Just got back from a badly thought out trip into central London. Knightsbridge and Oxford Circus area on a weekend leading up to Christmas is just about the least fun thing to do to get out out of the house. Came back feeling wound up and crowd-hating.

Just having a quick rest before heading out to Mass to rehearse for the Lady Lucie fashion show at Torture Garden tonight. It'll be the first time I've done a show for Lady Lucie, am rather looking forward to it! :)

Not much else to report really, but at least I'm getting back into the habit of updating teh blog regularly after a bit of neglect!

I've been in quite a few magazines and stuff in the past couple of weeks, just got round to scanning them for those who are interested! I think my favourite is this double page spread in Nude & Glamour photography magazine, with one of my favourite images by Trevor Yerbury.



I also have another double page with aother of Trevor's images and 2 other full pages by Faye Yerbury. Not bad!

( scans under the cut! )

I also have a double page image in the Bizarre Girls 2 book for a feature on Marla Rutherfords photography. Unfortunately don't have my own section/interview this time round as I missed the deadline, but maybe next time!



And also a small pic in the latest issue of Bizarre Magazine promoting Lady Lucie and a full page in the spanish El Duende Magazine promoting Maya Hansen corsets. Cool stuff :)

( more scans! )

I took way more photos than I realised in Rome, finally finished going through them all and resizing my favs for internet consumption. Alas by the time we got to Venice my battery ran out pretty quick so the number of photos is somewhat miniscule in comparison.

Flew to Rome on November 17th. This was the first country on the European tour-athon that I had never set foot in before (unless a childhood day trip to Sicily from Malta counts as Italy. I says not) so it was especially exciting. Not to mention the fact that this was Rome, The Eternal City, center of the Roman Empire, home of various Renaiisance masterpieces and in the top 3 of my places-I-have-to-visit this lifetime list.

The first thing I noticed about Rome, after how much coffee costs near St Peter's square, was the almost comical abundance of ancient ruins. Seriously, in addition to the actual ancient roman area they have piles of columns and bits of buildings in neatly stacked piles around every other corner. I saw bits of ruined columns being used as benches, tables and baths by the more discerning pigeon.

The next thing I noticed was how insanely cheap (and good) pizza and icecream is. An average of 5 euros for an entire pizza! Even in the more touristy areas. In fact it was so much cheaper than everything else on the menu that I ended up eating an entire pizza to myself everyday for 6 days in a row. Along with icecream and the odd burger. Yep I'm pretty sure I gained some extra pounds, But it was sooo good!

It was pretty much a perfect trip, with glorious weather and productive days packed full of walking, climbing to the top of St Peter's Basilica, visiting The Roman Forum, The Colosseum, Castel Sant Angelo, The Appian Way and generally exploring and eating way too much! Oh, actually.. perfect except for the Sistine Chapel being inexplicably closed as we attempted to visit it on the penultimate day of the trip (the last day of the trip being a sunday, when it is always closed).


Castel Sant Angelo, walked past it every day

( lots more pics under here, with captions and everything )

After 6 days in Rome we got an overnight train to Venice. After finding 2 literally gross and large obnoxious men in our reserved seats we promptly upgraded to a sleeper carriage. Best 30 euros I have ever spent. And much to my wicked delight we had the 4 person bunk-bed carriage to ourselves for the entire journey. Arrived in Venice at something like 5am. Despite the early morning gloom and heavy rain I still squealed quietly in delight upon stepping out of the train station and finding that Venice really is exactly as people told me - like a odd pretty film set, literally nothing but slightly crumbling looking beautiful buildings and bridges, no roads in sight (and hence, of course, no cars - which was a dream after the mania that is traffic in Rome. Guidebook's advice on crossing roads on Rome - walk at a steady pace into the oncoming traffic and they will probably stop).

We only had 2 days in Venice, and it was grey and rainy the entire time but it was glorious anyway. If I weren't a hard hearted cynic I may even have used the word 'romantic' (bah humbug! :p). Venice somehow suited the overcast skies and damp cobbles on every winding street, made me think of Labyrinth. Got lost constantly! But I think that was probably the best way to appreciate the place.


Pretty pretty. everywhere was so pretty.

( and a few more pics of Venice! rather less abundant than Rome after camera death )

And so ends the 2009 part of Euro-tour! Spending the rest of the month in London, resting and finally watching Battlestar Gallactica from start to finish. I'm only a small way into the first season and already a total addict!

LiveJournal: The First Decade

Just in time for holiday shopping, we're thrilled to announce the release of our ten-year anniversary anthology. Published by Blurb.com, the book showcases a decade of extraordinary talent drawn from LiveJournal users around the world. This must-read compilation features stories, memes, photos, comics, editorials, graphic content, and more, including:

1. Excerpts from Oh No They Didn't (a/k/a ohnotheydidnt), the largest community on LiveJournal, covering celebrity gossip, entertainment news, and pop culture
2. A look at post-Katrina New Orleans from the journal of Poppy Z. Brite
3. Gripping narratives, including a poignant reverie on a blind date
4. Photography that spans the globe, ranging from old-fashioned Polaroids to underwater photography
5. Mouthwatering dishes from food_porn

What began as a late-night inspiration back in Brad Fitzpatrick's college dorm in 1999 has grown to encompass nearly 25 million users worldwide, with journals and communities covering every conceivable hobby, passion, and topic. To get your copy, please visit the Blurb Bookstore. For updates and entries from book contributors, please join lj_turns10.

Tweaks and enhancements

• You can now ban a user from all of your communities and journals at once. To access this feature, hover over the person's userpic and choose Ban user everywhere from the drop-down menu.
• Follow LiveJournal on Twitter!

Give a little to help a lot!

In honor of National AIDS Awareness month, we've added a new charitable vgift. For each red ribbon you purchase for $2.99, we'll donate 100 percent of gross proceeds to IAVI.org (the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative) to support the development and global distribution of an affordable HIV vaccine (we'll cover credit card fees). You can read more about IAVI at lj_cares. While we're on the subject, we raised $740 from our November fundraiser for Love Without Boundaries, which supports emergency healthcare and adoption of Chinese orphans. We thank you for helping us help others.

Photos of the week

We're back with more incredible pictures from our super-talented LiveJournal photographers. Congratulations to ilya_gorokhov, who is the winner of our very first lj_photophile poll.

We hope you'll continue to post, vote, and comment! A gentle request: Please post only one photo at a time and limit size to 350x350 (so images display properly on friends pages). And now, without further ado, get ready to cast your ballot and view more awesome user content after the jump!

( Read more... )

Curtains

Thanks, again, for joining us. Stay safe and snug out there!

**EDIT Thu Dec 3 23:24:15 UTC 2009 **

Hey Everyone, we are about to run the last alter job that we need to on our database servers. This will effect userpics / scrapbook / vgift images for the next few hours. Have no fear, your images aren't lost, there is just a really intensive process running on the servers which store the information for mogilefs. Thank you for your understanding and all the LJ love...

Hey LJers,

I just wanted to let you all know that we are going to be performing some mogilefs maintenance over the next few days. We will be upgrading our current version to latest stable as well as changing some db config information to better handle the amount of files we are currently hosting. This shouldn't cause a big impact on site stability, but you may see some minor delays with userpic / scrapbook images appearing or other requests associated with our mogilefs. We would love to not have that happen, but unfortunately with some of the steps we need to take we have to cause a delay with images. I figured this was a better solution than taking down all of LiveJournal because well lets face it, we all need our daily LJ fix ;)

Thanks,

backpacking
Want to embrace your wanderlust on the cheap? If you're high on adventurous spirit, but low on funds, this community can help you plan a trip to anywhere. Offering plentiful tips on how to travel light, you can post about inexpensive hotels and youth hostels if you're into urban exploration or discuss camping gear and mosquito netting for the great outdoors. Hitch your backpack, pitch your tent, and carpe diem!

Hmm. The trouble with not updating my journal as soon as I do things is that I forget all the details and things that I wanted to talk about. I know I had way more I wanted to say but I can't recall any of it right now ><. But anyhoo I was in Barcelona with Allan at the beginning of November, mostly for touristing purposes but also to shoot again with corset designer extraordinaire Bibian Blue. Alas the shoot had to be postponed as Bibian was ill but we still had an amazing time visiting La Sagrada Familia, Park Güell and other fantastic creations by architect Antoni Gaudí. I wasn't hugely familiar with his work previously but I became pretty much an instant fan. It was like a mixture of alice in wonderland, gingerbread houses and twisted botany, so unique.

I annoyed myself once again by not speaking any Spanish despite knowing enough for simple coversation, even something as simple as ordering coffee. I have this silly apprehension towards speaking foreign languages for fear of saying something wrong, even if I know what I'm saying is correct. Oh, speaking of the glorious nectar of the ground coffee bean, cappucino in Barcelona was so good, and an average of 1 euro a cup. I don't get how or why coffee in the UK is so much more expensive yet not as half as tasty.

We also went to visit Bibian's Barcelona store, where I absolutely was not expecting to see a giant poster of myself in the window! Naturally I had to take photos ;p



Bibian also gave me a copy of the Lacing Glamour book too which looks great.

Still going through my photos from Rome and Venice, will update probably tomorrow with 'tales from Miss Vex in Italy land' but here's a few of my holiday snaps from Barcelona if anyone wants to see! :)

( clickity click! )

bookfails
Planning to do your part to help boost the declining publishing industry this holiday? Better check here first. Sure, there are plenty of folks who post glowing reviews of their favorite books. But what about the epic fails? Compose and/or discuss snarky, incisive critiques on the books you despise most.

foundphotos
Ever stumble across a frayed photo in your grandmother's attic? How about a faded picture tucked in the sleeve of an old novel at a used book sale? This is the place to post them. An amazing, eclectic collection of photographs sure to delight anyone with a penchant for history or nostalgic memorabilia.

note_to_cat
Having trouble conveying the concept of accountability to your cat? Now you can share letters to your significant felines and give public witness to your declarations of love and domestic negotiations. Whether you want to publish an apology for falling short on your cat-nip obligations or you need to raise a delicate hygiene issue.

Finally back from my adventures around Europe and having a rest in London! I have so many pics from Barcelona, Rome and Italy but I'm still going through resizing everything so far now I thought I'd just share this new pic. It was mostly a test shoot but I think it's rather cool :)

The armour is by Maunel Albarran, whose workshop I was lucky enough to visit briefly while I was in Barcelona. Ended up carrying a whole box of his amazing stuff back in my hand luggage for shooting. Very surprised the airport security didn't ask to search my bag!

Photography by Allan Amato

Tweaks and enhancements

1. In order to improve site security, we've temporarily suspended the ability to change passwords for old email addresses that haven't been used for over six months. For further information and support, please visit our customer care page.
2. We've launched a new mobile site with an enhanced UI at m.livejournal.com. View spotlights, post to your journal, read and post to friends pages, and more, no matter where you roam! Please let us know what you think, since this will eventually replace our existing mobile interface. You can update your mobile preferences on your account page.
3. We've upgraded from Beacon to Facebook Connect to improve dual posting. If you've already signed up for Facebook Beacon, you're good to go. If you wish to update your Facebook Connect setting, visit Account Privacy settings and scroll down to the option labeled: "Send information about my updates to Facebook." You can choose Always or Ask each time. Remember to save (on the bottom left corner of the page). To learn more, check out FAQ 249. While we're on the subject, if you happen to be visiting that side of town, please join our Facebook fan page for a touch of home away from home.
4. You'll now receive the Writer's Block Question of the Day in the body of email notifications. To sign up for Writer's Block notifications, visit writersblock and choose the Watch Community option. Next, update your Writer's Block notification settings by checking the box to the right of "Someone posts a new entry to writersblock."
5. Paid and permanent users can now view, add, and edit Notes of commenters. Notes will appear beside the username of comment posters (instead of stars) on S1-themed comment pages.

Send some lovin' thanks to your friends with our holiday vgifts!

Photos of the week

We're so delighted with the immense talent of our growing, global lj_photophile community that we've decided to introduce a poll. Each week, we'll choose a half-dozen photos (based on user comments and staff feedback) and ask you to select a photo of the week. The winning photo will be announced in the next newsletter. If possible, please limit photo size to 350x350 to ensure that images display properly on friends pages. We want to thank you again (and again!) for sharing your passion.

Check out this week's photo poll and more fantastic user content after the jump!

( Read more... )

Curtains

Thanks for joining us. To our American friends, have a fantastic Thanksgiving. To all of our international neighbors, we'll eat a little extra for you!

65redroses
Eva is a vibrant young woman with Cystic Fibrosis who survived a double lung transplant. Read about her difficult recovery and personal triumphs over pain, isolation, and fear. Back in school, Eva now works part-time in a children's center and enjoys running and cross-country skiing. A documentary on her story, entitled 65 Red Roses, won three awards at the Vancouver International Film Festival.

meet_other_moms
A warm and welcoming "Add me" community for moms of all ages and backgrounds from around the world. If you're a mom, just post a little about yourself and start connecting with other mothers based on similar hobbies, musical interests, book/TV/movie preferences, or taste in humor! A great way for busy moms to socialize online.

kitchenfaq
Want to share a fabulous home recipe for coconut bread? Suddenly run out of confectioner's sugar with company on the way and need to find out a quick in-house substitute? Searching for tips on what to charge for a custom-designed wedding cake? Whether you're a professional chef, an aspiring culinary wizard, or a happy home-baker, you'll get delicious guidance from fellow and sister foodies.