Randomata Category
Sometimes the good stuff just doesn’t fit anywhere else.
Don’t look down there
13
Oct
2008
In: Randomata
A friend of mine tweeted today about her 401k losing 30% of its value this year. I thought to myself, “GAH! What are you doing even looking at your 401k right now?! You’re not retiring any time soon! You don’t need to look!”
And then I thought of a different friend of mine who just had a baby. Her home birth was relatively quick and easy. She tore only a teeny bit — not enough to need stitches, even.
Afterward, her midwife cautioned her not to walk any stairs for a two weeks, and to avoid looking at her vagina for at least six weeks. It just needs to rest and heal, she explained. You don’t need to use it right now. Just give it a while before you look at it.
Really, I’ve been thinking of my 401k as the same as my friend’s post-partum vagina. It’s just been through an intense experience. I don’t need to use it immediately. It just needs to rest and heal. Don’t look. Just don’t look for a while.
- 10 Comments
- Tags: friends, money
Offbeat Bassackwards
9
Oct
2008
In: Randomata
My very first book royalty check on its way! (Can you believe it’s taken this long? That’s what happens when you write for a niche market, apparently.) Interestingly, I’ve made more from the last month of advertising on offbeatbride.com than I have in the last six months of sales from Offbeat Bride: Taffeta-Free Alternatives for Independent Brides.
It’s just so funny: you hear a lot about people starting blogs hoping to get book deals. I got a book deal, started a blog to support the book, and am now finding the blog way more lucrative than the book. For me, the book led to the blog — not the other way around.
Of course this is an overly simplistic way of looking at things: electrolicious led to the book deal which led to offbeatbride.com which fuels more book sales etc. But when people asking me if I’m working on another book, I look at my royalty check and I look at my ad sales and I smile and say, “Nope!”
I don’t doubt I have more books in me, but at this point I’m not totally sure that I wouldn’t self-publish. Honestly, the only reason NOT to self-publish is that I worry that it would somehow look like I couldn’t get a publisher. This means it’s more an issue of pride more than money, because I’m pretty confident I’d make more money from self-publishing … at least, assuming I wrote another niche book, and I do love my niches!
But whatever: no books in the works from me right now. I’m happy puttering away on offbeatbride.com, getting my fix of subcultures and fashion and photography and feminism and all that good stuff.
- 2 Comments
- Tags: advertising, Book, offbeat bride
Snuggle Season
7
Oct
2008
In: Randomata
The rains have returned to Seattle and everything smells like sweet decay and soggy wet leaves. Suddenly, organizing a bathroom shelf feels like the most exciting thing I could possibly do (the rains bring in the nesting implus) and the Netflix subscription is back up to 4 movies at a time. I debate new boots and wonder when it’s time to pull out our rolling radiant heater things. There are still plenty of leaves on the trees, but it’s time for lots more writing in journals, reading of paperbacks, and taking of baths. Napping season is right around the corner!
- 6 Comments
- Tags: autumn, nesting, seasons
Purple & Private
13
Sep
2008
In: Randomata
After almost three years of the pink, I decided to try purple. Yes, this totally shifts my Personal Brand™ but my hair dresser and I discussed the issue, and decided it was for the best. She said she could do just purple tips on the pink ends and I opted to go for the full brand refresh in part because my twitter focus group suggested a good response from my target demo.
That’s a joke, but all true.
This is not the most important thing happening in my life, or even especially interesting … but I suppose it’s indicative of the level of intimacy I’ve got with Electrolicious these days. I’m coming up on the 8 year anniversary of this here blog, and while I sort of don’t want to admit this, there’s no denying that Elish gets only the most superficial of news. Really, Ernie captures it best over here, and Alison takes it one step further. Please go read what they’ve written, because it sums up pretty much exactly how I’m feeling about blogging.
I still write online pretty much constantly … I did three “investigative” (ha!) posts on Microspotting this week, five posts on Offbeat Bride, several private live journal posts, dozens of private tweets, etc. But when it comes to posting, Electrolicious has been pretty quiet. I don’t know what it means or where it’s going, but I just I’ll just acknowledge that while Electrolicious is the web’s premier destination for Ariel’s Hair News, I’m not sure what else it is at this point.
- 10 Comments
- Tags: blogging, hair, privacy
When work gets hard
15
Aug
2008
In: Randomata
Dre’s been embroiled in a really rough project at work these last couple weeks, and told me last night about a kvetch session he had with some of his fellow project managers. There was an acknowledgment that the situation had been frustrating, and that it was time for an anything goes bitch sesh. Just let it out! Vent your frustrations!
Andreas recounted that he was the first to pipe up, ranting “I mean, God! I HAVEN’T BEEN ABLE TO MAKE IT TO A YOGA CLASS IN FIVE DAYS!”
- 3 Comments
- Tags: andreas, work, yoga
"blorg"
Originally uploaded by yelahneb.
So, while Meadowfab was wonderful and very mellow, I did cap off Saturday night by totally barfing in the woods.
…Twice.
This photo captures me explaining to my friend Brian how I drank too much of my amazing hot cocktail. Warning: chai + pomegranate juice + lemon slices + lots of spiced rum tastes really really REEAAAAALLY good, but it will fuck you up. You may find yourself hanging half out of your tent blorging into the dirt. Your husband may then have to clean it up.
Note to self: drink a cup of chai the morning after barfing up chai cocktail might not be wise.
Trivia time! In this photo I am wearing a dress purchased in a Phish show parking lot in 1994. It’s my official “morning after” dress.
- 4 Comments
- Tags: cocktail, hangover, meadowfabulous
Don’t look down there
13 Oct 2008 In: RandomataA friend of mine tweeted today about her 401k losing 30% of its value this year. I thought to myself, “GAH! What are you doing even looking at your 401k right now?! You’re not retiring any time soon! You don’t need to look!”
And then I thought of a different friend of mine who just had a baby. Her home birth was relatively quick and easy. She tore only a teeny bit — not enough to need stitches, even.
Afterward, her midwife cautioned her not to walk any stairs for a two weeks, and to avoid looking at her vagina for at least six weeks. It just needs to rest and heal, she explained. You don’t need to use it right now. Just give it a while before you look at it.
Really, I’ve been thinking of my 401k as the same as my friend’s post-partum vagina. It’s just been through an intense experience. I don’t need to use it immediately. It just needs to rest and heal. Don’t look. Just don’t look for a while.
- 10 Comments
- Tags: friends, money
Offbeat Bassackwards
9 Oct 2008 In: RandomataMy very first book royalty check on its way! (Can you believe it’s taken this long? That’s what happens when you write for a niche market, apparently.) Interestingly, I’ve made more from the last month of advertising on offbeatbride.com than I have in the last six months of sales from Offbeat Bride: Taffeta-Free Alternatives for Independent Brides.
It’s just so funny: you hear a lot about people starting blogs hoping to get book deals. I got a book deal, started a blog to support the book, and am now finding the blog way more lucrative than the book. For me, the book led to the blog — not the other way around.
Of course this is an overly simplistic way of looking at things: electrolicious led to the book deal which led to offbeatbride.com which fuels more book sales etc. But when people asking me if I’m working on another book, I look at my royalty check and I look at my ad sales and I smile and say, “Nope!”
I don’t doubt I have more books in me, but at this point I’m not totally sure that I wouldn’t self-publish. Honestly, the only reason NOT to self-publish is that I worry that it would somehow look like I couldn’t get a publisher. This means it’s more an issue of pride more than money, because I’m pretty confident I’d make more money from self-publishing … at least, assuming I wrote another niche book, and I do love my niches!
But whatever: no books in the works from me right now. I’m happy puttering away on offbeatbride.com, getting my fix of subcultures and fashion and photography and feminism and all that good stuff.
- 2 Comments
- Tags: advertising, Book, offbeat bride
Snuggle Season
7 Oct 2008 In: RandomataThe rains have returned to Seattle and everything smells like sweet decay and soggy wet leaves. Suddenly, organizing a bathroom shelf feels like the most exciting thing I could possibly do (the rains bring in the nesting implus) and the Netflix subscription is back up to 4 movies at a time. I debate new boots and wonder when it’s time to pull out our rolling radiant heater things. There are still plenty of leaves on the trees, but it’s time for lots more writing in journals, reading of paperbacks, and taking of baths. Napping season is right around the corner!
- 6 Comments
- Tags: autumn, nesting, seasons
Purple & Private
13 Sep 2008 In: Randomata
After almost three years of the pink, I decided to try purple. Yes, this totally shifts my Personal Brand™ but my hair dresser and I discussed the issue, and decided it was for the best. She said she could do just purple tips on the pink ends and I opted to go for the full brand refresh in part because my twitter focus group suggested a good response from my target demo.
That’s a joke, but all true.
This is not the most important thing happening in my life, or even especially interesting … but I suppose it’s indicative of the level of intimacy I’ve got with Electrolicious these days. I’m coming up on the 8 year anniversary of this here blog, and while I sort of don’t want to admit this, there’s no denying that Elish gets only the most superficial of news. Really, Ernie captures it best over here, and Alison takes it one step further. Please go read what they’ve written, because it sums up pretty much exactly how I’m feeling about blogging.
I still write online pretty much constantly … I did three “investigative” (ha!) posts on Microspotting this week, five posts on Offbeat Bride, several private live journal posts, dozens of private tweets, etc. But when it comes to posting, Electrolicious has been pretty quiet. I don’t know what it means or where it’s going, but I just I’ll just acknowledge that while Electrolicious is the web’s premier destination for Ariel’s Hair News, I’m not sure what else it is at this point.
- 10 Comments
- Tags: blogging, hair, privacy
When work gets hard
15 Aug 2008 In: RandomataDre’s been embroiled in a really rough project at work these last couple weeks, and told me last night about a kvetch session he had with some of his fellow project managers. There was an acknowledgment that the situation had been frustrating, and that it was time for an anything goes bitch sesh. Just let it out! Vent your frustrations!
Andreas recounted that he was the first to pipe up, ranting “I mean, God! I HAVEN’T BEEN ABLE TO MAKE IT TO A YOGA CLASS IN FIVE DAYS!”
- 3 Comments
- Tags: andreas, work, yoga
"blorg"Originally uploaded by yelahneb.
So, while Meadowfab was wonderful and very mellow, I did cap off Saturday night by totally barfing in the woods.
…Twice.
This photo captures me explaining to my friend Brian how I drank too much of my amazing hot cocktail. Warning: chai + pomegranate juice + lemon slices + lots of spiced rum tastes really really REEAAAAALLY good, but it will fuck you up. You may find yourself hanging half out of your tent blorging into the dirt. Your husband may then have to clean it up.
Note to self: drink a cup of chai the morning after barfing up chai cocktail might not be wise.
Trivia time! In this photo I am wearing a dress purchased in a Phish show parking lot in 1994. It’s my official “morning after” dress.
- 4 Comments
- Tags: cocktail, hangover, meadowfabulous
Hey there. I'm Ariel Meadow Stallings, a native Seattleite who's written my way up and down the Left Coast. Electrolicious is where I post daily randomata, but I also write for a living. My first book, Offbeat Bride, was published last year.
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