BUSTED! (Crossposted to badmakeup)

This is why I do not approve of snark:

Dear members of badmakeup (I hesitate to address you as ladies and gentlemen given the nature of this forum):

It might interest you to know that trolling the internet just so you can make fun of people and feel superior is not as "safe" as you think it is.

One of you linked to a photo on my personal website and left big muddy footprints in your wake. I happen to actually check my site statistics periodically to protect myself from spam and phishing. And looky what I found:
http://community.livejournal.com/badmakeup/286927.html

Had you bothered to link to the text accompanying the picture, you would have also discovered why I was made up in that manner and that I had been wearing 70 yards of silk and full make-up for at least five hours in a rather warm hotel convention center when that picture was taken. I invite you to try spending several hours unable to so much as scratch your nose or wipe the sweat from your face some time and see how daisy fresh you look at the end of it.

If you actually care, which of course, you probably don't, you can read more at http://www.wodefordhall.com/karaginumo.htm

I'm not even going to bother trying to decipher what the "She has gotten better since this photo" comment refers to.

You've gotten your jollies at my expense. I really don't care what you think because you are petty, small-minded, honorless cowards who are not worth my time. I only write to inform you that someday you are really going to hurt or piss someone off. There are no actions without consequences. 

Apologies - if any of you possess something resembling a conscience - may be directed to me via my profile. Frankly, I expect none. I have done what I set out to do and herewith unsubscribe from this journal. I'm going to go sterilize my keyboard.

Thank you for your consideration.

EDIT: Despite my unsubscribing immediately after posting, LJ kindly forwarded nearly 100 messages from these People With No Lives. It is clear from the few I actually bothered to open that they Do Not Get It. It is obvious they do not understand that one day what their "hobby" might do to someone with more fragile self esteem and coping issues. 

The world is full of judgemental assholes. Do yourself a favor. Don't be one of 'em.

Remember Du'a Khalil. Pass it on.

http://sasha-khan.livejournal.com/192178.html?view=721842#t721842

Link to petition to the government of Kurdistan: http://www.petitiononline.com/kurdish/petition.html

Amnesty International's site on their campaign to end violence against women: http://www.amnestyusa.org/Our-Priorities/Violence-Against-Women/page.do?id=1011012&n1=3&n2=39

Nothing But Red anthology:
http://nothingbutred.wordpress.com/

Weekend activities

The ever lovely and talented takadai_no_tora came up to visit this weekend.

Our first stop Saturday, by request, was Daiso Japan over in Daly City. I've mentioned this Japanese 100 yen chain before. For reasons only known to the Klearance Kami, they had New Year's decorations! I now have a shimenawa garland with a lion dancer mask and sprigs of pine on it for Rising Sun camp next year. Since I actually liked the cheap kitchen knife I bought there on my last trip, I got another of the same make in the next size up. Tora got some bargain papers which she uses for bookbinding.

From there, we went into downtown SF to the kimono fashion show at the Asian Art Museum. Having had lousy luck trying to use a camera in the gloomy cavern that is Samsung Hall, last year, I didn't bother trying to get photos. Most of this year's designs by Tomita Nobuaki were keyed to the current Drama and Desire exhibit of Edo period paintings from Boston's Museum of Fine Arts. I rather liked the kimono decorated with kai awase shells, and the red and white butterfly furisode. After the fashion show, we checked out the exhibit itself. My absolute favorite painting has to be this work by Katsuchika Oi.

We wandered across the street to the SF Public Library, who had some ettiquette and ettiquette spoof books on display, then headed up to Japantown. Most of the shops were closed or closing, but we had big slurpy pots of noodles at Mifune, then headed back over to the East Bay for a gelato at the food court in Emery Bay.

Sunday's plan to hit the antique market was scotched when we got there and found an insanely huge line at the gate. I wouldn't be surprised if a recent news article about the market had generated the turnout, because it wasn't exactly a beautiful day - yet. Instead, we hopped BART back into the city and hiked around Chinatown most of the afternoon. Yes, the shopping up and down Grant Street is totally touristy, but I came home with a very pretty choker of jade beads, a silk sleep shirt sort of thing with a dragon on it that is a lot prettier than it sounds if you're thinking Chinatown Tourist Schlock, and a pashmina shawl in green and rust that just spoke to me. I can't remember what all Tora bought, but she got some Mah Jong tile jewelry and a few other goodies of her own. At one point we were walking up Bush Street and I glanced up and saw we were passing a very pretty church, Notre Dame des Victoires. We went in. It's a mid 19th century confection with very pretty windows, and it was founded by French immigrants who'd settled in SF.

We had a rather lateish lunch at the Far East Cafe - a cavernous restaurant that looks like something out of a 1930s movie with massive lanterns hanging from high ceilings, dark paneling and small private booths along one side of the room. I had the roasted pork and oyster hotpot, which turned out to be generous on the oysters, making up for the rather fatty bits of pork.

All in all, an enjoyable, if busy weekend.