To paraphrase Abraham Lincoln, "People who don't like this sort of thing will find this isn't the sort of thing they like." Over the last two days, we've revealed the not-so-sordid secrets of many Yahoo!s by letting them publicly confess some of the things they're proud to have never done. We conclude those revelations today with a grab-bag of confessions that didn't fit into any other categories (or that came in late -- you know who you are ...). They mostly (and unsurpringly) deal with pop culture, but there are one or two surprises to be found. Emily: I've never read any of the "Harry Potter" books, or seen any of the movies, and I don’t plan on changing that anytime soon. I’m just obstinate, and the fan fic/slash kind of creeps me out. Heather: Somehow, despite all the random piercings and multi-colored dye-jobs my friends got as teenagers, I managed to make it through my youth without so much as having a needle held to my ear, or a bottle of hydrogen peroxide tingling on my scalp. Richard: I’ve never seen a movie in which Melanie Griffith could act as a convincing human being. Never. Mitzi: I've never seen "Eraserhead." I refuse to watch "Dancing with the Stars" (I don’t care how popular it is!). I've never seen "Citizen Kane" (I’ve rented it a few times, but never got around to seeing it). I've never read "1984." (I know!) And I've never seen the "Oprah" show (not even when I’m at home sick with the flu or something). Adrianna: My bike was stolen before the training wheels were taken off, so I never learned how to ride a bike! I have tried as an adult, but every time I get on, the wobbly feeling makes me hop right off. Jasmin: I’ve never been to a frat party. I attended a JC before transferring to a private women’s college. No boys equals no frat parties. Mike: I’ve surely donned some trendy fashions in my day (pegged pants, flat top, MULLET!), but I never thought those wannabe-a-Spaceman sunglasses from Oakley were cool, and I certainly never owned a pair. And to end this festival of soul-bearing, we present this following rant: Brian: I’ve never created a MySpace or Facebook profile -- and never intend to. I've purposely stayed away from MySpace not because it's "addicting" (according to some people), but because I just don't have time -- or the need -- to look at a page that could give one a seizure. (MySpace users are the biggest offenders in this regard.) What makes MySpace intolerable is the plethora of choices one can pick from to create a page. It's like when a 5-year-old wants to cook something for the first time for his or her parents. What does the kid do? They grab every ingredient that looks appealing and dump it all into one bowl, which makes for the most inedible steaming pile of crap one could imagine. That’s what MySpace pages are: "Let's add an obnoxious background, and sprinkle it with some bright fonts which make reading the page impossible! And for good measure, let's add a music video and an audio clip to the mix so that the connection speed is like a 14.4 K modem!" Can you say "Geocities page, circa 1997?" Considering most people on MySpace are teens and have the most time to kill, it's understandable they dominate the population of the site. However, I remember when I was in high school, I kept in touch with my friends the old-fashioned way ... IN PERSON. I guess face-to-face contact can't compete nowadays with a quick message and an amusing photo pasted in a comment field of some random guy getting hit in the nuts, can it? Suggested Sites... Why I Hate Harry Potter - but I guess you'd have had to read it to hate it, wouldn't you? Why Citizen Kane is Overrated - on the other hand, maybe the ill-informed shouldn't watch stuff. Dancing with the Stars - know your enemy in order to avoid it. How to Ride a Bike - it's never too late to learn. Mullet Madness - "business in the front, party in the back"

Directory categories: Harry Potter Books, Piercing, Melanie Griffith, Oprah Winfrey Show, Social Networks

Archived under: 1984, Actors, Biking, Body Art, Books, Children´s Literature, Citizen Kane, College and Universities, Dancing With the Stars, David Lynch, Education, Entertainment, Fan Fiction, Hair, Harry Potter, In Character, Movies, MySpace, Oprah, Reality TV, Social Networking, Yahoo!

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Jack-O-Tummy (Photo by Jillian) Ever since I outgrew little-kid Halloween costumes 20-something years ago, I've gotten plenty of disapproving comments about my enthusiasm for the holiday -- like, "Halloween is supposed to be for kids." Ironically, this year I'm looking for a kiddie costume for the first time and finding it strangely difficult -- simply because my kid isn't due until a couple days after Halloween. Adorable baby costumes and clever ideas for already-born offspring abound, but the options for moms-to-be just aren't inspiring. Online costumers' maternity offerings are feeble at best: some tired puns (a bun? in the oven? hilarious!), the inevitable pregnant nun (gosh, will that ever stop being funny?), larger versions of store-bought standards (ooh, a pregnant slutty devil!), and sack-shaped, androgynous lumps (and what pregnant woman doesn't love being compared to a sumo wrestler?). The standard DIY suggestions -- shotgun bride, cow with udders, pregnant celeb, guy with a beer belly, pregnant skeleton -- can be really cute, but are overdone, and more original homemade maternity costumes are scarce. Belly-painting offers plenty of creativity, and while the same few designs dominate as costumes -- pumpkins, basketballs, fishbowls, planets -- at least each one is as original as the artistic skills of the painter and the uniqueness of the belly itself. I'm sure many pregnant women are happy with these options, and that's great for them. Maybe I'm too picky, but I have rules: no trendy or common costumes, no repeats, no store-bought outfits, no simple puns, nothing cutesy (it's Halloween, not Easter!), and no trampy versions of regular costumes. This year is no different; I want to introduce my kid to Halloween properly, with a costume that's creative and memorable. The sheer number of message boards and pleas for help online suggest that I'm not alone, but future mamas out there have far more questions than answers. So, I've collected the best threads and suggestions I've found, to help other Halloween-loving moms-to-be enjoy baby's first Halloween in style. Suggested Sites... MamaBlogga: The Ultimate List of Pregnancy and Maternity Costumes - instructions aren't included, but this might be a good place to get ideas. cafemom: Maternity Halloween Costume Ideas - moms-to-be share lots of suggestions on these messageboards. Spooky Halloween Costumes for Moms-to-Be - a few ideas -- not too spooky, collected from maternity messageboards.

Directory categories: Maternity Costume Ideas, Halloween Costumes, Costume Retailers, Special Effects Makeup, Body Painting

Archived under: Body Art, Clothing and Accessories, Cosmetics, Costumes, DIY, Halloween, Holidays, Pregnancy

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(photo by jedrek) It's not just bikers, sailors, and punk rockers sporting tattoos anymore. According to a recent poll, 16 percent of adult Americans have at least one tattoo. But who are the people inking all these decorated bodies, and how did they become professional tattoo artists? You might envision a Tattoo University, with a class of aspiring ink-slingers in graduation gowns (modified to show off their sleeves, of course), but body art education is a bit less formal. Anyone can buy a tattoo machine (don't call it a gun!) and training manuals online, though the self-taught are disdained and called "scratchers" by pros. Most tattoo artists start with apprenticeships at established studios, learning about sterilization techniques, blood-borne diseases, and anatomy before ever putting needle to skin. Artists-in-training are likely to spend a year or more practicing their drawing and inking skills on paper, grapefruit, and even pigs' feet before permanently marking a human canvas. Suggested Sites... HowStuffWorks: How Tattoos Work - a guide to how tattoo machines work, how ink stays in the skin, and how to select a safe tattoo parlor. The Science of Tattoos - a dermatologist's explanation of tattoo pigments, health risks, and skin reactions. Tattoo Image Galleries - browse other people's ink in many galleries from Body Modification Ezine.

Directory categories: Tattoos, Tattoo Artists, Tattoo Studios

Archived under: Artists, Arts, Body Art, Education, Tattoos

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(Photo by glasspinata) Seeing someone's body hanging from skewers might make some of you squeamish. But it's not a new phenomenon. In 1805, the Louis and Clark Expedition witnessed a Mandan sacred ceremony where tribal men skewered their chests and hung themselves from a lodge ceiling as a warriors' rite of passage. Almost 200 years later, Australian artist Stelarc shocked the art scene of the late '70s and early '80s by suspending his body with hooks in galleries as performance art. Today, radicals of the body modification community participate in public and private body suspensions in positions such as the lotus, superman, suicide, and coma. Participants claim the dangerous experience can be spiritual, an adrenaline rush, or the ultimate test of willpower. Whether body suspensions disgust or intrigue you, one thing is for certain -- don't try this at home. Suggested Sites... Society & Animal Forum: Plains Indian Sun Dance - explores the Native American ceremony, which involves a pulling or suspension of dancers with skewers. bmezine.com: Suspension FAQ - discover the history, organizations, risks, and technical information about body suspensions. BME World: Body Suspensions - graphic image archive of public and private body suspensions and pulls.

Directory categories: Body Suspensions, Stelarc, Body Art

Archived under: Body Art, Fanatics, History, Society and Culture, Spirituality

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