Ramblings....

what the #$%&!?!?

nikiniki — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 23:55:48 GMT

just logged in after a year of inactivity. missed y'all. i just cleaned up my profile, as it was from a different time in my life that is in the past. having a baby, due early june, so i won't be at flipside, but i hope to see y'all out and about!!!!!! LOVE! niki

Impressive!

nikiniki — Sun, 03 Jun 2007 15:26:33 GMT

Thanks for the PLETHORA of flipside barbie shots that have graced the flipsidebarbie gmail account. Somehow, one group who will be attending transformus ended up with a big batch, so I expect to see that the barbies will be photogrpahed in another round of burneresque debauchery. I'm thinking they deserve their own website. I will be printing some of these photos and framing them in my house as well. A little piece of flipside, all year round. Thanks again!

que super WOW!

nikiniki — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 04:36:31 GMT

man, WORD to the fine fugu folks who hosted one of the most AMAZING parties i've ever attended! it was very intimate and infinitely beautiful, espcially bluetech's set. :)

BOOOOOYAH

nikiniki — Mon, 12 Mar 2007 23:03:58 GMT

git yer dance on.

PASTIE MAKING PARTY

nikiniki — Thu, 08 Mar 2007 22:59:54 GMT

If I hosted one, would you come? I'm an amateur at making pasties, but there are a few Lunchladies who've been there, done that. *hint, nudge, nudge*

chinese new year photo...

nikiniki — Sat, 24 Feb 2007 05:04:49 GMT

...of my dear friend, major tom. i love you, buddy!

full time chaos man...

nikiniki — Mon, 19 Feb 2007 01:31:29 GMT

the effigy base...a photo taken with rob's cell phone. it's all my fault. i told rob to quit his job. he gave two weeks yesterday, but this morning, he was going to leave and i cried, "nooooo! stay here!" so he did. he's now going to be my full-time chaos manager once again! hooray! we are in a fortunate position right now financially, so there isn't really much point in rob working. it's something we've discussed over the last few weeks. starbucks is a great company (i'm going to miss the discounted coffee and free pound of beans every week), but since rob's going to be going to school soon, it's only inevitable that he leave america's favorite speed dealer. i've got a "honey do" list for rob, including installing a plant shelf, getting the home office turned into an office, getting stuff off the balcony, setting up my "homies" collection, sorting/donating old books, and a host of other things in addition to the regular cleaning and maintenance stuff. (honey, don't forget to change the air filters.) life otherwise is good, i took a position as an internet sales specialist with my current company, responsible for tracking more than 2700 homebuying prospects every year. i think it's a good move. austin is growing at an insane pace, and i'm a bit nerdy when it comes to technology, so this the best of both worlds. plus, it's a new position that i will help to create and define as i see fit. the best part? weekends off!!! today i went to the warehouse to help construct the effigy. there were quite a few folks out there. i started by helping dottie with the model made from balsa wood, then, from the model, i drew chalk lines in the parking lot, where we moved the full size pieces into place. there were three saws chuggin' away, and lots of hands of varying skill, all helping out to build something that we will soon burn. i helped denshi prepare hot dogs, portabello mushrooms and hamburgers and we all clapped as the sun started to set, lighting the sky in beautfiul shades of orange. the effigy construction is moving right along, and at this pace, it'll be done way before flipside. it also has the distinction of being fairly easy to put together, which means it might be finished and ready to explore before flipside officially starts! i've got quite a few sewing projects including aprons for the greeter station boys who've volunteered to help greet, as well as wrap pants for rob, jordan, alex, and major tom. i'm figure i'm going to be spending the next few of my weekends doing nothing but sewing....and i'm okay with that. i've caught a little bit of slack from friends about my domestic engineering skills. i'm okay with that, too! PRETTY SOON, when the weather improves, rob and i will have our official housewarming. we're waiting for some good weather so we can have the party inside and out. our place isn't really big enough to accomodate all of our friends, but we've got a stellar courtyard outside as well as a pool. it's still TBD as to whether it will be a potluck or not. i might just do fajitas this time around and save the potluck for another event altogether. i'm thinkin' fajitas, mexican beer, and margaritas. we'll spin some fire next to the pool and have a dj setup. when that time comes, i'll let y'all know! :)

Happy Chinese New Year!

nikiniki — Sun, 18 Feb 2007 19:07:08 GMT

What a great day yesterday! Had breakfast with Major Tom and Jordan. Went fabric shopping for wrap pants and aprons. Went to the big box and picked up some presents for Indi's birthday. Stopped by frankenmare's and gave indi big hugs, broke confetti eggs (on jordo's head), gave cotton candy to kiddos and turned their tongues blue. Went to patrick and pharoh's chinese new year celebration. saw ram & z, PILA, pharoh and susan, sargon and taz, met kyle and robbie, heidi, and other folks (i'm sure i'm forgetting a few). helped patrick with the spring rolls, ate chow mein, fried rice, chinese style fish (oh my!), soup, and yummy rice ball dessert. pretended to be a chinese dragon with susan's awesome chinese dragon hats, drank some wine, laughed around a fire, watched a disturbance in the sky that made the lights dim and the radio fritz out for a second (did anyone else experience that!??) and came home, made love to rob, and ditched work today. now it's off to the warehouse to help denshi build shit. :) happy, happy, happy, that is me!

appreciation

nikiniki — Sun, 19 Nov 2006 07:09:53 GMT

i'm glad we're friends.

Austin TO BM 2007

nikiniki — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 17:44:26 GMT

We're doing it for $681 including tickets, airfare, gas, and RV rental! Check this out.... I just rented a 30' RV from Cruise America! Representative: BILLY Phone: 1-800-327-7799 x457 Reservation dates: 08/27/2007 -09/04/2007 Here's how it breaks down with 6 people (the RV can sleep 7): RV: $2008.00 (Costco membership takes milage rate from 29 to 20 cents/mile, with insurance!) The above figure includes a $500 security deposit, so subtract that out, and that equals $251 per person for RV rental. (I charged the $300 reservation fee.) It's about 1,000 miles. At 10mpg and $3.00 estimated per gallon, total fuel charges are estimated at $300, or $50 per person. Airfare is estimated (round trip) at $200, per person. (Try southwest! I got tix for $79 each way recently). Burning Man tickets are $180, if you get them early. $251 for RV $50 for gas $180 for ticket $200 for airfare -------------------------- $681.00 total! If you add a 7th person, that figure drops to $583 per person. RESERVATIONS ARE MOVING PRETTY QUICK. Tell Billy that Niki from Austin sent ya within the next week, and get the same rate! (I worked my girl charm like a mofo.) DO IT! To reserve is only $300!! See you in 2007! We have reserved two RV's from Austin. I'm checking around, but Rob and I might have room for two more people. We all plan on getting airline tickets FROM AUSTIN at the same time, probably in February, so we can get on the same flight and board the RVs and caravan. If you are interested in going with us, let me know!

the lawn party

nikiniki — Sun, 17 Sep 2006 22:29:14 GMT

was a ton of fun. rob wrote more about it, but thanks to all who came out. sorry for the ones i didn't get back to in time with directions, etc. next time i'll give you more notice! :)

odds & ends

nikiniki — Sun, 10 Sep 2006 20:42:14 GMT

had a great night last night. the boy and yours truly ventured to have a rooftop dinner of homemade chicken alfredo, ceasar salad, chocolate mousse, and wasabi/ginger truffules hosted by the downTempo teaHouse creators, red and moss. it was a night of good friends, good wine, good conversation, and good vibes. after dinner, we walked to the lamar street bridge where a couple of fellas threw a renegade party. the weather was great and i ran into some of my newer (and older) beautiful burner friends like june, tiko, vixen, and the dude with the bunny ears. we danced under a big moon. photos coming soon. changing subjects here, i just read a WONDERFUL blog about putting people on pedestals. i've done it before. way too many times, in fact. the blog basically went on to say that once you start looking in your blind spots, your realtionships get better. that's what has happened with rob and myself. there have been SO many obstacles... crazy exes, addictions, bad habits, bad luck. yet they only make us stronger and more resolved. i was so hesitant at first, but i could not stay away from him. the words that came from his mouth were so good, that i thought it was a well-rehearsed "game" that he was spitting. but now it's been three or so months, and it hasn't stopped. we keep getting closer and closer, and have put a reservation down on a condo in downtown Austin that starts construction this fall. i've known what i wanted all my life and i've tried to convince myself that i had found it before. little did i know that it would sneek into my life through a broken window when i least expected it. when rob and i met, we were broken, but all the pieces were there. and we're putting things back together. for me, it means learning how to relax and relinquish control. (i'm a control freak.) for him, it means growing up and shifting priorities. just a little history: after my divorce, i was bitter. i tried to make it work. for once, i TRIED. but once i realized things weren't going to get better, i checked out mentally. i don't want that to ever happen again, and with rob, i don't think it will. he's crazy, yet grounded. wild, yet calm. a lover and a fighter, wrapped up into one. he's very quickly become my lover and my best friend. i can (and do) tell him everything. there's no pedestals, only trust and acceptance of the things we cannot change. rob's addiction to meth is under control. it's a daily battle, and it's crazy how many people around us have fought the same battle. some have won, some are losing, some have lost. i battled co-dependency when my mother became an alcoholic after my father died when i was 15. my emotions ranged from fear to anger and caused me to seek out a new family in the rave community. the burner community is that outlet now. never in my life have i met so many artistic, intelligent, and open-minded people in one place. it's amazing. the reason i write this is (firstly) for the sake of getting it all out. but more importantly, i've learned a good lesson and i hope that by reading this, something in someone's life will change for the better, just as reverend rissa's blog had an impact on me. rob and i are obviously in love, but no matter how much love you've got, relationships take work. i was forced to take a good look at myself in the last relationship i was in, and for a brief moment, i was in a very bad place mentally. i am not perfect, and rob isn't either, but we accept each other completely. last night, we were both in a foul mood on the way to the dinner party. i asked him if he wanted to push the "reset" button and BOOM: instant end to the bickering. it was THAT easy. i realized that most of the time, when i'm feeling irritable, it's because it's that time of the month or i'm tired or partied too hard, or stressed out because of the moving and work and everything else. i've had a bad habit of taking my stress out on the people i love the most, and it's not really fair or healthy to do that. i'm re-training my brain. i'm recognizing my chemical impulses and restructuring that reaction. rob and i recognize (and have discussed) the chemical reaction of love, and we like them, just as much as anyone else. but we also understand what it means to live a life of love with all of its ups and downs. and we're making that committment together. good gawd, re-reading this blog, i see it's all over the place.

"that" couple.

nikiniki — Wed, 06 Sep 2006 20:15:42 GMT

he drives me nuts sometimes. i drive him nuts sometimes. but dammit, we love each other and anyone who's hung around knows it. it's so cute that people wanna puke. but the best part? it's REAL! never in my life have i met someone so kind, so true, and so cute when it comes to love. rob's got this tough-looking shell, but when it comes down to it, he's a sweet, sensitive, romantic teddy bear who loves giving compliments. he tells me i'm beautiful no less than 5 times a day. he gives me foot massages. he gets me starbucks in the morning. he takes my earrings off when i fall asleep. he lights my cigarette (maybe because he's a lighter thief, but who cares.) he's a great bacon chef and a great writer. he hugs me and kisses me non-stop. i've never been loved by anyone this much and it's exaclty how i'd hoped i'd always be loved. it's the story-book love i didn't think was real. i know there are people out there who think it's all a show and that it won't last, but only time will tell. we've beaten a few battles already and we're still battling some together, but our synergy is amazing, for lack of a better word, and things just keep getting better and better. ladies: believe in it. it's out there. men: take a lesson. treat your woman like the queen that she is. werd.

playadipity IS a word!!!!!!!

nikiniki — Wed, 06 Sep 2006 03:55:56 GMT

what crazy insane fun! orfunner rocked. my cosmic twin and i showed up with the exact same gift for each other. rob and i fell deeper in love. dahk brought my pickles. nila made me giggle. patrick fed me. dishguy washed my pancake and bacon dishes. sparkles the stripper fairy made me a pink stripper. moss and red gave me a nice place to lay. carrin made me smile. the lizard ate my flowers. the winners circle gave me music and apple juice. fart camp gave me gas. cookie gave me water. (i got your hat, buddy!) someone took my poi. (boooo.) warlock gave me good jokes. cabana gave me drinks.(the first was YUMMY, the next 4? ROWDY.) wake gave me peace. thanks to all of you. photos coming soon. :)

orfunner!!

nikiniki — Wed, 30 Aug 2006 16:46:24 GMT

work today. work tomorrow. finish the wrap pants. don't forget the coffee and the filters. got the sanitizer. got the pancake mix. bacon? check. butter? check. good shoes. extra socks. a big ass pack of lighters (since rob is a lighter thief.) cara's in. sweet. are cherubamelon going? i hope so! burn cd's. playadipity! i hope major tom and denshi and stacy cats and hiLife and jordo and blinky light have fun at the big burn. maybe next year. takin' it easy today. 12 vacation days left this year. YES! costumes are gonna be fun. i wonder how long before i sweat off the makeup. cara will know what to do. i wonder what wake n bake's like. FART KAMP!! WOO HOO!! dahk better have my pickles. yum. i need to remember to bring the giant ashtray thingy. good idea. gotta find christmas lights. rob will help. i love that boy. cute on the outside, and beautiful on the inside. yum. ramble, ramble, beep, wonk, boom, beep, beep. my mind wants so bad to be there already.

he's blonde!

nikiniki — Sat, 19 Aug 2006 18:50:31 GMT

yummy!

playadipitous....

nikiniki — Tue, 15 Aug 2006 22:34:57 GMT

i've been through some SHIT the last few months (and years, for that matter). things are chillin' out a bit now. when i met rob at flipside decompression, i knew there was chemistry the minute i uttered "can i borrow some juice?" he ran a series of extension cords to inflate my mattress and we chatted and drank a beer. i think everyone (at least in his group) thought that there was some serious synergy between us. they were right. i pushed that aside for a while because of previously blogged circumstances. i was with a date, and rob's ex showed up and hung out. not exactly ideal circumstances to get to know somebody. now that all that stuff is out of the way, (and all of HIS stuff is out of the way) i can give rob my full and undivided attention, and allow our relationship to grow. we ventured for a day trip last week to south padre island. we took our poi to the beach to spin some fire as the sun set, and had a really great time. we returned to austin, and he drove me straight to a massage therapist. a SWEET surprise, to say the least. a couple of days later, we went out to the lake for a day, and kissed under the stars. my heart hasn't stopped racing.... our relationship, thus far, has been unconditional. we both have flaws. we're both works-in-progress. but no matter what, we accept each other. both of us are a little broken, but we've got all the pieces, and we're putting them back, one by one. see (at least some of you) at orfunner. ;)

the flame that burned so brightly burned out fast

nikiniki — Fri, 28 Jul 2006 20:47:30 GMT

without good there is no evil and without evil there is no good. through this duality i can honestly say that this has been the best and worst summer ever. it started out with meeting blis, who has since deleted me from his digital existence. i can't be upset about that because i brought it upon myself. i was too worried about hurting his feelings, but at the same time, it wasn't as one-sided as it may appear on the surface. i love easily, and i wear my heart on my sleeve. it comes with my blessing/curse of seeing the good in people and tending to ignore the rest. i'm passionate and intense, as was blis. i'd like to believe that our meeting served a bigger purpose. he turned a mirror towards me and showed me things i didn't necessarily want to see. all of the fun and intimacy and burning and partying was fun, no doubt. now that we've gone our separate ways, i have an opportunity to get re-centered. despite what he might think, my intentions were real. my passion was real. the beautiful moments that we shared together were real. but the passion and intensity came with a price. the flame that burned so brightly burned out fast, and my attention was diverted to someone else who accepted all of me, quirks and habits and all of the rest. i'm am human, after all. so now to the good part. i'm beginning to see more clearly now that the fog has lifted and i've taken a shot at sobriety. rob is also drying out, which is cool, because even when he's sober he's a blast. i've signed up to take poi lessons with austin's fire extrordinaire, sage, for the next month until she leaves for burning man, and overall, i i'm renewed with optimism despite losing a friend. the big burn is not gonna happen for me this year, but i hope to take a relaxing and meditative (albeit shorter )vacation elsewhere. to all my friends in NY, SF, and beyond, represent at Burning Man and have some fun for me. hopefully, i'll see ya next year! love, n

HIATUS from TRIBE

nikiniki — Thu, 20 Jul 2006 21:06:21 GMT

I am in El Paso, and I came home to get some medicine for my soul. What I realized is that my energy has been focused in the wrong place and that I need some time away from tribe, myspace, partying, burning, and all the distractions in life. At this point, I have decided not to attend the big burn. I don't think I'm ready for it. I look forward to hanging out with all of the wonderful people I met at Flipside and Decompression at some point! BM is likely in my future, but it's not in the stars for me this year. I'm going to use this hiatus from the distractions to get my head together, go to the gym, and grow spiritually. Any of you who have my email or phone number, feel free to call or send a message. Peace, Love, & Light, niki

the power of appreciation

nikiniki — Mon, 03 Jul 2006 19:20:47 GMT

we say it as a response to a "bless you" after sneezing. we say it when someone hands us change at a drive-thru. a little appreciation can go a long way for someone whos having a bad day/month/year, or that person in the office who keeps to themself doing mundane tasks. thank somebody today. thank them for being who they are and let them know that their efforts don't go unnoticed. you just might make their day.

"more bass less drama"

nikiniki — Sun, 02 Jul 2006 16:44:33 GMT

i just read that on hiLife's profile and thought, "how profound!" so i'm stealing it. MORE BASS, LESS DRAMA!!!!!

sometimes i feel like i'm a character in a comic book...

nikiniki — Sun, 02 Jul 2006 08:10:21 GMT

as i approach the ripe age of 27, i think back on the events in my life.... i think about the people i've met, the places i've gone, the things i've seen... could it all be real? i feel as though my years here on this planet have been filled with so many spectacular events that it more closely resembles fiction. more specifically, i am referring to the burning community and all of the beautiful people who have touched my life. i have found a new passion, but it's really more than that. it is almost beyond words! it's a lifestyle; a cosmic intertwining of energy and love.... and it rocks.

flipside decompression (holy sh*t).

nikiniki — Tue, 27 Jun 2006 05:07:25 GMT

wow. decompression was FUN FUN FUN. met a few more beautiful people to add to the ranks of awesome burners. made a video with blis for stacycats, killagirl, and hiLife. had champagne and vodka and beer and other stuff that i'm not mentioning because it will ruin my political career. saw fireworks while cuddled in my tent with blis, threw down some pancakes, bacon, and homemade eggrolls. danced. spun poi. drew on people with sharpies. washed sharpie off of blis and giggled in the shower the entire time. took holy cummunion from the NY boyz. ate a pickle. ate barbeque. got lectured for not fucking enough shit up. let hollywood vent. hung out with damn fucking texans. shared cigarettes with rob. watched the sunset with justin. kissed blis again. hung out with marguerite from sunsation station. chilled with the beautiful kimbriel. danced to some GOOD ASS mutha fuckin' house, breaks, and drum n bass. took safe haven in rob's car. had deep conversation with brian the lighter. gave kara hugs! took another shower. reminisced about flipside. saw elvis. and captain america.... and took a back seat while frankenmare fucked shit up. wow. thanks y'all. you don't cease to amaze me. hope to see you on the playa later this year.

flipside decomp

nikiniki — Fri, 23 Jun 2006 18:57:32 GMT

we're off!!! see y'all in a couple of days.

i got tagged.

nikiniki — Tue, 13 Jun 2006 03:05:32 GMT

Thanks to HiLife and the Ct Jester.... I've been tagged! Here are 8 things about myself.... 1. i am an identical twin 2. i think of kris "blis" blahnik and feel giggly 3. i lose shit constantly: keys, cash, my phone, debit cards... 4. i am a friggin' dancing queen. i'll dance until covered in sweat and dance some more. 5. i am addicted to (gulp) myspace, and i know it's sickening but i'm an addict. at least i admit it. 6. i hate using capital letters when i type because it slows my typing down. plus, you can read it, so why use caps? 7. kris is in my room drinking a modelo and he looks super-mega-wicked hot. 8. i don't have tonsils (they were surgically removed), and i've never had a cavity in my entire life. i tag BLIS, MAJOR TOM, DIGI DAVE, KATT, AND YOU!