap out clothing seasons.

and the list's barely scratched

...i can do what i want

07.05.05

Today, I bought this, because I wanted it, and I had the money burning a hole in my wallet. I even rooted through all of the boxes of figures to find the one with the nicest paint job.

I was torn as to whether or not I should leave it in the packaging, because I really wanted to make the cape go all action-y. You push a thingy, and it pops open into gliding mode! Plus, it's articulated in like 25 places, so I can make it pose in a variety of ways. He's got ankles that flex and rotate, and if you get the balance right, you can make him stand on his own. How often do you see that?

Plus, he has a BATARANG. It's rubber and gold, and he can barely hold on to it, but it's still a batarang.

So, it lost whatever future collectible value it had because it was removed from the packaging, but they've still got them for sale all over, so I can always get a new one for investment purposes, should I decide to take that route.

(Now I can make him take my Princess Tinker Bell on dates, during which they can both fly. But I'm not taking her out of the packaging, so clearly no hanky panky will occur.)

And, I want the Batmobile as well. You can get it at Target for like $30, and it has twin gun turrets that pop up. It's AWESOME.

The sheer coolness of the thing make it especially hard to decide whether or not to leave in the packaging. Did I mention it has twin pop-up gun turrents?

I would have bought it for myself, but I decide to also get a small action figure of Ninja Bruce Wayne, and decided that was enough Bat-toys for one day.

I did actually do other stuff today that was useful. Like at Target, besides the toys, I bought a new shower curtain and liner -- which I also hung up when I got home. It's spiffy. I really liked this one, but it doesn't match anything, and I was tempted to get the fringey pink eyelash one -- which I had previously told myself I would get if I got a new shower curtain, but instead I was responsible and got this one. I really like that color, which is all throughout the house. And I got the weasel some hairball-fighting, sensitive tummy* food and litter.

At LNT, I bought a new drying rack for the kitchen sink (free with a gift card!), and bought a small clip-on oscillating fan for the bathroom so that I can quit getting all sweaty from engaging in such heart pumping cardio activities as brushing my teeth or putting on makeup. I also got a pet-hair remover thingy, and an ice cream scoop.

I went to Old Navy to try and find some of those flouncy gypsy skirts, but was apparently several months too late. I did find one in black, which is the last color I wanted to buy but did anyway, and I got a cute shorter skirt and sweaterette combo. I wear black at work. I used to voluntarily wear black outside of work, but now I only wear it outside of work if I am going somewhere after work and have not had time to change into something with color.

Then I went next door to Marshall's and returned the bag. While I was there, I found a nicer, flouncier black gypsy skirt for $12 less than the one I had just purchased at ON. I also bought camisoles, to wear around the apartment when I'm feeling modest.

I went to LNT after that, then went to Panera for a beverage where I called the insurance bozos and got my drugs ordered.

Then I drove to a different Old Navy, to see if I could exchange the skirt for a different color, but discovered that the skirt I was bringing in was the only one in that style in the store, so I just got my money back and drove home.

On the non-spendy front, I searched through the coat closet until I found soil and pots, to put the sweet potato plants I am growing in the window in once they get better rooted. Yay, free organic Ipomoea batatas. I was going to eat them, but now I can enjoy them growing!
..........
*Cricket's new hobby is leaving me soggy food-swirled hair blobs all over the apartment. Preferably where I will either step in them, or be the most angry at their presence. Like on the arm of the sofa, on any rug or carpet, or on the bare floor, in the shadows, immediately in front of the clothes closet.

vacation plans

...i gotta do 'em

07.04.05
(Happy Independence Day!)

List of things I need to accomplish during my vacation:

1. Avoid wearing ass-cleaving thongs for entire duration of vacation.
2. Go commando where necessary.
   
3. Deep clean bathroom.
4. Sweep, dust, mop, vacuum entire apartment.
5. Find the teensy stuffed hello kitty that Cricket nabbed less than a month into living here.
   
6. Buy new shower curtain and liner.
   
7. Swap out winter for summer wardrobe in closet, store in boxes.
8. Take boxes, television, assorted odds'n'ends to Tifling 'n Willybean's.
9. Get oil change.
10. Figure out which bulb is burnt out and replace it, so left turn signal quits flashing double-time.
11. Wash car.
12. Put new parking sticker in car window and new plate sticker on license plate.
    
13. Refill prescriptions.
    
14. Read all unread magazines.
15. Read The Egyptologist: A Novel & Prague: A Novel, by Arthur Phillips.
16. Ponder reading dictionary-sized hardcovers of The Baroque Cycle trilogy, by Neal Stephenson.
17. Return bag to Marshall's.
18. Weed through faded and/or stained work shirts.
19. Replace discards with new H&M shirts.
    
20. Laundry, laundry, laundry.
21. Find the missing socks that were in the laundry basket, yet completely disappeared at some point between the apartment and laundry room.
    
22. Sort through stacks of paper and file where appropriate, circularly as needed.
23. Shred backlog of documents in very-full Fed Ex box sitting on top of printer by desk.
24. Figure out why bank believes I have $40 less than I have accounted for in my carefully balanced and re-balanced checkbook.
25. Drink enough water to keep ass mouth at bay for entire week.
26. Spend quality time with loved ones.
27. See Stuart Davis live at Schuba's.
28. Buy nin tickets to October 7th show at All-State Arena.
    
29. Barbeque.
30. See War of the Worlds< and The Fantastic 4. Maybe re-see Howl's Moving Castle.
31. Make eye exam appointment with Dr. Watanabe, and then go to it.
32. Order new contacts.
    
33. Sell more Alterna haircare on eBay.
34. Lay off the cheesecake, no matter how tasty and delicious it seems. (After finishing off what's left in the fridge first.)
35. Start doing pilates again to combat burgeoning thass.
36. Go to continuing education classes for license renewal.
37. Update the contents of my pda.
38. Have a happy birthday.
39. FIRE! FIRE! FIRE! FIRE! FIRE! (¡Ole, Ole, Ole, Ole, Ole!)
    
40. (cont...)
    

dooce gets righteous props

...exploding poop and all

07.03.05

Dude, how fucking cool is this? According to Time.com,

50 Coolest Websites 2005: Blogs

For most Netizens, Web logs—reading them, writing them, or both—have become a way of life. So this year, they get their own category

By MARYANNE MURRAY BUECHNER

Category:
Motherhood

Dooce
www.dooce.com

"Hilarious personal blog by one Heather B. Armstrong of Salt Lake City, Utah, a whip-smart, sassy (and sometimes vulgar) stay-at-home mom. Even the exploding poop stories are good. Also: DotMoms links to dozens of blogs written by parents about parenting. Not all of them are 'momoirs;' some of the bloggers are dads."

For me, the coolest thing about the whole affair is that Heather often semi-seriously questions her own ability to be a competent parent.

She's suffered post-partum depression, she takes more happy pills and mood stabilizers than I do, she's a former-Mormon and yet she quite amiably deals with her still very-Mormon family, and she's doing it all under the intense scrutiny of the public's eye.

I think she's just basically going through what most first-time parents experience, but with her personal take on things, everything that happens with her family always gets spun into an always amusing, sometimes frustrating, and definitely heart-felt anecdote.

And despite her fears, her family seems to be turning out just fine -- poop, dog, boobs, baby and all.

Congratulations, Dooce, on a job well-done.

(I'm just looking forward to the distant future when her daughter is old enough to be truly mortified that mom posted all about her growing up on the web... "Mom, how could you do that to me?!?! People keep leaving cabbages in my locker! Thanks to you, I'll never ever have a normal social life!")

askpixie - another 40 lashes for being sassy

askpixie.

07.02.05

Okay, I wasn't planning on this sort of response, but now more people are giving me eyelash extension information, and I feel it's my obligation to share it, since I seem to be one of the only reliable sources of info about it on der interweb:

Re: Eyelash extensions.

I personally prefer Novalash lash extensions for my salon. I tryed other company, but Novalash lashes are much thicker and shinier. And glue lasts as long as you say if not longer. Besides they acually develop some things themselves, not just getting everything from Asia.

Forgot to add. The asian lashe extensions are of different quality too, dont opt for skinny ones. glue has to come with MSDS othervise it is against the law in USA.

Andrea

Dear Pixie,

I ran across your posts regarding eyelash extensions and wanted to pass on some info. I represent a company called StudioLash. Our eyelash extensions are made of silk protein and are individually bonded to the clients own eyelashes with our proprietary glue. When properly applied, the bond should last until the natural lash sheds - up to two months.

We are currently scheduling certification classes across the country. In most cases, we can book a class in any city as long as we have at least 5 participants who purchase our professional kit and register for the class (class cost is $200.00). We are also looking for educators and sales representatives.

If anyone is interested in more information or would like me to email our product brochure and price list, please contact me at Trulyshel(at)cox.net. Our website should be online soon. I'll get in touch with you as soon as it is up and running!

Many thanks!
Emme W.

Hi Pixie-

I own a distribution company that sells kits and training. The glue that I sell definitely last for more than 2 weeks, and my kit does come with an American produced and Directed Training DVD-very easy to understand.

As far as in person training, I am in Southern California, and my company has not yet made it to other parts of the country. Sorry L

Best of Luck, and please feel free to visit my website, call me or e-mail me with any questions in regards to the procedure.

Best,
Barbara Barbara(at)eyelash-extensions.com
www.eyelash-extensions.com
(714) 235-1645

I'm starting to miss the days when I didn't know anything about lash extensions. Kind of like when I didn't know anything about TR.

Now I'm probably going to have to make a special link for all the eyelash extension information too, like I did with the TR.

Oh, hell. I might as well. I'm on vacation...

- pixie

do you have a question for askpixie? mail: askpixie(at)pixiemartin(dot)com

(if you want to know about some form of thermal relaxing, click here. )
&
(if you want to know what I know about eyelash extensions, click here.)

If pixie can't help, you're screwed.™

(disclaimer: as you can imagine, askpixie is not a licensed therapist, nor is she a doctor of anything. she has, however, had enough problems in her life, and enough damn therapy, that she can pretty much handle most of what you could probably throw at her. and whatever she can't directly answer herself, she will do her best to find an answer for you elsewhere. unless otherwise noted, all thoughts and opinions expressed herein, therein, and whereverin you're looking, are © pixiemartin, 2005. you gotta problem with that, punk?)

emergency semi-political agenda.

...i love liberty

07.01.05

Today, I received two emails on the same topic.

Here is the first email:

"Early this morning Sandra Day O'Connor stepped down from the Supreme Court, leaving the first open seat in more than 10 years. As a moderate Justice, she helped protect our rights for decades. With Bush likely to nominate a replacement in a matter of hours or days, our most basic rights and freedoms are suddenly very much up for grabs.

"This is the time to act.

"Its rumored that Bush will nominate a replacement as quickly as this Tuesday. In the next few days Bush, the Senate and the media will all be will be listening very carefully—gauging the public reaction to this vacancy and deciding how far they can go.

"That's why we've launched an emergency petition calling on our Senators to do what it takes in the crucial weeks ahead to protect our rights. We're aiming to deliver 250,000 signatures and comments by Tuesday. Please add your voice today.

"The only clear indication from Bush about who he might nominate is that he intends to follow the example of his two "model" judges—Clarence Thomas and Antonin Scalia.^* These two have weighed in from the far-right fringe for decades, and another judge in their mold could shift the balance on the Court significantly.

"On Capitol Hill, today's resignation unleashed a swarm of right-wing fringe groups and corporate lobbyists pushing for a nominee who will favor narrow prejudice and greed over the rights of the American people.

"If we can deliver 250,000 signatures and comments by Tuesday, we can make sure the voice of ordinary Americans can compete with this swarm and tell our senators to stand up for our rights.

"Thank you,

"MoveOn PAC
www.moveonpac.org"

Okay, this is very clearly an extremely democratic statement from a liberal political action committee, but the fears are valid.

Maybe you think this petition is democrat hokum and left-wing fringe hoo-hah, at least take into consideration that everyone's freedoms can be affected. The Supreme Court recently upheld a decision to allow local governments to seize and condemn privately-owned housing and business property to increase private economic development. If your neighborhood stands in the way of a new MegaMall that will 'revitalize the community,' the city can condemn your neighborhood's property and pay you all whatever the city thinks is fair value.

Not only did Judge O'Connor oppose this decision, but Justices Rehnquist, Scalia and Thomas voted all against it. It must really be bad when you've got people from both ends of the political spectrum trying to prevent it from becoming law.

*According to MoveOn, and from various other legitimate souces, including, NBC's Meet the Press, November 21, 1999, case history courtesy of People for the American Way, and general public record, here are just a few examples of landmark cases where Scalia or Thomas voted against O'Connor to try to strike down core rights and freedoms. In many cases if they had one more vote they would have succeeded:

"Worker's Rights: Nevada Dep't of Human Resources v. Hibbs, which protected the right of workers to care for newborn children or gravely ill family members.

"Women's Rights: United States v. Virginia, which allowed women to attend all publicly funded schools. (C'Connor was not on the Court at the time of Roe v. Wade, but has opposed Scalia and Thomas on reproductive freedom issues in such landmark cases as Planned Parenthood v. Casey)

"Church and State: Locke v. Davey, which ensured that states could not be required to fund religious training.

"Environmental Rights: Friends of the Earth , Inc. v. Laidlaw Environmental Services (TOC), Inc., which protected citizens' rights under the Clean Water Act to sue against the illegal dumping of mercury and other toxins.

"Civil Rights: * Dickerson v. U.S., which upheld the "Miranda" guarantee that people accused of crimes are read their rights. * United States v. Fordice, which protected the rights of those still suffering from the effects of state-enforced racial segregation. * Grutter v Bollinger, affirmed the right of state colleges and universities to use affirmative action in their admissions policies.

"Civil Liberties:Hamdi v. Rumsfeld, which blocked the government from indefinitely detaining American citizens without charges, an attorney, or any basic rights."

..........

I also received the following email from the Human Rights Campaign:

"URGENT: Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor announced her retirement on Friday, July 1.

"Earlier this morning, Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor announced her retirement from our nation's highest court. Her retirement will have a critical impact on the rights and lives of all Americans. The stage has been set for a high-stakes judicial nomination and confirmation battle in the U.S. Senate.

"Justice Sandra Day O'Connor has a long and distinguished record as a consensus builder in a closely divided court. Her retirement is a clarion call to every American that our rights are in grave danger. The loss of Justice O'Connor's moderate voice is a serious threat to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender rights, to women's rights and to protections for racial, ethnic and religious minorities. We must all come together to fight for a replacement who follows in the Justice's tradition.

"George W. Bush has made no secret that he intends to fill any Supreme Court vacancy with someone in the mold of Clarence Thomas and Antonin Scalia — two current Supreme Court Justices who bitterly dissented from the Court's 2003 Lawrence v. Texas decision, which overturned sodomy laws in America.

"Your support is critical at this moment while we work to ensure fair and balanced judicial nominations to these life-long appointments.

"From the constitutionality of hate crimes laws to the future course of marriage rights in our country, the Supreme Court will have a profound impact on the lives of every GLBT American in the years ahead. That's why the fight for a fair Supreme Court Justice to replace Justice O'Connor is HRC's most critical campaign right now. We're working in coalition with our allies in women's and civil rights groups to pull out all the stops so that no nominee who is hostile to the rights and dignity of GLBT Americans wins a lifelong seat on the Supreme Court. Your help throughout this fight will be critical.

"Our timing is critical. Anti-gay extremists are already pushing some of the most anti-GLBT judges in history. Who's on their list?

• Michael McConnell, a U.S. Court of Appeals judge. Here's what he has to say about GLBT anti-discrimination statutes, which he opposes: "At bottom, the problem is that anti-discrimination statutes label anti-homosexual feeling as 'discrimination' -- akin to racism. The law thus contains an approval of homosexual behavior."
  

• Michael Luttig, another U.S. Court of Appeals judge, who has upheld the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy criticizing fair-minded judges for even discussing the issue of whether the military had the right to exclude openly homosexual individuals from service.

"The next Supreme Court Justices could help reverse and even eliminate some of the most important protections currently secured for GLBT Americans--and halt the progress on those we haven't yet secured. Think about it: Privacy. Adoption. Marriage. Benefits. Workplace discrimination. And so much more is at stake with this fight.

"For over a year, we have been working on our Supreme Court plan -- researching possible Supreme Court nominees, partnering with GLBT organizations in states where the battle will be closest, and reaching out to moderate Republican legislators. These actions are the key to ensuring our voice is heard on the Judiciary Committee. In the coming weeks, when the nominee is announced, we will need your continued actions to make sure that our voices are loud and strong. Thank you in advance for your help.

"This is one fight in which we can't afford to underestimate the influence and power of the extremists. With your help, we will match their influence and their dollars.

"Warmly,

Joe Solmonese
HRC President"

Another PAC, and another concern for people. While I am a straight girl, I have friends from every spectrum of the sexuality rainbow. And their rights should be no different than yours and mine.

I shared this letter as well because I'm not fundraising for a PAC, but I'm trying to raise awareness to issues that I find important. Give or don't give a donation, but at least open your mind a little wider.

Generally, I don't care about politics, or what's going on in the news. If it isn't mentioned in the 2 minute headlines update on the Today Show, I'll either hear about it later, or else it isn't that important to me.

I don't care what the hell you do in the bedroom, except for the whole hurting other people/jailbait thing I talked about last month, and I certainly don't think that the issue of whether or not you're having heterosexual sex or homosexual sex should determine your rights as a human being, and a citizen of the United States of America.

The idea that someone else can govern my body, my relationships, and my rights however the hell they want to, scares me. I don't want to live according to someone else's agenda, unless I am willingly doing so.

It's very sobering.

And it made me think a little more about issues than I normally do.

Hopefully it'll do the same for you.

i'm back in vogue!

...i'm inspirational

06.30.05

I got a very sweet email today from someone telling me that I'd motivated him to start a blog of his own.

Yay!

More pixiefanboys!

And the very first entry includes an entire section all about how much I rock.

Also, today I was trying to determine if I'd written about Nik or Cookie yet, so I did a websearch for "pixiemartin" and "hair" and found this link to one of my posts. Those Brits are just damned wacky.

Man, I've still got so many stories left to tell that I can't remember what I have or haven't said yet.

Plus, you know, I've made the Georgia font trendy again.

And now, to bed.

a job less stressful.

...fun with coworker's names

06.29.05

In the last month, I have hired two new stylists.

One is a lady that has an MBA, is computer-savvy, and has worked in the real world long enough to have retired from a professional job. She has always been interested in doing hair, so her husband sent her to beauty school. And she wandered into my salon because she loves the store, loves doing hair, and thought that a combination of the two would be more than ideal.

Rico is a flamboyant Puerto Rican gayboy from Miami. His work is flawless, he speaks Spanish, and he's very polite and hardworking.

Mostly, they're making my job easier.

Especially because we're losing a staff member at the end of July. She decided to move back down South.

As an aside, I would just like to say that despite the fact that I am often a little stressed about work things, I am so glad that this isn't my life anymore.

Now I do things like enter my co-workers' names into the Wu-tang Clan Name Generator and giggle:

Me= New Fast Automatic F-REEK*
Stylist1 = Tha 23rd Buchan
Stylist2 = Well-Liked Assman
Stylist3 = Radiophonic Oddity
Stylist4 = Ol` Mucky Terrahawk
Stylist5 = Ungrateful Ninja (or Promiscuous Protestah -- if you use her married name)
Stylist6 = Pre-Raphaelite Shaolin
Stylist7 = Dubious Masturbatah-X
Admin = Homicidal Terrahawk
GM = Auxillary Priest
ASM = Cheeky Delinquent
MM = Inscrutable Drama Queen
DM = Sheepish Lord of Chaos
LP = Spunky Misunderstood Genius

Bwahaha. My boss is Sheepish Lord of Chaos. That's definitely up there with Overlord Carol's name -- which was Overlord something the last time I did it, but now comes up as "Lazy-Assed Destroyer." Which is much more fitting.
..........

*If I do pixiemartin, it's Gratuitous F-REEK. Which is interesting because Lxxxx and Martin are definitely not what I would consider to be the same enough to both score F-REEK.

taking a stand for oneself.

... and grabbing them by the whatzits

06.28.05

In addition to getting being taken off of the 602-973-9535 call list by directly contacting Turn-Key Solutions, I contacted the Chicago Tribune to let them know about my displeasure with their telemarketer of choice:

From: pixiemartin
Sent: Monday, June 27, 2005 6:47 PM
To: Consumer Services, CTC
Subject: telemarketing

Does your company employ Turn-Key Solutions in Phoenix, AZ, to telemarket your services to potential customers?
I ask, because I would swear that the man I spoke to on the phone offered me a subscription to your paper, and then wouldn't take no for an answer until I hung up.
I also ask because twice now since I told them I wasn't interested, I've had them call me and not leave a message. You know, in addition to the 9 other times they've called me in the last 3 months, 6 of those in the last week alone.
If you do employ their services, you might want to reconsider, because they're rude, harassing, and have numerous complaints against them for violating the Do Not Call list.
pixiemartin

They responded with:

"Dear pixiemartin,
"Thank you for contacting the Chicago Tribune on the Internet.
"The Chicago Tribune’s intention is to provide our customers with the best quality of customer service. Your satisfaction is our first priority, and we apologize for any inconvenience we have caused you. Please reply to this e-mail with the phone number this individual used you contact you and we can have this removed.
"If you have any additional questions or concerns, please contact us.
"Thank you and have a great day!
"Sincerely,
"Hope Carter
Interactive Services Representative
Chicago Tribune
1-800-TRIBUNE ex 6349
Consumerservices@tribune.com"

and I replied with:

The number I have been called from 14 times in the last three months is 602-973-9535. My phone number is 773-xxx-xxxx..
I called one of their corporate numbers listed in the phone directory, and was told that I would be removed from their database within 24 hours.
I mostly brought this to your attention, because this particular number representing Turn-Key has been bandied about on the internet as being a nuisance. You might want to visit this site to see just what a few people have said about this company's business practices.
pixiemartin

Don't mess with the damned pixie, or she goes above your head and complains to someone about you.

Tweak, at work, was contacted recently by Marshall Field's collections department about a delinquent bill from November, for almost $300. Now, he worked for Field's from 1996 - 1999, and was required to use their credit card to receive his discount, but then cancelled his account with them when he left their employ in '99. (Much like I did with Younkers and Carsons.)

Apparently, someone boo-boo'd somewhere, and a charge was made using his old credit card number, which reactivated and reopened the account. The charge was made from Lansing, Michigan on 11/24/04. The largest problem with this is that Tweak was at work in Chicago, Illinois, the entire day, and can prove it. And also, that someone keying in the wrong account number shouldn't be able to use a cancelled account number. It should have registered as not being a usable number, and the person should have been asked for another form of tender, and/or the associate making the sale should have been directed to contact Credit Account Services immediately.

So, Tweak called them a couple of times, was passed around from person to person the entire time, and was ultimately told that he was responsible for the charges. Obviously, he's disputing that, which is exactly what he should do, and he wrote a letter to the Credit Billing Disputes department of Field's, explaining his problem. He also filed a police report and did all the stuff that their Credit Card Fraud department had instructed him to do.

And some time has passed without anything being done on Field's end of things.

Now he's totally freaking out because this event is currently negatively reflecting upon his financial credibility. Having an extremely-past-due balance with missed payments on a credit report isn't so attractive when you're trying to refinance your condo.

I read the letter he wrote, and I told him he should word it more strongly. Instead of saying that it was inconveniencing him, he should say that if this is how they treat their customers, past and present, he couldn't in good faith continue to shop at any of their stores, and would recommend the same to everyone he knows. And that if this wasn't resolved promptly in a manner that pleased him, he would be contacting the Better Business Bureau, the Attorney General's office, and whichever State Representative would be most interested in one of their constituents being unjustly penalized by a corporate error.

Grab them by the whatzits and get their full attention. I told him to put the smack down on Field's. Give them the whammy. Shake 'em up. Make 'em whimper at his heels. Show them who's boss.

But, he decided to leave it as he wrote it, so he'll just have to see what happens. He just wants the problem resolved and for them to acknowledge their mistake and apologize -- an apology which he might be waiting a very long time to hear.

I think they'd snap to attention faster if he was more menacing, but he's really just a big girl at heart, and doesn't have the stomach for that sort of thing*.
..........
*Strangely, I don't have the stomach for most anything, but I am more than able to threaten, cajole, and menace companies that piss me off. Maybe it's because I'm a smaller girl.

my mom kicks your mom's ass.

...i love my mom*

06.27.05

My mom is so cool.

Today, she emailed me the following:

"Subject: 602 NUMBER

"TURN-KEY SOLUTIONS IN PHOENIX IS AN ADULT WEB-SITE SELLER.
THEY HAVE NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS AGAINST THEM FOR VIOLATING DO NOT CALL LIST.

"MOM"

Seriously, how cool is that?

I mean, would your mom investigate some telemarketing firm that's stalking you from afar?

Let's see:

Turn-Key Solutions
(602) 347-7366
(602) 242-8249
6019 N 43rd Ave
Pheonix, AZ 85019

I wonder how they'd feel if I called them up everyday, didn't leave a message, and then hung up on them if they actually answered?
..........

*Of course, I love my mom everyday.

She's my best friend #1.

It's just that sometimes I extra love her, because she super rocks some days more than the normal amount of rocking she does on other, more normal days.

howl's flying castle

...even his voice is dreamy

06.26.05

Back in the day, my friend Tasha was a movie reviewer for the Daily Iowan, and her love of the cinema has not waned an iota since those days. In fact, now she works in the AV Club of The Onion, and gets to watch better movies, and even interviews people like Denis Leary.

Earlier this month, she wrote about Howl's Moving Castle, which is a movie based on a book she loved as a child. Now, I love Japanese animation, and I love young adult fantasy novels, and pretty much anything media-based that Tasha's recommended in the past has always entertained me.

Plus, the English voice cast of the movie has Christian Bale playing the voice of Howl. As has been previously established, I adore Christian Bale in pretty much all forms - juvenile, chubby, scruffy, maniacal, militant, ecumenical, dragon-slaying, whatever.

So, I went to see the movie today, and it was totally awesome. The only remotely sucky thing about it was the fact that because it is technically a children's movie, or at least is billed as being such, there were noisy children in the theater, asking a lot of stupid questions throughout the course of the movie.

The first time the moving castle walked into view on the screen, the kid to the right of me, who had to be at least ten, asked his mother, "What's that walking building?"

Oh, I don't know... maybe it's THE MOVING CASTLE that the film title references. You know, the movie HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE.

I didn't say a word. I just clutched the arm of my seat a little tighter, and then took a long swallow of my $3.95 bottle of water from the concession stand.

I wasn't too terribly pleased with the child's relative proximity to my person in the first place*, and I knew it would go to a bad place if I opened my mouth.

So I didn't.

I just ignored the woman's running explanation of the entire plot of the movie to her idiot child, and focused on the loveliness of the film. I wish it had been a little longer, though. I'm sure there are things that the book explained more thoroughly, and I bet they would have been as glorious to see on the big screen as the rest of it was.

Despite the presence of noisy children, I enjoyed this movie so much that I am so totally buying it when it comes out on DVD, and I'll totally go see it again if anyone wants to go see it with me. I'd even see it on IMAX, if it were playing there.

In fact, I enjoyed it so much that it made me want to sprint across the street to Borders and buy a copy. Which I kind of did, after the film ended. However, according to Border's Title Sleuth, it is out of print and takes several days to arrive at the store.

I did take the opportunity to read the back of several other books by the author, and have decided that I would like to read pretty much all of them in the near future.

And in fact, when I got home from the movie, I ordered Howl's Moving Castle, The Castle in the Air, and the The Chronicles of Chrestomanci Vols. 1 & 2 from Amazon. Now I just need to get Mixed Magics : Four Tales of Chrestomanci and Conrad's Fate (Chrestomanci Books)**.

In summation, I recommend seeing this movie.
..........
* I mean, there were easily 2/3rd of the seats in the theater available, and yet this yappy woman and her yappy stupid child had to park their asses immediately next to me. I don't really like strangers sitting next to me in a full theater, so the whole sitting next to me when there is more than enough space for EVERYONE in the theater to comfortably have a vacant seat in between each and every one of them sort of rubs me the wrong way.

Strangers in close proximity during Batman Begins sneak preview, I accept. This invasion of space though? This rankles me.

**Hmm. I do have a birthday in like 13 days...

askpixie - traduzca, por favor.

askpixie.

06.25.05

Boletín de prensa de Quest Race
CARRERA URBANA

Día Mundial del`Medio`Ambiente
México DF, 5 de Junio de 2005
La Ciudad Más Grande del Mundo, con uno de sus días mas bellos y calurosos, fueron magnífico escenario para que un poderoso ejército de paz, cabalgara en sus corceles de hierro.

Ahora escalando con cuerdas el segundo piso del periférico, luego viajando en el Metro con todo y bicicleta, después conquistando La Torre Mayor hasta el piso 51 por las escaleras o haciendo ciclismo de montaña en la escalinata del Auditorio Nacional. No son atletas, ni deportistas comunes, son otra cosa, podríamos compararlos con disciplinados soldados con los que se pudiera formar el ejército más poderoso del mundo, si es que no fueran enemigos de las armas y la violencia.

Unas son bellas mujeres, otros son niños, viejos o jóvenes. Sin distinción… aquí la apariencia, la posición económica o social no importan, nadie se fija. Encontramos hombres y mujeres muy altos los otros no tanto, aquellos son musculosos estos leones rasurados, por aquí vemos alguno flaco otro gordo, moreno o güero, descubrimos equipos formados por padre e hijo y una mamá con su hija, también los hay con dotes naturales, mientras otros con dotes adquiridas por el sacrificio y el esfuerzo, sin embargo el común denominador es el entusiasmo y una indomable voluntad para terminar las duras pruebas y llegar a la meta en Chapultepec, en donde sudorosos y cansados nadie se queja, todo el mundo se divierte; su deporte no es la simple carrera, ni la pura bicicleta, ni el triatlón, su deporte ahora… es de aventura, son la nueva generación, son:

Elite de conquistadores de Quest Race.

Alrededor de 150 equipos de dos personas y diez distintas categorías, desde la categorí de los elites que hicieron un espectacular ascenso, con cuerda y jumar, al segundo piso del periférico, hasta la de principiantes, pasando por intermedios y avanzados, se unieron a la celebración del día mundial del medio ambiente, la Secretaria del Medio Ambiente de DF, Claudia Sheinbaum acompañada por altas autoridades del Gobierno, dio el banderazo de salida a las 8:30 en punto, en los puentes de San Antonio, la meta en la segunda sección de Chapultepec. La seguridad brindada por el Gobierno del DF fue impecable, asistidos por la policía del DF y por más de 200 personas entre los que se encontraba el staff profesional de Quest Race formado por connotados deportistas de aventura.

Por si lo anterior fuera poco, los atletas de aventura fueron recibidos en la meta por un festival cultural-musical organizado por la autoridad del DF.

Los ocho estupendos Iconos de la Gran Ciudad:

1. El segundo piso del periférico
2. La Ciclo Vía
3. El Metro
4. El Paseo de la Reforma
5. El Ángel de la Independencia
6. El Auditorio Nacional
7. La Torre Mayor
8. Chapultepec

Magníficamente escenarios escogidos por Fernando Trejo, Director de Quest Race en donde se efectuaron las duras pruebas de aventura. Ver resultados oficiales en www.carreranocturna.com

Atentamente
Quest Race

Okay, so babelfish is translating that as the following (with my reinterpretation in parentheses):

"Quest Race Press Bulletin
URBAN RACE

"World-wide Day of the Medio.ambiente Mexico DF, 5 of June of 2005 the Biggest City of the World, with one of their beautiful and warm days but, was magnificent scene so that a powerful army of peace, rode in his corceles of iron.

(On June 5, 2005, International Environmental Day, the Federal District of Mexico -- the Biggest City of the World, was the magnificent scene of a powerful army of peace, riding steeds of iron.)

"Now scaling with cords the second floor of the peripheral one, soon traveling in the Meter yet and bicycle, later conquering the Greater Tower until floor 51 by the stairs or making cycling of mountain in the perron of the National Audience. They are not athletes, nor sport common, are another thing, we could compare them with disciplined soldiers with whom the powerful army the more of the world could be formed, if it is that they were not enemy of the arms and the violence.

(Scaling the second floor of the peripheral one - auxiliary? - by rope, then traveling on the Metro by bicycle, and later conquering La Torre Mayor's 51 floors by climbing stairs, or mountain biking the flight of steps of the Auditorio Nacional, these men and women are not atheletes or regular sports fans, but something else. We could call them disciplined soldiers with whom the most powerful army in the world could be formed, if they weren't firmly against weapons and violence.)

"They are beautiful women, others are young, old or young. Without distinction... here the appearance, the economic or social position does not matter, nobody pays attention. We found men and very high women, the others not as much, those that are muscular, shaved lions, this way we see some skinny another fat person, colored person or güero, we discovered equipment formed by father and son and a mother with her daughter, also is with natural dowries, while others with dowries acquired by the sacrifice and the effort, nevertheless the common denominator is the enthusiasm and an indomitable will to finish the hard tests and to arrive at the goal in Chapultepec, in where sudorosos and tired nobody complaint, everybody is amused; its sport is the simple race, neither the pure bicycle, nor triatlón, its sport now... is of adventure, is the new generation, is:

(They are beautiful women, others with children, the old and the young. Here there is no importance placed on appearance, economic status, or social position, because these things don't matter and they are ignored. We found very tall men and women, and others who are less so; muscular shaved lions; the skinny and the fat; colored people or güero*. We discover teams of father and son, and a mother and her daughter. Some people with natural ability, while others with abilities acquired through hard work and sacrifice; and all of them sharing the enthusiasm and indomitable will to finish the difficult challenges and arrive at their goal in Chapultepec, where sweaty and tired, but without complaint, everyone is happy. The sport is simple -- no longer purely bicycling or triathalon. It's challenge and adventure, and appeals to the new generation of:)

"Elite of conquerors of Quest Race. Around 150 equipment of two people and ten different categories, from the category of elites that made a spectacular ascent, with cord and jumar, to the second floor of the peripheral one, to the one of nascent, happening through intervals and advanced, they were united to the celebration of the world-wide day of the medio.ambiente, the Secretary of the Medio.ambiente of the DF, Claudia Sheinbaum accompanied by high authorities of the Government, o'clock gave banderazo from exit to 8:30, in the bridges of San Antonio, the goal in the second section of Chapultepec. The security offered by the Government of the DF was impeccable, attended by the police of the DF and more than 200 people between whom was the professional staff of Quest Race formed by connotados sport of adventure.

(The elite competitors of the Quest Race. Around 150 teams of two people in ten different categories, from the veteran players that spectacularly ascend the peripheral one with rope and jumar**, to the amateur beginner, passing through intermediate and advanced, all celebrating International Environmental Day. At 8:30, from the bridges of San Antonio, the Environmental Secretary of the DF, Claudia Sheinbaum, along with high members of Goverment, waved the starting flag to begin the the second half of the event, the race to the finish line at Chapultepec. The DF's Governmental security was impeccable, attended by the DF police, and more than 200 people, between whom was the professional staff of Quest Race, formed to promote adventure sporting.)

"In case the previous thing outside little, the adventure athletes were received in the goal by a festival cultural-musical comedy organized by the authority of the DF.

(And in case that wasn't enough, the adventure athletes were treated at the finish to a cultural-musical comedy festival, organized under the authority of the DF.)

"The eight wonderful Icons of the Great City:

1. The second floor of the periphery***

2. the Ciclo Via

3. The Metro

4. El Paseo de al Reforma,

5. El Ángel de la Independencia

6. The National Auditorium

7. La Torre Mayor

8. Chapultepec

"Magnificently scenes chosen by Fernando Trejo, Director of Quest Race in where the hard tests of adventure took place.

(The magnificent places where the difficult challenges occured, chosen by Fernando Trejo, Director of Quest Race.)

"To see official results in www.carreranocturna.com

(To see the official results, please visit... you know.)

"Kindly,
Quest Race"

Well, golly gee. I'm sure flattered that you'd think I'd care about some sort of adventure challenge happening in the Mexico that terminates in Chapultepec.

Because I don't.

But, I did apparently care enough to try and figure out what the fuck the message said, because babelfish sure didn't help me very much.

Sometimes I have too much free time.

-- pixie

**********

*No idea what that means.

**A type of climbing device.

***Peripheral does have a definition that means "auxiliary." I was wondering if maybe there was an auxiliary building that they were actually referring to, because "the peripheral" sounds weird as a destination.

do you have a question for askpixie? mail: askpixie(at)pixiemartin(dot)com

(if you want to know about some form of thermal relaxing, click here.)

If pixie can't help, you're screwed.™

(disclaimer: as you can imagine, askpixie is not a licensed therapist, nor is she a doctor of anything. she has, however, had enough problems in her life, and enough damn therapy, that she can pretty much handle most of what you could probably throw at her. and whatever she can't directly answer herself, she will do her best to find an answer for you elsewhere. unless otherwise noted, all thoughts and opinions expressed herein, therein, and whereverin you're looking, are © pixiemartin, 2005. you gotta problem with that, punk?)

private reserve and public annoyance

... luxuriant and well-read enough already

06.24.05

One of the particularly nice benefits of working for a corporately-own salon is gratis. For you see, when a large company has a large account with a product vendor, the vendors tend to be very generous in wooing the client, namely us.

At Younkers (Saks Inc), whenever a company would launch a new product line, or relaunch a newly restyled old product line, we'd get a selection of stylist samples. We try the products, we like the products, we sell the products. You know. When Matrix Sleek.look came out, I got all 5 items in the line at the time, all in a cute puffy orange plastic tote. When Paul Mitchell introduced Super Skinny, I got the shampoo and conditioner. When Redken relaunched their Extreme line, I got shampoo, conditioner, a deep treatment, and a leave-in. Actually, I got two of these sets.

At My Current Place of Employment, Alterna has just started wooing us. They sent us 12-packs of full-sized stylist samples, including Hemp Seed Texture Glaze, Hemp Seed Sculpting Putty, and Hemp Seed Repair Weekly Treatment.

And then they sent us White Truffle Luxury Shampoo and White Truffle Luxury Conditioner. They retail at our location, respectively, for $30 and $36.

Now honestly, I have no need for $66 shampoo and conditioner. I've still got so much fucking stuff left over from Saks Inc. gratis, that I'm still set for a couple of years. And since I was given the products to take home and use however I see hit, I decided to sell them on eBay.

People are ponying up $40 or so for the sets on eBay, not realizing that it can be had for around $70 elsewhere, and I'm more than happy to sell mine.

So, after a week, and starting at $9.99 for a bid, the auction ended, and now I'm awaiting $38 payment on paypal, so I can ship the set out.

I still at the heart of things think the people buying this crap are suckers, but it's their money. It's just too bad they don't realize that you can buy it online in various other, and possibly more legitimate, places, like beautysak.com. And if there's an Ulta nearby, they have it for cheap too. They don't sell it on their website, but they do in their stores. I know because I've seeeen it with my own eyes.

**********

After a telemarketing firm in the Phoenix area called me 4 times this week, and I actually repeatedly told them that I wasn't interested in receiving the Chicago Tribune, they AGAIN called me today. I swear I am going to knock some skulls together. I don't care if it is an exceptionally good deal, and that reading the paper at home is a swell thing to do -- I can read it at work for free if I so desire, which I generally don't. I don't care about the special rate they're offering. I'm more interested in them leaving me alone.

To me, the most curious part of this whole thing though, is that the telemarketing firm's number lists on my caller id as an actual number, and not as some vague "Unknown," "Restricted," or "Outside Caller" listing.Granted, you can't actually dial it to any effect, but at least it is recognizable. I mean, you can dial it, but you'll just get an earful of busy signal.