≈•/(wacky & wonderful)/•≈

Today

2011-01-16T04:33:00.007+01:00

Today's been a pretty alright day. I didn't think it would be because I didn't want to sleep last night, I wanted to talk to John~

I fell asleep at around 6 am and woke up at 1 pm. After eating I started feeling kinda groggy. I've been feeling groggy lately, it's getting a little annoying. And NO, I'm not pregnant = w =

Anyway. My aunt and two of her kids were here, which was nice. I said hello and such while eating "breakfast" and then I finally got out the door at around 4, on my way to the hotel I work at to meet a friend of mine from Oslo, or..this little place just outside Oslo called Lillestrøm. Anywho..I did hang out with him in his hotel room for a while. Which was weird, mostly because I'm so used to cleaning the rooms, not hanging out in them. Haha.

We exchanged delayed christmas presents and had a nice chitchat about stuff and things and we laughed a little and then we wrestled. Yeah, I wrestle all my friends. You judge whether I'm lying or not ;)

My christmas present to him was a homemade sock monkey. I have become addicted to making these. I made two for my friends Cathrine and Thea for Christmas, and I already have one myself and John also has one. Ours have little red hearts on their chests. Cause they're love-monkeys.

Here's the little buddy I made for my little buddy:

And here's a little "family photo". I don't know what to call it. But the two other monkeys are mine and John's :D

I got a present too! It's the graphic novel Shinjuku by Yoshitaka Amano. I have yet to read it, but it looks pretty cool. I've been eyeing it in the comic book store, but..that's been it. Now it's mine!

After meeting with my friend a swipped over to a pizza place meeting my mom and my aunt again. Me and my mom then proceeded to one of our town's sushi places. We usually go to a sushi place called Kyoto, but today we decided on a little change, so we went to a place called Bryggen Asian Cooking. If you live in Trondheim, go there and check out their yummy sushi. They even serve maki with cream cheese. It's SO delicious T w T mmmmmmmmm....

Miss you

2011-01-15T03:44:00.003+01:00

Hello to you all.

I've noticed that I have this lame tendency to break my blog writing rhythm when I get into one and I can come up with all kinds of excuses for this, but it wouldn't be necessary because there are always something to excuse yourself for that people don't really give a crap about.

Right now it's 3:46 am and I'm in bed with burning eyes and a tummy that has decided to rebel on me it seems. About 24 hours ago I was lying here with John and it was then 4 minutes left until we had to get up and go to the airport. He left Norway at 7:20 yesterday. Thinking about it gives me a lump in my throat. Even though we have been through this three times now, it never gets any easier to say goodbye. I'm very grateful that we've been able to see each other and be with each other for about 7 months total though. In other words; the months we've spent apart are less than the ones we've spent together, since we became a couple. Call me spoiled, I don't care. The day I'll be able to see him everyday, I will agree with that statement.

I got to celebrate christmas with John too. He came here on december 2nd, poor thing, arriving from Florida to our cold climate. Obviously he took a great liking to the snow, which is completely understandable. Snow is beautiful. However, I do wish that our winters didn't last as long as they do. Also, we do not get much light this time of year. The sun comes up at around 8:30 am and goes down around 4 pm. It gets depressing in the long run.

But back to christmas. It was wonderful. It felt so good sharing it with John and I loved that I could just be with him and be all cozy baking gingerbread cookies, decorating the christmas tree, eat yummy food with him instead of having to call him on skype wishing him merry christmas and only telling him about my christmas experience.

Apart from that we mostly just hung out. That's the best thing about us two, we don't have to do anything special to have a good time, mostly because we enjoy each other's company so much that it doesn't matter.

I miss him so much and I can't wait to see him again, because having the bed all to myself is kinda lonely.

~~~~

2011 :0

2010-12-30T22:57:00.005+01:00

Hooray! It's almost 2011! And this time my year won't start with an earthquake (hopefully). Last year, I celebrated new year's eve in Japan. And a couple of weeks later I went to Chile to study, which didn't really turn out too great. But I had a good 1 month there, I did :)

Anyway. Tomorrow is 2010's last day. Weird.

Have I got any new year's resolutions? No. Or..I haven't really thought of any.

Luckily I don't smoke :D And I barely drink alcohol.

Maybe I should exercise more. That could be one!

And maybe I should stop voicing my opinion on deviantART...

Oh hell, how can I? It's just too much fun! Sucks though, that dA is in possession of so many ignorant jerks, trolls and idiots.

At least there are exceptions :)

I want to thank all my followers/fans for all your support :D I love you guys! Here's to another year of more comics and drawings!

Enjoy some of my older drawings. I found them while sorting and labeling drawings, documents and such..they're from 2004. So..7 years old. Oh, an that drawing there's the first drawing I made of Rip ever, by the way :P

xxx

Maria

6 items~

2010-12-15T23:30:00.005+01:00

Here are the clothes that are left now. It would be cool if I could have them sold, so I don't have to have them lying around xD

Also, here are the clothes that are still available from the other lot. I finally found our kitchen weight, so I've been able to weigh the clothes so that you can calculate how much the weight will be if you want more than one item.

I want to apologize sincerely for not answering every single one of you. I've gotten a bunch of e-mails, comments and notes about these clothes and I haven't been able to reply to all of them :( I want to sell the clothes to the first people who contact me and who KNOW for sure they want them. Also, I'd prefer if you're able to pay quickly so I don't have to wait around not knowing if you'll get back to me or not. Please understand this. It's happened a couple times where people tell me they'll pay and I don't hear from them in days while lots of other people want the stuff I'm "holding off" for the ones I'm waiting for. SO..quick payment would be GREAT.

IMPORTANT!

-An item weighing up to 20 grams (0,04 lbs) costs $2 to Europe and $3 everywhere outside Europe.
-An item weighing over 20 grams (0,04 lbs) to 50 grams (0,1 lbs) costs $3 to Europe and $5 everywhere outside Europe.
-An item weighing over 50 grams up to 100 grams (0.2 lbs) costs $4 to Europe and $7 everywhere outside Europe.
-An item weighing over 100 grams up to 350 grams (0,7 lbs) costs $8 to Europe and $13 everywhere outside Europe.
-An item weighing over 350 grams up to 1000 grams (2.2 lbs) costs $17 to Europe and $29 everywhere outside Europe.
-An item weighing over 1000 grams up to 2000 grams (4.4 lbs) costs $33 to Europe and $49 everywhere outside Europe.

*I only accept PayPal

*If you are reluctant to pay shipping, do not contact me.

*If you have questions, feel free to ask, but I get a ton of e-mails regarding the clothes so I might have already sold them to someone else :/

*I ONLY respond to e-mails. I do not consider comments in my journal or here, so if you want clothes, send me an e-mail. If I do not reply at once, I might be waiting for someone else to pay for what you are interested in. If I don't get a response from them in at least a couple days, I might contact you if you were one of the other first ones e-mailing me about that specific item.

My e-mail address is; mcmorbid@gmail.com

These clothes are still available:

Lolita tulle fluffy skirt. This has a stretchy waist, and it's a size small. It's very comfortable.

Price: $20

Weight: 305 grams (0.6 lbs)

Sex Pot Revenge tank top. Size medium.

Price: $15

Weight: Around 120 grams (0.3 lbs)

20)

Skirt from Bodyline. Size small.

Price: $20

Weight: Around 460 grams (1.0 lbs)

23)

Sex Pot Revenge t-shirt. Size medium.

Price: $15

Weight: 200 grams (0.4 lbs)

29)

Sex Pot Revenge t-shirt. Size medium.

Price: $15

Weight: Around 190 grams (0.4 lbs)

34)

GLP Punk Pants. Size Small

Price: $15

Weight: Around 580 grams (1.2 lbs)

Animal Testing pt.2

2010-12-11T18:08:00.005+01:00

Hello again :)

After my last blog entry, I've made a little list of at least some brands I've found to be cruelty-free. It's an overview of what brands produce what sort of products.

Make-up: H&M, MAC Cosmetics, I.d. bare minerals, Isadora, Glominerals, GOSH, Bare Escentuals, Hello Kitty, Almay, Bobbi Brown, Clarins, Clinique Laboratories, Estée Lauder, Revlon, Urban Decay, Yves Rocher

Hair care: Amazonia Preciosa, Aveda, Bumble and Bumble, Burt's Bees, Goldwell, got2b, KMS, Lush

Dental Care: Aquafresh, Darphin, Sensodyne

Perfume: Aramis, Clarins, Revlon, Tommy Hilfiger, Victoria's Secret, Yves Rocher

Skin care & Body Care: Aveda, Amazonia Preciosa, Bioelements, Burt's Bees, Clarins, Clinique Laboratories, Darphin, Decléor, Dermalogica, Estée Lauder, Lactacyd, Lush, Mary Kay, MD Formulations, Revlon, Yves Rocher

Detergents & Household: Ecover, Mrs.Meyers (US)

The Body Shop is originally on this list too. Ironically, they're so strongly against animal testing, but are now owned by L'oreal, which is a huge "bad guy" D: So, buying from The Body Shop, even though they do not accept animal testing, means the money goes straight to L'oreal. This really sucks, because I've always loved The Body Shop..lol ; w ;

A lot of these brands are pretty common and can be found many places, so just think about it; shopping cruelty-free is pretty easy if you're a little more observant with what you buy :) These products are from the list at the Norwegian site about animal testing, Dyretesting.no which is the one I trust the most, but there are most likely more cruelty-free products outside of Norway, so these are just some.

Also, I just want to state that I did not shed light on animal testing for medicinal purposes, because it is considered necessary for human health and welfare. I don't like it, but..you know..that's just me. After all, I use medicines too when I get sick o A o But I'm sort of hoping for better solutions for such testing too...

Animal testing for cosmetic purposes is, like I said earlier, just unnecessary and cruel. And when there actually are a lot of cruelty-free cosmetic alternatives, why not just choose them instead of products that have caused so much harm to animals..?

This is also a very good page for information; http://www.choosecrueltyfree.org.au/

That's where I found the information I pasted in my previous entry. I thought it would go through to more people if it was just there in my blog instead of linking to it, considering not everyone bothers to check links..lol.

It's Australian, so it's more understandable for english-speakers than the Norwegian page too ;)

Animal Testing (PLEASE READ)

2010-12-10T19:41:00.009+01:00

You know what really makes me angry? Animal testing. It's so incredibly unnecessary and just cruel. It's basically flat out animal cruelty. Why is it accepted to slit an animal's skin up, restraining them, shaving them to pour chemicals on them. And all this for make up and beauty products!?

I mean, most people don't really think about this when buying make-up, shampoo, soap etc. Perhaps some wouldn't even want to see the horrible truth and rather live in ignorance.

I would be very happy if people took the time to read this. I'm not asking much. This is only a question of not buying animal tested products, and to support the cruelty-free companies! It really surprises me that animal testing isn't illegal yet.

Some facts about animal testing:

Scientifically flawed

Animal toxicity tests are crude, subjectively assessed and the results can vary depending upon the species, age, sex and condition of individual animals. One international study that examined the results of rat and mouse LD50 (Lethal Dose 50%) tests for 50 chemicals found that these tests were able to predict toxicity in humans with only 65% accuracy. (1) (see page 17) Dr Robert Sharpe, research chemist, states, "The LD50 for digitoxin in rats is 670 times that in cats, whilst for the antifungal substance antimycin, the LD50 in chickens is 30-80 times greater than in pigeons and mallards. The LD50 of thiourea in the wild Norway rat is 450 times greater than in the Hopkin's stain of rat." (2) Manufacturers are simply asked to conduct whatever tests are appropriate, in their opinion, to establish that their cosmetics or household products are safe. Even the environmental conditions in a laboratory can affect results. The LD50 results for the same chemical can vary widely between different laboratories. It is hardly surprising then to learn that results from animal tests are often difficult to apply to humans. Many substances tested safely on animals have proven to be dangerous to humans and vice versa.

The real reasons

Animal tests were crudely developed as long ago as the 1920s and became commonplace in the 1940s. Scientists are familiar and comfortable with the animal-based techniques they have been using for years. It is always difficult to change the status quo. Companies continue to test on animals for legal protection. Animal testing is designed to protect a manufacturer against legal claims by consumers. The irony is that the defence "we have safety-tested our products on animals" only becomes relevant when that testing fails to detect a potentially dangerous substance and a consumer is injured. There is no actual legal requirement for animal testing. Manufacturers are simply asked to conduct whatever tests are appropriate, in their opinion, to establish that their cosmetics or household products are safe. The use of animals in laboratories is supported by a very large and powerful industry. It includes contract testing laboratories, the suppliers of cages, equipment, animals, and infrastructure. Alternatives to animal testing Today, many cosmetic and household product companies have turned their backs on animal testing and begun taking advantage of the many sophisticated non-animal test methods available, which range from cell and tissue cultures to computerised "structure-activity relationship" models. Human cell culture tests have been found to predict toxicity in humans with much greater accuracy than animal tests. (1) R. Roggeband et al., "Eye Irritation Responses in Rabbit and Man After Single Applications of Equal Volumes of Undiluted Model Liquid Detergent Products," Food and Chemical Toxicology, 38 (2000): 727-734. (2) Dr Robert Sharpe, "The Cruel Deception".

Toxicity tests

Chemical toxicity (poisoning) testing on animals involves subjecting animals to different levels of potentially toxic substances via different routes of exposure in order to assess how and in which way they are affected.Many products are tested to see if they will cause damage to the skin or eyes. This approach to chemical testing, which uses animals and is mainly observational, subjective and descriptive, is extremely crude. Animal tests tell us little about why a substance is toxic, as the results tend to demonstrate effects rather than causes of toxicity. The test results are difficult to extrapolate from laboratory conditions to real life exposure of humans. Their credibility is based on established use rather than proven predictive value. Most standard animal tests were developed decades ago and have either never been validated, or have actually failed retrospective validation (for example, the Draize eye test, the Lethal Dose 50% test and carcinogenicity).

Types of tests

Repeated dose & sub-chronic toxicity To assess the toxic effects on the whole body of repeated sub-lethal doses of a chemical (i.e. the dosing is intended to show poisoning effects on internal organs, the nervous system etc. up to but not including death). Forty to 80 rats are usually used per chemical and/or 32 dogs can be used as a second 'non-rodent' species. The animals are repeatedly dosed with a chemical over a period of 28-90 days. This is usually done orally (force-feeding with a syringe or tube) but may also be administered dermally or inhaled. At the end of their ordeal, the animals are killed and their tissues examined pathologically and biochemically. Symptoms can include blood pressure changes, excessive salivation, anaemia, aggression, muscle weakness, hair loss, internal organ damage, pilo-erection (hair standing on end), vomiting (in dogs), tremors, diarrhea, coma and occasionally death. Chronic toxicity To assess the effects of long-term chemical exposure for significant periods of the animal's life span. As with repeated dose and sub-chronic toxicity, one rodent species (usually 160 rats) and one non-rodent species (usually 32 dogs but can involve primates) will be subjected to exposure via force feeding, dosing in food, through the skin or via forced inhalation. The length of the study is at least 12 months and as much as two years. Symptoms can include blood pressure changes, loss of appetite, aggression, restlessness, muscle weakness, excessive salivation, internal organ damage, pilo-erection, vomiting (dogs), tremors, bloody diarrhea, coma and death. Mutagenicity To identify any mutagenic effects (genetic mutations) of the chemical either on the rapidly dividing cells of the bone marrow or on the nuclei of blood cells. Usually using 40 rats, mice or hamsters, the test material is administered either orally or by injection into the body cavity. Developmental toxicity (teratogenicity) To assess whether the test substance, when ingested, causes malformations in the embryo. This usually involves at least 80 pregnant rats or 48 pregnant rabbits subjected to a graduated dose or concentration of the test substance during the period of organ formation in the developing embryo. Three dose levels are given where the highest is sufficient to evoke minor changes in the mother (for example loss of weight). Dosing is usually oral and the embryos are killed and examined for gross or more subtle anatomical changes. The mothers endure daily force-feeding by stomach tube throughout pregnancy and may experience poor weight gain, loss of appetite, nasal discharge, pilo-erection, hair loss, diarrhea, dehydration and occasionally death. The unborn animals can also be damaged by the chemical. Reproductive toxicity (mammals) To identify any effect of a chemical upon the male or female reproductive capacity. Approximately 100 female rats (80 pregnant) and 40 male rats will be used. They are given graduated doses (usually orally) during their reproductive cycles. Assessment is made of post-administration effects on fertility, pregnancy and maternal effects (feeding and nesting behaviour). These animals endure daily force-feeding by stomach tube and can also experience poor weight gain, loss of appetite, nasal discharge, pilo-erection, hair loss, diarrhea, dehydration and death. Carcinogenicity Used to detect any cancerous changes as a result of exposure to a substance. It uses at least 400 very young rats or mice per substance and involves dosing the animals as soon after weaning as possible and thereafter for the rest of their lives. The animals are usually force-fed the substance but chemicals can also be painted on the skin or delivered by forced inhalation. The symptoms of this slow chemical poisoning include cancerous tumours, lethargy, nausea and death; autopsy will also reveal any tissue or internal organ damage. Toxicokinetics Used to follow the time course of toxic (poisoning) effects and to find out how quickly or easily a substance is absorbed from the gut or through the skin into the bloodstream, how long it is in circulation and how it is metabolised and excreted. Doses are either single or multiple. At least eight healthy young animals are used (can be rodents and dogs) per chemical and dosed orally, via the skin or forced inhalation. For the duration of the test the animals are isolated in small, barren, metal metabolism cages so that their urine and faeces can be collected separately. Some animals also have tubes implanted into their bile ducts. Symptoms include loss of appetite, lethargy, nasal discharge, pilo-erection (hair standing on end), hair loss, diarrhea, dehydration and vomiting (in dogs). At the end of the experiment all the animals are killed and examined for the accumulation of test substances in target organs. Eco-toxicity Example, acute toxicity in fish. Eco-toxicity tests are conducted to measure a chemical's effects on the environment and wildlife. In fish toxicity, the test chemical is put in the water of large fish-tanks and records are kept of how many fish die as a result of slow poisoning over a number of days. LD test LD stands for Lethal Dose - the dose of a substance that will kill a percentage of the test animals. A single dose of the test substance is usually placed directly into the stomachs of animals via a tube. Different groups of animals are given increasing doses of the test substance to see which dose will kill them. Symptoms of toxic substances include abdominal pain, cramps, convulsions, vomiting (in some species), diarrhea, paralysis, breathing difficulties and bleeding ulcers. Rats and mice are used, but sometimes dogs and rabbits are also included.

Problems with the LD test

Clearly this is a very cruel test. Gerhard Zbinden, one of the world's best known toxicologists, has called it "a ritual mass execution of animals". It gives no information on treating human poisoning. It is an unreliable way of predicting risk to humans because the results are altered by so many factors. Firstly, there are huge species differences. Ten-fold species differences are common. For example, the LD50 for paracetamol was 250-400mg/kg in mice and hamsters. Death was caused by liver damage. However, in rats the LD was 1000mg/kg, and there was no sign of liver damage.

Skin & eye irritancy tests

The application of test substances onto the skin or into the eye of an animal.

Draize eye irritancy test

The traditional method for testing irritation and damage to the eye is the Draize test. The test substance is placed in the eyes of conscious rabbits, who are either held in stocks or have plastic collars around their neck so that they can't rub their eyes with their paws. Researchers look for signs of redness, swelling, discharge and ulceration to determine how irritating the substance is. The rabbits are killed at the end of the test. The outer layer of the eye, the cornea, is one of the most sensitive tissues in the body. It is richly supplied with nerve endings, which is why any irritation or damage is extremely painful. Everyone knows how uncomfortable it is to get something like shampoo or onion in the eye. We quickly wash it out. In comparison, the suffering of rabbits is greater, firstly because some of the substances tested are more irritating, and secondly because the rabbits can't wash their eyes.

Skin irritancy test

To test whether a substance irritates the skin, sections of the animals' backs are shaved and sometimes abraded. The substance is applied to the skin and covered with gauze patches. Researchers then look for signs of redness, inflammation, weeping or scabs to determine how irritating the substance is. An irritating product can make the skin red raw, which is obviously very painful. Rabbits are usually used for this test. At the end of the test they are killed.

Problems with irritancy tests

The first problem with these tests is that they are very, very cruel. Irritation to the skin and especially the eye can be excruciatingly painful. However, the tests are also inaccurate. In one study the same 12 substances were tested for eye irritancy in 24 well-established laboratories. Since the same substances were being tested, using the same method, and the same species of animal, you would expect scores for the degree of eye injury to be similar. On the contrary, scores varied between rabbits in the same laboratory and varied widely between laboratories. Some substances that were rated as most irritating by some laboratories were rated as least irritating by others. There are a number of differences between rabbit and human eyes:

rabbits have a third eyelid
rabbits produce less tear fluid to wash away irritants
rabbits have a more alkaline eye (human pH 7.1-7.3, rabbit pH 8.2)
rabbits have a thinner cornea (human 0.51mm, rabbit 0.37mm).

One study compared the results of animal tests using rabbits and monkeys with information regarding accidental human exposure to products. All animal tests, especially the standard Draize test, overestimated how irritating a product was to the human eye. An experienced toxicologist has concluded: "No single animal species has been found to model exactly for the human eye, either in anatomical terms or in response to irritation". There are also considerable differences between human and rabbit skin. When 12 substances were tested on human and rabbit skin, results were similar only for the two most irritating products. The remaining ten products were irritating to the rabbits but not the humans. In another study, a range of household products and industrial chemicals were tested on the skin of rabbits, guinea pigs and humans. Only four of the products were non-irritating in all three species. However, 12 products were more irritating in one or both of the animal species than in humans. A further three products were less irritating in one or both animal species than in humans. The researchers concluded: "Neither the rabbit nor the guinea pig provides an accurate model for human skin. The skin responses of these animals differ in both degree and in kind from those of human skin."

( http://www.choosecrueltyfree.org.au/ )

I think it's incredible that we've come so far, but still experiment on animals when there actually are several alternatives. Of course, the companies that do test their products and ingredients on animals probably justify this by claiming it's cheaper. Which doesn't really make any sense, does it? Take The Body Shop for example. From what I've checked, they have volunteer subjects and conduct the tests responsibly. This is just one alternative.

In the case of cosmetics, the manufacturer could choose ingredients that have been used for a long time, and so are likely to be safe. If the chemical is a new one, the first test could be the QSAR computer analysis to predict its likely irritancy. In the next stage, a number of in vitro (test tube) tests could be used. Some tests are better than others for substances of a certain form, for example liquid rather than solid, and for substances of a certain chemical class, for example alcohols rather than oils. The aim would be to choose the best set of tests for a particular substance. Doing more than one test is not a problem because in vitro tests are so much faster and cheaper than animal tests. For example, an Agarose Diffusion Test takes 24 hours per product, whereas a Draize test takes at least 3 days per product and costs 10 times more to carry out. If the product is shown to be safe by this set of tests, it can then be trialed by human volunteers. This is the final and best test of all. By going through this series of steps products can be guaranteed to be safe without the suffering that is currently inflicted on animals.

Alternative irritancy tests

Many different in vitro (test tube) systems have been suggested as alternatives to animal irritancy tests. The following are only a few examples.

Eytex(TM)

This test for eye irritancy uses a vegetable valign="top" protein extracted from jack beans. Like the cornea of the eye, this clear protein gel becomes cloudy when in contact with an irritating substance. In the Draize test, people have to estimate the degree of damage caused, that is, how swollen or red part of the rabbit's eye is. This system isn't very accurate. In the Eytex test, the degree of cloudiness ("damage") can be measured by a machine, a spectrophotometer, which is much more reliable.

Reconstructed human epidermis

This is a multi-layered human skin grown in the laboratory, which can be used to test skin irritancy. It is sold commercially under trade names such as Skin Squared(TM) and Episkin(TM). There are various ways of measuring damage when an irritating product is applied to this test skin. For example, cells can be examined under the microscope, membrane damage can be assessed by leakage of enzymes, or inflammation can be determined by release of interleukins. Whatever method is used, the result can be measured accurately, unlike in animal studies where observers estimate the degree of swelling or redness.

Corneal cell lines

The SIRC is a continuous cell line of rabbit corneal cells. These are cells that are now grown in the laboratory, and no further rabbits are killed. When 6 shampoos were tested on these cells, there was very good agreement with Draize results. The test assessed how much of a substance was needed to kill half the cells. Obviously, the less of a substance that is needed to produce this result, the more damaging it is. However, to avoid species differences it would obviously be preferable to use human cells. One problem with using cells from human corneas has been that these cells don't live for very long. Now researchers have found a way of not only increasing the number of these cells, but also extending their life span so that they can be studied in more detail. Researchers used human corneas from an eye bank to grow the cells. This cell culture can be used not only to study eye irritation, but also wound healing, parasite infection, and radiation damage in the eye.

Neutral Red Uptake Test

Normal cells in culture readily absorb and hold this neutral red dye. When the cell membrane, or the lysosomes inside the cell are damaged by an irritating chemical, dye will be lost through the leaky membranes. Less dye will remain in the cell. A spectrophotometer is used to accurately measure how much has been lost.

Agarose Diffusion Test

The problem with cell cultures such as those in the Neutral Red Uptake Test is that the cells are in fluid, so only soluble substances can be tested. In the Agarose Diffusion Test a small amount of agarose (a seaweed extract) is added to form a gel layer. Some of the test substance is placed on a small piece of filter paper, which is then placed on the agarose. The substance diffuses through the agarose into the cell culture below. The irritancy of the substance is assessed by measuring the area, in millimetres, of dead cells under the filter paper, that is, cells that have lost their neutral red dye.

Microphysiometer

An irritating product will produce changes in the functioning of cells. The microphysiometer is an instrument that detects very small changes in cell metabolism by measuring changes in the pH of the cell culture nutrient fluid (changes in lactate, CO2 production).

Computer modelling

Expert computer systems can be used to predict the irritancy of new substances on the basis of what is already known about the irritancy of substances with a similar chemical structure. This approach is known as Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationship, or QSAR for short. The molecular structure of known substances is entered into a computer database. Particular chemical structures are linked to particular kinds of chemical activity, in this case irritancy. When a new substance is entered, the expert system tries to match its molecular structure to others in the database. If it finds a close similarity, it predicts that the new substance has the same level of irritancy.

Human studies

Some cosmetics companies already use human volunteers to test new formulations. This is the most reliable test of all. Human irritancy can be assessed through patch testing, where test substances are placed on small areas of the upper back and covered with a patch for 2 days.

Alternative toxicity

In 1989 the Scandinavian Society for Cell Toxicology organised a large international study of alternative methods. This study was called Multicenter Evaluation of In Vitro Cytotoxicity (MEIC), and involved laboratories in many different countries. A list of 50 chemicals was selected for testing by the Swedish Poison Information Centre. Chemicals for which there was good human data were chosen. In other words, for these chemicals it was known how much it would take to kill a human from the results of accidents or suicides. When the MEIC project closed in 1996, 59 laboratories from all over the world had submitted results. There were 29 laboratories that had tested all 50 chemicals. In total, 61 different in vitro (test tube) methods were used. The researchers compared the lethal doses (LD) taken by humans with the LD50 in animals. They also compared the lethal concentration (LC) in the bloodstream of people who died with the concentration that produced a 50% reduction in the growth of cell cultures (IC50). Results from the final evaluation showed that human cell culture tests were more accurate than animal LD50 tests. As MEIC director, Dr Bjorn Ekwall, has commented, cell culture systems can still be further improved, but animal tests can't. By the year 2003 a new project, called EDIT, aims to develop and publish a set of about 6 in vitro tests that will predict human toxicity with 90% accuracy. EDIT also aims to develop a set of tests to predict long-term toxicity. Tests are being worked on where repeated doses of a chemical are added to the cell culture for 6 weeks. Human cell cultures have several advantages in predicting toxicity:

They are human and so avoid species differences;
They can be taken from the tissue that a particular test chemical is most likely to affect, for example the skin, or the liver;
They allow researchers to study how a substance causes damage to the cells, that is, why it is toxic;
They avoid causing pain and death to animals.
Human tissues for testing are becoming more available in the USA and Europe, although less so in Australia.
There are companies that market cell lines from normal tissues and from tumours. For example:
The American Type Culture Collection has available over 2300 animal and human cell lines.
Companies such as Clonetics market cell cultures derived from human skin, cardiovascular system, brain, respiratory system, kidneys and muscles (visit the Clonetics web site).
Researchers can collect their own human tissue, for example, blood from volunteers or skin from plastic surgery. For many tissues, though, it is easier to use tissue banks.
In the USA, the National Disease Research Interchange in Philadelphia collects tissues removed during operations and from donors, and distributes them to researchers (visit the NDRI web site and look at About Us and Our Mission and History).
In the UK, the University of Leicester is doing the same. They use organs that are not suitable valign="top" for transplantation and would otherwise be destroyed.

( http://www.choosecrueltyfree.org.au/ )

Here, you can find a list of companies that follow cruelty-free criteria: http://www.choosecrueltyfree.org.au/list.html

I've been using Tigi for a while now. So far they've claimed to be cruelty-free. At least they are against animal testing, but ironically they can't be sure if some of their ingredients are, so I think I might steer away from them in the future. It's sad, really.

Also, what really frustrates me is that where I live, I haven't found any alternatives to detergents and house cleaning products that aren't tested on animals. I've been checking the Norwegian page for animal welfare and according to them there are a few brands that sell cruelty free detergents and such, but I have never ever seen these products in any store or supermarkets, so I have no idea where to find them. Also, tampons and such are also tested on animals. This is so ridiculous and it disgusts me!

If you're Norwegian and want to know more about animal testing, you can check out Dyretesting.no

Here's a Norwegian list over companies that do not test on animals: http://www.dyretesting.no/forbruker/liste-gr0nn-alt.html

And the ones that do test on animals here: http://www.dyretesting.no/forbruker/liste-r0d-alt.html

8 items are left

2010-11-21T21:11:00.005+01:00

Here are the clothes that are left now. It would be cool if I could have them sold, so I don't have to have them lying around xD

IMPORTANT!

*I only accept PayPal

*If you are reluctant to pay shipping, do not contact me.

*If you have questions, feel free to ask, but I get a ton of e-mails regarding the clothes so I might have already sold them to someone else :/

My e-mail address is; mcmorbid@gmail.com

These clothes are still available:

Sex Pot Revenge tank top. Size medium.

Price: $15

Weight: Around 120 grams (0.3 lbs)

14)

Japanese food fitted t-shirt. Size small.

Price: $10

Weight: Around 110 grams (0.2 lbs)

20)

Skirt from Bodyline. Size small.

Price: $20

Weight: Around 460 grams (1.0 lbs)

29)

Sex Pot Revenge t-shirt. Size medium.

Price: $15

Weight: Around 190 grams (0.4 lbs)

32)SOLD

Criminal Damage Punk Top. Size Small

Price: $15

Weight: Around 270 grams (0.6 lbs)

34)

GLP Punk Pants. Size Small

Price: $15

Weight: Around 580 grams (1.2 lbs)

35)SOLD

Death Kitty Punk/Lolita Skirt. Size Medium

Price: $15

Weight: Around 220 grams (0.5 lbs)

37)SOLD

GLP Lolita Blouse. Size Small

The sleeves are a little tight, so I cut them up slightly when the buttons are open.

Price: $10

Weight: Around 190 grams (0.4 lbs)

@ w @

2010-11-14T23:18:00.004+01:00

Random me's

Moar clothes o w o;

2010-11-10T17:35:00.010+01:00

Ok..lol. I've found some more clothes I would like to sell. Also, here are the clothes that are still available from the other lot. I finally found our kitchen weight, so I've been able to weigh the clothes so that you can calculate how much the weight will be if you want more than one item.

IMPORTANT!

*I only accept PayPal

*If you are reluctant to pay shipping, do not contact me.

*If you have questions, feel free to ask, but I get a ton of e-mails regarding the clothes so I might have already sold them to someone else :/

My e-mail address is; mcmorbid@gmail.com

These clothes are still available:

This is a very fluffy tulle skirt. Also very comfortable to wear! It is a size medium.

Price: $20

Weight: Around 330 grams (0.7 lbs)

Sex Pot Revenge tank top. Size medium.

Price: $15

Weight: Around 120 grams (0.3 lbs)

9) SOLD!

Living Dead Souls singlet. Size small.

Price: $5

Weight: Around 90 grams (0.2 lbs)

13)SOLD!

Invader Zim fitted t-shirt. Size small.

Price $5

Weight: Around 100 grams (0.2 lbs)

14)

Japanese food fitted t-shirt. Size small.

Price: $10

Weight: Around 110 grams (0.2 lbs)

16)SOLD!

K-Star punk dress. Size small.

Price: $40

Weight: Around 540 grams (1.2 lbs)

18)SOLD!

Sex Pot Revenge tank top. Free size.

Price $15

Weight: Around 170 grams (0.4 lbs)

20)

Skirt from Bodyline. Size small.

Price: $20

Weight: Around 460 grams (1.0 lbs)

26)SOLD!

Sex Pot Revenge gloves (wristbands are sold)

Gloves - Price: $5

Weight: Around 70 grams (0.2 lbs)

27)SOLD!

Sex Pot Revenge cap.

Price: $5

Weight: Around 65 grams (0.1 lbs)

28)SOLD!

"I love YAOI" fitted t-shirt. Size medium.

Price: $5

Weight: Around 120 grams (0.3 lbs)

29)

Sex Pot Revenge t-shirt. Size medium.

Price: $15

Weight: Around 190 grams (0.4 lbs)

30)SOLD!

G.L.P Punk Shirt. Size Medium

Price: $15

Weight: Around 340 grams (0.7 lbs)

31)SOLD!

Elegant gothic dress. Size Small

Price: $20

Weight: Around 590 grams (1.3 lbs)

32)

Criminal Damage Punk Top. Size Small

Price: $15

Weight: Around 270 grams (0.6 lbs)

33)SOLD!

Criminal Damage Knitted Punk Sweater. Free size

Price: $20

Weight: Around 230 grams (0.5 lbs)

34)

GLP Punk Pants. Size Small

Price: $15

Weight: Around 580 grams (1.2 lbs)

35)

Death Kitty Punk/Lolita Skirt. Size Medium

Price: $15

Weight: Around 220 grams (0.5 lbs)

36)

Sex Pot Revenge Tank Top. Free size (it's small)

Price: $15

Weight: Around 180 grams (0.4 lbs)

37)

GLP Lolita Blouse. Size Small

The sleeves are a little tight, so I cut them up slightly when the buttons are open.

Price: $10

Weight: Around 190 grams (0.4 lbs)

38)

E-wondernu Fitted T-Shirt. Size Small

Price: $10

Weight: Around 110 grams (0.2 lbs)

Clothes for sale

2010-11-05T11:03:00.033+01:00

I've just moved (again), so I cleaned out my clothes, and found a lot of stuff that I never use anymore. If you're interested in any of these or have any questions about any of the items, just send me an e-mail: mcmorbid@gmail.com

I will estimate shipping when you've let me know what item or how many of the items you want. I ship worldwide.

1) AWAITING PAYMENT

Lolita tulle fluffy skirt. This has a stretchy waist, and it's a size small. It's very comfortable.

Price: $20

This is a very fluffy tulle skirt. Also very comfortable to wear! It is a size medium.

Price: $20

3) SOLD!

Black and white custom made lolita skirt with stretchy waist. Size small.

Price: $25

4) AWAITING PAYMENT

Skirt from the japanese brand Sex Pot Revenge. It's a size medium, but it feels slightly tight around the waist, so to me it feels like a size small.

Price: $25

5) SOLD!

Sex Pot Revenge t-shirt. Size medium.

Price: $20

Sex Pot Revenge tank top. Size medium.

Price: $15

Custom made Freya from Chobits dress. Arm pieces, neck piece and head piece included. I assume it's a size small.

Price: $40

8) SOLD!

Black Tripp jeans. These are too small for me so I've never used them, they're a size 5.

Price: $15

Living Dead Souls singlet. Size small.

Price: $5

10) AWAITING PAYMENT

Strawberry House long t-shirt. Size small.

Price: $20

11) SOLD!

Sex Pot Revenge jacket. This has got a hole in the seam on the back, and I haven't been able to sew it up since I don't have a sewing machine. I'll sell it cheaper because of that. It's a size large.

Price: $20

12) SOLD!

Strawberry House outer jacket. It has a removable hood with faux fur lining. This is a size x-small.

Price: $30

13)

Invader Zim fitted t-shirt. Size small.

Price $5

14)

Japanese food fitted t-shirt. Size small.

Price: $10

15) SOLD!

Pink fitted t-shirt. Size medium.

Price $5

16)

K-Star punk dress. Size small.

Price: $40

17) AWAITING PAYMENT

Sex Pot Revenge knitted punk sweater. One size fits all.

Price: $20

18)

Sex Pot Revenge tank top. Free size.

Price $15

19) SOLD!

Sex Pot Revenge t-shirt. Size medium.

Price: $15

20)

Skirt from Bodyline. Size small.

Price: $20

21) SOLD!

Custom made lolita dress. Is missing a button at the top by the bow, but apart from that, it's fine. I can assume it's a size small.

Price: $30

22) AWAITING PAYMENT

Custom made lolita dress. Assume it's a size small.

Price: $35

23)

Sex Pot Revenge t-shirt. Size medium.

Price: $15

24) SOLD!

Sex Pot Revenge jacket. Size large. Removable sleeves.

Price: $20

25) SOLD!

Pink flats. They don't fit me well, so I've never used them. US size 6.

Price: $5

26) Wristbands SOLD!

Sex Pot Revenge gloves and wristbands.

Gloves - Price: $5

Wristbands- Price: $5 for both.

27)

Sex Pot Revenge cap.

Price: $5

28)

"I love YAOI" fitted t-shirt. Size medium.

Price: $5

29)

Sex Pot Revenge t-shirt. Size medium.

Price: $15

Adopt a pet!

2010-10-29T00:34:00.007+02:00

I've been looking into things I can do to help the animals. I've been wanting a dog for a long time now, and I really wish I could have one. But I don't know about my life situation just yet. Also, I'm a newbie dog owner seeing as I've never owned a dog before. Someone suggested I could "borrow" a dog to see how it works. I thought that might be a good idea, looking after a dog for a while. We have a dog shelter in Trondheim that's looking after dogs while the owner is away. They also put up dogs for adoption :)

If you live in Trondheim and might be up for adopting a dog, why don't you drop by?

Charlottes Omplassering og Hundepass

Usually, stray dogs isn't very common in Norway. There are more cats lacking homes. I've been looking into Dyrebeskyttelsen Trondheim (Animal Protection in Trondheim) and they have so many cats without homes and they're so adorable, all of them. They also have other pets like birds, bunnies and rats.

I still don't know how my life situation at the moment offers time for a dog, but the Animal Protection in Trondheim is in need of temporary homes for the cats they are looking for new homes to. Which means you get to look after a cat while they are looking for a permanent home. You don't HAVE to pay anything for it either, if you can't afford it. It could be perfect if you currently don't have any possibility to keep your own cat, which is a lifetime responsibility (at least 10-15 years). I think that sounds like a good thing to do :)

And if it turns out I can't look after a cat, I'm at least thinking about helping out at the shelter where they keep them :3

Also, I was planning on designing some shirts to support Animal Welfare. For example making a shirt with Red Pandas and having the money I earn for it donated to protection of the Red Pandas. They are endangered and I would hate for them to disappear :(

I want to do the same for other animals. We'll see what I can cook up~

Do any of you know any legit organizations to donate to? I would hate for the money to get in the wrong hands. I do know a couple Norwegian organizations, but if you have any international suggestions, I would love to hear them :)

Cute little things

2010-10-28T02:28:00.006+02:00

I've been thinking a little about christmas gifts. I know christmas is still 2 months away, but you know, I like being prepared. I prefer to make my christmas presents for people. The only problem is having the time to do it. I've been wanting to make plushies for a long time. It's just that I haven't got a sewing machine. Maybe I should wish for a sewing machine for christmas xD

Anyway..whether I'll get the time to make something or not, I looked around a little for some inspiration, and I found this really cute blog with so much adorableness packed into it!

I especially love this robot plushie! It's so cute~

:D Cute plushie dolls~

Seems like the Revoluzzza page (the one presenting these adorable works) is down :( But you can check out more of their work on their flickr page at least, just go HERE

If you like to knit, here is a great page for inspiration: Mochimochi Land

I want to start knitting again. Some months ago I started doing it, but now I've forgotten how to again. I keep doing that..haha

Boots and Tigi

2010-10-22T04:43:00.007+02:00

I'm happy that people wore purple yesterday. I saw you on my McMorbid fan page ;) I also like that deviantART is honoring spirit day as well. I think it looks pretty with the purple header. Yep.

Got my boots today. They're a pair of Nino Puccioni Faux Shearling Boots. They're incredibly comfortable, I just love them * A * I know they won't last as long as a real pair of UGGs but I don't care as long as I don't wear a dead animal on my feet.

I need to cut my hair again. My bangs are growing way too fast and I keep having to push them to the side. I love getting haircuts, especially after I stopped bleaching my hair, because it just feels fresher and healthier every time I cut it. Can't wait until my real hair color has grown back out. Till then I'm gonna keep treating my hair the best I can. I mean, I loved having platinum blonde hair but there's just so much hair can take, you know?

I've been using the Redken Extreme series so far, and I'm very happy with it. It doesn't make my hair feel heavy and it just feels like I've washed it at the hairdresser every time I wash my hair. On the other hand, using it for a way too long period of time can overload the hair with too much proteins making it break and go frizzy, so I thought I'd take a break from the Extreme series and use something else, because I've used it for several months now.

I've been trying out the new Tigi Bed Head Urban Antidotes, level 2 (the blue one)

This is a really great product. I love Tigi. Their products always smell amazing and I've never had any problems with them. The only thing was that I used the Dumb Blonde for a while when my hair was bleached and it made my hair feel very heavy. But I can definitely recommend the Urban Antidote series..at least the blue one if you have damaged hair that needs a moisture boost :)

I'm going to try the Tigi Catwalk Reconstructor. I just bought it today and it smells AMAZING!

Scent is very important to me when it comes to hair products, haha xD Also, the great thing about Tigi is that they do not test on animals, which makes me very happy :D

If any of you have any tips for good hair products, why don't you let me know? I haven't bleached my hair for months now. My hairdresser helped me finding a color that won't make my roots look stupid when they grow out xD SO..that's it for now. :3

Spirit Day

2010-10-20T00:55:00.005+02:00

Tomorrow (Wednesday, October 20th) is Spirit Day. It's a day to honor the gay teens who have been bullied and abused. On this day I will wear purple to honor the memory of all the LGBT teenagers who have committed suicide because of bullying and abuse. Will you wear purple tomorrow? Attend the even on Facebook: October 20th: Spirit Day

Lady Gaga and the whole shebang

2010-10-19T01:55:00.008+02:00

Ok, I just felt like saying a little bit about the little Gaga-drama I apparently seem to have caused with my comic. First of all; I don't HATE Gaga. I think she's incredibly overrated, I DON'T see what the big fuzz about her is and I have the right to speak my mind about it! I make comics first and foremost to express myself, not to deliberately piss people off even though that can be expected if I criticize something I don't like or question something that does not make sense to me. Also I piss people off because "I'm so famous for making crappy comics". That's fine. That's their opinion. I don't shove my work in people's faces and say; "FUCKING LIKE MY STUFF!". I guess that's a little how I feel about Lady Gaga, as the people who don't like my comics perhaps. But for those who just say; "Why is your stuff so famous?" and they give no reason whatsoever why they don't like it, I just think that's unnecessary.

The thing I have about Lady Gaga is that her music is alright to listen to. Her songs are very nice to dance to, but when I actually listen to the lyrics (which I usually don't, because to me they kinda get lost in there and I just end up listening without really thinking about the song itself) it makes me cringe. I listen to her music when I don't really care what I listen to. It's just like listening to the radio when you want background noise, if you get me. But well, after getting to know more about this Gaga, I actually can't stand her. People say she's a good person and all, but how the hell am I supposed to know that? All I see is this plastic wrapped barbie doll who hides behind a ton of make up and talks about herself like she's the best thing that's happened yet. I don't really get to see her as a human being. She's obsessed with staying in this Gaga character that everything about her as a person just disappears to me. If being Lady Gaga is being herself, then I feel really sorry for her, seeing as "being herself" includes spending millions on costumes, make up and all the shit she's spending her money on.

Also, it ticks me off when people say "at least she's doing something good for the gay community". It's almost like that's gonna make me dislike her less? The cause she's fighting for is great, but taking her seriously becomes incredibly difficult. It might sound strange, but think about it..the people she's trying to reach out to, the military, being as hidebound as they seem. What will they think about a woman dressing like a trashy clown and behaving like a mildly malfunctioning robot demanding more rights for the gays? I'm just wondering, I mean, sadly a lot of people in the world judge a book by its cover and I don't think that's gonna change anytime soon. I just think her case would be stronger if she just FOR ONCE (at least) just dropped her persona. In my opinion it's just a straight out insult to the outcasts she's so desperate to represent acting like she does.

I actually read this article, written by a 16 year old girl. I can't agree more with what she's saying, honestly.

"Blasphemy alert. I’m a sixteen year old American girl and I don’t like Lady Gaga. And no, it’s not because I don’t like her music, her costumes, or her performances. I just don’t like being manipulated.

Actually, I lied. It’s partly her music, costumes, and performances. But not so much because they’re hideous or outrageous or tiresome. But looking back at those pictures of her as a “normal” girl and seeing what and who she is now, it’s almost insulting. The fact that this girl had to change into something almost non-human to finally get noticed is unsettling, at best. She’s instead this cold, faceless force. No one noticed her when she was trying to “make it”. But then the fame machine (monster, she calls it?) seemed to eat her up and spit out an entirely new person, repackaged and revamped to “shock” us all.

And in the end, it really isn’t even that shocking. It’s almost a little pathetic (and you’ll see what I mean by insulting) when it seems that the state of the nation’s youth has degenerated so much that we need a woman in a mask and sparkling breasts to tell us that we’re all okay. Okay to be different, okay to be loved, the whole package. Because then we really aren’t, are we?

She's been quoted as saying, “I would rather die than have my fans not see me in a pair of high heels. I'd never give up my wigs and hats for anything.” I'm afraid that this mentality about possessions and image, to her millions of female fans, is dangerous. She speaks almost as if these material things are as vital to life as water is. This is the same woman who says that “I'm always saying something about art and music and fame. That's why you don't ever catch me in sweatpants.” She claims that her style and her persona is for art, and yet, it begs the question if she ever does anything for herself. She makes herself a martyr for the love of her fans. And if she is as passionate as she says she is about new frontiers in art, why are the vast majority of her lyrics about sex and money?

I'm not asking her to be anything different, not exactly. Give me a David Bowie reincarnate, an rebel in the music industry. But give me a little more complexity, a little more beauty, a little more thought than just what's on the outside. Give me another facet than just the freaky hair and makeup and clothing, because if that’s all there is, her opinion about simply being yourself is lost somewhere in the jumble of cosmetics and oversized sunglasses. But most of all, give me a break."

I think she formulates herself incredibly well. I am indeed very impressed.

You can find the article here.

And for those of you who don't like my ranting? Too bad. It's not the first time I've made a rant comic, and it will not be the last.

Suit up!

2010-10-15T21:37:00.004+02:00

Hello ladies and gentlemen~!

Did you all suit up for International Suit Up Day? I suited up a little, even though it was really hot = w = I like my suit though, it's one o' dem women's ones.

And of course, my handsome boyfriend looked so great~

Mrr..he always looks good in a suit ;D

We went to see "My soul to take" that day. I have figured ages ago that today's horror movies aren't scary at all. Actually, the only movie I found really disturbing was, believe it or not, the original version of "Shutter" which might sound really weird because I'm getting kinda bored of the whole Asian horror movie genre, mostly because it's all the same, every god damn time. Dead girl with black hair haunting people is not scary anymore. I did think Paranormal Activity was a little freaky though, it's something about spirits that you cannot see..ooOOOo~

Paranormal Activity 2 looks lame as hell though, at least from what I saw in the trailer. I don't wanna SEE the demon/ghost/spirit/whatever it is! "Oh no, the cameras caught some dead girl on tape D:" Bleh.

Also, as I have stated once before; it annoys me that ALL movies seem to be in 3D now. WHY? My soul to take didn't even need to be in 3D. There were NO effects proving it to be 3D material, so..WHY? Oh, I guess I know the reason..to leech more money from people. I think they should just stick to the movies that are worth being made in 3D, like Legend of The Guardians. I had a very positive 3D experience from that :)

Wow

2010-10-12T01:25:00.005+02:00

So..I was trying to find some good winter boots, right? I've been eyeing UGGs for a long while now, but I've been stupid enough not to see the reasons to not purchase a pair of these boots.

1. They are made of sheepSKIN. This means the sheep is slaughtered for the sole purpose of making these boots. Some may think the sheep goes "unharmed" in the process of making UGGs, but there you have it. They kill them, so celebrities and fashionable people can wear them. Of course they are good quality, but would you really want to walk around with a dead animal on your feet?

2. They are SO expensive! I've never been a girl for fashion brands, really. I'm not saying I'm a cheapskate, I just don't see the point in paying hundreds of dollars for a pair of boots, or a sweater, or a pair of pants or whatever.

There are plenty of animal friendly UGG-like boots out there. You can for example get a lot of faux fur boots or vegan boots. Amazon.com offers a variety of these, just type in "vegan boots" in the search field :)

I also came over this article, thanks to one of my friends on facebook; http://www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-clothing/wool-industry.aspx

There is a whole lot I don't know or haven't researched and I didn't know this either. It makes me want to stop wearing wool altogether. My impression of the wool industry has been set in my mind from when I was a child, and I watched programs and stuff where they shaved the sheep and it didn't look nearly as violent as described in this article. But then again, I was a kid, I didn't think about the "secrets of the wool industry".

I am not a vegan/vegetarian, and I know there's no excuse in saying "but that doesn't mean I want animals slaughtered". But at least I want to contribute to the cause by not _wearing_ the animals. I barely eat red meat, in fact I'm thinking of quitting it altogether. The only thing I could never ever quit eating, though, is fish. If I cannot become a vegetarian/vegan, I could be a pescetarian. Or at least eat less meat :)

Sleep disorders

2010-10-04T06:41:00.007+02:00

I have some form of insomnia lately. I can't help it, it's something that comes and goes. Anyway, when I can't sleep I tend to surf the internet to read about stuff or..watch stuff. I started reading about sleep disorders. It's very interesting. I was especially into reading about different parasomnias, like the sexsomnia disorder. Also, night terrors and sleep paralysis. Has anyone of you ever experienced sleep paralysis. This paralysis occurs during the REM sleep, either while falling asleep or waking up. It's either that the person is aware of the fact that his/her body shuts down when falling asleep, or the awareness occurs when waking up, while the REM cycle is not yet complete. This can be incredibly frightening, because you start seeing hallucinations that belong in your dreams, but you see them in "your world". Apparently this happens to most people at least once or twice in their lives. It's happened to me, and it's really scary, and very vivid.

This painting, "The Nightmare" by Henry Fuseli (1781) is said to be inspired by the sleep paralysis disorder. It shows an incubus sitting on her chest, glaring at the viewer. Also, the horse in the background kinda freaks me out a little, but it looks really cool. Folklore on sleep paralysis claims that the reason the person becomes possessed or mounted by a demon or an evil spirit. I'm very fond of folklore. It has a way of making things a lot more fascinating xD

I don't know who the artist of this picture is. If anyone knows, let me know? I think it's freakishly awesome~

I love creepy pictures. LOVE THEM. I started browsing around for some and I found a fair few I really like.

Wednesday

2010-10-01T02:08:00.003+02:00

Yesterday me and my boyfriend went to the movies to see Legend of the guardians. This is the first movie I've seen in 3D, well, mostly because we didn't have a choice xD 3D movies are super expensive (especially in Norway where we have to pay about 25 dollars to see a 3D movie in the movie theater). I think it's kinda sucky that ALL movies seem to be in 3D these days. I mean, 3D is cool and all, but it's SO expensive! D:

Anyway, I really liked the movie, it was very beautiful. I do think that they've focused a little more on the aesthetics than the story, because to me everything just raced by really quickly which left me thinking; "It was too short!". I would have loved to see more :) All in all, it is a very sweet movie and if you love owls and amazing animation aesthetics, go see it!

After the movie we walked around the mall for a while. I bought myself a lady suit for this year's International Suit Up Day! I feel it's about time I get my own suit anyway, I love suits!

I've been looking for some nice knitted sweaters/jackets too. Regretfully I lost a lot of my precious clothes leaving Chile earlier this year. My suitcase disappeared and so did all my clothes that were mostly bought in Japan. This still pisses me off, because I can't find the same clothes anywhere else :( If you know a place that has colorful knitted sweaters or cardigans, please let me know! I also need a pair of good winter shoes, so I've been looking around for some UGG boots, not really because they're so popular but because they're so incredibly comfortable and look good with almost anything..haha xD I was surfing around last night to see if I could find some cheaper than the retail prices, which got me lost in the whole counterfeit online market of UGGs x___x I honestly didn't know that so many assholes sells fake UGGs for nearly the same price as authentic ones.

I guess if you love UGGs, you already know this, but here is a guide to fake ugg boots websites.

The thing I would fear the most about ordering from these sites is to not get any boots at all, so I wouldn't risk it.

On another note, Dan Wells is out with his second book. I recently read his first book ever, "I am not a serial killer".

This is a story about a 16 year old boy named John Wayne Cleaver. He's come to terms with the fact that he is a sociopath with serial killer potential. However, he doesn't want to be a serial killer, so he makes rules for himself to avoid letting his potential take over.

The second book from Wells is called "Mr.Monster" where we pick up on John's story after the first book. I've just started reading it, so I can't say anything yet, but I really liked the first book.

Research

2010-09-29T00:30:00.003+02:00

So, I've been doing some research on the veterinary study. It turns out it's VERY hard to get admission at the only veterinary school we have here in Norway. There's no way I have good enough grades. You have to have like, the same high grades to get into the vet tech study, which I think is a little unfair, since vet tech is not as hard core as vet. Anyway, I figured that vet tech might be something for me, since I won't have to do big things like operate on the animals. Wherever I checked, it says that it's easier to get into vet schools abroad, so I'm thinking that might be an alternative. There is a community college in St.Petersburg I would like to go to, but from what I read, our education loan fund does not support the freshman year of a community college in the US..and that sucks. I should check up if there are any scholarships that I might be able to get my hands on.

Also, there is a school in Denmark. To get in there, I need to be a practitioner at a vet clinic in Norway first and then travel to Denmark 5 months of every year to study. That might be an alternative too, but getting a job as practitioner at a vet clinic might also prove to be a challenge, because it is very popular.

I guess it will be easier for me to figure these things out when I'm back in Norway, but at least I feel I should get my wheels in motion, even if it's only doing research and I might just get another job in the meanwhile.

I hope everything will work out for me, somehow. I guess I just have to stay positive and keep my head up n w n;

I've reached some kind of point in my life.

2010-09-28T04:49:00.007+02:00

What do you do if you're 23 years old and you still have no idea what you want to become? That's like a question everyone asks me, and if I don't know, does that make me a loser? I've been thinking about this a lot lately and I am completely clueless about what I want to do. I'm also afraid that I'll end up doing something I hate.

Right now I feel like I've wasted my whole life. I had no idea what I wanted to become in high school, which apparently is "the only chance you get to decide". It's such a cliché but I wish I could do it over again, just with my current brain, because at this point, I feel more motivated to learn than when I was in high school and it's really frustrating. What I did was I focused on what was fun at that point. I was horribly bad at math, biology and all the "important" things. And even though I tried to do good, I didn't try hard enough. The only class I got top grades in was English, because I really liked it. But what use is that, right? That's what I think now. I just regret my lack of motivation and my lack of having a dream of what I wanted in life.

I've been into drawing since I was little, though. And I drew a whole lot in high school. Heck, at that point I did so much comics, and they were all so much better than now because I had the right inspiration, because my mind wasn't "mature" enough. I guess when you mature you become more boring..for my part, at least. I'm not saying I am boring, I just feel that my comics were funnier when I was younger, and people could relate more to them. I still love to do comics now, but I miss my old inspirations, even though I know I have to grow up and get on with my life. I kept thinking I wanted to become a comic artist. That was the only thing I could think of when people asked me what I want to become, but of course now I've figured that living of comics is crazy hard, nearly impossible, unless you're REALLY good..leveled with like..Will Eisner or people like that.

When I got out of high school I guess I wanted to pursue my creativity, so I started a private school with Graphic Design. I took a bunch of student loans for one year, and basically I feel that was SUCH a waste of money. It was fun and everything, our teacher was great, but I just had that nagging feeling that this was something I couldn't do, because mostly I based the tasks we got on my style, which is very limited. Plus, I learned almost nothing that I couldn't have learned by myself without spending thousands of moneys, speaking of photoshop, illustrator and such. In the end I got scared that if I became a graphic designer my creativity would get tapped out, or that I'd be too monotone with my work. And I'm the kind of person that gets easily scared if there is the slightest thing that would be unstable. Because what I want, is a stable job..that I can actually DO. I have a lot of art blocks and I'm worried that would affect my work in that case.

So, then I quit graphic design after one year, with the title "design consultant". I guess that sounds better than it is.

After that I had no idea what to do, and since I felt I needed to do SOMETHING, I started university, studying media science. To me, in later years, this seems like the kind of education people take because they have crappy grades and because it's the easiest way. Or maybe that's just me, I don't know. But you don't know till you've tried, right? That's what I was thinking at least. And it turned out I really hated it. It's so incredibly dull. But when I had started on a bachelor's degree, why should I quit? Especially since I have that relentless thing for not knowing what I want to be.

So now I kinda just feel that I've wasted three years doing something I find really boring. And I feel like a failure for it. Lately I've started thinking that I want to be able to work with animals. Or, well, I've loved animals all my life, but only on rare occasions did I think of becoming, like, a vet or something, mostly because a life (or several lives) would depend on me. It would be just like becoming a doctor. And I don't know how I would feel if someone put their life in my hands. I do realize, though, that I really want to work with animals, and I have no idea how to achieve that. So here I am, just clueless again. I can't start another education now, because I only have four years of support left from out educational loan fund and my grades aren't nearly good enough to be able to get accepted to a vet school, or at least..vet tech school. If not a vet, I think I could be a vet tech. But it's too late for that now. I'm just stuck in this dilemma that I have to find a job related to an education I find boring, so I kinda have a feeling that the job would also be boring..but I don't know of course. I've heard I could get like, a job writing articles or..something. To be honest I have not the faintest idea what I can do with a media science bachelor. I just don't know if that's what I want to do.

I just felt like writing this down somewhere..and I assume that not too many people read my blog ( despite my many followers...lol). I don't blame you though. I rarely have anything interesting to say, because I never know what to write. But I guess on some occasions it's nice to have a place to just relieve yourself of whatever you're feeling no matter if people read it or not..so...

It DOES make me feel uncomfortable, because I don't want to be seen as a failure. But then again, I should stop caring so much about what people think and just do my thing.

Dexter

2010-09-27T23:02:00.005+02:00

I was watching the first episode of Dexter season 5 yesterday. It was a sad episode..I liked Rita. I keep getting struck by how different the characters are from the books and I sometimes imagine how the show would be if they followed the books more, but then again, I guess they need way more drama in a TV-show xD

There is just a little this and that I miss from the books that isn't in the show.

I finished the 5th book the other day, too. I can't make up my mind if I liked it or not. At least (SPOILER ALERT) I think the whole vampire business was pretty stupid, and I can't believe Jeff Lindsay had to bring up Twilight. I can't really express myself enough how tired I am of hearing "Twilight, Twilight, Twilight"..and, in risk of talking too much about it myself, I will shut it :P

Looking at the Dexter merchandise on Showtime's official website gave me a good laugh though. What's with the butt looking Dexter figures? His face looks retarded! Well, most action figures based on a real human usually look retarded..which makes me wonder who would buy that crap..

"DURR HURR, I'm Dexter, check out my grinch face"

Baaaack

2010-09-27T06:28:00.005+02:00

I finally got my own blog design. Man, my shoulder really hurts from sitting in front of the computer and drawing for hours and hours. I have a habit of hunching my back when I draw, so I guess I have myself to thank~

I've been drawing a lot lately..not comics, but other things. I'm currently working on a piece which will be a gift and it's taken me over 12 hours now I think. I'm not finished either..I feel I have a lot left on it, but hopefully it will look good when it's done :3

Also, I've gotten a lot of commissions, which I really appreciate! It's great to have something to do when I have no inspiration. Kinda short on the comic part lately though, since I feel so "experimental"..lol. But I'm going to make this "Hater's gonna hate" comic with Rip which will be a new addition to the McMorbid series.

You know what I keep thinking about lately though? Something that's bothering me, is that things I spend a crazy lot of time working on get less than half the attention my other work does. And when I say "other work", I mean work I've spent way less time doing. It's kinda annoying cause there you are, finished with a, say, 10 hour drawing and you're so proud and excited to show it to the world and then you barely get any feedback on it. I do understand how, for example, less popular artists on deviantART feel when they've spent so much time on a picture and end up getting no feedback on it. As so many people say, there are way too many great artists who absolutely do not get half of the attention they deserve. On another note, though, I do get really tired of people asking me why I am so popular when there are other people more deserving of the attention I get, because I am fully aware of that o . o

I'm gonna try keeping my blog more updated, I'm just so bad at writing because I always feel I have so much to say, but when I sit down to write in my blog I never know what to write. Ironic, isn't it?

I just want you guys to know that I'm not dead or anything. I guess that my followers on deviantART are fully aware of that, but you never know :3

Have a cupcake! n w n

Summer and stuff

2010-07-03T22:13:00.003+02:00

Hello and long time no see.

Is there much to say today? I don't really know..maybe? It's summer here in Norway now, so it's summer vacation. All my friends has left town so I'm kinda stuck alone here working my butt off..but I don't mind, seeing as I need the money. I'm trying to save up a little so I'll survive, ya know. The weather here in Trondheim has been really lame. Not at all like summer weather at least..it's been chilly and raining almost constantly. We've had some nice weather the last few days at least, and that's nice.

I don't know if I'm bored or what it is though, but I don't feel like doing anything but work to make time pass. You see, I really want to see my boyfriend again and that's in like..a month. Time, go faster! :C

I'm watching Nightmare on Elm Street, the second one. I've been watching the first one too..it's been years since I saw it. Jesse screams like a girl. Høhø.

* o *

2010-03-20T16:38:00.007+01:00

Greetings, followers :3

I am finally back in Trondheim. Or..Vikhammer. Currently I am staying at my step dad's place until I'll be able to move into my apartment. YES, I found an apartment. It's in the middle of the center of Trondheim, so I won't have trouble getting to places :D Also, I'll be able to work at the hotel at least every weekend so I can earn enough money to pay rent and stuffs~

Apart from that, I'll be taking two classes at my university this spring, so I won't be a slacker. At least I have some kind of plan for now :)

Oh, and this song is amazing:

Today I bought lots of food stuffs too. I was thinking it should last me for maybe a week, so I won't have to visit the supermarket that often cause it's like 2.4 miles away, so I'll have to hitch a ride with my step dad's brother if I'm going there and I don't want to bother him too much n__n;

I feel I've been kinda productive lately. Seeing as I've been sick and just hanging around inside and in bed, I got kinda bored..so I spent most of my time drawing o w o;

Yeah, cause..me, John and Per are TEAM AWESOME

= w =

Kthxbye! xD

Thank you~

2010-03-09T07:46:00.004+01:00

I want to thank all the people for all the wonderful comments. I rarely get comments on my blog..but to tell the truth, I rarely comment on blogs either. I never know what to say. I find at more than one occasion that words are difficult. That's why I don't write long blog entries, I guess.

I've had a decent sleep, I think. I fell asleep around 2..and woke up at 7. Five hours is better than nothing. I feel tired though...but I might try sleeping a bit more.

My dream was very pretty though. About a boy. He's very special to me...

He was happy in my dream. I like it when he's happy.

Also..I started looking through some of the pictures I have lying around..in files and folders. I have so many pictures. Sometimes I wish I had more from when I was little...

I really like this picture. It's so...blue. And simply empty..apart from the pretty little crow.

There and back again...

2010-03-08T11:29:00.006+01:00

The title fits so very well, too. It feels sort of sad, but at the same time it feels good.

I had a plan for this spring. My plan was to go to Chile, learn spanish, study..I was going to spend the last semester of my Bachelor's degree there. I had been there for a month, spending time with a 4-week spanish course at a school called Tandem. I had lots of fun. It was great. How ironic is it then..that..the night from the day I finished my spanish course, everything changed.

The earthquake seriously changed everything. At first..some days after it I thought I could be able to keep it cool. It didn't feel like anything was wrong, cause I kept pushing everything that bothered me about it way down into the lowest dungeons of myself. So to me, I was fine...at that time. Some days later, things started creeping up on me. I wanted to cry..constantly..I felt sick. And I didn't want to show it. I don't feel comfortable crying in the presence of other people..I wanted to be alone. But being alone in my 13th floor apartment didn't do me much good, I knew that.

The aftershocks were horrible..I was close to throwing up at times when I felt one. And my body still has that horrible shaky feeling like the earth is moving, when it's actually not. I just wanted to go home. I wouldn't be able to start my studies in that horrible state I was in. I didn't want to do anything. All I wanted to do was sleep..and wait for all the bad things to go away. But then again, I knew that wasn't an option either. My mother contacted my insurance company, explaining the situation. I was surprised. I didn't expect being able to go home so fast. Everything was..and still is, for that matter..just a big mess in my head.

I took the offer from the insurance company and yesterday, I landed on Norwegian ground again. It felt good..but sad. I feel like I've escaped everything I wanted to do, and at the same time I feel sad for not being able to go through with it. Which again makes me feel weak and powerless. I was told several times by my friends in Chile that the danger had passed, everything's over, there's nothing to fear..but I can't see it. I'm not Chilean. I'm not used to the slightest movement of the continental plates...I don't want to get used to it either. Still..I don't want to hear "oh you silly europeans are so scared of earthquakes!" cause guess what, I am in fucking awe of nature. I admire it, and I fucking fear it. I don't want to be called a coward, even though I feel like one.

I'm happy to be home again, but also, everything's just chaos. I can't focus..I don't have a plan. I can't function properly without a plan. I came home, leaving behind the only plan I had for half a year. Now I don't know what to do. I'm scared. I just don't know what to do. I need to find a place to live. I need to find a better paid job so I'll be able to pay rent. I need to finish my studies somehow. All night I've been up trying to think of a plan! And I can't. My head is a mess of dimensions...and even though I should think that taking one step at a time would be my best choice, I just can't find the ability to do so...

I've been listening to Amiina and Jónsi and Alex on my ipod for the last hours. It calms my nerves..I love their music.

Also..I have people to make me feel better. You know who you are~

Just wanted to share this with someone. Might sound kind of stupid, seeing as I'm sharing it with the world and not as a private thing. But blogging about it, getting it out..it might work for me..I don't know. Take care people. Life is precious, treasure it.

Complicated things.

2009-11-12T10:20:00.003+01:00

So hi!

Well..let's see..good things are currently happening, but ofcourse..with too many good things, something complicated has to occur as well. The thing is, I applied to Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile to finish the last semester of my bachelor's degree there. First it seemed I wouldn't be able to go there, cause according to the school, foreign students has to have 4 semesters of Spanish passed, which I don't have. But with lots of help from my student advisor and me sending a mail to the university in spanish, I actually got accepted, which made me really happy. I passed my spanish oral exam as well :D So things are sorta going my way. But now I've figured something's missing ofcourse, cause I applied for an approval at my school to study in Chile. I need that approval from my school and my loan fund to be able to go there, but obviously I didn't have enough classes in my application. According to my school I HAVE to have 5 classes to get the study points I need. And now I obviously have to apply all over again and the application deadline was reached like a month ago -__- ..I really hope they'll accept me filling up just one more class in my application, cause technically I've already applied, I'm just missing one class :0

Anyway..so..ZEBES is visiting. It's really nice, although I'm mostly too busy with studying..I have like 5 books to read and 3 weeks to do it, cause my exams are starting ;_____; I hate exam-stress, it's horrible..and the classes I'm taking this year are SO boring..apart from Spanish.

So..yeah..I basically don't have time to do anything but study. I'm currently waiting for Assassin's creed II and Left 4 dead 2 but I won't have time to play until after my last exam! D: Nrfgh~
I'm also waiting for Bayonetta and Oboro Muramasa. Man I've been waiting for the Muramasa game since I saw an ad on it in Japan like ONE fucking year ago! We're so slooooow here o____o

I'm currently trying to sell more books and t-shirts as well as taking up some commissions for december, to earn up some money for christmas presents and such ; w ;

SO...If you want to order a McMorbid book, send me a mail ~ mcmorbid@gmail.com

1 Book: $24

Shipping:

Europe: $5
Netherland: $3
Rest of the world: $9

If you want a commission, you can read more details here
Send a mail to; commissions.rimfrost@gmail.com

OR..you can purchase McMorbid shirts at the McMorbid T-shirt Store

I guess that's it for now. I seriously feel I need to have a break and actually be able to draw soon..but.."important" things first.

>:3

2009-11-05T11:04:00.007+01:00

Yo ho ho, people of the world!

Some small updates from me, thassright!

Just want to state that Halloween was great! If I look past the fact that I got way too drunk for my own good and threw up like a crazy person, then YES, it was truly a great night..and I have figured out that I really love my friends. Well..I kinda figured that already, but there are some things that just make you go "omg, I'm so happy I have these people in my life", you know?

SO..halloween..yes. I was actually working that day, but after work I took the opportunity to sneak down to Outland (our comic book store) wearing my Red Panda kigurumi. Which made me wish I had the guts to wear that thing all the time, cause it's nice and comfy and warm even though it's cold outside = w = It was fun being there..lots of people having dressed up..and oh lord, I took way too few pics :C *whine* I don't even have any pics of me in my kigurumi ; w ;

BUT..I got Transformers jenga! How awesome is that? I mean..that's pretty flippin' awesome:

I rock at jenga! I'll take any challenge! ò w ó bwahahaha!

So yeah..that was that.
I dressed up as a somewhat evil maid later that evening. I still have some red in my hair and on my arms from that fake blood I used = A = I mean..yeah..

"Why hello there, sir! Would you like wine with that?"

Cathrine makes a cute witch!

Elwood ò w ó

Okay!
Well, right now I'm at school and I'm totally not paying attention. I wanna go home and eat my müesli..omnomnom.

o__o

2009-10-29T11:17:00.003+01:00

I had such a fucked up dream last night. I dreamt I had a couple of dead ferrets that I HAD to bury because someone had killed them and told me that if I didn't bury them in a place where no one would find them, they'd kill me with radiation poisoning. So I ran around looking for a place to bury the ferrets, but I couldn't find any, cause the ground was made out of steel plates that were nailed to the ground. And then I came to a river which was radioactive..on the other side was a spot of soft ground. I needed to get over there. But then suddenly a gigantic plane comes falling from the sky and I feel I have no choice but to jump into the river to save myself, so I do..and everything just got..weirder after that..go figure xD It was a pretty weird dream o A o

Oh well xD

It's almost halloween now! And I'm really looking forward to it, cause I feel I'm in need of a good party - w - and ofcourse dressing up..cause I love dressing up :D

I'll try to get some pictures! n____n

Oh, and I'm currently waiting for Assassins Creed II. Thinking of ordering Left 4 Dead 2 as well..but then I'll be way too distracted from my exam reading..lol xD

Stress...

2009-10-15T19:11:00.004+02:00

Ok, so currently I'm working on some spanish stuff for my compulsory oral presentation, which is like..soon..I feel. Or..it's the 10th of november, but I'm bloody nervous, cause it's like an exam and I'm not allowed any notes or anything ;____; eep.

I've been reading a bit for my other classes too. My exams aren't that far away either. Eesh, I hate feeling stressed about stuff.

Today I got up super early for class. I show up at the university and..turns out there was no one there...so..no class -___- I decided to go home and read instead. I'm not really a morning person, so I've been really tired, and my jetlag's been kinda annoying too xD

On the drawing part..I seriously don't have time to do anything these days. I'm working tomorrow and this weekend I'll probably read and prepared myself for the spanish..and apart from that I have work and school until december :/ But I've been thinking of maybe making another book, actually. I have a new McMorbid story I would like to start on, and the rest of The Finding of The Shoelace story will be in the new book and not submitted to deviantART. AND...I have a plan of making a story about Rip now. The thing is, no one knows his story, right? Most likely you're in for a surprise ^^

Oh..and I got the 6th Yotsuba book. Hooray! I've been waiting such a long time for it to come out here ; w ;

Also..in the end of december/start of january I will be firing up my Japan blog again, cause guess what..I'M GOING BACK ;D

So..that's that for now, I guess..just wanted to keep you guys updated, you know :3

Pictures from Chile~

2009-10-04T23:25:00.003+02:00

Hello boys and girls~!

As you may have noticed I am still a lazy ass when it comes to updating my blog lately, but I thought I just post a little bit now.

I've been taking lots of pictures here in Chile, and I submitted some to my photography account on deviantart.

If you'd like to see more from my Chile experience, check out my Chile Blog.