I feel crappy and so fucking used. Nagseselos ako. And we didn't even have anything, really. Haha. Funny me.

I tried, you know. It's so stupid. I knew from the start that I'll never be her or the woman of your dreams.

碩步甲

청가슴연두딱정벌레

Carabus (Apotopterus) davidis (thieffryi Hauser) (China)

jedne z kolczyków zrobionych przez Magdę. moje ulubione, bo z Danae. więcej tutaj.

i... tak, znów kadrowałam z zenita. bo mi się po bokach zdjęcia rozłażą.

[massive attack - group four]
rozpływam się przy tym utworze.

Without further delay, here are a few names to consider.

We've written about Daphne elsewhere on ApMtn.  With roots in Greek myth and steady use throughout history, it's the definitive D-name: spirited, straightforward and yet with roots.  While Daphne is an instantly familiar name, it's one that your daughter won't share with many others.  As of 2006, it ranked a mere #606 on the Social Security Administration charts.

Honoring a loved one named Daniel or Danielle?  Consider the Slavonic name, Danica.  While some Eastern European tongues will read her name DAH nee tza, the pronunciation favored in the US is DAN ee kah.  The name's meaning - morning star - is lovely.  And the rhythm of this seldom-heard name feels quite modern and current.  So much so, that Danica has gone from obscurity - it did not appear in the Top 1000 from 1996 to 2004, but as of 2006, had rocketed to #352.

Among my personal favorites on the D-list, Davina has a certain English rose appeal - in fact, Lady Davina Lewis is 22nd in line to the British throne.  But the spritely and boyish nickname Davy saves Davina from a too-feminissa fate.  Unlike David, which has long been a chart-topper for boys, the female version of the name is nearly unknown in the US.  It left the Top 1000 in 1987 and is today unranked.  The result is a pleasing compromise between the familiar and the rare - and it's a lovely way to remember Grandpa David, too.

Speaking of English roses, flower power name Dahlia might appeal to parents who feel that too many Violets are growing in their local kindergartens.  For PG Wodehouse fans, Dahlia is Bertie Wooster's good-natured aunt.  To horticulture devotees, the dahlia is the vibrant, exuberant national flower of Mexico, though it bears the name of Swedish botanist Anders Dahl.  The result is a name that is dainty without being at all flimsy.  And it could be either a simple, nickname-proof choice, or the springboard for getting to retro pet name Dolly.  Thanks to coolteamblt for suggesting this one for the D-list.  As of 2006, Dahlia had just peeked into the Top 1000, ranking at #988.

A subtly seafaring choice, Delphine is the adjectival form of dolphin.  (Like bovine for cows, or canine for dogs - but this one actually works for a given name.)  It's traditionally interpreted as "woman from Delphi" and yes, that's etymologically correct.  But we think the oceanic associations hold more appeal for modern parents.  Or, perhaps consider this literary use of the name: in 1802, Madame de Stael published her debut novel, Delphine, questioning the limitations placed on women in aristocratic society.  Napoleon exiled her from France for her pains.  More popular in France than the US, this name has not ranked in the Top 1000 since 1962.  (Girls' names with a French flair - think Suzanne - were big in the 50s.)

She's a plant, she's a painting, but once upon a time, Danae was a Greek princess, locked in a chest and tossed into the sea with her infant son Perseus in order to thwart a prophecy.  (As with all things mythological, it failed utterly - Danae and Perseus survived and things unfolded as foretold.)  Danae had two valid pronunciations - the incredibly pretty dah NAH ee, and the far more manageable dah NAY.  The latter is favored by the only modern Danae that we've ever met.  Rembrandt, Titian and Klimt have each painted Danae, so it's a name with history even if it is rather obscure.  It spent three years in the Top 1000 (1990 - 1992), but today remains almost completely unused.  If you can overlook the potential pronunciation drama - there really oughta be an umlaut in this name - it's an interesting choice.

The surname Delaney is not nearly as popular as Madison, Taylor or Riley - yet.  For the moment, this three-syllable choice has an attractive rhythm and offers the nickname options of Della or Laney.  And while many of the last-names-first choices are worn by both boys and girls, this one seems solidly of the feminine.  But before you fall in love with this one, note that as of 2006, it was #193.  So while it's far from common, it may yet spring into the familiar territory of the Top 100.  An alternative might be the surname Delancey.  With just one extra letter, Delancey is transformed from a Celtic charmer to an urbanista.  Venture to New York City's Lower East Side, and Delancey Street is a major thoroughfare, celebrated in music, film and even comic strips.  It's not fashionable, but it's vibrant.  And unlike Delaney, Delancey does not appear in the Top 1000.

Ever since Drew Barrymore appeared onscreen in the blockbuster ET, her name has been a viable choice for girls, though it is still not as popular as Brooke, Paige, Blair or other simple single-syllable options for girls.  (In fact, while it ranked #205 for boys in 2006, it actually fell out of the Top 1000 for girls in that year.)  In Ms. Barrymore's case, the name honors great-great-grandfather John Drew.  If you like the idea of Drew, but balk at using a gender-neutral name, you might consider reviving the ancient Roman moniker Drusilla.  While her history is often told as a tragic one - the best-known Drusilla was sister to mad Roman Emperor Caligula - it's hard to ignore the appeal of this name.  With throwback names like Aurelia gaining in favor, this name is nicely wearable.  It does not appear in the Top 1000.

As with all Alphabet posts, there's a name that we can't help but scream: DON'T!  In this case, we suggest that you avoid:

Destiny

We defend noun names here on ApMtn.  Journey and Maxim, Wren and Ocean all pass muster.  But Destiny?  It seems like a moment where the parents haven't fully grappled with the meaning of the word.  The idea of predetermination, of a fate that cannot be challenged is actually a poor concept for a child's name.  Destined for what?  For greatness?  For infamy?  It's a huge philosophical concept that sounds completely out of place on the playground.  What's more, the spelling variations - Destinee, Destiney and Destini all rank in the Top 1000 - are truly horrorshow.  With a galaxy of meaningful, interesting names, why cling to this Top 50 choice?

You can do better for your daughter.

And so that's the definitive list ... for now.

A long time ago, many gods ruled over our planet. And the king of the gods was called Zeus. One day, he fell in love with a mortal girl and they became lovers.

But the girl's father had visited the oracle before and the oracle had told him that if his daughter had a son, he would one day kill him. So the king locked up his daughter in a tower, but Zeus visited her there in the form of a golden shower and soon the girl became pregnant.

Since only Zeus could be the boy's father, the king could not kill either his daughter or her baby. So he locked them in a thick, wooden chest and cast them into the sea, so it would be Poseidon's-lord of the sea-fault.

But Zeus ordered Poseidon to save the girl and the baby and the sea carried them to a small island far away.

Danae, visited by Zeus, in the form of a golden shower.

There an elderly fisherman found her and invited her to live with him. The girl accepted and raised her son, who she named Perseus, into a young man. He was a fine swordsman, skilled with all weaponry he handled, and a famed rider and hunter. But he always wished to go off his island, though his mother had forbidden him.

One day, his mother caught the eye of the king of the small island, the brother of the fisherman who had offered the mother and son a home. He desired to marry her, but she refused to leave her son in case he needed her. So the king devised a way to disgrace Perseus and force him to stay away from the island.

The king of the small island announced that he would be marrying another woman, a fabled tamer of horses, and to win her heart he would hold a banquet, where each guest would present a horse. Perseus was poor and had no horse to give.

"I am your king," said the king. "And I must marry to insure that the wealth of our people continue. How am I to do so if my men will not aid me? Are you not some "prince"? Have you no honor, no shame?"

And so the king berated Perseus again and again, insulting him and his poverty. Perseus before had never regretted his lack of his wealth, but on this day he did.

"I will give you the greatest gift you have ever received!" Perseus shouted when he could stand it no more. "I will give you the head of the Medusa!"

The Medusa was a hideous monster, said to be cursed by the goddess of love, and any man who hunted her wound up dead, their blood seeping out from their very pores. No one had reached the home of this creature and returned alive.

The king was pleased and announced that he would accept nothing less than this promised gift. If Perseus was to return without the Medusa's decapitated head tied to his belt, he would be disgraced and outcast from the island.

So Perseus packed his meager belongings and set to the mainland, despite his mother's weeping. He had no hope of finding the Medusa, but he still refused to give up. His sword, he swore to those he met, would taste the Medusa's deadly blood! He would slaughter this monster and glory and honor would be his.

Finally, after many weeks of warning, the children of Zeus intervened. Zeus had seen his son wander and deemed that two of his children, Hermes and Athena, should help. So the two went to earth and gave Perseus gifts to aid him.

From Athena he was got a shield made of the smoothest, clearest metal and from Hermes he got a sword that could slice through solid stone. They told him to find the Hesperidea, on the island Hesperides, and to ask the wild nymphs where the Graeae, sisters of the Medusa, lived. The nymphs told him, but only after Perseus promised to come back and dance.

Perseus and the Graeae.

Perseus made a long journey to the cave of the Graeae, three, blind women who shared one eye that could see into the feature. Perseus stole their eye and held away from them as they scrambled helplessly on the floor, reaching for it.

"Tell me where the Medusa lies and you can have your eye back!" Perseus called and the crones shrieked at him. "Tell me where she is, hags! And tell me what I need to defeat her or I'll crush your eye beneath my foot!"

The Graeae told him the secret of Hades' cap, which allowed its wearer to turn invisible, a satchel that could hold anything without tearing, and a pair of sandals that would allow him to fly across the land. Once Perseus had acquired these-collected deep in the crones' cave-they told him how to reach their sister.

With this knowledge, Perseus flew across the ocean to a distant island where the deadly Medusa resided. He wore the Hades' cap and passed the island's many monster guardians and reached the inner sanctum of the monster.

But there was a problem! The legend of the Medusa went that any many who looked upon the creature would be turned to stone. And Perseus saw this was true as countless stoned bodies lined the walkways, their faces twisted into screams of horror and pain.

As he entered the Medusa's lair, he lifted his shield and looked only through it. He saw no trace of the monster, not of the hideous snakes in her hair, or the rattle of the end of her body as she slithered like a worm across-

CRACK!

Perseus's head jerked back as his cap went flying off. He had forgotten that Hades' cap made him invisible, not silent. He pivoted to the left to avoid a deadly swipe of talons and rolled, careful to look only into his shield.

The Medusa coiled on him, her face twisted in a permanent mask of rage. Her long fingernails, filled with snake venom, were lifted to strike him. An inhuman hiss escaped her lips as she descended on him...

...Perseus swung his sword in a backward arch, never looking away from his shield. His sword found its mark and sliced clean through the Medusa's neck, blood spraying all over the floor, steam rising from it like acid eating away flesh.

The heavy body of the Medusa fell at Perseus's feet, blood pouring out from her gaping neck, eating at the stone. The end of the monster's body twitched, once, twice, and was still for all of time.

The head of Medusa.

Her head went sailing through the air, spinning in a wheel of blood and guts, and hit a pillar hard. It crashed to the floor, the Medusa's eyes wide and horrified, still trying to freeze her enemies in her gaze, her pointed teeth bared, and her face contorted in rage.

The rank stench of death filled the air and Perseus relaxed his shield arm, pointing his sword at the ground and shaking off the blood from his defeat foe.

Perseus placed the severed head of the Medusa into his satchel and used the flying sandals to leave Medusa's liar. With the head of the hideous beast now locked around his waist, no monster dared to attack him.

As Perseus flew back to his island to present his gift, he flew over a country named Ethiopia where he saw a woman chained to a large stone by the sea. Curious, he flew down to her and asked her name. She replied that she was called Andromeda and related to him her sad tale.

Perseus and Andromeda's first meeting.

She said that she was the daughter of the king and queen of the country and that her mother had boasted that she was more beautiful than the goddess of love. The land then was attacked by a horrible beast, called the Ceto, and could not be held back. An oracle announced to the king that his land would have no peace until his daughter was sacrificed to the Ceto and the gods were appeased.

With no other choice, Andromeda's father did as he was told.

Perseus could not stand for this and he flew high above the girl, taking from his satchel the head of the Medusa. From the water rose the horrid Ceto, but as it opened its massive mouth, Perseus thrust the head of the Medusa at it and it froze in horror, crumbling to stone.

He freed Andromeda from her chains and the king and queen were so pleased to have her alive, that they both agreed that Perseus would be given her hand in marriage and would one day be king of their country. Perseus agreed to this, but only after he returned to his home and collected his mother.

So he bid Andromeda farewell and returned to his island, where he learned from the fisherman who had looked after him and his mother, that his brother-the king-had forced Perseus's mother to marry him. Perseus, realizing he had been tricked all along, rushed to the palace just as the wedding ceremony began.

"Mother, shield your eyes!" Perseus shouted and his mother obeyed as he withdrew the head of the Medusa and turned all traitors in the room into stone.

Perseus made the fisherman king of the island and took his mother away to live with his wife Andromeda. There they lived happily for many years.

Perseus and Andromeda as they were wed.

Then, one day, shortly after Andromeda had given birth to their first son, Perseus traveled to Argos to participate in the annual games. It was in the discus throw that Perseus lost his footing and sent his disc flying into the crowd. A man screamed and collapsed to the floor, the disc lodged between his eyes.

Perseus, guilty, went to see the old man, and gently wiped the blood that covered his face away. He yanked the discus out and buried it with the man's body on the pyre. He regretted his actions deeply and vowed never to play again in the games. He then returned to Ethiopia and ruled long with Andromeda.

What he never knew was that the old man he had killed was his grandfather, the Oracle's prophecy fulfilled at last.

The end.

The tale of Perseus, everybody. A little revision on Greek Mythology could never do any harm, right? :D Hope you liked!

Valentino for Pronovias . See also fashionbride

Read more ->

Inspired by traditional femininity, Valentino blends classical and innovative designs to present a refined, elegant bridal collection, always adding a touch of the originality that makes him so unique and special.

Sommige mannen zijn dom, erg dom. Zo wilde de vader van mijn (én zijn) kind niet dat ze hem belde, brieven schreef of mailde, iets wat ze één keer had gedaan. Hij verzon dus dat het email adres niet meer bestond. Wat deze meneer vergat was dat hij een eigen weblog bezit en daar hetzelfde email adres op promoot.
Wel leuk was de manier waarop hij zijn leugen neerzette; er kwam een uitgebreide email in het engels(nee, niet eigenhandig geschreven, dat kan hij ongetwijfeld niet zo goed) waarin tegen mijn dochter van zeven werd gezegd dat men er niets van snapte en er geen Ricardo bekend was. Zelfs mijn dochter wist het email adres op de site te vergelijken en dat terwijl ze toch maar zeven is.

Je vraagt je af waarom mannen zo dom zijn. Is het echt of maakt het ze niet zoveel uit? De stakker schreef haar een email vanaf het emailadres ‘eenmalig.hotmail.com’ en schreef haar ook dat reageren niet mogelijk was. Godzijdank is intellect in dit geval genetisch bepaalt en heeft ze niets van haar vader meegekregen, ze is één van de besten van haar klas en blinkt uit in taal en spelling. Maar ook dat was teveel voor de verwekker van mijn mopje. Geheel op eigen IQ niveau begon hij over mama’s en papa’s en wat ze wel of niet deden. Daar hoef je bij mijn kind niet mee aan te komen. Die weet namelijk al precies wat haar vader voor haar doet; niets.

Ook suggereerde het Arubaanse manneke in zijn mail dat kennissen niet zo vaak langskomen als vrienden, dat hij vroeger wel eens met mama had gedanst en bijna een kennis was.
Nog meer sprookjes, hij mag redelijk kunnen zingen, ritmisch is hij zeker niet (en dat geldt niet alleen op het toneel).

Als toetje vond de vader van mijn heerlijke kind het ook nog eens nodig uit te spreken dat de mooie woorden die ze in haar mailtje had gebruikt vast niet van haar afkomstig waren, m.a.w. dat had haar moeder voor haar verzonnen. Dus niet alleen dom maar ook nog paranoïde verschijnselen bleken hem parten te spelen.
Ik vroeg me af waarom ik, na zeven jaar intensieve alleen zorg, zónder enige vraag om alimentatie of enig ander vorm van contact, deze loser zou willen mailen. Blijkbaar overtuigd van zijn enorme aantrekkingskracht  gaat hij compleet voorbij aan het feit dat zijn dochter contact met hem wil. Een heel normaal iets voor een meisje dat haar vader niet kent, een soort natuurlijk verschijnsel maar nee, daar denkt zo’n man niet aan.

De topper in zijn mail was: ‘zie mij maar als man van de benzinepomp’
Over het algemeen praat mijn dochter niet met personeel van de benzinepomp en het enige wat ik doe met de man van de benzinepomp is afrekenen. Misschien moet ik dat met deze verwekker van mijn kind ook eens doen; afrekenen. Na zoveel jaren naar zijn belachelijke eisen te hebben moeten luisteren en een gehalveerd maandinkomen door 24/7 zorg wordt het volgens mij hoog tijd. 

Toch blijft hij positief zie ik op internet, via zijn eigen site give your smile to the world .com. Het nummer 'A matter of facts' van Dizzy man's band is door Amtwon Vive(AM21VV) helaas niet origineel maar wél goed gecoverd. Het origineel is beter.

Ik denk dat het tijd wordt voor alimentatie, brengt hij ook eens een smile op mijn dochters bankrekening. Of klinkt dit wat sarcastisch? Hey, it’s just a matter of facts, toch?

.................Como diz a Danae, mãe do Alessio,
.................... ...é o amor o que nos move!
“...All you need is love. All you need is love.
All you need is love, love. Love is all you need...”

Dánae era una princesa cuyo padre la encerró en una torre para que ningún hombre la tomara. Zeus interesado en la princesa se transformó en una lluvia de oro para fecundarla; fue madre de Perseo quien mató a Medusa e hizo otras grandes hazañas.

Una de las obras más famosas de Klimt es la Dánae, una voluptuosa joven con el rostro evidenciando su excitación y Zeus entrando en ella. En el contexto de Klimt debió de ser una obra muy fuerte y sexual, la idea de la lluvia de oro es un tema perfecto para el trabajo de este pintor.

Pues Milo Manara reconstruyó la obra un poco y le quitó cualquier noción de pudor que tenía, un detalle interesante es que en la versión de Manara lo que está introduciendose en Danae es la lluvia de oro y lo que parece ser la sábana.

El patrón "Exótico" de la sábana es uno de los detalles más importantes de la original de Klimt. Además dando un toque de homenaje a la reconstrucción aparece la figura de Klimt y otros patrones representativos del pintor: En la parte superior aparecen las curvas del Árbol de la Vida del Friso de Stocklet.

Otra diferencia importante en la obra es el orgasmo mismo de la Dánae, en la versión de Klimt parece un orgasmo introspectivo, callado y personal, mientras que en la de Manara parece está a punto reventar en gritos. Personalmente me parece que la fecundación para Klimt ocurre en forma de un sueño erótico mientras que para Manara es un acto consiente.

Mientras escribo esto me pongo a pensar en las similitudes entre Dánae y María, y recuerdo el Evangelio Según Jesucristo de Saramago donde el único indicio de que María ha quedado embarazada es un amanecer con un cielo de color peculiar.

Cuando veo la Dánae no puedo evitar pensar en Los Cuadernos de Don Rigoberto, aquí un fragmento:

Esta es una orden de tu esclavo, amada. Frente a un espejo, sobre una cama o sofá engalanado con sedas de la India pintadas a mano o indonesio batik de circulares ojos te tumbarás de espaldas, desvestida, y tus largos cabellos negros soltarás. Imperativos del Sediento Viajero, Los Cuadernos de Don Rigoberto, Mario Vargas Llosa.