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Welcome to our community of massage, bodywork and reflexology practitioners. Therapists, if it's been more than two weeks, it's time for your massage.
Moderators: GreenDragonfly, squash_blsm
If you are making 20 or more an hour and staying busy - isn't this good pay???
ministerofmassage wrote:I work in a spa outside Chicago and I know that spa pay scales here are low and dropping since we have over 5 massage schools and every junior college is getting a massage program. These schools are grinding out new therapists every few months and so it is an employer's market. Some will offer hourly plus benefits ($10-12 hr) while the spas owned by large corporations or hotels start at 33% up to 45%. They tell you when you are hired that your commission is higher but then you are charged a product usage fee or overhead fee of 10% or more. I started 10 years ago here in the fitness industry making 60% but remember 60% of no business is 0. After 3 years of back breaking work we had 3 fulltime MT's, added a 2nd treatment room and then were slowly fired for cheaper help. Since then I have built business for spa owners only to have to pay for my own business cards, uniforms (even though this is against the law in IL) wash loads of laundry and do maintenence like a cleaning woman for 40% or hourly. Believe me no one profits at a salon except an owner! The intangibles are a nice work environment and discounted salon services, plus they can offer more services to your clients than you can by yourself. I would like to know if others feel like spa work exploits massage therapists. I am planning to work for myself soon and create my own business if I have to work this hard for others. ???
Convoluted wrote:In addition to that bit of news I found out that all employees are expected to work in occassional charity events or promotional events for "free".
maestra wrote:Convoluted wrote:In addition to that bit of news I found out that all employees are expected to work in occassional charity events or promotional events for "free".
They can expect all they want, but I don't believe they can require you to work for a "Charity event" for free. If you want to Donate your time/skills to a charity it should be Your choice of charity, and not the pet project of your employer. What if it was a charity that you did not feel particularly charitable towards? Is it really a "gift" if your employer demands it of you?
maestra wrote:They can expect all they want, but I don't believe they can require you to work for a "Charity event" for free. If you want to Donate your time/skills to a charity it should be Your choice of charity, and not the pet project of your employer. What if it was a charity that you did not feel particularly charitable towards? Is it really a "gift" if your employer demands it of you?
Convoluted wrote:I have to remember while I am "b####ing" and moaning about this, I did agree to it, so I better suck it up for now. Hopefully other postive things about this new job will outweigh the things that irk me.
Snackdaddy wrote: You people are freakin' me out. I am horribly underpaid.
Snackdaddy wrote: My country club gig pays great... 70% payout of $90 = $63/hour, plus tips. And tips there are righteous. Their supplies, linens, laundry, phone jockeys, everything. Massages done in-home on the property pay out 90% of $115 = $103.50, plus tips. For those, we use all our own personal stuff..
healingtime wrote:Would anybody here take 35% at a new, VERY small spa that is independently owned with very little current clientele.
uM, hmmm, I'm feeling very green, and I don't mean one with lots of money, lol.
tiger snacks wrote:I'm located in a Plastic Surgery group so my spa has a more Medical personality.
athletica wrote:Ksue,
Whenever a therapist hints at being unfairly paid (on avg. my rmt's get paid $45 per hr) I am always quick to show the therapist financials. I just think therapists can be naive to all to the costs that go into a business.
RelaxandRejuvenate wrote:
At times, we have played the "money game" with our staff. Take the cost of an average treatment, say $100, and turn it into $1 bills and hand it to the first staff member.
Then you work your way through the P&L, starting with things they understand -- the variable costs associated with each treatment
CC processing - minus $2 - have them take the money out, put it in a hat or box and pass the remaining stack to the next person.
Laundry - minus $2
Products for treatments - minus $2
Discounts/Promotions - minus $5
For your fixed costs -- Rent, utlities, advertising -- take last months total for each line item and show them the math of getting to a per treatment figure
Rent -- $3,000. Divided by 30 days (fewer if you close sundays) = $300 per day. Divided by your average # of treatments per day this week (to make it current and real) = minus $12
Before long, the stack is mighty thin. Then you "pay" your therapist (which can be tricky to calculate if you pay something other than straight fee or striaght %), BUT MAKE SURE ONE PERSON HANGS ON TO THIS AMOUNT INSTEAD OF PUTTING IT IN THE BOX - then any employment taxes, benefits costs, etc
When you are done, you have what the owner keeps from each appointment. Compare that to the stack the therapist is holding for pay.
truepeacenik wrote:
Question: for ICs, when your contracted location runs specials or accepts things like Spa Wish/SpaFinder/other discounted gift cards, do you have to share the discount?
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Volvo S40
2011-2000 | Sedan
While most of Volvo's models have a boxy body style, the S40 tries something a little different.
Volvo S60
2017-2011, 2009-2001 | Sedan
For decades, Volvo has been a brand name synonymous with safety, but that is not the start and finish to the S60's claim to fame.
Volvo S60 Cross Country
2017 | Sedan
Volvo V40
2004-2000 | Wagon
The Volvo V40 was introduced in 2012 at the Geneva Motor Show to much acclaim.
Volvo V50
2011-2005 | Wagon
Known for its Scandinavian-rooted stylish interiors and cutting-edge safety features that include optional built-in child booster seats, front-cabin head restraints, and side-impact/head curtain airbags, the sleek Volvo V50 distinguishes itself as an upscale compact family wagon with keen handling and the kind of fuel economy rating that any finance-conscious family would appreciate: 19/28 mpg city/highway.
Volvo V60
2017-2016 | Wagon

subset: commoncrawl


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Get an overview of this hotel5-star Arenal Hot Springs resort close to Arenal Natura Ecological Park
Popular property highlights
Where You'll Stay
Book a room at The Springs Resort and Spa at Arenal and you'll be near Arenal Natura Ecological Park. This luxury resort is also within the area of Ecoglide Arenal Park and Mistico Arenal Hanging Bridges Park.
Your Guestroom
Step into one of the 74 stunning rooms and take advantage of furnished balconies/patios, minibars and sitting areas. Room service, pillowtop beds and Egyptian cotton sheets are also available for your convenience.
Property Perks
This resort offers a full-service spa, 15 outdoor pools and a children's pool. Toast your day with drinks and dinner at Tres Cascadas, one of 5 restaurants, which serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. A garden, a picnic area and a fitness center are also available.
Take advantage of the free WiFi in rooms and public areas. You'll be glad that wired Internet in public areas is also included, along with self and valet parking.
Languages Spoken
- English
The Springs Resort and Spa at Arenal
Hotel Amenities
Hotel Amenities
The Springs Resort and Spa at Arenal features a full-service spa, hot springs, and 15 outdoor swimming pools. Dining is available at one of the resort's 5 restaurants and guests can grab coffee at the coffee shop/café. Guests can unwind with a drink at one of the resort's bars, which include 2 bars/lounges and a swim-up bar. A computer station is located on site and wired and wireless Internet access is complimentary.
Business-related amenities at this 5-star property consist of a business center and a meeting room. Event facilities measuring 2313 square feet (215 square meters) include a conference center. This luxury resort also offers a children's pool, a spa tub, and a fitness center. For a surcharge, the property provides a roundtrip airport shuttle (available 24 hours) and an area shuttle. Complimentary self parking and valet parking are available on site.
The Springs Resort and Spa at Arenal is a smoke-free property.
- Picnic area
- Number of outdoor pools - 15
- Elevator/lift
- Fitness facilities
- Front desk (limited hours)
- Poolside bar
- Business center
- Porter/bellhop
- Express check-out
- Free self parking
- Dry cleaning/laundry service
- Free valet parking
- Computer station
- Conference space size (meters) - 215
- Terrace
- Luggage storage
- Concierge services
- Gift shops or newsstand
- Conference center
- Shopping on site
- Total number of rooms - 74
- One meeting room
- Number of floors - 3
- Number of buildings/towers - 3
- Airport transportation (surcharge)
- Designated smoking areas (fines apply)
- Number of bars/lounges - 2
- Full-service spa
- Swim-up bar
- Billiards or pool table
- Spa treatment room(s)
- Conference space
- Tours/ticket assistance
- Year Built 2008
- Coffee shop or café
- Free WiFi
- Pool sun loungers
- Steam room
- Sauna
- Babysitting or childcare (surcharge)
- Free wired Internet
- Smoke-free property
- Supervised childcare/activities (surcharge)
- Children's pool
- RV, bus, truck parking
- Area shuttle (surcharge)
- Spa services on site
- Breakfast available (surcharge)
- Number of restaurants - 5
- Conference space size (feet) - 2313
- Laundry facilities
- Spa tub
- Wedding services
- Garden
- Multilingual staff
Available in all rooms: Free WiFi
Available in some public areas: Free WiFi , Free wired Internet
Languages Spoken
- English
- Spanish
Free self parking, Free valet parking, RV, bus, truck parking
Room Amenities
- Premium TV channels
- DVD player
- Premium bedding
- Hypo-allergenic bedding available
- Separate sitting area
- Furnished balcony or patio
- Access via exterior corridors
- Air conditioning
- Ceiling fan
- In-room climate control (air conditioning)
- Phone
- Refrigerator
- Minibar
- Coffee/tea maker
- Daily housekeeping
- Turndown service
- Designer toiletries
- Private bathroom
- Bathrobes
- Free toiletries
- Hair dryer
- Jetted bathtub
- In-room massage available
- Slippers
- Separate bathtub and shower
- Desk
- Iron/ironing board
- Satellite TV service
- Flat-panel TV
- Free WiFi
- In-room safe (laptop compatible)
- Blackout drapes/curtains
- Number of bathrooms -
- Connecting/adjoining rooms available
- iPod docking station
- Room service (limited hours)
- Egyptian-cotton sheets
- Pillowtop mattress
Where to Eat
Buffet breakfasts are available for a surcharge and are served each morning between 6:30 AM and 11 AM.
Tres Cascadas - This restaurant serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Guests can order drinks at the bar and enjoy alfresco dining (weather permitting). A children's menu is available. Open daily.
Las Ventanas - This restaurant serves dinner only. Guests can enjoy drinks at the bar. A children's menu is available. Reservations are required. Open daily.
Ginger Sushi - This restaurant specializes in sushi and serves lunch and dinner. Guests can enjoy drinks at the bar. A children's menu is available. Open daily.
Room service (during limited hours) is available.
Nearby Things to Do
15 outdoor swimming pools are on site along with a children's pool. Other recreational amenities include a spa tub, a sauna, and a fitness center.
The recreational activities listed below are available either on site or nearby; fees may apply.
- Ecotours on site
- Fishing on site
- Water skiing nearby
- Safari nearby
- Parasailing nearby
- Hiking/biking trails on site
- Rock climbing nearby
- Horse riding/rental on site
- Hot springs on site
- Kayaking on site
- Windsurfing nearby
- Mountain biking on site
- Ziplining nearby
- Rafting on site
- Boat tours nearby
- Bicycle rentals on site
- Sailing nearby
- Scooter/moped rentals nearby
Spa Services
Sanctuary Spa has 6 treatment rooms including rooms for couples and outdoor treatment areas. Services include deep-tissue massages, hot stone massages, Swedish massages, and facials. A variety of treatment therapies are provided, including reflexology. The spa is equipped with hot springs/mineral springs, a sauna, and a steam room.
The spa is open daily.
- Number of treatment rooms 6
- Outdoor treatment areas
- Couples treatment rooms
- Manicures and pedicures
- Body wraps
- Body treatments
- Body scrubs
- Facial treatments
- Hot stone massage
- Deep tissue massage
- Swedish massage
- Sauna in spa
- Steam room in spa
- Reflexology
- Hot springs/mineral springs in spa
- Massages
If you have requests for specific accessibility needs, please note them at check-out when you book your room.
- Accessible bathroom
- In-room accessibility
Hotel Policies
Check-in time starts at 3:30 PM
Minimum check-in age is 18
Special check-in instructions:
Check-out time is 11:30 AM
Payment types
Children and extra beds
- Children are welcome.
- Pets not allowed (service animals welcome)
You need to know
Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy.
Optional extras
- Breakfast fee: between CRC 9000 and CRC 11500 for adults, CRC 5200 and CRC 6700 for children (approximately)
- Airport shuttle fee: CRC 90100 per vehicle (one way)
Hotel Name
- Arenal Springs
- Arenal Springs Resort
- Springs Resort Arenal Monterrey
- Springs Arenal Fortuna
- Springs Arenal Monterrey
- Springs Resort Arenal Fortuna
- Springs Resort Arenal La Fortuna
- Springs Arenal La Fortuna
We should mention
This property offers transfers from the airport (surcharges may apply). Guests must contact the property with arrival details before travel, using the contact information on the booking confirmation. Reservations are required for massage services and spa treatments. Reservations can be made by contacting the resort prior to arrival, using the contact information on the booking confirmation. The property has connecting/adjoining rooms, which are subject to availability and can be requested by contacting the property using the number on the booking confirmation.


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QT-RK-SXS Traxter : Side by Side Road Legal Kit for Can-am Traxter
£ 347.99 inc VAT | € 431.51 inc VAT | $ 443.68
Our Can-Am Defender UTV road legal kit can be used for agricultural registration of Can-Am defender side by sides.
The kit contains a dashboard mounted hazard switch and horn push and an illuminated dashboard indicator switch.
We also include a warning lamp to indicate that the indicators are flashing
Also included are 4 x 20mm flush mount indicators for the front and side, 2 sidelights and 36mm flush mount indicators for the rear
The front indicators mount in the bodywork next to the factory fitted headlamp which conforms to all the EU regulations.
To complete the conversion a horn, indicator relay and numberplate lamp (are included in the kit.
Don't get caught out. No-matter what you are told, if you use a 4 wheeled vehicle on a road that can do more than 15mph, a speedometer and lighting kit is required.
Connection is easy. Only 5 wires! 2 wires to the ignition key, 2 into the tail light and a negative.
Our premium quality kits are:
Our kits can be fitted by franchised dealers, or are available for end user fit.
Related Products
No Related Products


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It Was Real and it Was Fun…But it's Done
9/24/10 Giants vs Rockies Game One
Weather: 80 degrees, clear
Wind: 4 mph, R to L
Att: 49,071
Ok, I'm where I'm supposed to be at the time I'm supposed to be there.(Starbucks pre-game hav'n a coffee to wake up and blogg'n).
I was rock'n to the same music I always play on my drive to Coors.
You know…Mojo music.
My routine is exactly as it should be and I expect the same from the Rockies.
By that I mean, it's a Friday home game at Coors Field and it's fireworks night. There's probably a sold out crowd or damn close.
Rockies…Do what you do best and pump us out a weekend of wins. Give us some glimmer of hope.
I know the D-Backs put a hurt'n on all of you the last three nights. I bet that's still fresh in your heads.
Return the favor and lets show the Giants what we do at Coors Field to visitors with a whole lot to lose.
I wanna see some attitude. I know it's there because I've seen it many times this season. That Rocky mountain swagger baby.
I refuse at this point to give up. Mathematically it's possible and I believe we'll all know the Rockies destiny tonight.
Let's take the Giants down a few notches. Let tonight's fireworks celebration be for a huge win instead of the beginning of the last week meaningless games. I love me some baseball but it not as much fun live when it's for not.
Rockies don't go out like chumps…
Never Surrender…Just become a season ender.
I'm head'n to Jackson's Hole to meet up with a buddy. Then it's time to go snag some baseballs and take some pictures.
I'm sitt'n at forty-fve baseballs for the season and I'll be attending three more games. Wonder if I can hit fifty?
Stay tuned…"D"
Today I was hang'n with my friend Dana and his girlfriend Kerri. We were third, fourth and fifth through the Rockpile gates but in reality we should have taken our time.
The batting cages were out on the field but the Rockies were not. Also at the game today was my friend Giant Todd and his family. They were doing their part and cheering on the Giants.
The Giants had the grassy part Coors Field all to themselves and took full advantage of it.
The first people I noticed as I arrived at my spot were super Rockies fans Gary X, his wife, and Alannah X. Also in attendance today was master photographer Mike(no relation to the X family although he and Gary X do have a slight beardy resemblance 🙂 ).
The X-Family were set on gett'n some autographs today and headed over to the Rockies dugout as soon as that part of the stadium opened up.
Here's a shot of Dana and Kerri.
As I was geting situated I looked over to my right and standing beside me was looong time Rant Regular Missy. It had been a long time since I had seen Missy and It was nice to see her at a Rockies game actually watching it instead of working it.
Missy is a long time Rockies employee, HUGE Rockies fan, memorabilia collector, and just a cool lady..
Missy my friend it was great to see you again and thank you for hang'n around the Rockpile Rant for as long as you have…I really appreciate it.
I tried to catch a BP ball for her but I was shutout…So much for reaching fifty.
Here's your Colorado Rockies pre-game.
Ubaldo walked over to the fans and just started signing. I swear he was out there autographing stuff for a good twenty minutes. Ubaldo's cool like that.
Jorge was out there sharing some sharpie luv too.
Todd Helton flashing me the Ranter sign..Yeah!
First pitch of the game.
Chacin pitched a helluva game despite the Rockies loss. I can't wait to see what Cha-Ching will bring next season.
Eric Young Jr…Doing what he does best.
Props to EY..He delivered the hit that scored Seth Smith providing the Rockies only run of the evening.
The Freak…Say what you want…The dude was money tonight.
In the 7th inning Burrell swings, connects and hits a two run homer. That was all it took.
It's always exciting when Giambi is at bat. Check out this video.
Folks extremely amped up on the field gett'n ready for the Fireworks show.
Two-Stepp'n on Coors Field
More proof that white people can't dance.
The finale.
As always the Rockies put on a fantastic fireworks show..Thank you!!
Queen Geri..Thanks for watching the fireworks with me in the grass my friend. Mike nice hang'n with you too brotha.
Remember my nice email to the Rockies about Fantasy Camp?
I finally was able to get ahold of Jason Flemming. Jason works for the Rockies as the Director of Promotions & Special Events. Jason called me a few days ago and left a message about the email I had sent to the Rockies.
You know, my email asking the Rockies if they would consider sponsoring me at Rockies Fantasy camp so I could first hand blog about the experience.
I was politely informed that the Rockies don't really do anything like that. That was a bit of a surprise.
I believe the total cost for five days of Rockies Fantasy Camp is $4300.00
The sad part is that for no cost to the Rockies whatsoever they could have offered to let me attend camp just as a blogger. I could blog about the whole experience by being there and talking to other fantasy campers not actually participating but documenting.
Shoot, I don't even need the personalized jersey they have for made for you, I've got my own.
Allowing me to wander Hi-Corbett, take pictures and talk to people would in reality cost them nothing?
At the time I've posted this entry the Rockies season is officially over. I had tickets to the last two games but I'm dealing with back and leg issues and walking and standing for long periods isn't a good thing right for me now. Catching baseballs just isn't happening
It's been fun and honor and privledge to blog for you…. "The Rant Regulars"
I'm not sure about next season…???
I guess I need to to sit back and look ponder some things aka…The Off Season.
From the bottom of my heart folks thank you for reading my Rockies blog and for helping the "Rockpile Rant" become the Rockies number one fan blog for the last three seasons.
I'm "D" The Rockpile Ranter…
Instead of a baseball, toss me a bone, I promise you I won't miss it…"D"


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"Media Is Everything. It's Everything."
Slate's 2010 profile of Andrew Breitbart.
Andrew Breitbart, conservative commentator and founder of the websites Big Government, Big Media, and Big Journalism, died unexpectedly early Thursday morning at the age of 43. As Slate's David Weigel reports," I chatted with Breitbart on Saturday, in Michigan, where he was giving a speech to an Americans for Prosperity conference, and he was as hyped-up and funny as I'd ever seen him." In 2010, Christopher Beam profiled Breitbart. The article is reprinted below.
The first time I saw Andrew Breitbart, he was publicly insulting a reporter. "Kate Zernike of the New York Times, are you in the room?" he asked the crowd. "Are you in the room?" Heads turned. Apparently not. "You're despicable," Breitbart said. "You're a despicable human being."
Zernike's offense: an item posted on a Times blog in which she said a speaker at the Conservative Political Action Conference, where Breitbart was also speaking, had mocked President Obama in "racial tones" by adopting a "Chris Rock voice." Breitbart disagreed. "She's the one that correlated his voice to Chris Rock. He happens to be from Brooklyn! He's using his voice!" Laughter and applause. "This is what these creeps do," Breitbart said. "I'm sick of having cocktails with them. I'm now at war with them. No more cocktails."
Ritual denunciations of the mainstream media, as well as personal invective, are not uncommon at CPAC. (It's where Ann Coulter famously insinuated that John Edwards was gay.) Even so, Breitbart stands out. Conservative figures may rail against the media, but they rarely call out reporters by name. They rely on those reporters, after all. It's one thing to toss fans some vague media-bashing red meat. It's another to deliberately alienate individual journalists in terms usually reserved for murder trials.
In the past year Andrew Breitbart has gone from Internet famous—for years he served as Matt Drudge's second-in-command, then in 2005 he helped found the Huffington Post—to famous famous. Now, with a budding eponymous Internet empire of his own, he's using it to inflame the left, one bilious, apoplectic, vein-popping, pseudo-comedic rant at a time. The hard part is figuring out who the joke is on.
Since January 2009, Breitbart has launched three Web sites—Big Hollywood, Big Government, and Big Journalism—each a conservative critique of their respective industries. Big Hollywood broke the story that got a flack for the National Endowment for the Arts tossed from the Obama administration. Big Government posted the now-famous videos that showed two young conservatives, James O'Keefe and Hannah Giles, entering several offices of the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, better known as ACORN, posing as a pimp and a prostitute looking to open a brothel for underage, illegal immigrant girls.
Meanwhile, Breitbart's face and voice—a younger John Lithgow who sounds like Rush Limbaugh if he surfed—are everywhere, at least in the conservative media. He's a regular on Fox News. He has guest-hosted Dennis Miller's radio show and does frequent spots on Hannity. His sparring match with MSNBC's David Shuster in January, after O'Keefe was arrested for entering Sen. Mary Landrieu's New Orleans office under false pretenses in what the FBI claimed was a phone tampering scheme, introduced him to liberals as that guy who yells even more than Chris Matthews. His Twitter feed, meanwhile, is a dutiful liveblog of his unfiltered brain firings. "I've never met a person as depraved as Eric Boehlert," Breitbart tweeted one night at 2 a.m., referring to his vocal critic at the liberal watchdog group Media Matters for America. "What a sickening variant of the human form. His mother must throw up thinking of him." Breitbart also enjoys retweeting his critics' most derisive comments. This recent message is typical: "RT @ johnandrewwalsh: RT @ andrewbreitbart I am positively DRENCHED in semen!" At any given moment, the odds that Andrew Breitbart is emitting words are roughly 9 in 10.
Breitbart is a pundit scientifically calibrated to piss off liberals. By Saturday morning, after his speech in the main hall at CPAC, Breitbart is trailing flipcams. Most of them are toted by liberal journalists looking to grill him on ACORN. Breitbart gladly submits. "Are you insane?" he asks Salon's Mike Madden. "Why don't you care about ACORN?" "Fuck. You. John. Podesta," he intones, leaning over to speak directly into a reporter's notebook as if it were a microphone. (Podesta, president of the liberal Center for American Progress, also sits on ACORN's Advisory Council.) He calls The Nation's Max Blumenthal, who criticized O'Keefe for attending a panel with a white supremacist, "the most despicable life form I've ever seen." (Watch clips here, here, here, here, and here, or the Slate V compilation below.) The videos serve as the ultimate Breitbart Rorschach test. To the left, they expose Breitbart once and for all as a blubbering, red-faced freakazoid. To the right, they're the testimony of a telegenic hero finally standing up to the liberal media.
For Breitbart, bringing down the mainstream media isn't just a crusade. It's practically a civil rights issue—only more fun. He considers himself a journalist-slash-entertainer, an Edward R. Murrow by way of the Merry Pranksters. What makes him different is that he's offensive in every sense of the word. "My entire business model is to go on offense," he said. "They don't like our aggressiveness." He knows how he's seen by the liberal establishment. "They want to portray me as crazy, unhinged, unbalanced. OK, good, fine. Fuck you. Fuck you. Fuck you."
As media criticism, it's not subtle. But then, neither is Andrew Breitbart. As a six-word corporate motto, however—a kind of elevator pitch for the whole Breitbart enterprise—it is genius. As long as his message is getting through, Breitbart doesn't care if you think he's an asshole. Assholes get attention.
"Media is everything. It's everything." It was the first night of CPAC, and Breitbart was having a heart-to-heart with O'Keefe at an after party at Morton's Steakhouse in Washington.
When O'Keefe first approached Breitbart with a handful of ACORN videos over the summer, Breitbart plotzed. But his enthusiasm didn't come from wanting to expose ACORN. "That was James and Hannah's bugaboo," he said. Breitbart wanted to expose the media. "When they came to me, I told them, 'You don't understand, you're about to prove my thesis,' " he said. He knew the mainstream media would resist covering the story, so he formulated a strategy to force them to cover it.
The idea was simple: Post the videos one at a time. Never say how many videos there are altogether. And space them out in such a way that ACORN's inevitable backtracking would be contradicted by future videos. It worked. The first video posted on Sept. 10. After the second video went up, ACORN CEO Bertha Lewis said that O'Keefe and Giles's ruse had failed at several other ACORN offices, including in New York. The next day, Big Government posted the New York video. It turned out the pair had not been thrown out at all. They had been instructed to, among other things, bury their sex money in a tin in their back yard.
The New York Times did cover the story. But only after Congress had already voted to rescind federal funds from ACORN. The paper's tardiness earned it a slap on the wrist from its ombudsman, Clark Hoyt. Breitbart's main beef, though, is that the Times didn't cover ACORN—it covered the coverage. The reporter, Scott Shane, treated the videos and ACORN's response as a political spat between two warring factions, rather than as an exposé of corruption that merited further digging.
Of course, it's the prerogative of the Times to decide what's published in the Times. Maybe it just didn't think the ACORN scandal was that big a deal. (Shane said as much to Hoyt.)Plus, when the publication breaking the news is itself fresh-faced and unproven, as Big Government was, the big dogs are always skeptical. Breitbart doesn't buy it. "It's one of the biggest stories ever," he says, comparing it to Watergate and Abu Ghraib. "It's a big-ass story."
Nor do ethical objections persuade him. By Times standards, the ACORN story was ill-gotten. The Times doesn't allow its reporters to misrepresent themselves. Why would it follow up on a story by a news organization that does? Breitbart dismisses this as pointy-headed Columbia Journalism School twaddle: "If Blackwater said, 'We know who raped those Iraqi girls, but we covered that up,' and somebody got an internship at Blackwater and exposed them, do you think they'd be asking whether the person got the internship under illegitimate means? … This is what journalists do. They get the story."
The best measurement of the ACORN videos' impact may be the lengths to which Breitbart's opponents have gone to discredit them. Follow the back-and-forth closely, and you'll quickly find yourself deep down a rabbit hole of charges, countercharges, and counter-countercharges over such details as whether O'Keefe went into ACORN's offices dressed as a pimp or in business casual. (Answer: business casual. But critics say the credits montage used in each video, in which he wears a fur jacket and sunglasses, intentionally misleads viewers. They also fault the normally correction-obsessed Breitbart for failing to correct news stories that misreported that O'Keefe wore the pimp costume all along.)
To Breitbart, what O'Keefe was wearing is beside the point. What matters is the behavior of the ACORN employees. Still, to placate his critics, Breitbart has offered to release the complete, unedited video footage—but only if Boehlert or Podesta agrees to watch it with him in public, followed by a Q&A. (Breitbart has already released the complete transcripts and audio.) Breitbart knows they won't take him up on the offer. But that's the point: His job is to extend the story. To drag it out as long as he can. That's why he won't just release the full videos online. "Because no one would cover it," Breitbart said. "Now the more they come after me, the bigger the story gets, the more the pressure builds. … I'm admitting it publicly: I'm fucking with you."
Put another way, he advocates fiercely for his stories. He waged a long-running war with the Washington Post, for example, over its inaccurate description of the charges against O'Keefe. (The results of his efforts can be seen at the top of this piece.) He urges other conservatives to tape their conversations with reporters, in case they get misquoted. "I will skullfuck anyone who misrepresents what I say," he said.
Journalistic objectivity isn't impossible, per Breitbart. It's just extremely rare. "I've met many journalists who impress me with their ability to play it straight," he said. "I think they're the exception to the rule." Most journalists will claim to be objective. But "out of the other side of mouth, they say they got into it because of social justice and economic equality. It's obviously a contradiction."
Is there any publication he considers objective? "Playboy," he said.
Breitbart wasn't always conservative. He wasn't even always a Breitbart. He was adopted at 3 weeks old in 1969 by Gerald and Arlene Breitbart, who raised him in Brentwood, an upscale neighborhood in Los Angeles. His father owned a restaurant, his mother was a banker—which by Brentwood standards made them working class. His sister, Tracey, a year younger, was also adopted, as were many of his friends. "Adoption was a big thing before Roe v. Wade," he said. "Trust me on that one." (Breitbart said he once bribed someone in Sacramento $500 to show him his original birth certificate. His birth father had listed his occupation as "folk singer.")
His parents raised him Jewish—his mother converted in order to marry his father—but the faith didn't take. Especially when he realized Mom and Dad weren't exactly frum. One day, he fell and chipped his tooth. "I said, 'Jesus Christ,' and my mom said, 'Don't use the Lord's name in vain.' I was like, 'I'm Jewish, Jesus is not the Lord. I was just Bar Mitzvah'ed. You were there.' " When their rabbi defended Jesse Jackson after his "Hymietown" comment, the family left the synagogue. Breitbart remembers his upbringing as otherwise apolitical. But in 1980s Los Angeles, apolitical generally meant liberal by default. More important was celebrity culture. His friends' parents would send his parents pictures of themselves in Beverly Hills society magazines. "My dad would be like, 'Why are they sending us this?' "
Breitbart didn't do well at the Brentwood School, one of the top private schools in L.A. He was friends with most everyone in his class—"My sense of humor saved me"—but did not distinguish himself in academics or extracurricular activities. His football coach, Pat Brown, said he was always screwing up the plays: "Things like not knowing the assignment. Maybe hitting someone too late. I always said there's a fine line between aggressiveness and stupidity."
One of the first articles Breitbart ever published appeared in his high-school newspaper, the Brentwood Eagle, in 1986. It was an anthropological dissection of the school's senior and junior parking lots. One had Mercedes and BMWs, the other Sciroccos and GTIs. Breitbart needed a quote to support his thesis. So he made one up—and attributed it to the new kid from South Korea, Henry Sohn. Breitbart recalls it verbatim: "Seniors are having too much of nice car than juniors." "He loved it," Breitbart says. It was an epiphany. Not only did Breitbart enjoy writing—he found he could do it in a quirky, funny, politically incorrect way.
Breitbart kept writing in college. His first piece for the Tulane Hullaballoo was a field analysis of Tulane's most notoriously debauched hookup bar, complete with annotated floor diagrams and submitted on 19 cocktail napkins. "Then I started to descend into pure weirdness," Breitbart said. His articles were stream-of-consciousness brain dumps written on deadline. One recounted a bowling date with the fictional Ambassador Johnny Autrod DeBumperspoons. "He was ambassador to Chile," Breitbart said, "but he was also ambassador to Chili's the restaurant chain, and the ambassador to the sensation of being chilly."
College was also when Breitbart began to question liberalism—or at least its judgmental, humorless coastal variant. He'd come back home to Los Angeles to find friends skeptical of the South. "I said, 'You won't believe it, these are people who are actually normal, actually funnier than us, and they're not as uptight, it's really weird. They're not snobs.' And they're like, 'You're wrong about those people, they're ignorant and they're horrible.' So I go, 'There's something wrong with this picture.' "
For four years after college, Breitbart bounced from job to job, city to city. He waited tables at Hal's Bar and Grill near Venice Beach. He wrote for an alternative music magazine, which allowed him to interview bands he loved—Crowded House, The Church, The The. He moved to Austin for a year. He coded briefly for E! Online.
He'd always wanted to write comedy (dream job: writing jokes for Chris Elliott), so he went to work for a production company. It didn't go well. Part of it was the material. One supposedly big break for him was an offer to develop Valley Girl 2. "I remember being like, 'Wait, is this not the worst fucking idea you've ever heard of?' " The other part was the crowd. "The people who come to L.A. saw Beverly Hills, 90210 or a variation on that theme, and so that's how they act there. Or they see Entourage. So you have bad actors coming to Hollywood bad-acting the part of what they think Hollywood is like. So you have really insecure people in a non-meritocracy where it's all about your relationships, who are vicious backstabbers, who don't think you should be dating somebody. It's like an orgy of people climbing over each other to stick it into the next orifice."
Breitbart first met Susie Bean at a karaoke bar in 1988. He'd heard about her from their mutual friend, Mike, who phoned Breitbart at Tulane to tell him that he'd met Breitbart's future wife. When he and Susie landed back in Los Angeles four years later, they bonded over their shared appreciation of Chris Elliott's genius. Breitbart was nearly as smitten with Susie's father, the actor Orson Bean, as he was with Susie. And vice versa. "I was very taken with him," said Bean. A former liberal who had been blacklisted as a Communist in the 1950s, Bean was also the person who introduced Breitbart to Rush Limbaugh. Breitbart spotted a copy of The Way Things Ought To Be on the coffee table. "I said, 'Did you read this for giggles?' " Breitbart said. "He said, 'Have you listened to Rush?' I said, 'Yeah, he's a Nazi or something.' He goes, 'Are you sure you've listened to him?' " When Breitbart's favorite radio station started playing grunge—which he despised—he flipped to talk radio instead. "At first it was like a foreign language to me. But over time, it started to make sense."
That was around the time of the Clarence Thomas Supreme Court confirmation hearings, to which Breitbart traces his politicization. He was a liberal then. But watching Ted Kennedy and Senate Democrats accuse Thomas of sexually harassing Anita Hill broke the needle on his hypocrisy meter. "These white, privileged men knew that by taking this conservative, religious man and asking him if he rented pornography, the mere exposure of that would hurt. … I was so pissed off. You guys are just trying to ruin him. You don't have anything." The Clinton presidency further stoked his rage. "Bill Clinton comes in, and his entire M.O. is mowing down as much trim as he can. … Yet the feminists ignored Bill Clinton and they excoriated Clarence Thomas. That's everything to me."
Professionally, Breitbart struggled. "I was like, 'Please God—and I'm not religious—please God, give me something that I'm passionate about. Because I cannot do something well that I'm not passionate about.' "
In 1995, Breitbart started reading Matt Drudge's e-mail newsletter, then called, simply, Report. It wasn't a Web site yet—just a mix of Hollywood gossip, Clinton Whitewater news, and extreme weather. Breitbart was impressed enough to send Drudge a note. Drudge lived in Hollywood at the time, and they arranged a meeting. Breitbart soon started working for Drudge. He doesn't like to talk about that period, citing Drudge's desire for privacy. "He's a mysterious dude. And I grant him that mystery."
What we do know is that the Drudge Report was not a cash cow—at least not at first. (Drudge started running ads in 1999.) So while Breitbart had found his dream job, it wasn't feeding him. Breitbart eventually became known as Drudge's second-in-command—or, as he put it, "Drudge's bitch." Drudge would aggregate and post headlines in the morning; Breitbart would take the afternoon shift.
It was Drudge who introduced Breitbart to Arianna Huffington, then a conservative syndicated columnist, who hired Breitbart as her research assistant. "Arianna was my Mr. Miyagi," Breitbart said. "She turned me from a slacker into a hyperproductive person." Breitbart originally thought he'd be doing Web design for her. But it quickly became clear he would be her researcher—sometimes up to 16 hours a day. "I was like, what did I sign up for?"
In retrospect, that Breitbart discovered his two loves simultaneously—politics and the Internet—seems miraculous. So does the timing. Breitbart was able to embrace the Web only because he had drifted for so long. "All my other friends were committed, whether it be law school, medical school," he said. "I had zero to lose. So I was like, This is it. I'm doing it."
Some say the Internet is changing the way our brains work. Whatever that way is, Breitbart's ADD-addled brain was already there. "I have a very good memory. I'm also good at connecting things together. That allowed me to make outrageous cockamamie narratives. To be able to apply that to the newsworld, that was it."
Breitbart stuck with Drudge for the good part of a decade. In 1997, he and Susie got married in Orson Bean's backyard garden on the Venice canals in Los Angeles. Their first of four children, Samson, was born two years later. Breitbart took on side projects. In 2004, he co-produced a documentary about the death of Vince Foster that was slated to appear on the History Channel but never ran. That same year, he co-authored a book with the journalist Mark Ebner about the absurdity of celebrity culture, Hollywood, Interrupted. (The book is dedicated to "Benjamin Geza Affleck.")
Along the way, Breitbart eased into a new role as curator, connector, and booster of the right. Especially in Hollywood. He became a regular at the monthly gathering of L.A. writers and pundits at the Japanese restaurant Yamashiro. He befriended Ann Coulter. He would later introduce Steven Soderbergh's agent-turned-right-wing-documentarian Pat Dollard to financial backers for his film about Iraq. "I'm the Simon Cowell of the conservative movement," Breitbart said. "You've got talent, you don't."
After the 2004 election, Breitbart got a call from Huffington. She wanted to talk about starting a Web site. Breitbart no longer worked for her—he had moved to Drudge full time in 1999, and Huffington had since become a devout liberal—but they were still friends. At Huffington's request, Breitbart said, he drew up the plan that eventually became the Huffington Post. "It was basically my idea," Breitbart recalled. (Though the name, he said, came from his wife. Arianna initially wanted to call it the Huffington Report). "I was basically the architect and they were the implementers."
A Huffington Post spokesman disputed Breitbart's account: "It's odd that five years after HuffPost launched, Andrew Breitbart is now claiming he 'created the Huffington Post.' Whatever. Success has many fathers, right? Arianna Huffington and Ken Lerer created the Huffington Post. Andrew helped get it up and running, as did Jonah Peretti and Roy Sekoff. It was a team effort. But Andrew didn't come up with the idea."
Breitbart was brought on full time in the months leading up to the site's launch. The plan was to have Huffington oversee the blogs—the site relied on celebrity screeds more than it does now—while Breitbart would handle the news aggregation. Kenneth Lerer, a former AOL Time Warner executive vice president who would become chairman of Huffington Post, shuttled between the news and business sides.
Breitbart said he knew that working at a liberal site would produce conflict—within himself, as much as with others. But the opportunity to do something new and influential was too tempting. "I didn't want to exist in Drudge's shadow in perpetuity," he said. "And by helping Arianna create the Huffington Post and making it a success, I felt it would allow for people to say, 'Oh, this guy kind of understands this milieu.' " The Huffington Post, meanwhile, could brag that it had stolen the secret sauce from Drudge.
Once the site launched, Breitbart lasted three weeks. "Editorial differences to the nth degree" is how he characterizes the breakup. Breitbart was nominally in charge of aggregation. But he had thought that while the opinion blogs would be mostly liberal, he could bring in some conservative voices. This turned out not to be the case. He was also asked to take a larger role in the site's day-to-day operations than he had expected.
Political tensions sometimes blended with personal ones. Lerer in particular chafed at Breitbart's style. He didn't like the headlines Breitbart wrote. The time difference between New York and Los Angeles also created conflict. Some days, 11 a.m. would roll around and the headline would be from the night before, to Lerer's dismay. "I think that the conflict was that Ken and I liked each other," Breitbart said. "I thought that I could convert Ken, and Ken thought he could convert me. And when both of us realized that wasn't going to happen, it was like, 'Oh, OK.' " As for Huffington: "Trust me, we've got one of the great awkward air-kiss relationships going."
"It was a difficult period with unpredictable results that in hindsight worked out for everyone," Breitbart said. "I'm happy Arianna has the Huffington Post." Not to be misunderstood, he added: "Let it be known that I seethe with contempt for 90 percent of what appears on that site."
Breitbart's next move, in August 2005, was Breitbart.com. The idea was quietly brilliant. Before, when news broke, the Drudge Report would link to wire stories hosted by, say, the Washington Post or the Los Angeles Times. Those sites would thus get huge amounts of traffic for content they paid for but didn't produce. Breitbart.com simply aggregated all the wire services—Associated Press, Reuters, Agence France-Presse, UPI, and others—in one place. So whenever Drudge linked to a wire story, he would link to Breitbart.com. The site has since produced a steady income. "It allows for me to have a middle-class to upper-middle-class life in Los Angeles," Breitbart said. "Probably the lifestyle of a backup catcher." (Brad Ausmus, a backup catcher for the Dodgers, made $1 million in 2009.)
Breitbart now lives in a triple-decker house on a hill in the neighborhood of Westwood, near where he grew up. He's got art on the walls—including an original Solidarity poster he found for $2,000—and a small basketball court out back. For years, the house doubled as his office. When the three Big sites were gearing up to launch in 2009, his colleagues piled into his basement. The kids would run in and out. They'd hold meetings at the dining room table.
This arrangement became too much, particularly for Susie, who had to take care of the kids in the middle of a daily political circus. (Their cat had to be relocated to Bean's house due to stress.) So Breitbart leased some office space in Santa Monica. The workplace consists of four rooms and two cubicles. "Isn't this so weird I have an office?" Breitbart says. It's the first time in 15 years.
"I have two speeds," Breitbart likes to say. "Humor and righteous indignation." It's meant to be self-deprecating. But it's also the secret to his effectiveness. When anyone dismisses Breitbart as a loon, he comes back at them with moral fury. When they threaten to pin him down in an argument, he wriggles free with a joke.
Or he simply changes the subject. Breitbart doesn't pretend to care about policy. "Have you ever seen me on TV? I always change the subject to the media context. It's my monkey trick. It's what I do." (His clash with David Shuster is a valuable case study.)
Breitbart thus occupies a weird space in the media universe. He claims no expertise. "It's like when people are like, 'What do you think we should do on health care?' I don't fucking have a clue. It's too complicated for me." (This does not prevent Breitbart from doing Fox News hits about health care.) He doesn't prognosticate, either. "I don't want to be a guy who's simply processing the best of Charles Krauthammer and Mark Steyn and coming up with my formulated hodgepodge that is a synthesis of what the experts are saying. So I defer to them."
Breitbart likes to think of himself as the big-picture guy. Sure, he can be the doofus who rubs his nipples and snorts red wine powder. But when it comes to substance, every discussion is panoramic. He talks culture as much as politics. Change the way people think, goes his argument, and you'll change the policies they support. "I'm trying to shift the focus of conservative movement from the narrow—the policy—to a much higher elevation, granting them a greater perspective." He's all about unified theory. That's why he can transition naturally from Obama ("a joyless PC freak") to ACORN to Bill Clinton to Clarence Thomas to Hollywood to political correctness to the New York Times before finally settling on why Sarah Palin should skip the presidency and just become "red-state Oprah." It's the upside of Breitbart's ADD.
Breitbart traces everything he despises about cultural liberalism to his college days. "When I told my parents I was an American studies major, they were like, 'That's fantastic! Did you read Mark Twain?' 'No, I didn't.' 'What did you read?' 'Marcuse, Adorno, Horkheimer, Michel Foucault.' 'They don't sound American!' 'They're not.' " Luckily, recalls Breitbart, "I was too drunk to be completely indoctrinated by it."
He also resents being lectured about multiculturalism, in part because of his upbringing. He's Irish-American by blood. His sister is Hispanic. Their father is Jewish. Their mother was born Midwestern Protestant. "That's why I hate this multicultural shit," Breitbart said. "You're not gonna tell me my sister and I are different because we're not blood."
The advantage of coming from the left, however, is that Breitbart knows the left, which enables him to use the left's language and tropes against it. Rachel Maddow isn't just wrong. "She believes in a poststructural model in which she's a lesbian progressive activist first and an American fifth, sixth." Maureen Dowd doesn't just make fun of Dick Cheney. She creates a "Republican other." Eric Boehlert doesn't just falsely misrepresent Breitbart's views. "He takes text and deconstructs it and then makes false accusations based upon the most ridiculous readings." I asked Breitbart whether the appropriation is intentional. "I'm saying that with a grain of irony," he said. "You gave me these tools, I'm going to use them back against you."
Meanwhile, he and O'Keefe explicitly acknowledge their debt to Chicago activist and community organizer Saul Alinsky. O'Keefe told the New York Post in September that he had been inspired by Alinsky's Rules for Radicals, particularly the lesson that "ridicule is man's most potent weapon." He said he wanted to expose the "absurdities of the enemy by employing their own rules and language." That could mean testing the limits of ACORN's willingness to help unsavory characters get loans. Or it could be as simple as pointing out that Max Blumenthal has a booger hanging from his nose.
The willingness to be ridiculous is something Breitbart has on his critics. When Media Matters finds a discrepancy in one of Breitbart's stories, it calls him out for breach of journalistic ethics. "He's a pathological liar," Boehlert says. "These people are almost incapable of telling the truth." When Breitbart finds an error, he trots out Retracto, the Correction Alpaca.
Another advantage is Breitbart's readiness to go to the mat over minutiae. Most public figures, when facing an attack on their integrity, make a mental calculation. Do I respond and dignify the attacker? Or do I let it go? Breitbart always fires back—sometimes unnecessarily. "Just because you can retweet everything about yourself and every inch of your scorched earth crusade doesn't mean you should," said Breitbart acquaintance and Mother Jones Washington bureau chief David Corn.
A formative moment for Breitbart the pugilist was his appearance on Bill Maher last March. Among Maher, guest Michael Eric Dyson, and the audience, Breitbart was taking it from all sides. Yet at the end of the show, he felt energized. "I kind of like getting hit," he said. "The adrenaline is running. Bring it on."
In a bygone era, Breitbart's manner—the shouting matches, the nipple rubbing, the 2 a.m. tweets about his enemies' mothers—would be considered a career killer for any aspiring media mogul. Yet Breitbart's career shows no signs of collapsing. His success instead is testament to a new era in which sobermindedness is no longer a requirement for influence. "I can't fire me," Breitbart likes to say. Yet his opponents seem to think that cogent arguments will somehow drive him away. "They think they can take me down, that they can hurt me," says Breitbart. "It just makes me bigger."
Breitbart made his career piggybacking on the work of the mainstream media at the Drudge Report. Now he's one its most vocal critics. The paradox is nothing new—new media have always depended on old media as both a source and foil—but it's still a paradox. "I've said I have a dysfunctional relationship with the mainstream media," Breitbart said. "It was a dance. You're getting traffic from us. We're helping you into this transparent new media age."
Breitbart's goal is to eliminate the paradox altogether. There's a maxim that Breitbart wants to be "the Arianna Huffington of the right." Nonsense, he said. "I'd rather be the Ted Turner of the right." The analogy is one of scale as much as politics. He doesn't just want to be a parasite and critic of the mainstream media. He wants to displace it.
Breitbart's model currently combines aggregation with commentary and original reporting—a kind of right-wing Huffington Post but uglier and less comprehensive, albeit with far fewer costs. The investigative portion, according to his plan, will snowball. Big Government has posted other stories in the James O'Keefe mold. In one, a young woman films herself seeking help at an Alabama Planned Parenthood clinic while claiming to be a 14-year-old impregnated by a 35-year-old man, to see if the organization would report a statutory rape to authorities. (It didn't, and after an investigation, the clinic was put on probation.) The aggregation, meanwhile, will get more sophisticated.
Frugality is key. Breitbart says all the "Big" sites are self-sustaining, thanks in part to low overhead. They pay salaries to eight people total: one editor per site; a chief technology officer; plus Breitbart; his associate editor, Alex; and his childhood friend and business partner Larry Solov. Hannah Giles is newly on staff. Bloggers don't get paid. (O'Keefe was paid a lump sum, as opposed to a regular salary, for telling his ACORN story on Big Government.) Solov said the sites get more than 10 million unique visitors and about 40 million page views every month. Breitbart.com is still the biggest traffic magnet, with about 5 million uniques and 15 million page views per month thanks largely to Drudge links, followed by Big Government, which rates about 1.75 million uniques and 8 million page views, according to Solov. (The independent traffic analysis site Quantcast estimates that Breitbart.com attracts 3.2 million unique visitors per month. Compete puts it at 1.3 million, with BigGovernment in the hundreds of thousands.) Each new site launches when the old ones become self-sustaining, Solov said. Just last week, they paid off a $25,000 loan from Breitbart's parents that helped launch Big Government.
Other sites are in the works. Next up is Big Peace, a site dedicated to national security news. Big Education and Big Tolerance—sites dealing with liberal bias in academia and homosexuality from a conservative angle, respectively—will probably come after.
Breitbart promises more prank videos in the near future. (The next stunt targets Housing and Urban Development offices in Detroit and Chicago, as well as the Detroit Free Press, as Wired has reported.) He enjoys creating suspense, but also finds it silly. When he suggested on Greg Gutfeld's show Red Eye that he would take down the institutional left "in the next three weeks," the Twitterverse mockingly dubbed it #breitbartocalypse. "I used to say something and no one would care," Breitbart said. "Now I say something and the left freaks out."
As if he needed more platforms, Breitbart got more than $500,000 for his upcoming book, Thinking Big. Part memoir, part intellectual exposé of the "liberal matrix" from which a nation of Neos must free themselves, the book is essentially the Breitbart manifesto. "Books are so 2003," Breitbart said. "Books should only be written if you have something to say."
That doesn't seem to be a problem. A sampling from our conversations:
- "One thing I'd really like to do is in Manhattan, I'd rent a store front and we'd have a big vat of urine and put in Obama and call it Piss Obama. ..."
- "Mom: 'How's school?' 'Loving it.' 'How's that $30,000 a year going?' 'Oh man, I'm having a great time, thanks for sending me to college. It's really cheery stuff. I've read about raped black women in the South, there's women being used in [the] sex slave trade, men are really bad, and white men are even worse, and our Founding Fathers are a bunch of fucking fuckheads."
- "I don't care if Andrew Sullivan dreams of me as a bear. He could torture me and I'd allow for it."
- "You've gone to Hebrew school, you've gone to Auschwitz, you go, Never again, Never again. Then you go to Tulane and you go, Maybe never again. … Don't include that."
It all feels very freewheeling. And in many ways it is. The beauty of Andrew Breitbart is there's little standing between his overactive brain and his mouth. But over time, Breitbart's quips start to sound like talking points. I was delighted when he produced and read out loud a paragraph from the New York Times that supposedly captured the liberal world view he so despises. Then I heard him use it in a speech. It was hilarious when he punctuated his story about watching the Iran-Contra hearings with the line, "My takeaway was, 'Hey, isn't that Morgan Fairchild sitting in the front row?' " Then I saw he told the same joke to Lloyd Grove. I was interested to hear how he thought the Brentwood School administration was out to get him. Then I saw he told the same story to the Observer last year. If you created a drinking game around Andrew Breitbart and the phrases "noblesse oblige," "Democrat-media complex," "politics of personal destruction," "Frankfurt School," and "Fuck you, Eric Boehlert," you'd be wasted in minutes.
Breitbart says he didn't go into standup comedy because of the repetitiveness. "I don't think I can do it, because I don't think I can handle saying the same joke over and over," he told me. But being a pundit—even a relatively unfiltered, spontaneous, off-the-wall one—doesn't seem that different. It's a dilemma of which Breitbart is acutely aware. "I want to give you new stuff to write about," he told me more than once. But the quest for new material is itself exhausting. "Listening to myself answer questions about myself, I want to throw up," he said. "I'm like, enough already. I'm so fucking sick of me as a subject."
Occasionally, however, the performance stops. On Friday, the second day of CPAC, Breitbart got a phone call. Michael Walsh, the editor of Big Journalism, was in the hospital: a heart attack. The doctors had inserted a stent to keep the artery from clogging.
We were sitting at a small table in the hotel deli. "You wanna meet downer Andrew?" he said. He was picking at a fruit salad. Every few minutes, a piece of cantaloupe would slide down his fork and fall off. He would reskewer it until it fell off again. "It's a fundamental flaw in my psyche. I don't do well with death." Breitbart's father, now in failing health himself, once tried to explain death to him. It was 1979, Breitbart was 10, and the Yankees catcher Thurman Munson had just died. "I asked my dad what happened. He said he died. I didn't understand, but he didn't have a way to explain the finality." Later, he said, he remembers being crushed by the death of his dogs. When Breitbart was 24, his best friend was killed in a robbery. Breitbart never really dealt with it. "I think I've created a horrific buttress of protections because I was so devastated by the permanence of death as a child," he said later. "My ability to be emotive and cry … I think I'm so fearful of tapping that that I won't know how to turn it off."
"In D.C. I'm kind of Holly Golightly, not paying attention to the real world," he said. "This kind of sucked me back in."
CPAC had so far been a blur of handshakes, praise, promises of future collaboration. Breitbart said he found it flattering but also absurd. He still dreams, he said, of living in "a post-political world. I would love to have, like, a Thoreau sort of place. All I want is my mind to be removed of all this. It's nonstop. Just for two weeks at a time maybe." If there's anyone to blame, of course, it's Breitbart, who he helped create this hyperintense media world that he finds so exhausting.
Breitbart doesn't allow himself much time for reverie. Minutes later, he was back on his feet, signing programs and posing for photos. He had promised to introduce Giles at a youth event hosted by Stephen Baldwin. He used the spare moments before going onstage to sermonize into the camera of yet another liberal blogger. After the interview, the blogger turned his camera off and extended his hand to Breitbart. "What I will tell you is, I wish that I had your talent," he said. "Because somehow you rose from—what—nowhere, and you've got a very big voice right now. So to that extent, you're a kind of aspiration for me." Breitbart grinned, adding: "Emphasis on the ass!"


text:
Eric Firkey様は99designsでウェブページデザインコンペを開催しました。
Searchlighttech connects customers who are looking for hard to find computer equipment with vendors who have this equipment. Vendors post their inventories on Searchlighttech. Customers then find the parts they need through the search engines like google or yahoo.
There is no specific market for this webpage. About 4000 users visit this page a day and they are from all demographics. The only thing they have in common is that they are all looking for something related to computers.
The search results page that needs redesigning is http://www.searchlighttech.com/sear…art=A5595A We would like to have a fresh design for this page with some new design elements and possibly a new logo if you are very creative. Also, since this page is a search results page we would like the search results to be more prominent in the browser window without scrolling down. This page receives about 4,000 users a day so bandwidth is an issue and the overall page weight of the page should be optimized.
So in closing we would like to see the layout redesigned so that the search results are more prominent in the browser window without scrolling. And we would like a fresh look to the page without adding a lot of bandwidth to the page. Thank you for any effort you put into this for us.
The following link shows my attempt at this url http://www.searchlighttech.com/test…part=A3398
However, this should be redesigned to give the search results section a little more pop maybe by adding a 3d-ish look to it. The blue from the search results section doesn't match well with the top blue purple area either.


text:
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Illustration Friday - Ripple
162 comments:
- Amalia K said...
AMAZING!!! Yes, yes, you go scrub away all the filthy oil off that poor, poor pelican! This is such a sweet and wonderful image, my dear Bella. You keep outdoing yourself with these fantastic ideas... ((HUGS))
- June 17, 2010 at 5:12 PM
- Anne Huskey-Lockard said...
This is amazing Bella! It is so sweet but so poignant at the same time. (and I love the tub...it looks like it is going to trot right off!)
- June 17, 2010 at 5:15 PM
- Vanessa Brantley Newton said...
HOT DOG!!!!! I'm the first to leave a comment!!! Excuse me for screaming but I just have to. I'm doing the happy dance right now. I got here first. This is so cool and fabulous! This is awesome! I love it Bella! How befitting and fun, fun, FUN! I wish I had a bathtub like that one. I hope you designer people are checking out this boss tub with Octopus legs. I'd like one is white please. How wonderfully illustrated. Did you put this one up for sale? Gone in 10 seconds I bet HA!
Thanks so much for stopping by my friend.
Love you more than chocolate bacon bar! Oh yeah girl. It's dark chocolate and with apple smoked bacon pieces in it. The prefect salty and sweet! he he he he he! Love more than that!
- June 17, 2010 at 5:16 PM
- laughingwolf said...
i marvel at the extent of your imagination, m'dear friend, and am constantly delighted with each and every visit to see your new work!
brava... and may you continue to rock! :D
[i have an idea i'd like your feedback on, email in my profile]
- June 17, 2010 at 5:19 PM
- Robyn said...
It is me who wants to thank you!!!
Your work makes my heart sing.
love to you Bella
x Robyn
- June 17, 2010 at 5:24 PM
- Ces said...
- This comment has been removed by the author.
- June 17, 2010 at 5:28 PM
- Ces said...
Amazing what comes out of "shut" brains... I don't know what else to say... Ah yes, I have something to say: I don't know if I have ever told you how your illustrations affect me. I get so excited and and hyperactive like a little kid jumping up and down and clapping my hands. My heart beats so fast and heat rushes up to my neck and then I start commenting and it is such a letdown because I know I have to end my comment, then I feel so sad that I cannot continue writing... and keep on talking about how happy I am...
- June 17, 2010 at 5:29 PM
- Ces said...
- This comment has been removed by the author.
- June 17, 2010 at 5:30 PM
- Marie S said...
I come here because I can not get enough of your brilliant mind and sweet heart!
Seeing your illustrations makes me want to make them all in clay!!
I love you!
- June 17, 2010 at 5:36 PM
<3 <3 <3 <3
- June 17, 2010 at 5:37 PM
- Kathi said...
So sweet and so perfect! Another masterpiece!
- June 17, 2010 at 5:48 PM
- rachel awes said...
this is DARLING, bella!
rub a dub dub
big talent's in the tub!
(& a HUGE DEAR HEART!!).
love this! xo
- June 17, 2010 at 5:50 PM
- Carol Lawecki said...
Superb Bella!! I always enjoy my visits to your blog. Your creativity is endless!! Thank you for sharing your love of art with us!! ((Hugs))
- June 17, 2010 at 6:24 PM
- Andrew Finnie said...
Heh, just wonderful work again. The little details like the girls rubber hat ---- :)
- June 17, 2010 at 6:32 PM
- Jack Foster said...
No thank you Bella for allowing us to peek into your wonderfully creative and delightful world... and for stopping by and encouraging us/me. Your imagination is beyond compare... and your gift of illustration immeasurable! this is wonderful!
- June 17, 2010 at 6:55 PM
- aimee said...
bella babe, this needs to be in a book. can you imagine an entire story built around this drawing? i can! how did you get the tile so perfect? someone did a serious scrubbin' bubbles job on that!
p.s. can i nominate rachel awes for best comment award?
- June 17, 2010 at 7:06 PM
- Caroline said...
It is always such a pleasure to pop into your blog - there's always something delightful to view and read. This is so wonderful - it has to be one of my favourite Ripples! The best bit is that bath and it's purple legs!
- June 17, 2010 at 7:07 PM
- anil ks said...
..this is excellent bella..refreshing as always..great idea..
..thanks for your wonderful comments..
- June 17, 2010 at 7:19 PM
- Gai said...
how absolutely gorgeous.
- June 17, 2010 at 8:14 PM
- kj said...
thinking of you, bella, in this month of june. you are inspirational and amazing in so many ways.
- June 17, 2010 at 10:27 PM
- Ana said...
Love this :)
- June 17, 2010 at 11:16 PM
- FHNavarro said...
Ohhh, Sweet!! So so so cute!!
I love it!!
- June 17, 2010 at 11:27 PM
- justdoodleit said...
Nothing like a bubble bath to clean up the oily goo,
Works wonders for your skin and even pelicans too!
- June 18, 2010 at 12:49 AM
- Arija said...
Oh Bella, tha is so much more fun than a rubber ducky in the bath. Adorable octopus feet to the bath as well. You have certainly changed a rather difficult day into a mowt enjoyable one. Thank you so much.
Love, kisses, hugs and anything else you can think of....
- June 18, 2010 at 1:46 AM
- Merceria Barbagli said...
oooo wow! this pic is so great.
- June 18, 2010 at 1:53 AM
- theartofpuro said...
Wow!This illo is fantastic and the concept is amazing:)
- June 18, 2010 at 3:27 AM
- June said...
Totally charming :)
- June 18, 2010 at 3:50 AM
- Ces said...
I want that bathtub, and the tiles! Ugh, I need to clean hallway bathroom today. It has sea green walls, but no pelican.
Uh oh! Peli can! Yes she can!
Okay, that's lame. I need coffeeeee....
- June 18, 2010 at 4:48 AM
- Ces said...
- June 18, 2010 at 4:49 AM
- k.h.whitaker said...
Wow Bella, this is almost the exact scene I had in my mind when I decided to do this weeks prompt, ok only something or someone in a pelicans mouth taking a bath, but I can't believe you thought of the same thing. I'm so happy that you painted my thoughts, because I didn't get it done! I'm now working on a mermaid piece, which so many other people did, and am still not done with it. So now that I am finished ranting inanely, this is fabulous, cute and creative and I love it!
- June 18, 2010 at 6:03 AM
- amba said...
it's like a game... a cleanliness' game of the oil! Inside the tub a pelican and inside the pelican a girl! magic :) a poetic and interactive drawing
- June 18, 2010 at 6:05 AM
- Abz said...
Great piece...i do like this! :) Thanks for visiting as well... circle of artistic love all in here! ;)
- June 18, 2010 at 6:23 AM
- Ann Pilicer said...
What wonderful work Bella! Great job. I love this one!
- June 18, 2010 at 6:54 AM
- Deborah said...
Only Bella! This is SO delightful. Still giggling. Actually, **SQUEALS**
Such a serious situation and you brought so much LOVE to it. I do hope the tub stays still! This is a perfect example of how brilliant your mind is. This is what makes you so special...your view of the world, and then your ability to put it into pure delight. ♥♥♥ Deb
- June 18, 2010 at 8:46 AM
- Lori ann said...
That is so beautiful Bella, a gorgeous heartfelt work of art. I wish it really were this way, that we could just go scrub all the oil away!
xoxo lori
- June 18, 2010 at 8:56 AM
- Barbara said...
Leave it to you, Bella, to approach a subject everyone else is wicked crazed about with a lighter, but concerned touch.
A completely charming illustration; the details are a delight.
I am in awe of your talent.
- June 18, 2010 at 12:07 PM
- HeatherU said...
I love the bubbles :)
- June 18, 2010 at 12:20 PM
- Tammie said...
so so so cute! i love the feet of the tub and the bubbles and every little detail. I agree, our blog friends really do become a muse for us. I love this!
- June 18, 2010 at 12:33 PM
- Ces said...
Your card was posted at Ripple.
No. 580!!!
The best!!!!!!
I feel like fainting from joy...
- June 18, 2010 at 1:50 PM
- Vanessa Brantley Newton said...
Hey Pudd, Thanks so much for stopping by my sisterfriend. Girl look out. Somebody's going to get a black eye. he he he he!! Trey ain't even playin' ha. Hey I love you so much. Have great weekend love!
- June 18, 2010 at 2:10 PM
- Ces said...
Do you know the difference between a British prick from an American prick. I thought all pricks are the same. Amalia said the Brits are different. Hmn... what so different about getting poked by the same needle? I thought it was the guage that mattered, not the nationality or brand.
- June 18, 2010 at 3:06 PM
- Ces said...
Of course I write like an illiterate ass.
- June 18, 2010 at 3:07 PM
- Shirley said...
Zounds! Oh my jibblies! (these are the things my little ones and I say when we are happy and delighted with things...you can imagine how silly it gets)...but truly, Bella..I just think you have the most amazing ability to connect with people through your delightfully witty and charming illustrations. I just want to climb into that reality right there! : ) So awesome that you contributed to the ripple cause and I am JEALOUS of whomever bought this (in 2 seconds flat as Vanessa said...is true!)...but awesome for that lucky person! : ) Hope you are well, dear Bella.
- June 18, 2010 at 3:38 PM
- Ces said...
I am the luckiest ass in the whole wide world!!!
- June 18, 2010 at 4:07 PM
- Amalia K said...
Hey, hey! I see Ces is still wondering about the British version of pricks?? Hahahaha... Well, I can elaborate too much here in Bella's pretty domain, but let's just say that it's not so much of a verb but a noun. Go figure!!! Hahahaha!!!!
- June 18, 2010 at 7:56 PM
- Amalia K said...
And yes, you can poke things with it. BBWWAAAHAHAHAHAHAAAA..!!!!!
- June 18, 2010 at 7:57 PM
- Amalia K said...
One final clue: Google it! (^_____^)
- June 18, 2010 at 7:59 PM
- Giuseppe Bianco said...
You make it so easy to keep visiting; you keep on posting such amazing content. You are truly inspiring. The best part about your art is that you know exactly who you are and what your style and vision is. I really admire you.
- June 18, 2010 at 9:27 PM
- Captain Dumbass said...
"That's not a duck, it's a pelican!" Just ignore me if you don't get the reference.
- June 18, 2010 at 9:32 PM
- Amalia K said...
Oh, Bells! So nice to see you swooshing into my little nook! I'll bet you still smell like sunshine... (hugs)
PS: BP????? Hahahaha...that's a good one!!
- June 18, 2010 at 11:06 PM
- encaracolada said...
It is so original the bathtub with tentacles! Amazing and creativity lllo!!
- June 19, 2010 at 2:17 AM
- Ces said...
Oy! BP has a new meaning, I see.
Good morning, darling. When you are up, have coffee with me while I work. Okay?
One of the kids sked me yesterday if I knew what a Ho-ho is. Do you know?
Isn't that a pastry? Ho-ho? Either way, someone thinks it is sweet. I am just reminded because my word verification is
- June 19, 2010 at 6:46 AM
- Jos said...
Hard to tell who is having more fun in that tub. This made me smile so much Bella, you have a wonderful imagination.
Oh ... and Amalia is right about it being more of a noun here in England. Which also made me smile!
- June 19, 2010 at 9:42 AM
- tera said...
Oh my goodness! That is so stinkin' cute! :) And it's happier than some I've seen, which I think is important. No one wants doom and gloom all the time.
- June 19, 2010 at 12:48 PM
- Draffin Bears said...
Hi Bella,
What a sweet and precious image you have shown us today, dear friend.
This makes me really smile and I am amazed how you always come up with something so lovely and fun.
Thanks for showing your work.
I hope that you are having a happy weekend
- June 19, 2010 at 9:30 PM
- Vanessa Brantley Newton said...
Hey Girly, just came by to hello. I know it's Father's day and I just have to say it. You now have to be both Mom and dad to your babies and trust me I know that it's hard, but tough times bring out the toughness in us as well. I know that this is hard work. Working through it all, but you inspire me. You make me want to do my best Ms Bella. Happy Father's Day to you my love. No one ever said it would be easy or that it was even what you might have wanted, but you do it everyday and you do it so well. I love you soooooooo much! A big hug for you sweetie have a great day.
Lub you
- June 20, 2010 at 12:25 AM
- Vanessa Brantley Newton said...
When I see you next month we are going to have such a good cry together and then we are going to laugh our butts off. Mine will of course cause the earth to move, but it will be okay. he he he he he! Did want to make you cry just wanted to tell you the truth is all. I'll be over in just a second with some coffee and some disgustingly rich cheese cake.
K later dudette!
- June 20, 2010 at 3:30 AM
- Janine said...
Dear Bella, what a wonderful bathtub and what a great companionship.
This is beyond sweet.
Have a great sunday
- June 20, 2010 at 6:51 AM
- Tamara Henderson said...
This is a great illustration and very sweet!
- June 20, 2010 at 7:00 AM
- HeatherU said...
Bella, I just found your many comments on my blog. I just wanted to let you know that they mean so much to me, being a new blogger and not having many people see my blog. So thank you!
- June 20, 2010 at 11:46 AM
- hanna-happenings said...
You are so sweet. and Thank You.
I love the feet of the tub :)
btw, those twisted trees in the "trail forest" followed me in to my dreams at night...
I would love to see all of Your images in a book! It would be interesting to see what the different images tell You, each other and the rest of us when gathered together. Yet another dimension perhaps?!
Keep up the good work girl!
- June 20, 2010 at 1:46 PM
- laughingwolf said...
i have an award for you on my page :)
- June 20, 2010 at 6:54 PM
- Megan Coyle said...
I LOVE this! and this makes me want to have a pet pelican :)
- June 20, 2010 at 6:55 PM
- Diana Evans said...
oh Bella!!! beautiful Bella ....your art is like a gift...I love this piece and the cause is so important....my heart is so sad for this tragedy....everything we can do to help really makes a difference...
- June 20, 2010 at 7:33 PM
- Carmen Saldaña said...
Oh Bella, It´s truly amazing, I love it!
Very cute and very original :-)
- June 21, 2010 at 1:29 AM
- yoon see said...
Sorry to be late here Bella.
Please forgive me.
Of course I can't miss your posting. I love visiting your blog again and again.
Your whimsical illustrations are always so adorable.
You are so so kind and super friendly and always care for others.
This is the reason, I love to be back here again and again to visit and revisit your creations.
I am feeling better now.
I had a 10 days Chi Kung mediatation short course that finished 2 weeks back.
Now, I try to practise 2 hours everyday. Sometimes 4 to 5 hours if I am more free.
I want to be able to join you all soon when I am doing better.
Miss you Bella!
- June 21, 2010 at 2:59 AM
- Deborah said...
HAHAHAHAHAHA! HA! Just read your comment about the best thing about being in your own bubble!!! Too funny. Actually, I know a few people who should be in their own bubble for that very reason! **kisses** Deb
- June 21, 2010 at 5:20 AM
- Karin Bartimole said...
thank you for creating such a heart warming and loving depiction of what's desperately needed. you know how to do that so well - a light bearer in times of darkness, you scatter those shadows, dear Bella. I've been unsubscribing from so many organizations that I know are doing good work, but I don't need shock value imagery, when messages can be delivered so intelligently and beautifully as you have shown us here. Bravo my friend. Much love, Karin
- June 21, 2010 at 7:06 AM
- Ann Pilicer said...
Dear Bella,
Thanks so much for leaving your such sweet words and thoughts on my blog. Thank you it means alot! .. :D
- June 21, 2010 at 7:07 AM
- Ces said...
It's official. I can't make it the the NE coast in July. Instead I will be in the SE coast to accommodate fishing therapy for some young person and a break for another. I do not have enough free time, unless of course I win the lottery, at which point, I will immediately go on vacation.
To do today:
1. Buy lottery ticket.
2. Buy lottery ticket.
3. Buy lottery ticket.
- June 21, 2010 at 7:14 AM
- Ces said...
Hello again! Hmn, I love your blog. Tsup!]]Hahahah!
- June 21, 2010 at 12:49 PM
- get zapped said...
Gosh, I want a scrub and a tub like that :) Always a pleasure to experience your art!
- June 21, 2010 at 1:00 PM
- Manon Doyle said...
I opened this page and I had a big smile on my face. What a terrific piece!! Am I sounding like a broken record yet? LOL!! I just adore all that you create. Everyone of your pieces make me happy!!
- June 21, 2010 at 2:30 PM
- Tamara Henderson said...
Hi Bella, Thanks for visit and your sweet comments! I blow lightly on my little eight legged friend web so he could move in a different direction so he wouldn't get caught in my hair and detached from his web. He ended up traveling up the web and to somewhere else.
- June 21, 2010 at 3:14 PM
- Eric Barclay said...
Very nicely done!
- June 21, 2010 at 6:25 PM
- Peter Breese said...
Magnificent Bella.
- June 21, 2010 at 7:23 PM
- Giuseppe Bianco said...
Thanks for your kind messages on my blog and thanks for your interest in my book. I promise to post more sketches soon. I am just over-thinking the art so much. I can't wait for you to read it. If I could get the art done, then I can post the chapters. Soon - I swear.
Thanks again, Bella. And please, keep your inspirational art coming.
- June 21, 2010 at 8:34 PM
- Silke said...
Hello, hello! This is so very cool!! Wonderful! Sweet yet so poignant, just like Anne said. I love how you can get your point across with so much humor - that is a talent that cannot be taught! You are the master. I bow down before you... Humbly yours, Silke
P.S. Please come by anytime for some coffee and a pastry! I'm about to bake a blueberry tart!
- June 22, 2010 at 3:54 AM
- Amalia K said...
Hey, Bells! Ah, so your wardrobe consists of several paisley garments which you have safely tucked away? Hehehe... I never had the guts to wear paisley, makes me feel like a scarf, see? (^-^)
- June 22, 2010 at 4:01 AM
- Shirley said...
We shall protect our jibblies over here, Bella! You must have a movie night to see those crazy creatures Tim Burton has dreamed up..or perhaps they were in the original Alice in Wonderland illustrations by John Tinniel?..Ces mentioned that you are the absolute aficionada of all things Alice in Wonderland. : ) I am constantly learning from you two...thank you dear friend! Wishing you a lovely rest o' the week..now go make some popcorn and check it out. : ) Next up on our movie viewing want-to-do's - Toy Story 3!
- June 22, 2010 at 9:40 AM
- AtelierBrigitte said...
This is such an amazing contribution to the Ripple-project!
- June 22, 2010 at 11:25 AM
- Amy C said...
awwww, so magically wonderful and oozing with sweet bubbly cuteness.
I LOVE pelicans and especially this guy.
- June 22, 2010 at 3:21 PM
- Kathiesbirds said...
Thanks for being my smile spot! Your doodles make me smile! I love this one for it makes me think of the horror in the Gulf of Mexico and how many people are trying to do all they can to save the poor birds.
- June 22, 2010 at 3:25 PM
- audrey said...
ADORABLE, Bella!! The tiles in the background actually look like glass.
A sweet, sweet illustration!
♥ audrey
- June 22, 2010 at 3:46 PM
- Amalia K said...
Bella, you and Ces are definitely something else! And generous to the roots. Hehehee...
You know, sometimes it amazes me how clearly you see my work. Do they seem so obvious to you? Maybe some people do travel in the same wavelength. Well, either that or you're just a born art interpreter. Thank you, sweet!! oxx
- June 22, 2010 at 4:52 PM
- Soph said...
Aw this is so sweet! I love the legs of the bath, and the the little girl is so cute! Gorgeous, love your illustrations!
- June 22, 2010 at 5:38 PM
- Ces said...
I still love this drawing. i will never stop loving it.
- June 22, 2010 at 9:24 PM
- Nicky Linzey said...
Bella, you have such outstanding creativity, I love it.
- June 23, 2010 at 12:09 AM
- Johanna Urban said...
So amazing cute!!!
Johanna, Sweden
- June 23, 2010 at 1:57 AM
- Ces said...
Good morning. Being on top is not always the best position. You could get toppled down and you are always the target. I actually prefer the position where my back is not exposed, unless someone is watching over me or my back.
- June 23, 2010 at 3:28 AM
- Ces said...
I think you misinterpreted me, or I did not say it well. I am being metaphorical while it seems you are being euphimistic?
At any rate, expect an upcoming allegorical illustration.
- June 23, 2010 at 7:49 AM
- wallflower said...
These are so great!
How do you create these? Are they digital?
- June 23, 2010 at 7:58 AM
- Raluca said...
this is sooo beautiful(and funny,and sweet!!)You are such a imaginative person Bella...always come up with the most incredible ideas!!!
And you wrote so beautiful words about the whole idea(have you seen how quickly the fundraising fond got doubled in just one week?
have all the best wishes:and THANKS again and again for your beautiful words!!
- June 23, 2010 at 1:02 PM
- Shannon said...
always LOVE your visits, too. (your reduce clutter interview will be posted tomorrow.) xoxo
- June 23, 2010 at 1:17 PM
- Ces said...
What the heck?!!!!!!!! It used to only show a bigger and clearer print. Now there is a recording and it sounds like a terrorist attack!
- June 23, 2010 at 2:26 PM
- Silke said...
You are so right about the little heron - baby birds are not really pretty. Sort of freaky like you said - but still cute... Not as cute, of course, as your pelican!!
By the way, your painting reminds me of when we lived in the bay area and would go out to Monterrey, where the pelicans would chase us with their giant beaks wide open because the tourists would feed them. Kinda scary! :-)
Love, Silke
- June 23, 2010 at 3:07 PM
- Ces said...
I heard there is a party here?
- June 23, 2010 at 5:52 PM
- Ces said...
So where is it?
- June 23, 2010 at 5:52 PM
- Ces said...
It may have been hoax.
- June 23, 2010 at 5:52 PM
- Ces said...
Just something to draw me towards here so I can make the 100th comment!
- June 23, 2010 at 5:53 PM
- Ces said...
OMG! I am so tired and I am trying to respond to comments. My eyelids were half closed when I went to Vee's and I read your Wedgiephobia, OMG I am now laughing so hard. I can't believe the sleepiness left me and I am now drinking coffeee giggling. HAHAHAHAHAHAH! Oh goodness. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!
ARAAAAAARGH! BWAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHA! OMG OMG! You are too funny! Oh my neck hurts from laughing. Oh I wonder if laughing prevent turkey necks? HAHAHAHAHA!
- June 23, 2010 at 7:09 PM
- Ellen Byrne said...
I covet this bathtub!
- June 24, 2010 at 3:42 AM
- Lisa Holtzman said...
Aw Bella, you created such a loving sweet image from such a devastatingly sad situation. You make me remember that people do care and are helping. Fabulous art!!!
- June 24, 2010 at 8:49 AM
- Vanessa Brantley Newton said...
Yesterday was Eric's Birthday he he he he!!
- June 24, 2010 at 10:24 AM
- Inner Toddler said...
you, sunshine, are a gift to all of us. xox
- June 24, 2010 at 12:54 PM
- michael robertson said...
word escape me...this is amazing!
- June 24, 2010 at 1:21 PM
- Patricia said...
Dear Bella
I love your bathtup!!!
I saw your beautiful teacups ;)
Love, Patricia xo
- June 24, 2010 at 1:58 PM
- Francisco Martins said...
Bella!!!!!! this is so cuteeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! one of my favorite pieces for sure! gorgeous!!! Congratulations on such a stunning piece! :)
- June 24, 2010 at 3:41 PM
- Cheryl Lynn said...
Okay, I know I'm late, but this is so very adorable! You just get more amazing-er (yes, I created a new word)with each illustration! I love this and I love you, my Sweetie Pie!
- June 24, 2010 at 4:00 PM
- Ces said...
The day is almost over and I missed visiting you today!!!
So belated Good morning, belated good afternoon and Elated Good evening!!!
Chomp, chomp! All I did was to call the Viking and tell him I was stressed, so he ordered dinner! Em and I are eating!!!
I say again, have a great evening and terrific dinner.
SUMMER HAS OFFICIALLY STARTED in the Land of Oz!!!
Tsup! Tsup!!!
- June 24, 2010 at 4:29 PM
- Ces said...
Oh Good morning! I am the first to comment today! I am drinking coffee with you! You don't know anything about it though. Heheheheh! Have a wonderful day! Summer is officially on for you!
- June 25, 2010 at 5:21 AM
- Owl Eng said...
this is sweet and beautiful! every detail is nice. love the unique bathtub
- June 25, 2010 at 5:31 AM
- thewillowsnest said...
yay!! Only 'the Bella' could think of a gorgeous chartreuse tub with rosy octopus tentacles!!!!!!!
I love the bubbles on peli's head! I LOVE the wee bath cap on our dear sweet little 'scrubber girl'.. delightfully perfect!
- June 25, 2010 at 5:52 AM
- Gina said...
Ah, so charming! cute and clever!
- June 25, 2010 at 2:47 PM
- Ces said...
Platypussies, Galore? I see you have been trying to get on top! HAHAHAHAHA!
- June 25, 2010 at 5:12 PM
- Deborah said...
Oh Bella, you are the sweetest of sweet! **blows a million kisses** Deb
- June 26, 2010 at 3:05 PM
- Shirley said...
Many thanks for your empathy about my computer...ahhh...I'm getting through it finally. : )
OH MY! Thank you for alerting me about Time Machine...my brother mentioned backing to that..and to know that you have a failed unit, my goodness..thank you for the link to carbonite! I need to get my back up plan in action and this might just do the trick.
Yes, lemon trees into a wood chipper, huh?! Ha!!! Love the graphic that comes to my head of dear Bella doing that...you just wouldn't would you?
Hope you're enjoying your weekend, dear Bella!
- June 26, 2010 at 3:37 PM
- Amalia K said...
All right there, luv? I haven't been knocking on your door for a while. I see you've ran out of that bottle of sunshine? Sadly, so have I. But I do have with me a bag of twilight dust. It's supposedly very handy for creating colorful nights. Interested? (^-^)oxx
- June 27, 2010 at 4:40 AM
- platitudinal said...
I'd rather scrub a giant pelican's bill anytime than my grubby knees! Delightful illustration, Bella :)
- June 27, 2010 at 5:22 AM
- Manon Doyle said...
I need that pelican bath. My mom only has a shower and I'm missing my bathtub!!
- June 27, 2010 at 11:01 AM
- Ces said...
Good morning, dearest Bella. I wish I will get up from bed and walk to the bathroom and find a tub like this! Oh drats! Someone is ringing the doorbell!
- June 28, 2010 at 5:06 AM
- Amalia K said...
Ah, here you are... a full bag of twilight dust! Don't sprinkle too much of that of course, I don't want you to come complaining to me if you ended up gallivanting more than just around town!...theehehe... Enjoy! (BIIIGGG HUG!!)
PS: You were so kind with your words. Thank you, Bells. :)
- June 28, 2010 at 3:20 PM
- Andrew Finnie said...
Hya Bella, gee that pelican must be clean by now :) (thanks for voting on grandpa's hair!!! much appreciated)
- June 28, 2010 at 8:15 PM
- Vanessa Brantley Newton said...
Good morning beautiful!! I woke up to your lovely comments this morning. It's been a little rough around here to say the very least. I lost my beloved cousin in a horrible car accident on this past Sunday. I couldn't sleep for some reason on Sunday morning around 2:00 am and just got up and started walking the floor. I did some blogging and stuff, but my spirit was trouble. Around 9:00am we got a call from another family member that my cousin had be found in his car between 2 and 3 am. He had hit a tree on his way back home. Needless to say we are all devastated. We just lost his little brother just a few years ago in a motorcycle accident. I have been a crying fool for the last couple of days and still really can't believe it. I just saw him and now he is gone. Anyway, when I saw your comments it gladden my heart. I love you so and needed to tell you. Love you girly.
- June 29, 2010 at 12:29 AM
- cindy said...
no, thank you for sharing your world with us!
- June 29, 2010 at 10:37 AM
- Shirley said...
Oh you sweet lady, you. Thank you for your visit and kindness re: the shop! I'm a bit embarrassed as it seems to be a bit of a hodgey podgey collection of stuff...I get into different moods you know..sometimes letters, sometimes graphic pen and ink stuff, and then recently it's all been watercolors. I am all over the map! : ) Anyhoo...thank you dear Bella..you are so fun and I am always delighted when you swing by. Hugs.
- June 29, 2010 at 1:21 PM
- Ces said...
I came here to smile and now I have to go see Vee.
- June 29, 2010 at 4:59 PM
- grete said...
Sweet. Fun. Like a Russian Doll bath tub, one inside the other. One taking care of the other. Absolutely gorgeous! Bella - you are so CREATIVE!
- June 30, 2010 at 2:28 AM
- Marie S said...
Fly by kisses and hugs from Madi and I...
- June 30, 2010 at 11:55 AM
- Ces said...
Oh see! There was a loaf of bread on the table this morning and when I sliced it for some toast, it screamed at me and said "WATCH THAT KNIFE, WOMAN!"
Then I noticed it had a pair of beautiful and intelligent eyes and so I sat it next to me and now I am having coffee with a loaf of bread!
Oh, she blows my mind. She is saying things like "varatio delectat", "tout de suite", "simper fie" and "alio sub sole veriscam..."
Good morning!
- July 1, 2010 at 4:59 AM
- Valerie Lorimer said...
This is absolutely darling, Bella!
- July 1, 2010 at 7:18 AM
- bicocacolors said...
Fantástico, me encanta!!!
- July 1, 2010 at 10:20 AM
- Deborah said...
Ding Dong!!! I am leaving a large basket filled with baby bunnies on your doorstep. Ding Dong!!
**kisskiss** Deb
- July 1, 2010 at 6:27 PM
- Eleonora said...
You are divine, Bella.
And this is a wonderful image of hope and commitment.
I've been through a rough patch, and I apologise for having been so silent here in your beautiful fairy world of candycane happiness.
I've missed you,
Lola xx
Aglio, Olio e Peperoncino.com
- July 2, 2010 at 1:44 AM
- Emily said...
Scrub-a-licious! If only it was this much fun cleaning up this mess we are in!
- July 7, 2010 at 8:40 AM
- BT said...
Oh isn't that just wonderful!! You are such a talent Bella, love you.
- July 8, 2010 at 7:03 AM
- Anne Huskey-Lockard said...
Ces sent me over on threat of death or long e-mails! She said, why do you not post at Bellas?
I said, because she is taking the summer off.
She said, You can post on old posts! (duh!)
Well, I have not bleached my hair lately so my brain cells must have fallen asleep..... ;D
So hello Bella!
Happy Summer!
Please tell Ces I have been here so she will not threaten to send someone to scalp me or have someone abduct me with those two characters she created, and you KNOW which ones I mean; Fatto and company....LOL!!!!
Sincerely, I do hope you have a wonderful summer with your children, and I still love this illustration♥♥♥
Very much!
- July 19, 2010 at 5:59 AM
- Ces said...
I knew I smelled trouble here!
Oh the word verification almost said Pansit - palsit
- July 19, 2010 at 9:27 AM
- Anne Huskey-Lockard said...
Hello Bella!
Thank you for stopping by to see my acorn---it was a delight to post and long overdue. (how does Summer go so fast?)
Keeping Ces's FPOT stimulated is a full time job....that and making her laugh! :D Well, that is easier.
Stop by again! I might eventually get some posts up that are more than brain dribble. (the acorn one was not...)
And despite what dear Ces might mistakenly tell you, I *do* have an I.Q. over 48. Except on migraine days and then I revert to some form of paramecium.....heehee!
- July 20, 2010 at 3:28 PM
- Ces said...
Geesh! I meant to type 148! It was a typo. Gessh! HAHAHA!
- July 21, 2010 at 5:06 AM
- Anne Huskey-Lockard said...
Just kidding..... ;) It is my Southern Irish orneriness oozing out in this stinking summer heat.
Poor Bella...she shall ban me from her peaceful kingdom!
I still want that bath tub....
- July 21, 2010 at 12:51 PM
- Anne Huskey-Lockard said...
Oh yes Bella.
Each year that paramecium is looking better and better....which is perhaps a bad commentary on my thoughts of aging! LOL!!!!
As long as I have the Secret Pass to you Kingdom, then I will stagger in drooling with my walnut I.Q.
Ah-hahahahahahaha!!!!! :D
- July 22, 2010 at 3:25 AM
- Anne Huskey-Lockard said...
Hi Bella!!!
Oh it wass delightful being your tag-team partner to get Her Cesness's comments on the one post past 300! I was just disappointed I had missed the actual event! (as usual...LOL!)
Ces is a phenom of an artist....and I know because of the multitude of questionable art I have seen.....she oozes talent!!! (and you do too!)
Anne....who is noticing THIS post has a lot of comments.....hmmmmmmm..... >:)
- August 3, 2010 at 3:53 AM
- Ces said...
I must say, that the person who got this ATC is the luckiest person on earth.
- September 4, 2010 at 12:28 PM
- Ces said...
It is such a beautiful piece of art.
- September 4, 2010 at 12:28 PM
- Ces said...
As soon as you lay your eyes on it, a rush of joy overwhelms your soul.
- September 4, 2010 at 12:29 PM
- Ces said...
It is very difficult to breath.
- September 4, 2010 at 12:29 PM
- Ces said...
One gets a lump in her throat.
- September 4, 2010 at 12:29 PM
- Ces said...
Even the most eloquent person becomes speechless.
- September 4, 2010 at 12:30 PM
- Ces said...
All she can manage is "AAAAHHHWWWWWW!"
- September 4, 2010 at 12:30 PM
- Ces said...
All she can manage is "AAAAHHHWWWWWW!"
- September 4, 2010 at 12:30 PM
- Ces said...
It attracts the attention of her epsilons and they echo her "AAAAHHHWWWWWW!".
- September 4, 2010 at 12:31 PM
- Ces said...
It turns he-men Vikings to putty and they say "AAAAHHHWWWWWW!"
- September 4, 2010 at 12:32 PM
- Ces said...
And then your next move is to hod it close to your heart.
- September 4, 2010 at 12:32 PM
- Ces said...
...close your eyes,
- September 4, 2010 at 12:32 PM
- Ces said...
...and whisper unintelligible sounds.
- September 4, 2010 at 12:33 PM
- Ces said...
Excuse me, I have to scan a Totoro drawing that my epsilon II made for her friend as a birthday present.
- September 4, 2010 at 12:33 PM
- Ces said...
Are you vibrating?
- September 4, 2010 at 12:33 PM
- Ces said...
Only mental ninjas understand the word "hod".
- September 4, 2010 at 12:53 PM
- Ces said...
Heck no! You are going to win again. I have not even started your drawing yet. I have been thinking how I am going to make the two elephants look very agitated and the other one has a full bladder!
- September 4, 2010 at 3:26 PM
- Ces said...
I is in the kitchen making dinner. Epsilon I is making his own Panko bread crumb chicken.
- September 4, 2010 at 3:28 PM
- Ces said...
Elephants have big bladders, unlike humans, particularly one human.
- September 4, 2010 at 4:20 PM