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Triskaidekamania

Image via Student Voice India

If you have not noticed yet, today is Friday the Thirteenth. Talk about a number that gives a few people the heebie jeebies (I'm talking about you Triskaidekaphobic folks out there). It hearkens back to the start of teenage years, the absolute insanity of murderers, possessed elevators, and pretty much any number of evil things. However, I like to think that of all numbers, thirteen is one of my favorites. (My reason may or may not be based upon the fact that I am born on the thirteenth of August) 


Happy Friday the Thirteenth!

Film Review | Salmon Fishing in the Yemen

Image via We Live Film

After seeing the first preview for Salmon Fishing on the Yemen, I thought that it sounded interesting. I planned to see it last week, but ended up missing it. Last night, I realized that it would be leaving theaters, so I made a hasty trip to the local AMC and watched it. Needless to say, while a thoughtful and sweet movie, it certainly missed the mark. Read more using the link below due to spoilers.


Grade: D (and that is being generous)

Thursday Traffic | 12 April

Image by Andrew Bossi

It's funny how thinking about thinking can be a difficult act. While riding the Metro, I considered this fact. When you try not to think, all you do is think about not thinking. Other times, thoughts are lost in some expanse of the brain. I sometimes wonder if my thinking really happens in my brain or in some other part of the body that seems to put pressure onto the brain. Science will prove my imaginative mind wrong, but it's worth a thought, right?

Why think about thinking anyway? Well, mankind has consistently had an obsession with thinking and questioning the world around them. It happens on many levels. Thoughts about life and death and the purpose of our existence. There are times when I feel very much like a greater force is moving in my life. I attribute this to God. Others might chalk it up to evolution. A few might say it is destiny, but I do think about my life, and what I'm doing with it, often.


If we never thought about our lives, what would the point be? In that case, we would be just like animals—simply surviving. Instead, we are probing the world around us and solving problems that we encounter (and sometimes create). It's truly magnificent if you think about it. So much depends upon our thought process and how we decipher the words we hear. Misunderstandings are common with spoken and written conversation. Why? Well, you thought it had a different meaning. Other times, things just click—like gears falling properly into place in our minds and spinning diligently as they should.

My musings are those of a person absorbed in thought. It makes me wonder. Have you ever thought about the act of thinking?

Happy Easter

Tulips Captured by Newfoundjoye

Dependent upon your beliefs, today is a day of resurrection and rejoicing—or rebirth and renewal of seasons. Either way, I hope that you enjoy your Easter. Do any of you have any traditions that you observe?

DIY | Decoupage Easter Eggs

All Images via Newfoundjoye

If you couldn't tell, I spend a great deal of time making things. Holidays are perhaps the best excuse known to man for me to get some ideas together. My coworkers are the best audience. They appreciate gifts and they get them fairly regularly. For Easter, I didn't want to step on anyone's (religious) toes, so I decided to make Easter eggs. Detailed instructions are after the jump.


Difficulty: Easy/Moderate
Expense: Affordable (maybe about $20) to Moderate ($50)
Supplies: Real or wooden eggs, Blas-Fix egg blower, acrylic paint, image cutouts, Mod Podge (Matte), paintbrush, string (optional), wire (optional), long needle (optional), beads (optional)

Thursday Traffic | 5 April

Image via Flickr/Yaniv Golan

Even after my long disappearance from my blog, my Thursday Traffic posts were starting to dwindle. Don't worry though, I have not forgotten them. While I'm not braving the interstate at a steady crawl on an express bus, I am still using my easier commute to think and ponder about the world around me. For a variety of unrelated reasons, I thought a great deal about moving today. It's not that I am planning to move, but it's more the fact that we move all of the time. 

Some of you readers might not know that I've moved to a new place. I'm relatively in the same area, but the difference is that I've moved out on my own. Moving really makes you consider a lot about yourself. During the process, you find several parts of yourself—for example, the part of yourself that wanted to learn the keyboard, and the part of yourself that collected stickers, and the part of yourself that keeps movie ticket stubs.Then, you must decide if you are still that person. In the end, you move without parts of yourself. You give away things that used to define you, and they begin to define someone else.

It's not that things that we own make us into who we are, but it is that things that we own say so much about who we are. Some people own very little, their belongings are essential and minimal. Others hoard things like squirrels before winter, boxes piled up in storage and items tucked into every drawer and corner. During a move though, you must face all of the things in which you have invested. Not just monetary investments like purchases, but time investments (like learning the keyboard) and relationships. Gifts are usually prized, but sometimes you realize that what you have to leave behind even the things that you were given.

Not only is moving a moment to purge bad things and habits from your routine, it also forces you to address everything you call yours. The things that usually remain at the end of a busy move are piles of odds and ends—bits of string, a stray sponge, random little tools that have no home in any set. In many ways, a move is like a partial death. You remove the you of that location to be reborn in the you of the new location. It's the new-location-you that unpacks those memories and treasures and replaces them. Slowly, but certainly, you will begin to redefine who you are. Things that had been left behind during your move might return to the shelves. Things that you were determined to keep with you might be discarded.

Living life and moving are quite the same thing. The only difference is that life has a finite end. At some point, whether you like it or not, your life will be over. Moving can be your decision though. You can choose to end your occupancy of one place at any given time (circumstances permitting). You can redo things that cannot be redone with life. If you decide that you want to be the person that surfs and wakes up early in the morning to do yoga, you can become that person if you make the appropriate moves. Now the only question is, what moves your life? Or should it be, what moves do you want to make with your life?

DIY | Cupid Cake Pops

This is obviously an older project, but you never know when this might come in handy. Bakerella posted about making these cupcakes right before Valentine's Day. I looked at them for a long while and realized that these could be taken to the next level with some very simple tweaks. Hence, Cupid Cake Pops.


Difficulty: Moderate
Time: 6+ hours
Expense: Moderate (depending upon how many items you already have)
Materials: Cake mix and appropriate baking supplies, construction paper or cardstock, lollipop sticks, cellophane wrappers, ribbons, candy coating, frosting, cookie cutter (1" or less) wax or parchment paper

Film Review | The Hunger Games

Image Via IndieWire.com

Although this is delayed, I think that The Hunger Games deserves a film review here on NewfoundJoye. I read the entire trilogy just before the film was announced, so I had plenty of time to imagine what the film would be like. Unlike most book-to-film ventures, this franchise benefits from the big screen. It was written for film in a way. The best way to watch a televised event of children fighting to the death is for you to be able to see it. Either way, I'm going to be spoiling this film, so if you have not yet gotten around to seeing it, stay away from the jump. 


Film Score: B+

BOM: Cupcake Challenge 9/175

All Images Via Yours Truly

At long last, we're nearly reaching double-digits. It's a good thing that I didn't put a time limit on this project. To be honest, I just can't find enough people to eat the cupcakes. My coworkers can only eat but so many cupcakes before they become a bit nervous about their waistlines. Either way, this go round I made Applesauce Spice Cupcakes. They are very moist and taste like fall. The Brown Sugar-Cream Cheese frosting is also a perfect match!

BOM: Cupcake Challenge 8/175

All Images Via Yours Truly

It has been much too long, I know, but I have made some progress with my cupcake challenge. This little batch of deliciousness are Blueberries-and-Cream Cupcakes. They are fresh and tasty and easy to bake, but perhaps taste a bit too much like muffins. Wait, is that a bad thing?

It's Been a Long Time

It's been so long since I last blogged that I am not certain where to begin. I guess that the best way to go about this is to play catch-up. I've made a lot of things, so look forward to a variety of DIY posts to come. 


You've probably already noticed that things have become a bit cleaner in terms of design. I felt the need for a change. There are still edits planned for the design, so check back often.


—R M Joye