Windy Sydney

I love unique things. It's really fun to have company over and have them think, "What the hell is that?" or "What does that do?" Here are some amazing products and places to visit I found over the past week that I found interesting. Hope you like 'em.

The Ripple faucet creates a new, fun way to interact with water. Drawing inspiration from surface ripples, the faucet creates a strong visual relationship between the two. On top of the frosted ripple surface sits a metal ball. An array of electromagnetic sensors detects that ball’s position. Moving the ball in or out from the center controls water pressure. Moving it around controls temperature.

The surface glows red or blue to denote how hot or cold it is. The two separate channels combine the hot and cold water to get the perfect mix. Don’t worry about scalding yourself tho. The water in the hot water channel isn’t actually hot until it’s ready to be mixed via flash heating.

This is one dining room I would love to be in!

Like frogs sitting on lily pads, so goes the experience when visiting the “Blue Frog Lounge” in Mumbai, India. Architectural firm Serie, have created an entertainment space that is both attractive and stand-offish at the same time, mirroring its patrons casual chic attitudes. For unobstructed people and performer watching, staggered heights and angled booths atop a glowing blue lake of light, give the impression of floating in a warm lake under the spring moonlight, waiting for the mating ritual to begin. Notable features include dimpled walls for acoustic enhancement and several recording studios just in case you’re not convinced they are serious about music. A combination music venue / restaurant / lounge, this converted warehouse space shoots for cool credentials like Johnny Depp avoiding the paparazzi at the Oscars. I appreciate the idea, but still…

Check out these awesome magnetic curtains! How cool is that?

Embedding hundreds of evenly dispersed tiny magnets into a grid of prefab folds allows for the easy manipulation of the silhouette or strategically modifying exposure for light and/or privacy.

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I found this on Neatorama, and wanted to share it. What the hell is this thing? The town of Lewiston, Maine, has a sewer problem on it's hands. Looks like some kind of extra-terrestrial blob.

LEWISTON - A 50- to 60-foot doughy mass is clogging a sewer line under the city's main drag, and crews have been unable to budge it.

"We're not sure exactly what it is," Public Services Director David Jones said Wednesday. "We're just trying to get rid of it. We want it to stop clogging up our pipe."

The clog starts in front of the United Baptist Church on Main Street and continues downhill to the Bates Street intersection. The sewer line that it's in begins in front of Sam's Italian Foods, according to Deputy Public Services Director Kevin Gagne.

He said the blockage affects six Main Street businesses between Bates and Blake streets - Wolf Eye Associates, the United Baptist Church, Sam's Italian Foods, Classy Lady Boutique, PEG Associates and Pro-Print. No private dwellings are affected. Representatives from most of the businesses said Wednesday they had no problems with their sewer systems. A Sam's employee wouldn't comment on the situation. Executives from the restaurant, which serves pizza among other dishes, couldn't be reached for comment Wednesday night.

The city has little choice but to replace the 12-inch diameter pipe, at a cost of between $40,000 and $60,000, Jones said.

"We have to go back in and pump out the manhole every eight hours," he said. "We just can't continue to do that until the spring. We have to do this work now."

City crews discovered the clog earlier this month after responding to complaints of blocked sewer lines downtown. Jones said crews opened a manhole at the Bates Street intersection and saw the clog - an oozing, white blob that looks like uncooked dough.

"We've tried punching through it, but each time we do, it just oozes back over the hole," he said. "It really looks like dough."

Jones said the city was investigating the source of the clog and he wouldn't comment on whether it could be traced to a local business.

He is scheduled to meet with contractors next week, and the pipe replacement would begin by Thursday or Friday.

"It's a very old pipe, and it was due to be replaced eventually," Jones said. "But it was working for now."

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I just watched a clip on Headline News that scared the living crap out of me. I have always hated flying, and now I hate it even more. Imagine being a passenger in this plane!



Here are some more unbelievable airplane videos! I am not making light of the people who might have been hurt or killed in these clips. I don't know the details about any of them, and if you look at the comment section under the videos on YouTube, you will see people arguing over which plane it really was or how many people were killed. I just think the videos are unbelievable.









And finally, this one is totally fake... funny ending.

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I hate the term "anti-Mormon."

I hate, hate, hate it.

I am not an "anti-Mormon." To me, that means someone who dislikes Mormon people, and believes everything they do and say is wrong. That is not who I am.

My entire family is Mormon. I look forward to their emails, photos, blog updates, and Christmas Cards. I like getting random phone calls from my family members and trying to catch up. I love them with all my heart, yet they are the ones who turned their back on me because I left the church. That makes me an anti? No. It sure doesn't.

It's incredibly hurtful to think that a family member would rather pretend you didn't exist than deal with some of the questions you have raised.

I am not an anti.

I am pro-truth. I am honest. I am willing to talk about things and learn new things. I don't judge people by their religion. I don't judge people by their skin color, race, gender, sexuality. I can't really say the same things about the family members who have cut me off.

The only thing I can say is that maybe it's for the best. If they don't want me in their family, fine. It's not going to stop me from being the best person I can, and it's certainly not going to stop me from being honest on this blog. I hope they read it. I really do.

What's wrong Mormon family? Pick up the phone? What are you so afraid of?

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This morning I ran across something close to my heart while watching the news on television. Ellen Degeneres talked about the murder of 15 year old. He was killed simply because he was gay. The show will air on Friday.

His name was Lawrence King, and he was a brave young man. He came out of the closet to his friends and family to face ridicule and harassment. On Valentine's Day he asked a fellow classmate to be his Valentine, and that young boy thought the proper response was murder.

I completely agree with Ellen Degeneres when she says that, "We have to change the message," that being gay is wrong.

My best friend in high school was gay. I was the only one he told, and I kept that secret for him for a long time. He dealt with depression. He was depressed because he couldn't live how he wanted to live. He was depressed because he was Mormon, and if he came out to his family he would be hurting his family very much... especially his Mother. He thought of taking his own life, and I am thankful he called and talked to me before he did anything. He is now out of the closet with everyone, he has tons of friends, and he doesn't live in shame.

Why is it that being gay is so wrong to some people? My own cousin once told me that being gay was, "Ewww!" They didn't know anyone gay. They had nothing to base their opinion on other than growing up in the conservative state and family they grew up with.

I have always been a huge fan of Ellen Degeneres. She is funny as hell, kind, smart, and above all an amazing person. I remember when she came out of the closet 10 years ago and how everyone was talking about her. It was such a big deal at the time, and she went through a lot both in her career and her "regular life," because she was honest.

Please talk with your kids, family, friends... have discussions about this. We have to stop discrimination. We can't wait for someone else to do it for us.

-Sydney

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Someone made the "You can leave the Church, but you can't leave the Church alone," comment to me this afternoon. I haven't left the church officially... yet. I plan to in a couple weeks. I don't plan on ever leaving it alone.

If TBMs are going to take offense to the things I have to say on this blog, we can just call it even... because I take offense to being lied to, having missionaries stop by my apartment 3 times a week, little boys stopping by my place asking me for fast offerings, the relief society president leaving me tons of papers about what I should and shouldn't be doing with my life... the list goes on.

Do you know how rude it is to preach to people you don't know? Do you know how offensive it is? If you think having 19 year olds go on a two-year mission preaching that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God is God's work, you can deal with me going on an online mission to tell people the honest truth. He wasn't a good man. He wasn't. The Church leaders know it too... thats why they don't want you to go to certain websites and tell you that they are "anti-Mormon."

The simple fact that someone tells you what you should read and what you shouldn't read should SCARE YOU!!!!

I walked out my door about an hour ago and found that the ward had left me more things on my doorstep. Should I go out there and put pamphlets on their doorsteps? Wouldn't that be fair? I could stand outside of churches telling people not to go in there because the people inside were spreading lies.

Sorry, I really needed to rant.

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I was very small when I learned right from wrong. My Mom and Dad told us that we should always treat others the way we wanted to be treated, and these lessons had nothing at all to do with religion.

I caught up with an old friend of mine over a few long emails. She asked me about my exit from the Mormon Church. Why did I make this decision? Did I know that Satan was leading me astray? How could I turn my back on the spirit? These questions continued until she finally realized that I had good reasons to leave, and that she could ask me about them at any time but they were not up for debate. My decision was made.

Imagine my horror when she sent me another email asking me if I had started drinking and doing drugs. Did I watch rated R movies? Was I drinking coffee? Was I sleeping around? Was I coming out as a lesbian?

Are you kidding me???

What is it with my Mormon "friends"? Do they honestly think that going to church and believing their doctrine was the only thing keeping me from going on a drug induced crime spree? Do they really believe my whole sense of right from wrong came from the church? Do they realize how little sense that makes?

Sigh.

For the record, I have always watched rated R movies. I don't think there is anything wrong with them. Some are violent, some have sex scenes, yes. Guess what? It's just a movie! Do they think we are all going to lose our sense of right and wrong after seeing a rated R movie? It's a piece of art. It's a story. It's not real life. I know the difference.

I have had drinks before... a couple wine coolers here and there. I have never been "drunk" and to be completely honest, I don't like alcohol that much. Both of my grandfathers were drinkers, and I don't want to go down that road. Of course, they are TBMs now, so their partying days have been forgiven.

I have never done an illegal drug. Never. No smoking pot. No cocaine, no heroin, no meth... nothing. That shocks people? It shouldn't! It's not who I am.

I love coffee. I have always loved the smell. I am now the proud owner of a coffee maker, and 4 or 5 different flavors of coffee. Coffee is good, and there is nothing wrong with drinking it. Nothing.

No, I am not sleeping around. I have lived with my roommate for 7 years. We have never even made out. I am not living in sin, I am not having group sex every night just because I can. Sex is always something very personal, and I would never just have sex with a random guy.

And no, I am not a lesbian. There is nothing wrong with being a lesbian, nothing wrong with being gay, nothing wrong with being bi-sexual, nothing wrong with being transgendered. It's only arrogant people who judge others before knowing them. I believe in equal rights, and I believe everyone should be able to get married, have kids, and live the American Dream.

Leaving the Mormon Church didn't turn me into a different person. I am still very much the same. In fact, I think my morals have grown. I treat EVERYONE the same now, and I don't look at total strangers as potential converts. I look at them as people who are just fine the way they are.

It's frustrating that so many people who knew me before I left assume that I am suddenly a horrible person now. Do they know how hurtful that is? Do they care? Do they say these things to try and scare me into coming back?

A few of my family members have cut off all contact with me. I haven't done anything except stop going to church. What did I do that was so wrong to these people?

It's so Christ-like... isn't it?

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A friend of mine sent me a list of questions to answer on my blog. What the hell... here goes.

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?

-No, but my Mom did change my name at the last second. My name was supposed to be Sydney, but instead gave me a name she saw on a T-shirt label. When I was younger I didn't really care for my real name, so I went by Sydney. I don't use the name Sydney with my friends and family... now I just use it online.

2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED?

-January 17th. My Dad passed away 10 years ago on that date.

3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?

-If I take my time my writing is pretty nice... if I am in a hurry it's a big mess.

4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT?

-Smoked Turkey... put a little on a roll with mayo and mustard and I am a happy gal.

5. HAVE YOU ANY CHILDREN?

-Not unless you count my kitties!

6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?

-I don't see why not. I am pretty honest and sincere.

7. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT?

-Too much.

8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS?

Yes, sure do.

9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP?

-Not sure. I have always wanted to, but I am pretty sure I would chicken out at the last minute.

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL?

Fruity Pebbles.

11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF?

-Nope, I am lazy like that.

12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG?

Physically, no. Mentally and emotionally... definitely.

13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM?

-Chocolate ice cream with peanut butter.

14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?

-I am weird... first thing I notice is their teeth.

15. RED OR PINK?

-Pink.

16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF?

-I take things personally more than I should. I could be a little less sensitive.

18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE YOU KNOW TO DO THIS MEME?

-Weird question... sure, why not?

19. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING?

-I am wearing pajama pants with no shoes.

20. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE?

-I made breakfast sandwiches for Roomie and I. Ham, Eggs, Cheese. Then grilled like a grilled cheese. Delish.

21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW?

-The Graham Norton show on BBC America.

22. IF YOU WHERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE?

-Forest Green.

23. FAVORITE SMELLS?

-Coffee.

24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU SPOKE TO ON THE PHONE?

-My new boss.

25. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO MADE YOU DO THIS STUPID MEME?

-Since I know he is reading this, yes... I like him very much. (Just joking Stewie.)

26. WHICH SPORT DO YOU ENJOY WATCHING MOST?

-I hate watching sports. I like playing them though!

27. HAIR COLOR?

-Dark Brown.

28. EYE COLOR?

-Blue

29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACT LENSES?

-Absolutely not. I have a phobia of anything touching my eyes... I can't even bring myself to go get my eyes checked.

30. FAVORITE FOOD?

-McDonald's Breakfast... a bacon, egg and cheese biscuit with hash browns.

31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS?

-Scary Movies... I would rather watch comedies though.

32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED?

-I watched Office Space a few days ago...

33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING?

-Navy blue.

34. SUMMER OR WINTER?

-Normally I would pick winter, but since I am tired of snow and I want to take some colorful photos I am going to choose Summer.

35. HUGS OR KISSES?

-Hugs, but only from people I know. I hate it when strangers try to hug me.

36. FAVORITE DESSERT?

-A dessert I had in Orlando. Brownie and vanilla ice cream with raspberry sauce.

39. WHAT BOOK(S) ARE YOU READING NOW?

-No Man Knows My History

40. WHAT’S ON YOUR MOUSE PAD?

-Starry Night

41. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT?

-Celebrity Apprentice.

42. FAVORITE SOUND?

-A small choir harmonizing.

43. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES?

-Beatles... I named one of my cats Abbey Road for crying out loud...

44. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME?

-Not sure if this counts because it became my home for 7 years... but the farthest I have been from Utah is Orlando, FL.

45. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT?

-Music and Drama.

46. WHERE WERE YOU BORN?

-Tooele, Utah

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Last night I had a dream about an old Holly Hobbie Easy Bake Oven that I had when I was a kid. When my Mom would make cookies she would give me some extra dough and I would make mini-cookies. I was also really good at melting chocolate chips... proof of my future cooking abilities? Who knows.

I loved to pretend I was chef at a restaurant, and when I heard a line from "Friends" it struck true with me...

Monica: I used to love playing restaurant!

Ross: Not as much as you liked to play undercooked batter-eater.

I thought it would be fun to try and remember some of the toys I played with as a little kid. Remember M.U.S.C.L.E.s?

You thought the WWF had some bizarre characters? Pshaw. Anybody who wanted to see some real oddball wresting action in the mid-80’s took a visit down to the M.U.S.C.L.E. arena. Those brawny battlers on television may have painted their faces and worn scary masks, but they couldn’t compete with fur, fins, horns, snake heads, brick-wall bodies or a guy with a teacup for a head. Those kinds of freaks were only available in M.U.S.C.L.E. packages, and what’s more, they were much, much cheaper than the Hulkster and his action figure cronies.

My brother and I had a massive collection of these little guys. At first they just came out in this boring coral color, then they started making M.U.S.C.L.E.s in lime green, purple, orange... you name it. It became a slight contest to see which of us could get the largest collection... we would also trade these little figures with our neighborhood friends.

Invented by Ray Lohr for Marx Toys, the Big Wheel was a sit-down, low-to-the ground three wheel vehicle for kids—like a tricycle, but lower and nearly metal-less, and decorated with a much better color scheme. The seat back was adjustable, so that as a rider grew, he wouldn’t grow out of the Big Wheel. The two wheels in back were small, but in front was the so-called Big one. There were pedals and handlebars that you could decorate with ribbons or flying plastic. Most memorable of all, the Big Wheel made that distinctive scraping noise on the cement or asphalt (if you were riding on the street, that is…if you had, in other words, worked the steps of the ‘Freedom to Ride’ plan and worked them well). Molded plastic was never this good.

I had a Smurf big wheel. Santa left it for me one Christmas... our neighbors across the street had a steep driveway, and we would push our little legs as hard as possible to get up to the top and then ZOOOOOOOM!

Kids’ appetites were insatiable, stores couldn’t keep the things on their shelves, and to this day, many remember that fateful Christmas of 1983 as the Christmas of the Elusive Cabbage Patch Kid. Parents camped outside of malls and toy stores, and once inside, often worked themselves into consumer pandemonium. The fervor, by the way, helped inspire the 1996 Arnold Schwarzenegger movie Jingle All the Way. By New Years 1984, over three million had been sold.

Santa brought me a Cabbage Patch Doll when I was about 5 or 6. Her birth certificate named her Betty Deborah, and she had short curly blonde hair. I can't believe I remember that.

In the early 1950’s, a company called Colorforms hit the educational toy market with their eponymous products. The original sets contained either basic shapes or letter and number decals—all in bright prime colors. The decals were made of paper-thin plastic, easy to press onto the Colorform playboard that came in the box, and just as easy to peel off. The sets were marketed as learning toys for ages three and up. A kid could get familiar with shapes, master the alphabet and his numbers…and if he had at it long enough, perfect various math and spelling skills too. In 1965, the smiley Miss Weather Colorforms set arrived, and it was here that the toy became humanized. Kids dressed their two-dimensional friend in clothes appropriate to any kind of climate situation.

I had a rainbow brite colorforms set... RAINBOW BRITE!!!

If, as a little girl, you wanted to save the world against mean siblings or the older kids at your elementary school, it’s possible you identified with Rainbow Brite. She wanted to bring color back to the fictional Rainbowland; you wanted to make sure your brothers and sisters wouldn’t always eat the good sugar cereal and leave you with the healthy bran stuff. She had the Color Kids, each of whom represented a color of the rainbow, and the furry Sprite animals on her team; you had your aging family dog, who wasn’t, by dictionary definitions, what we’d call furry anymore. The point is, you emulated Rainbow… she had a goal, and she pursued it courageously. Just like you. And let’s face it, there aren’t many crusaders quite as cute as this one—crusaders are always, well, they’re just always so unkept.

I slept with my rainbow Brite doll. She was my best friend. How sad.

The world may never know how many future Picassos, Monets, and El Grecos got their start in the dark of their bedrooms, sitting in their jammies and basking in the 25-watt glow of a new Lite-Brite creation. Punching colored pegs through black construction paper may not have been formal training for the next Guernica or Toledo at Night, but it couldn’t have hurt.

One thing that drove me nuts about my lite-brite is the fact that I kept losing those little pegs. I wanted to make a christmas tree on my lite-brite and didn't have enough green... or I wanted to make a pumpkin but ran out of orange. Mom would always call my name if she accidentally vacuumed one up, stepped on one, or found one where it shouldn't be... like the fridge.

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