A Wicked Life

By:  Pale Moonlight Studio My new shop! After the Auburn Community Festival last month, I decided to open my very own Etsy shop. It is taking some time to get used to but I finally have some listings. Some have also "Favorited" my items. I guess it is kind of  a "like" on Facebook. When I started my Etsy shop, I wasn't sure what to do first so I just started listing items. I downloaded the app to make listing quicker. I hate taking photos, uploading them, saving them to a file I can find later -- which is rare, or typing up descriptions. All of these activities are very important if one wants their Etsy shop to be successful. I hate it. I want to make and create and then have them magically appear on my site. Well, there is no app for that, yet. *wink I picked Pale Moonlight Studio because I started a Facebook page of the same name so my sis and I could display our work. It seemed like a natural progression to take it to the next level. But of course I

A Wicked Life (c) 2015 I have been busy getting ready for this year's Auburn Community Festival.  I have a few items that will be for sale along with some oil paintings.  Making goodies! #artist #skulls #black #bracelet #jewelry #dayofthedead #giftideas #instagram A photo posted by A Wicked Life (@awickedlife) on Oct 13, 2015 at 7:25pm PDT I am very excited to be going to this event with my sister and father. They are both very talented and it is wonderful to share the spotlight with both of them. Check out my sis' work here - Doll's Eye~ 12x16 oil on canvas. Posted by All Tomorrow's Paintings on  Saturday, October 10, 2015 Here are more items that will be available at the festival.  Pendulums #handmade #artist #instagram #pendulum #divination #blackcats #witchyways A photo posted by A Wicked Life (@awickedlife) on Oct 13, 2015 at 10:09pm PDT I love amethyst. If these are a hit, I'll make more. Have a stone you

My favorite time of the year. Yes, Christmas is great but there is nothing like Fall arriving - mystery in the air. I love this time of year for many reasons. The vibe, all things dark brought to life and the perfect beginning to November - Day of the Dead or as some call it (appropriately) Dia de Los Muertos. While this time of year makes some very uncomfortable, I adore it. Lately, I have taken up painting again. I have not painted in about two and a half years, for whatever reason. Call it lack of muse or listening to someone that says I write better than I paint. Well, you, my two followers, know that the latter is untrue. I think I paint better than I write. Or at least better than I edit! Ha ha! To get into the "spirit" of things, I started painting sugar skull style portraits. Not of anyone in particular, just random faces that needed some "color". I'm also excited that I will be involved in an art show the 17th of October in the Foothil

Fat shaming... What is this all about anyway? I will tell you. Ever since "What is Your Excuse" mom came on the scene a couple of years ago, fat people everywhere have lost their minds.  Who monopolized on this "outrage"? Social Media. Yes, imagine that... Social Media blowing things out of proportion - this time, manipulating our view of health. With that came the "body positive" articles flooding everyone's news feed. Plus-sized models are baring it all in hopes of "awareness" and promoting sensitivity regarding the obese. But what they are really doing is a little irresponsible.  You can love yourself no matter how you look. You can ignore what others say. Speak up when people are truly being treated badly. All of this is positive. I fully agree. What isn't positive? Ignoring the health issues that come with obesity. Some say, "Well it isn't promoting obesity because now one looks at these models and says that they a

Photo Source: winetrain.com As racial tension continues to escalate in our fine country, everything is now being scrutinized as racist. The newest target for racial discrimination allegations is The Napa Valley Wine Train.  Over the weekend, a book club made up of mostly black women, were escorted off The Napa Valley Wine Train. Staff claimed the group refused to comply with several requests that their group quiet down. These women are now claiming the actions of the staff were racially charged. These women even went as far as Tweeting the incident with the hashtag #laughingwhileblack to imply if they had been a group of white people, the staff would not have ejected them from the train. Now some Latinos are claiming similar treatment.  I read comments on post threads stating that wine tasting is a white person's hobby and that people of color can afford it and should be able to enjoy it  their  way. Really? What happened to common courtesy? What happened to knowing th

I grew up watching the Flying Circus with my Dad. Some of my fondest memories.  If you are a big fan of anything involving John Cleese, read this book. He takes the reader from his early childhood and through school experiences and the career decisions that lead him to the entertainment industry. I found his writing to be very honest and, of course, hilarious.  His anecdotes about Graham Chapman, Peter Sellers, Marty Feldman, and others were entertaining to the point I literally laughed out loud.  "I donned the skis, sat down into them, grasped the ring by which I was to be towed, obeyed the instruction to sit up as the motorboat accelerated away, but then failed to lean back enough, with the result that I simply disappeared head first into the water in front of me, having gained about two feet. When I'd finished expelling the surprisingly large amount of seawater that my body had acquired during the first trip, I tried again, but because I was now consciously tr

It's summer!  Beaches, pools and river activities are not complete without a good book. Come on, you can't swim non-stop. Besides, what can be more relaxing than your toes in the sand, a drink at your side and the latest (insert your fave author here) novel in your hands?  Last year I was a little too ambitious with my summer reading goals. This year I'm going to be a little more realistic. I have already started John Cleese's "So, Anyway..." . So far it is as witty and entertaining as he is in movies and comedy skits.  Once I'm finished with this book I will be moving on to Sophia Loren's, "Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow My Life" , sent to me from a dear friend across the Pond. I simply adore, Sophia Loren! Thank you, Ian!!! Muah! Time permitting, I will end my summer reading with Stephen King's "Mr. Mercedes" and "Finders Keepers".   I will do my best to follow up with a boo

Photo Source: Huffington Post It is one thing to admire a culture. It is another thing to outright fabricate ethnicity and being a target of racism. Ms. Dolezal pushed the limits. She lied about who her father is and was brazen enough to post it on social media. Introduced her adopted brother as her son. Not only did she lie about her heritage, she falsified hate mail and police reports - playing the victim of racism.  What was her motive? Some say she did it because of her passion to eliminate the country's injustice towards the black community. Others say that she did it for scholarships and other benefits. Only Dolezal, herself, knows the true motive. What her actions have brought forward is more racial discussion. Her own resignation letter even tries to make the claim that society lashed back and only focused on race and its definition. "Many issues face us now that drive at the theme of urgency. Police brutality, biased curriculum in schools, economi

Just sit back and enjoy this beauty. Shine on, Syd. Shine on.

Caution: The last part of this video is hard to watch. No question about it. This song is pretty damned violent. "Run Like Hell" Run, run, run, run    You better make your face up in  Your favourite disguise  With your button down lips and your  Roller blind eyes  With your empty smile  And your hungry heart  Feel the bile rising from your guilty past  With your nerves in tatters  As the cockleshell shatters  And the hammers batter  Down your door  You better run  Run, run, run, run  You better run all day  And run all night  And keep your dirty feelings  Deep inside. And if your  Takin' your girlfriend  Out tonight  You better park the car  Well out of sight  'Cos if they catch you in the back seat  Trying to pick her locks  They're gonna send you back to mother  In a cardboard box  You better run  ~The Wall

My brother, who is a fellow Pink Floyd fan, told me about this track. It's instrumental. I had to find a video to go along with this song and this seems to be the best. The other one showed a couple doing heroin. Thanks, but no thanks.

Hi folks! Playing a little catch up with this year's challenge. I hope I have not been booted off the list yet. If so, well I am going to continue as planned until the end of the month. This is one of my favorite Pink Floyd tracks. It's great to see it performed live and they always have a hug ass pig floating above the audience. The pig's eyes glow red and it seems to be the type that would eat a man whole. They can do that, you know. That is why I don't feel bad loving bacon as much as I do. What is the meaning of this song, you  may ask? Not sure. You tell me. Big man, pig man, ha ha, charade you are You well heeled big wheel, ha ha, charade you are And when your hand is on your heart You're nearly a good laugh Almost a joker With your head down in the pig bin Saying "keep on digging" Pig stain on your fat chin What do you hope to find? When you're down in the pig mine You're nearly a laugh You're nearly

I couldn't choose between these two tracks. One with Waters, one without. I love them both. I recently re-watched American Psycho and this song fits in nicely. While one could argue that Patrick Bateman was just plain bat shit crazy, what about Pink? "...in the suite case on the left you'll find my favorite ax." "This just a passing phase..."  "Would  you like to learn to fly, Would ya?! Would you like to see me try?" One Slip tells a different story. To me it talks about two people that get caught up in a shit storm after a moment of weakness. Their decision spirals them into what they feel is oblivion.  Then drowned in desire, our souls on fire I lead the way to the funeral pyre And without a thought of the consequence I gave in to my decadence  One slip, and down the hole we fall It seems to take no time at all A momentary lapse of reason That binds a life for life...

Remember when there were only 13 channels on the tele?

Of course I'm going to pick one of the most iconic Pink Floyd songs. MONEY!! One of the seven deadly sins is greed and what tempts people the most? Money. It's all about money. People lie, cheat, steal, and sometimes kill for the mighty dollar. Nations, corporations, and Bob next door make the majority of their decisions based on money. How to get it, keep it, and get more. Our media and advertising promotes the latest and greatest gadgets, attire, and other status symbols - all that costs... money.

                                                        "Learning To Fly" Into the distance, a ribbon of black Stretched to the point of no turning back A flight of fancy on a windswept field Standing alone my senses reeled A fatal attraction is holding me fast, How can I escape this irresistible grasp? Can't keep my eyes from the circling skies Tongue-tied and twisted, just an earth-bound misfit, I Ice is forming on the tips of my wings Unheeded warnings, I thought, I thought of everything No navigator to find my way home Unladened, empty and turned to stone A soul in tension -- that's learning to fly Condition grounded but determined to try Can't keep my eyes from the circling skies Tongue-tied and twisted just an earth-bound misfit, I Above the planet on a wing and a prayer, My grubby halo, a vapour trail in the empty air, Across the clouds I see my shadow fly Out of the corner of my watering eye A dream unthreatened by the morning l

One of my favorite songs from Pink Floyd's work post Rodger Waters. I had no idea that there was a video for this song using a part of one of Robin Williams' movies.  I grieved - along with the world the day we lost him. This song fits perfectly for those who feel they do not have a voice. Those who suffer depression, abuse, and other isolating situations - communication is key. Reach out to those who seem "off" or that distance themselves from others. Get them to open  up and show compassion for their situation, whether or not you understand them. It is vital and sometimes life dependent.  We must keep talking... I think I should speak now I can't seem to speak now My words won't come out right I feel like I'm drowning I'm feeling weak now But I can't show my weakness ~Pink Floyd

We all have challenges, fears, and doubt.  When I hear this song I am picturing him pointing to different individuals. Hey you! And you over there! He is asking for help and compassion - hoping to reach them. He wants them to know they are not alone and feels their pain, do they feel his? I'm sure there is a deeper meaning to this song and since it was on The Wall, which was a concept album, must be in reference to the Berlin Wall - keeping everyone separated and isolated.  What better way to control the masses?  Hey you ! out there on the road  Always doing what you're told, can you help me  Hey you ! out there beyond the wall  Breaking bottles in the hall, can you help me  Hey you ! don't tell me there's no hope at all  Together we stand, divided we fall. ~Pink Floyd