What I've learned this year...

To not make resolutions. At least not this year.

Too much pressure to change your life on one day of the year.

Resolutions can be made/kept/broken/changed/etc. any time, any day.

I'm stronger than I think. Physically, mentally & emotionally.

I'm more fragile than I think. Physically.

Just a human with one body. Be good to yourself with every passing year.

To not have to plan every detail and know what's going to happen right this second.

Let the wind take me where it may. It's full of surprises and I feel I'm on the right path.

Nothing is ever as it seems.

Be prepared to do a 180 on many things you may have grown up believing.

It's ok to grow and learn and change your mind.

I'm fine the way I am. Beautiful too. So are you, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

Nobody can make you feel inferior without your consent.

Nothing exists except atoms and empty space; everything else is opinion -Democritus

We are small. We are all Narcissists and the world is much bigger than us.

We can't even begin to comprehend.

I don't have all the answers. I know so little. I want to know more.

In this life I was meant to be an entertainer.

Science is where it's truly at. Stay in school and learn your mathematics! Please!

I want to come back as a metaphysicist and really make a difference.

We don't know what, if anything exists after death.

I'm of a much more postmodern mind than I ever thought I'd be.

I don't know how I feel about that.

I used to believe in everything until it was proven to be untrue.

I'm not sure I like my skeptical side.

It's okay to be youthful. No reason to stifle who you are and what makes you happy.

If you're doing what your entire being is telling you is right, you'll never be wrong.

The answer is always no if you don't ask.

Be brave. Be bold. Be the one you dream to be.

Stand up for yourself. Be assertive.

Never apologize for your art.

If you always look confident and in control and act like you love what you're doing

even when you don't, you'll never look foolish. If it's outside your comfort zone, commit to it.

People will always give you their opinion even when you don't ask for it.

No need to argue. Let it in one ear and out the other.

Humans can and do mate for life. It's just a matter of finding your true person.

Get as much out of life as humanely possible.

Our time here is very, very short.

Happy New Year!

Deena Marie

A New Year's Auld Lang Syne

A New Year's Auld Lang Syne


What does "auld lang syne" mean, anyway? Loosely translated, this perennially popular New Year's Eve phrasing means "long time ago," "long time since" or "long, long past."

New Year's Eve is a traditional occasion for reflecting upon cherished memories from past years and looking forward eagerly to the future with family members, friends and other loved ones.

How

no go

i'd gotten in touch with my buddy mike the librarian, who i hoped could help me with my current problem.

the pack of the primordial feather was in town, and i had to find them. not that i wanted to really. however my mysterious informer from inside the pack, ruffled feather, insisted they had to be found, and more to the point the crate they were trying to hide.

once i found the primordials and their crate i wasn't sure what was going to happen. not that at moment it was an issue. i had no clue where they were!

that was of course where mike came in... so i headed over to his place. letting myself in, what he left it unlocked! i found mike busy working on his puter.

looking up mike let out a startled. "traumador?!?"

"hi mike!" i happily greeted back, not thinking about his surprise.

"what are you doing here?" mike demanded.

"coming to see how you're doing," i answered. i quickly added. "the door was unlocked, so i figured it was okay i come in."

"no, i mean what are you doing here?!? i have never invited you to my apartment before! how did you know i lived here!" he stated.

oh right that... i guess this was the second time i'd ambushed mike this week. "i looked up your address."

"it's not listed in the phone book," mike warily stated.

"i know!" i whole-heartedly agreed, that made it a bit harder to find mike's place. "i just phoned your library and told them it was an emergency."

"you called my work?" mike stated in horror.

"yeah, and your coworkers are really nice and friendly," i assured him, man i wish my former coworkers had been that fun. they were laughing throughout the whole tale of my adventures with the pack and their stupid crate.

mike shook his head. "how did you even think to do that?"

"you taught me," i complimented him, but that just seemed to make him more upset.

mike stopped and collected himself. "okay, what do you want traumador?"

"to find the pack," i said in an obvious manner.

"well," mike went all sour again. he needs to lighten up if you ask me. "i have had no luck on that mark. i haven't been able to find a trace of them."

i grew slightly disappointed and worried. "so you don't think they are here?"

"quite the contrary!" mike countered me, and started clicking away on his puter. "seriously i can find no trace of the pack in calgary. there should be some sort of clues or tidbits left behind to indicate whether they have or haven't been here sometime. ever."

i looked at him puzzled, prompting him to explain. "no matter what you do nowadays, the instant you do, or in many cases do not do, something it leaves behind information in various nooks and crannies in "the system". even if you are unaware of it."

"really?" i asked kind of scared.

"its why we call it the information age," mike informed me. "and as it is my job to retrieve information, i should be able to find some trace of the primordials in regards to calgary one way or another. only there isn't any."

"where can we look instead?" i was trying to think if the pack worked with anyone we could call for their address...

"you're missing the point, traumador," mike corrected me. "i have looked in all sorts of places. there isn't a single fragment about the pack anywhere," i blinked dumbly at him. "they have systematically gone through every system and removed themselves from the calgary grid. the only reason you would do that is if you were around but trying to hide."

"so we're finished," i stated in defeat.

"no," mike again corrected me. "we've only gotten started. at least if you are serious about this. removing information, ironically leaves new information, i just have to find it and reverse engineer it back to the source."

"cool!" i perked up... though why i was as excited as i was, worried me a bit. it was my hunter instincts kicking in, and i could feel the hunt that was coming... i went to sit down beside mike.

"what do you think you're doing?" mike asked me.

"sitting down?" i answered unsure if it was the right answer.

"not if you are, again, actually serious about finding the pack," mike told me. "i will eventually find a trace of them, but without some sort of triangulation it could take days, weeks, months, maybe even the whole year," that prospect suddenly worried me. "i need you to go do some leg work in the dinosaur community."

"there isn't really a community of vivus dinosaurs around here," i tried to explain to mike. the only place near calgary with a large population of dinosaurs was drumheller.

"i know that," mike stated slightly frustrated. "obviously i didn't teach you enough about information retrieval. a little can be a lot. i don't need you to find a lot of dinosaurs. i just need you to talk to anyone or anything that knows a lot about dinosaurs. surely you know some people in town who deal with dinosaurs or fossils. you need to see if they have heard anything about the pack. that way i'll have a better idea of where to narrow the search."

as a matter of fact i did. that and i'd been meaning to look them up anyway. that settled that, it was time to look up some more old friends...

to be continued... by going to university!

A blue dog no more...

How cool is this! Ha ha! The above pic (click for bigger image) is from a review of "Go Dog Go" on a site I'd never come across before called Volition Magazine here is the link to the full article : http://volitionmag.com/2009/12/10/salt-lake-acting-companys-go-dog-go/

I've been going on & on about how this show and role were among my favorites, particularly the scene where the dogs are at work. We each had different tools and I started out with two small hammers. As the dogs get tired and things slow down, I leave the stage and enter with a giant jackhammer (all props were one dimensional and made of wood, very bright and cartoon like) that "bounces" me and the others all around the stage. It's something you'd just have to have seen but I think I'll miss it most of all! :)

Anyway, a huge thanks to Voilition for the mention of what was my favorite part. It's always a great feeling that someone else has noticed your work!

Show was a success, sold out nights, turning people away and having to add an extra show.

There is a possibility that SLAC will bring it back next year. I would love love love that!

So for now, Blue Dog is no more. Sad to say goodbye but I'm already busy with catching up on my video making, photo shoots and another news appearance!

Tomorrow morning I'll be back on the KUTV2 morning show! Maybe you'll see Jan? ;)

Two new videos are now uploaded on my 2 channels

youtube.com/BeanerLaRue

youtube.com/MissDeenaMarie

"Snookie from Jersey Shore: get the look"

"I Time Traveled to the 1920's"

Happy New Year!

xo Deena Marie

What's your favorite song from 2009?

What's your favorite song from 2009?


Do you prefer pop, blues, rap, rock, soul, gospel or another style of music? What was the best song of 2009, in your opinion? Did you buy it on CD or download it to your MP3 or iPod?

Here's an amazing remix blend someone made of Billboard's Top 25 hits from 2009 (posted yesterday on YouTube). Whether you like pop music or not, the blend is intriguing. See

fossil of the weekend! #56

nice set of assorted ammonites from the royal tyrrell museum's collections.

tracking the tracker...

i'd been delayed in calgary, because the pack of the primordial feather. there had been some uncertainty as to whether they were here or not. as of yesterday i had confirmed they were here. which meant i had to somehow find them, and get rid of this crate of theirs that had been causing all the trouble.

the thing is calgary is a big city. i could spend forever looking and not finding hide nor feather of the pack in the process. i was going to need some sort of help if i was going to successful track them down here in cowtown.


fortunantely i knew just the guy to help me out. so i hiked myself down to the bow river, which runs right through the middle of town, to try and find him...

ironic as i needed his help to do some tracking, and yet i needed to track him down too. at least on that front i'd just asked him what his route home from work was...


as i waited i admired the bow. you know it might not be the ocean, but the bow river is a lovely body of water in its own right. living in new zealand a while, i'd forgotten how pretty alberta can be in places. different, but pretty none the less.

after a few minutes the scent i was waiting for slowly grew stronger. man having my t-rex nose rocks when looking for specific people. as long as i'd smelt the person before, i could usually pick them up if they were within a few hundred metres (in a city the volume of human smells restricts me a bit... out in the open it can be a couple kilometres if the wind is right).

"hi mike!" i shouted excitedly as i waved at my librarian friend who finally walked into view.

instinctively he waved back, but yet in total disbelief came his reply. "traumdor?"

he just stood there looking at me in shock. "why are you so surprised to see me?" i asked. "i just phoned you an hour ago."

mike glared in response to this. "yes, and all you did was ask me how i got home from work!" oh yeah, that's right. oops. gotta remember next time to fill in the blanks as to why i'm asking such questions.

i quickly filled mike in on my whole vaccation to canada, and invited him out for a bite to eat so i could fill him in on my pack issues.

we sat down for a nice korean BBQ, one of my favourite human dishes... i don't know what they do differently in their BBQ sauce, but it really excites us t-rexs. larry bought a whole chain of them when he broke out as a big hollywood star.

as i enjoyed this meal, the first one i'd had in years (dunedin doesn't have a cheap korean BBQ place) i told mike what little i knew about the pack's activities and the crate. "okay so let me get this straight," mike clarified at the end of my tale. "you want me to track down a group of dinosaurs, who are off the system, because of some random email you got, from sender unknown. plus these same dinosaurs might or might not still be in the city, and the only lead you have on them you got from an ostrich?!?"

okay, i could see his point, outloud that sounded really stupid. i feabily agreed.

"would it mean i could get out of dinner early if i went to look this all up right now?" mike asked.

i didn't quite understand the question, how could he not be enjoying his BBQ? "uh i guess so," i answered honestly. it was important i try to track down the pack soon.

"perfect!" mike responded, and gobbled down the rest of his meal. as he started to excuse himself from the table. "okay, i'll try to find these dinosaurs for you. you'll get the bill on your way out?"

"uh oh," i had a realization. mike looked at me suspiciously. "you won't mind spotting me on this one would you? i left my wallet in new zealand."

to be continued... with surprising information.

Strep

Merry Christmas to me, Sant brought me strep.

I'd just gotten over a bad cold last week and thought I was in the clear. Then sunday night all of a sudden I felt my tonsils getting swollen, throat started hurting, had the worst headache ever and feeling really hot. It literally came on in an instant. I tried to ignore it and tell myself it would be gone in the morning. But it wasn't.

Monday I just got worse and worse. I'm like a dude. I never ever want to go to the doctor. So you can imagine how I must have felt by the time my sweetheart got home from work and I said we should probably go. I was getting worried. I was so zapped of energy I was in tears. It was all I could do to get up and get in the car. I thought I better find out what was going on in case I spread it to my cast. Strep test came back positive and they gave me antibiotics. I woke up tuesday a little bit stronger and the aches, chills and hot feeling had gone...but I was still not myself. Still so drained. It was the difference between eating soup in bed, and going down to the kitchen to eat some and then back to bed.

It was so bad that I wasn't able to perform! It was a two show day! I can't tell you how hard that was. I could not stand it that the show was going on without me. Could. Not. Stand. It. It was devastating. I never expected this would ever happen, I've done shows sick and powered through. I never knew it would be this heartbreaking. I am so sad it's unreal. I think I've cried more in the last few days then I have all year.

When I'm performing in a show, it's everything to me. It takes up my energy, focus, life...I give 110% every time. I feel like I'm letting everyone down. The theatre, my cast, the paying audiences. I was determined to perform our two shows today. I woke up, did my makeup and hair and when I was done was so wiped out that I was once again, in tears. This is one of the hardest things I've gone through in a long time. I hate being in bed, I hate wasting time, I hate that I have no control over anything right now. I feel so terrible.

This blows. :(

Merry Christmas from Practically at Home

Merry Christmas from Practically at Home

Christmas Carol Playlist

Christmas Carol PlaylistHere are 30 of our own favorite Christmas carols (shuffled into random order - for your Yuletide listening pleasure).Merry CHRISTmas. Celebrate the season . . . and its Reason with blessings all around!. .Did you hear your own favorite Christmas carol? If not, please leave a comment to let us know what your most treasured

Holiday Delays

You may have noticed a recent stall (more so then usual) in posts on the Chronicles. We apologize for this delay but a graduation, a recent moving of country, and the build up to the holidays have gotten in the way of the creative team.

We promise several new Traum posts coming next week, once the creative team have been able to stop and breathe for a few seconds.

Thanks for your tolerating our incompetence, and hope you'll enjoy Traumador's up coming adventures!

fossil of the weekend! #55

a giant elasmosaurus at the american museum of natural history. (photo kindly provided by my talent agent peter bond and lillian the albertosaur).

Year end review!

Me & Noodles

Since it's almost time to say goodbye to 2009... let's take a minute to reflect on all the badass things that happened this year.

I'm not writing this blog for purely narcissistic reasons but because it's important to celebrate your successes! Especially for me, always in a state of wanting more and wondering what I can make happen next.

1.) Ford Fiesta Movement

I was one of 100 agents (over 4K applied) to drive the 2011 version of the fiesta for 6 months and complete monthly online missions. Lots of perks, lots of fun!

2.) NYC

7/8/9/ Youtube Gathering. Got to meet lots of youtubers in the flesh. Made true friends (extra special shoutout to John Raymond Barker of youtube.com/JerbyVids who I LOVE) and got to visit my old stomping grounds. Saw "Next to Normal" and "Hair".

3.) LA

Went to CA end of August for the premiere of Ester Bryms documentary on youtubers, "Butterflies". Got to make new friends and visit long lost ones. While I was there I was also one of six models to walk the runway for designer Jared Gold in his fierce collaboration with artist Joshua Petker in Gold vs. Petker at Social Hollywood.

4.) Pinups for Pups

I got to host Salt Lake Citys first ever Pinups for Pups event at club Bliss!

5.) Infantry Monologues

Got to play soldier Olivia Valorossa in "Infantry Monologues". Delivered a 40 page dramatic monologue and loved every minute of every performance.

6.) Runway

Celebrity model for "IN" Magazine's first ever "Fashion Night Out". Walked the runway at The Depot for Vintage Fox, Lolabella/JMR and Urban Outfitters.

7.) Countless photo shoots!

Thanks to the following brilliant photographers: Lauren Manzanares, Todd Collins, DC Snaps, Sunny Simkins, Lily Katherine, Vanessa Cheney, Oscar Veloz and Mike Kamanski!

8.) Pride Day

Got to play the Jack & Coke Lady and hang out with the "IN" Magazine booth. What a blast!

9.) Burlesque

Some of the most fun performing with the Voodoo Darlings ever was our two days of Pride performances and a benefit at Club Jam.

10.) Press

MTV's "It's on with Alexa Chung" showed a clip of "Twilight High School Musical"! Thanks to City Weekly, IN Magazine, SLTrib, Deseret News, Volition Magazine, Gavins Underground and many more online blogs who featured me this year. Including covers!

11.) City Weekly

For being so damn good to me and having me do a weekly video for cityweekly.net

12.) KUTV2

Getting to play Honey Bee 11/20 for the "New Moon" opening and interview 'Edward & Jacob'. Playing 'Sarah Palin' 12/09 and one more appearance as Lola and as myself promoting "Go Dog Go" at Salt Lake Acting Company. The morning news team has been more than amazing to me.

13.) Scene Maker

Performing at "IN" Mag's first Scene Maker Party, on my birthday 3/27 at Club Vegas

14.) Noodles

Lucky to have the worlds best and most beautiful pup.

15.) My sweetheart

I swear I love him more each day and am in constant awe that there was a person out there who would be so perfect for me.

16.) Ouch

Getting through a second surgery :)

17.) 1st Place

I won the Pinup Parking Lot pinup contest!

18.) TV

This one is bittersweet. You remember. VH1. "Scream Queens"

While I was a little (okay a lot) heartbroken...getting so close just makes me realize my time is coming. It IS just around the corner.

19.) Blue Dog

I'm having the time of my life in "Go Dog Go" as the Blue Dog at one of my favorite theatres, Salt Lake Acting Company

20.) New Projects

I'm so lucky and excited to begin working on new projects in 2010!

Playing Sor Juana Inez de la Cruz in the world premiere of "Amerigo", appearing in Banned / Slammed. Youtube collaborations with people you know and love and will be surprised to see.

And of course, YOUTUBE! A successful follow up to "Twilight High School Musical", we shot "New Moon: The Musical" and made it even bigger and better! A shoutout from Michael Buckley aka youtube.com/Whatthebuckshow jumped me up in subscribers an extra 10k. What a selfless and kind thing for him to do!

So much more happened this year but this is all that's coming to me right now...if I've forgotten you it's NOT on purpose!

I want so much in this next year. So much to do so little time. I'm hopeful. There are some new directions I'm thinking of taking. Some new interests and priorities that have surprised me most of all. We'll see how things unfold next...

xoxo

Deena Marie

What Sort of Christmas Card Are You?

What Sort of Christmas Card Are You?Having sent out our family Christmas cards, I thought this Christmas quiz sounded like fun.Try it, and see what results you find! Be sure to leave a comment - announcing your result!.You Are a Cute Christmas CardYou love the holidays, and it's hard for you to feel any sort of seasonal burnout.You're the person who thinks the holidays don't start soon enough.

A Highly Decorated Deer?

A Highly Decorated Deer?Oh, dear!Have you seen those light-up reindeer in folks' yards each Christmas? How about those plastic Rudolph figurines with the light-up noses?Look what happened in Colorado Springs, Colorado, last week. This deer tops 'em all...Actually, the Colorado Division of Wildlife said the decorated deer had been spotted a few weeks earlier. Apparently, however, the deer is not

Holiday Recipe Roundup

Holiday Recipe RoundupAre you baking for the holidays? What are you making? Do you make cookies for Santa? How about Christmas brownies or bars? Does your family have a traditional recipe for holiday fruitcake?What home-baked goodies do you bake for the holidays in your home? Or do you buy Christmas cookies and treats from a bakery, gourmet food shop or grocery store?Here are a few favorite

Hushed Hallelujahs?

Hushed Hallelujahs?Even an alleged vow of silence can't stop these monks from raising holy Hallelujahs for the holidays. Take a look at the Ecumenical Chorus of Abilene's Monks (2009). This group is actually made up of local pastors and church leaders from Abilene, Texas.Don't you love it? (The "of" monk probably has amazing abs - by the end of this thing!)..Related Items of Interest:My Top

Baby Shower Cupcakes

I made these fifty baby shower cupcakes for our neighbor Liz who was throwing a baby shower in Ohio! The theme kept with the blues and silvers of winter rather than pink as the Mom to be is not a fan of pink. Vanilla cake with vanilla buttercream. Very fun to make.



There were 20 covered in white sugar crystals, 10 with homemade white chocolate snowflakes, 10 with baby blankets that say "baby" on them, and ten with baby "stuff" (Pacifiers, footprints, and bottles).

Want MORE Jack & Coke Lady?

Great news, you beautiful bitches!

You're about to get a whole lot MORE of the Jack & Coke Lady!

As you know, http://www.youtube.com/BeanerLaRue is where she originated and will remain. Expect to see two collabs early in the new year... one with youtube celebrities you know and love and one with a local celebrity you'd never expect. Prepare to have your mind blown!

If you don't know, there is a local weekly paper called City Weekly here in town and I make a video each week for their website http://www.cityweekly.net The videos live at http://www.youtube.com/DeenaDoesCityWeekly so if you've come across that channel on youtube and been confused by what it is or what the videos are (they're pretty Utah specific) that's what it is!

Anyway! I've decided to put up a Jack & Coke lady video on the city weekly site monthly! Yup, that's right! This means there's about a 99.9% chance she will answer YOUR question!

Here's the big thing... remember your question has to be one ASKING ADVICE! Advice on anything but if you write it to say "Jack & Coke Lady, what's your favorite color?" etc. Those obviously can't be used. The point is an advice column, not ask the J&C Lady something about herself. It doesn't matter if you need real advice, if you ask on behalf of a friend or make up something crazy. The J&C Lady can't exist without you!

***LOCAL PEOPLE HIGHLY ENCOURAGED TO WRITE IN!***

Spread the word and keep the questions coming in!

Where do you ask your question??? HERE:

jackandcokelady@hotmail.com

Cheers, bitches!

Deena Marie

my cousin of the week #29

a new zealand tui, or Prosthemadera novaeseelandiae. the common name tui is the traditional maori name for these beautiful and energetic birds.

Can Pets Come Along for Holiday Visits?

Can Pets Come Along for Holiday Visits?Are you visiting family or friends for the holidays?Is it acceptable to take your dog or cat (or another pet) along with you for an overnight stay in someone else's home? What's the protocol on pets?Or, if you are hosting family or friends for the holidays, how do you feel about your guests showing up with their canine, feline or other animal companions?What

Tips for Holiday Tipping

Tips for Holiday TippingDuring the holiday season, many individuals will choose to offer gratuities to those who have served them well (in any number of professional capacities). Often, a customer will tuck a few extra dollars inside a holiday greeting card.What are the basic guidelines for tipping, particularly for holiday tipping?Should patrons tip babysitters, cleaning services, garbage

A Grandma Moses Christmas Array

A Grandma Moses Christmas ArrayOut for the Christmas Treesby Grandma MosesGrandma Moses (Anna Mary Robertson Moses), a familiar and beloved American primitive folk artist, died on December 13, 1961, at the age of 101.Grandma Moses became famous as a self-taught painter in her seventies. Her work focused primarily on seasonal and holiday scenes of American country life. In fact, folks believe

fossil of the weekend! #54

a block of unknown (to me at least) chinese turtles, from the chinese fossil show i saw in vancover several years ago. anyone know what they are?

Happy Hanukkah

Happy HanukkahHanukkah, the Jewish Festival of Lights, began last night. This holiday continues for eight days (through December 19th).3 Easy DIY Hanukkah Cards Hanukkah (Chanukah) is the Jewish Festival of Lights. Hanukkah is a wonderful opportunity to send greetings of faith and love to family members and friends. Try these three easy do-it-yourself Hanukkah card crafts to share holiday

Great Ways to Trim Costs on Christmas Dinner

Great Ways to Trim Costs on Christmas DinnerAre you planning to host Christmas Eve or Christmas Day in your home this year? Will you serve the traditional meal, or will your menu be somewhat different this time?Here are some super strategies for keeping holiday dinner expenses down without sacrificing merriment this Christmas.How to Save Money on Your Christmas Eve Dinner Christmas Eve dinner

December update!

*Click picture for a bigger image*

I have so much to tell you!

This month has been a whirlwind. I can't believe it's almost Christmas. It doesn't feel like it since I haven't had a spare second. I don't even have a christmas tree up!

"Go Dog Go" is up and running and going great! It's a 50 minute long show with no intermission and no downtime. Sounds simple, but it's a huge workout! Each time we perform it I have a blast. It's been one of the most fun shows I've done! I've worked at this theatre before, two plays and one reading. It's one of my favorites places to work. We are doing 9 shows a week through the 27th. Although I think there are even more shows the last week. I also get to work with my sweetheart on this one! It's not often we're able to do a play together (this is our third) so we feel very lucky when it happens.

You might wonder what it's like for a husband and wife to be together so much working on a big project and then performing together. It's GREAT! We are the kind of pair that never get on each others nerves and love being together most of all. I think he looks adorable in the show and I'm so proud of him. We are a perfect team. I have been reminded so much lately of how lucky I am to have found him! It's magical. It really is.

When I'm in a show it really takes all of my focus. I have little energy to give anything else. I eat, sleep and breathe it. Mondays are our free days and every monday we've had off I've been booked on a photo shoot! Same goes for the next two mondays. I've also had meetings, auditions and news appearances...including playing "Sarah Palin" yesterday on the KUTV 2 morning show! Same one you saw me playing "Little Miss Honey Bee" on last month for the "New Moon" opening. I love everyone there and I'm so honored they have asked me to come on the show. It's one of the coolest most fun things I've been able to do!

So many great things are coming up as well! Another runway show, a short film and a collaboration video with someone very well known... stay tuned!

I hate that I put my youtube videos on the back burner for a couple of months, but I'll be back in full force soon! Did you know it's my 2 year youtube anniversary on Monday, December 14th? Omg. My life has changed so much in the last 2 years!

My life changes so much day to day! Just a couple months ago we were talking very seriously about LA. Maybe I'd be getting a part time apartment there and pursuing my career in a new scene. Even as early as this January! So many of my actor friends as well as youtube friends are there now, or making the move and it would be a blast to be around all of them, but then things seem to get busier and busier here. Here, people who can hire me know who I am. It's really hard to throw that away, or even put it on hold. Would I really want to start from scratch? Plus the thought of being away from the one I love is pretty much unbearable. I feel this is where I am supposed to be right now! Working out of state would be great...but living?! Nope. Unless I get a huge break, a high paid gig and can move the both of us!

It's also funny the new things you start to want in life that you never thought you would. Life takes interesting twists and turns and can lead you to paths you'd never thought you'd take. It's pretty cool.

What else...

Oh! For those of you who didn't see my tweets and status updates... I saw a freaking meteor a few weeks ago! Do you know how many people get to see that in a lifetime?! And a few days later a space shuttle! If you know me, then you know that both were like witnessing miracles. I long to know more about the universe and metaphysics and unexplored territory. In my next life I want to be a scientist. For now, I just want to learn and read all I can. It's currently "Spook". I highly recommend it! I get a lump in my throat just thinking about how vast the universe is and how small we are and how science is where it's really at.

Final topic, last but not least, is favors. I have had so many friends and strangers ask me for shout outs/promotion. I hate that. I hate that so bad. When someone has promoted me, I have never, and I repeat, never asked them to do that. Sure, we all wish we could ask someone more successful or popular than us for a little help (and yes, there will always be someone more successful or popular) but it's a turn off! Especially if it's not a mutual exchange of help or if I don't know you well or at all. Just don't do it. It's bad manners! I almost never respond to it and chances are if that's all you want from me you'll never get it. ;) I'm into helping out a deserving person, but not because they asked for it. Those I have pimped out would never ever have asked.

Allright kids,

off to get some dinner and plan a Christmas youtube video that will happen this week!

Happy Holidays!

xo

Deena Marie

Favorite Christmas Song Ever

Favorite Christmas Song Ever What is your very favorite Christmas song of all? Which version of your choice tune do you prefer? Who sings or plays it the best?Do you like to go a-caroling at Christmastime? Where do you carol? Do you host or attend a caroling party? Do you sing at school or church? Do you carol in your neighborhood or somewhere else? Here are some of my friends’ top

How about a few fractured Christmas carols?

How about a few fractured Christmas carols? Let’s have a little fun with Christmas carol traditions. Here are a few fractured Christmas carols, looking at the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. Deck 'Em All - Rhyming Blahs from Mrs. Claus (Sing to the tune of “Deck the Halls.”)

Creating a Christmas Playlist?

Creating a Christmas Playlist?What's on your soundtrack for songs of the season? What tunes are you downloading (or uploading) for the holidays this year? What music will you play for your Christmas party?Here are several suggestions:My Top Twenty Favorite Sacred Christmas Carols What is your favorite sacred Christmas carol? Do you have treasured memories of singing traditional Christmas

Sport Clip Art

A lot of people recently have emailed me asking for sport clip art, which I found strange since I have already posted a lot of sports and athletic clipart on this site. But then I realized that rather than posting them all in one central place, I had posted them all separately in different subcategories like baseball, hockey, etc. So today I decided to aggregate those various posts and give you all of the links to those sport clip art collections in one entry.

So here they are!

Free Sports Clipart

Free Basketball Clipart

Soccer Clipart

Funny Golf Clipart

Free Golf Clipart

Free Football Clipart

Free Tennis Clipart

Free Softball Clipart


Cheerleading Clip Art

That's all of the sport clip art for now. But it is very likely that I will add more in the future, since I am interested in athletics and fitness and I enjoy sports. Especially sports like ice hockey, which is like the national pastime of my home country Canada. Officially, lacrosse is our national sport. But ice hockey is much more popular. Anyway, enjoy the clipart and see you next time!

i wasn't the first to visit the zoo this week!

the zoo was just about to close as i walked past the african display once more. my spirits were still somewhere in the upper atmosphere after catching up with norman a. centrosaur.

little did i realize i was about to be thrown the weirdest, luckiest, and yet oddly sinister curve ball imaginable.

as i passed the ostrich enclosure, i casually called out to the now relaxing ostriches (most of the zoo's visitors had already left for the day) "hello there!"

i of course didn't call this out in english, but rather bird speak. birds' fundamental language is just a heavily accented variation on coelurosaurian, the basal language or all bird ancestors. so i can make a half descent crack at talking to birds.

much to my surprise my simple hello invoked a very excited response from the ostriches!

"another ancient!" they excitedly chattered to each other.

this wasn't the first time an ostrich had called me an ancient (actually it is worth mentioning this isn't the first time i've talked to an ostrich full stop!)

though i was puzzled by their saying 'another'? that would imply they'd seen another dinosaur besides me around here... they could only have meant norman.

"i am an ancient," i agreed, pronouncing everything slowly as neither side of the conversation was speaking exactly the same language. "who was the other?"

ostriches liked hearing i was an ancient, but they were shocked when i asked who the other was. they all gossiped between each other, but as they were speaking fast and all at once i didn't catch much of it.

i ventured "the one with the horn on his nose," they looked even more confused. i repeated that sentence acting out a horn on my nose.

finally the head ostrich (man that sounds funny hehehehe) stated. "not the prey item," which was just plain weird. one, ostrichs eat small things like bugs and lizards, norman who weighed as much as this whole flock put together and thus a little out of their menu range. two, it sounded more like something a full grown theropod would have said (though maybe a different word then item... but i might have mistranslated that).

the ostrich answered my question. "a copy, greater sized, of you."

a bigger me... another tyrannosaurus rex!?! my suspicions immediately went to larry, but this was slightly silly. there were several more vivus t-rexs in the world (most of whom i'd met mind you).

after trying to get a name out of the ostrich several times, it just kept replying with colours... which baffled me, till it clicked in my brain. he was giving me a description of his previous visitor. based on this it sounded like a daspletosaurus to me...

which meant there'd been a member of the primoridal feather here at the zoo recently!

indeed prompting more of the story out of the ostrich there had indeed been a visitor from the pack not 3 days ago! due to the language barrier i wasn't able to get more out of the ostrich than the lot of them had been visited by "an ancient who wished to earn favouring of us".

why would a tyrannosaurid care if a bunch of ostriches liked it or not. in my experience big vivus tyrannosaurids were just as likely to eat anything different from them, than befriend it.

"she come to inform us kindly, that the prophecy much closer then ever dreamed possible."

"what prophecy?" i demanded... my last ostrich had said something about legends among the modern birds to due with dinosaurs. only she didn't know much more then that. these ones sounded like they knew a lot more!

the ostrich eyed me suspiciously. "the promise of the ancients to return and take back world that was once ours."

what did that mean? trying to get more details out of this group of ostriches didn't go so well. "you not know legend of the prophecy of return?!? i not sure i like you." with that they walked off, and won't answer anymore of my questions.

not that i had a lot of time to pester the bird brains. a couple of minutes later a zoo security guard politely insisted i make my way out of the zoo as it had officially closed 5 min ago.

as i headed out i had a chill down my spine. the pack of the primordial feather was indeed in town, just as ruffled feather had suspected. more to the point if they were popping by the zoo to boast to ostriches about enacting legends of world domination then whatever they had in this "crate" of theirs must have been as dangerous as ruffled feather was fearing. (though what i want to know is that how a legend about dinosaurs returning got started in the first place? how could any of the prehistoric ones have known about us vivus ones popping up millions of years in the future???).

this all brought me back to the task of tracking down the pack here in calgary. i'd put it off as cowtown is a HUGE city, and i hadn't seen any reason to try and futilely search it for the pack which might or might not be here. however now i knew for sure the pack was in town, and more to the point i now had a couple reasons to believe this crate was mega bad news. not only the legend of today but the fact the pack had tried to kill me in drumheller when they thought i was getting too close.

it was on... even if i didn't want it too be... i was going to have to track down the pack and somehow take this crate and its contents away from them!!!

to be continued... getting some backup

Mexican Clip Art

Mexico is a country in the Western Hemisphere, south of the United States. Mexico has a population of 111,211,789. It also has a fascinating culture that Americans and others have been intrigued by and endeard to for decades. We all know Speedy Gonzalez, we all know about pinatas, sombreros, tacos, and all those other Mexican cultural stereotypes. I know those don't represent the main part of Mexican culture. But they are fun symbols nonetheless.

Below are some fun Mexican clip art you might find useful if you're making a webpage on the topic of Mexico.








Did you find the above Mexican clip art useful? If so, I'm glad, and I hope you can find much more of value here. See you again soon!

Christmas Wrapping Round-Up

Christmas Wrapping Round-UpHave you finished your holiday shopping yet? Need some creative gift wrapping ideas? Follow these links: 3 Unique Christmas Gift Wrapping Ideas for Large Presents Sometimes the best gifts do not come in small packages, tied with tidy bows. When Santa unpacks his sleigh, some intriguing gifts may be oversized or unwieldy for wrapping. What creative wrapping tactics

my cousin of the week #28

a blue penguin in its nest borrow. these guys have a lot of names throughout the south. formally it is a Eudyptula minor, otherwise it can be called a little penguin, a fairy penguin in aussie, little blues, and kororā in māori.

School Bus Clip Art

Most school-related webpages, including school district or specific school related webpages seem to have school bus clip art on their sites. And I recieved several emails asking me why I don't have a full collection of school bus clipart on this site, so I decided to look around for some good ones to package together here.

I never rode the school bus to school when I was a kid. I lived nearby so I always walkd. But for a lot of kids the school bus is a big part of their school experience. They socialize and make friends on the bus, and depending on at what point in the route that they board the bus, they could be spending several hours a week on the school bus. And school buses are of course important for school field trips. They are essential for a complete school experience. That's what makes school bus clip art very potent symbols of children's education.









School bus clip art like the above might be useful for your webpage or print outs, and I hope that's the case! Be sure to check out some other collections on this site. I hope you find some more useful themes and images!

fossil of the weekend! #53

an ornithomimid claw i found in the alberta badlands around drumheller.