Pick Me!

A weblog by Laura Moncur

4/4/2010

Have A Creepy Easter

Filed under: General — Laura Moncur @ 10:00 am

When Meredith submitted her childhood Easter Bunny photo to Awkward Family Photos, she probably never realized that she would be haunting the world with its creepiness.

Scary Easter Bunny

That bunny won’t leave you chocolatey treats, he wants to eat your brains…

Run, Meredith, RUN!!!

4/3/2010

Happy Easter!

Filed under: General — Laura Moncur @ 10:00 am

Just a quick note to wish you all a Happy Easter! I found this old postcard in a used bookstore last year, so I scanned it in for everyone to enjoy!

Happy Easter 1909

The postcard was addressed to a Miss Gladys Kleine in Ashville, New York and sent on April 9, 1909. It feels so weird to have a hundred year old document in my hands.

Here is the back of the postcard:

Happy Easter 1909

The postcard reads:

Tuck’s Post Card
Raphael Tuck & Sons “Easter Post Cards” Series No. 112
Art publishers to their majesties the king & queen
Printed in Saxony

The letter to Miss Gladys Kleine reads:

Best wishes
From Miss Seekins

The two of them must have seen each other regularly because the card is so simple. Miss Seekins didn’t feel necessary to fill the postcard with updates about her life, so I suspect that she and Miss Gladys lived nearby.

The postcard is embossed with the image, so the chick and even the letters to the words, “TO WISH YOU A HAPPY EASTER,” are raised and I can feel them with my fingertips. You can actually see the embossing on the letter side of the postcard if you look hard enough.

If you like reading old postcards, you can find more at my travel website here:

Have a happy Easter!

Twitter Log: 2010-04-03

Filed under: Twitter Log — Laura Moncur @ 1:42 am

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4/2/2010

I Broke a McCullough’s Glass Today

Filed under: Personal History,Puttin' On The Ritz — Laura Moncur @ 10:00 am

I was cleaning off the kitchen table, gathering dishes from this morning’s breakfast. My hand hit the back of a chair and I dropped a glass. This is not a new occurence. I drop a glass every couple of days or so, but they usually bounce on the carpeted floor and the worst I can complain about is the liquid that threatens to stain the carpet.

Today, however, the glass shattered.

I realized, as I picked up the shards, that it was a McCullough’s glass. I had won these glasses from McCullough’s one night, but I can’t remember what I did to win them. A sick panic washed over me as I picked up the sharp pieces of my past. Did I still have the other one or had I broken it as well?

I rushed to the cabinet and pushed aside the cups and glasses until I found it: my last remaining vestige of McCullough’s.

I Broke a McCulloughs Glass Today

After The Ritz closed, we mourned. It reopened as McCullough’s Private Club. It was there that Mike and I first fell in love with darts. It wasn’t quite like The Ritz, but it was good enough. We went there with my sister Stacey many times before it finally closed as well.

The only thing I have reminding me of those days is this lone McCullough’s glass, in mourning over the loss of its partner.

Twitter Log: 2010-04-02

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4/1/2010

Moved My Comfy Chair

Filed under: General — Laura Moncur @ 5:05 pm

I was thinking about buying an Ikea chair to match the couch and sit by the window. I knew it would fit, but I didn’t know if it would look good or feel comfortable. Instead of buying the chair and finding out it was bad, I moved my comfy chair from my office into the spot.

Moved My Comfy Chair

Ironically, it DOES feel uncomfortable, but not for the reasons I imagined. Because the chair is facing the china cabinet, I can see a constant reflection of myself in its glass. Rather than enjoying the view, I find my gaze drawn to the vision of myself staring back. I think I’ll move the chair back and give up on the idea of sitting next to the window.

3/31/2010

The New Barbie Clothes Don’t Fit The Old Barbies

Filed under: Barbies and other favorite toys,Personal History — Laura Moncur @ 9:00 am

Do Not Fit

So many of my old Barbie clothes are worn out, ripped or in need of repair, so I thought I could just BUY new clothes to keep my dolls from going naked. Apparently, Mattel has changed the chest measurements for Barbie because none of the new clothes fit. On the plus side, they fit my Starr doll, so she has a whole new wardrobe now.

Twitter Log: 2010-03-31

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3/30/2010

The Moon

Filed under: General,Living in Utah — Laura Moncur @ 7:00 am

I can’t express how beautiful the moon looked this morning. The tiny camera on my iPhone had no chance of capturing it in its full glory. Even cropped and edited, this photo doesn’t come close.

The Moon

It was a huge orange disc in the sky, slightly obscured by wispy and ever-changing clouds. Jen and I trailed the dogs to the park and tossed the lacrosse ball against the warm southern wind. Every few throws, I would check the moon again. Yes, it’s still there. Yea, it’s still orange. Yes, it’s still beautiful. For the first time since winter, I could hear birds chirping on our morning walk and it gave me hope for spring, despite the forecast for snow tomorrow.

3/28/2010

Twitter Log: 2010-03-28

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3/27/2010

Twitter Log: 2010-03-27

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3/26/2010

My Steampunk Necklace from Simply Willow

Filed under: General — Laura Moncur @ 10:00 am

Check out my new steampunk necklace from Simply Willow at Etsy. It came in this beautiful box.

Steampunk Necklace from Simply Willow by LauraMoncur from Flickr

The necklace is inset with the innards of an old watch, displaying its quartz crystals. Its easy to forget how much artistry goes into the simplest of timepieces.

Steampunk Necklace from Simply Willow by LauraMoncur from Flickr

Twitter Log: 2010-03-26

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3/25/2010

Twitter Log: 2010-03-25

Filed under: Barbies and other favorite toys,Twitter Log — Laura Moncur @ 1:42 am

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3/24/2010

Twitter Log: 2010-03-24

Filed under: Twitter Log — Laura Moncur @ 1:42 am
  • Picking up some groceries that are hard to get in the south valley. (@ Whole Foods Market) http://4sq.com/8IcTLp #
  • Great weigh-in this week. Makes up for the last two weeks! (@ Weight Watchers) http://4sq.com/4p8uhw #
  • Pho for lunch. I only go downtown once a week, so I make the best of it on my way back. (@ Gossip Tapioca) http://4sq.com/8ftrz3 #

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3/23/2010

Taillights

Filed under: General — Laura Moncur @ 10:00 am

I was driving in the dark of the morning and stopped at a light. The glow from my red taillights illuminated the car behind me. In my rear view window, I could see a man with his head shaved bald in the car. Both of his hands gripped his steering wheel and his face had a flat and emotionless expression.

“He needs to smile more,” I thought to myself. I suddenly became aware of my own face. I could feel that my features mirrored his expression and was like that before I pressed the brakes for the red light. I tried smiling and my mood lifted a little.

I looked in the rear view mirror again, expecting to see the bald man smiling as well, but his face remained as flat as before.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see the light turn green. I inched forward, still watching the man behind me, but the second I released the brake, he disappeared from view, no longer illuminated by my taillights.

Twitter Log: 2010-03-23

Filed under: Twitter Log — Laura Moncur @ 1:42 am
  • God, I love Spider Jerusalem! http://twitpic.com/1a9qlw #
  • 2 Days until The Guild comic #1 is out in stores! I need to get to Black Cat Comics! #

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3/22/2010

Videos from Ignite Salt Lake City

Filed under: Living in Utah — Laura Moncur @ 9:46 am

Although the speakers from Ignite Salt Lake City weren’t invited by the prestigious TED Conference to talk, they all had something interesting to say and did it all with only a few minutes and a couple of slides.

I was incredibly sick during the last Ignite, so I feel lucky to be able to watch the videos of some of the presentations online. My favorite, of course, was Jason Alderman and Matthias Shapiro’s Mobile Developer Rap Battle.

If you look carefully at the slides, I make a cameo as the Steampunker at the Avatar convention, so I was at Ignite in spirit if not in presence.

You can see all the videos here:

3/21/2010

I Saw Him Watching Me

Filed under: General,Living in SLC, UT,Living in Utah — Laura Moncur @ 11:40 am

I was waiting for the light on 400 West. I looked up at the apartments above me and saw a man looking out his large sliding glass door. He was flossing his teeth and enjoying the view of the cars below him. Behind him, the television flashed commercials and talking heads, but he was oblivious to them. The long string of floss flew gracefully in the air after cleaning each tooth.

He couldn’t see me watching him, but I saw him watching me.

3/20/2010

Choose a Hue for You

Filed under: Personal History — Laura Moncur @ 10:00 am

These photos are from the December 1985 issue of Seventeen Magazine.

Choose a Hue for You by LauraMoncur from Flickr

Check out the clothespin earrings on this model. That must have hurt!

Choose a Hue for You by LauraMoncur from Flickr

Choose a Hue for You by LauraMoncur from Flickr

Choose a Hue for You by LauraMoncur from Flickr

Choose a Hue for You by LauraMoncur from Flickr

I have had these pictures in my mind for the last twenty-five years and they have finally wrapped around and become cool again. When you compare them to the newest Rihanna video, it looks like they were cut from the same cloth.

This frame shot is especially good:

Rihanna Rude Boy

3/19/2010

Bipolar Weather

Filed under: Living in Daybreak,Living in Utah — Laura Moncur @ 10:00 am

This morning, there are snowflakes on my porch and lawn chair.

Bipolar Weather

It’s the same lawn chair I sat on yesterday in the warm weather, wondering whether I should change my welcome sign from “Winter Greetings” to “Spring Greetings.” I am sick of this bipolar weather. Yesterday it was spring, today it’s winter again. I thought we were through with you, Mr. Snow Miser.

I’m sure I’ll be wishing for warm snow that melts within a day when it’s August and the heat is barreling down on me, but for now, I’m ready to say goodbye to winter.

3/18/2010

The Oldest Trick in the Book

Filed under: General — Laura Moncur @ 10:59 am

Can a motorcycle pull a tablecloth off a table without breaking the china? What if the table seats TWENTY-FOUR people?! Check out this awesome commercial for BMW motorcycles to find out.

I first thought that this was a Myth Busters thing because that’s the level of AWESOME it is! I wonder how many times they had to do that before they got it to work perfectly.

Video Via: * Your daily gif blog *: BMW Motorcycle Pulls Tablecloth

3/16/2010

Twitter Log: 2010-03-16

Filed under: Twitter Log — Laura Moncur @ 1:42 am
  • Moving computers donated by East High School. (@ ElectroRegeneration Society) http://4sq.com/7QTix4 #
  • Returning books. Did you know that the SL County Libraries have tons of manga and comics to choose from?! (@ South Jordan Library) #

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3/14/2010

Twitter Log: 2010-03-14

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3/13/2010

Twitter Log: 2010-03-13

Filed under: Barbies and other favorite toys,Twitter Log — Laura Moncur @ 12:42 am
  • Took my dog out to poop… a bird pooped on her. /via @kittygutz That's supposed to be good luck! Maybe she'll win the lottery! #
  • 1962 Barbie Dream House: Brilliant design in a small package. I need to recreate this in plastic canvas. http://tinyurl.com/yjwmmjw #
  • Original furniture for the Barbie Country Living Home. Great photos so I can remake furniture of my own. http://tinyurl.com/ylj8lb2 #

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3/12/2010

Twitter Log: 2010-03-12

Filed under: Twitter Log — Laura Moncur @ 12:42 am
  • Arthouse Movie Night at Daybreak. We're watching Rear Window. (@ Daybreak Community Center) #

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Twitter Log: 2010-03-12

Filed under: Twitter Log — Laura Moncur @ 12:42 am
  • Arthouse Movie Night at Daybreak. We're watching Rear Window. (@ Daybreak Community Center) #

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3/11/2010

Twitter Log: 2010-03-11

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3/10/2010

Twitter Log: 2010-03-10

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3/5/2010

Twitter Log: 2010-03-05

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3/4/2010

Twitter Log: 2010-03-04

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