Fun Facts and Figures to End the Year

I love writing down my thoughts on the Tilly Greene's Hot Thoughts Blog and you who visit make it worthwhile - big thank you's to each of you for taking the time in your busy day to stop by for a read.

Well, 2010 is almost done, woohoo, and in celeberation, I thought I'd share a bit about you guys that I know and is fun.  Who knows, maybe you'll see yourself in some of these ipso facto's.  Okay, let's get started with where you guys are from.

People in 87 different countries visited this blog, with the most coming from the US, Canada and the UK - not really all that surprising - and after that it is Germany, Australia, India, Japan, New Zealand, Philippines and Finland.  Just for fun, I looked at the ten countries with the least visits and found them fascinating:

Nepal
Algeria
Chile
Hungary
Cayman Islands
Guyana
Macedonia
Botswana
Dominican Republic
Malta

The Naughty Thought for Monday's seems to be the most popular segment, followed by The Big Huge Reader Contest [which was a blast] and Hump Day Reflections.  The favorite single blog, of which was written in 2007, and also the most used search term [outside of various ways to spell Tilly Greene and Hot Thoughts] was about the Real Dolls [Real Male Doll is what's used the most often] - yup, call me surprised.  As for writing the blog, that was all BBC America's fault, but also rather interesting.

Now, when it comes to Search Engines, Google is top and after that is Yahoo and Bing.  Browsers weren't that much of a surprise either with I.E., Firefox, Safari, and Chrome at the top.

Okay, one more, that's it - promise :-)

It's devices - kind of.  Our Operating System can sometimes give a hint of what inanimate object we spend so much of our time with.  Well, here you go:

Windows
Macintosh
Other Unix
iPod
iPhone
BlackBerry
iPad
Linux
PlayStation Portable
LG

See what I mean about devices?  6 of those listed above are portables.  Hmmm, interesting, yes, but don't start talking about the demise of the computer.  Windows was almost 6x larger than all the other OS's together.

The computer is still king!

Smooches under the mistletoe!

Ever wonder about the tradition of kissing beneath the mistletoe?  I did and yet my mind got stuck on one little, tiny, bit of information:  "The appearance and nature of the fruit's content (viscin) is very similar to or suggestive of human semen and this has strengthened its pagan connections." Wikipedia

I didn't see this anywhere else, but like I said, it stuck in my head and makes me look at the ball of tradition a little differently.  I'm not so keen to stand beneath it, although this lost bit of the tradition brings a little bit of the fun back into seeing it hanging:  "The mistletoe is still hung up in farm-houses and kitchens at Christmas, and the young men have the privilege of kissing the girls under it, plucking each time a berry from the bush. When the berries are all plucked the privilege ceases."  Christmas Eve by Washington Irving found quoted on About:Landscaping  Kissing Under the Mistletoe by David Beaulieu

Let the fun times beneath the mistletoe commence.

A bit of random ridiculousness...

Little Known Baseball Fact

The first testicular guard (Cup) was used in baseball in 1874 and the first helmet was used in 1934.

It took 60 years for men to realize that the brain is also important.

Thank you, WooWoo, this was a hoot!

Thursday 13 - #8!

Hmmm, the cutie took me to see Hot Fuzz last weekend and we were trying to figure out where it was filmed. We never thought of Wells, Somerset. Anyway, here are 13 words the English say others may, or may not, know:

1. Tosser = an insult, and refers to someone who masturbates
What a tosser!

2. Faff = fuss
Don't faff with it, everythings fine.

3. Nosh = food
Let's get some nosh.

4. Kit = clothes
Get your kit off!

5. Whinger = constant complainer
You are such a whinger.

6. Welly = put some force behind a kick
Come on, put some welly in it.

7. Slash = go to the bathroom
I'm going for a slash.

8. Hols = vacation
How were your hols?

9. Muggins = fool
Muggins here fell for it.

10. Plonk = cheap wine
Let's go get some plonk for later.

11. Nowt = nothing
I know nowt about that.

12. Knackered = tired
Tommy's not going, he's knackered.

13. Lurgy = indeterminate illness
We both have the lurgy.

Hmmm...

Is Antonio Banderas the Nasonex bee?

Thursday 13 - #4!

Here are 13 things I've never done before that I did in the past 3 months.

1. Bought a painting through eBay - I love it.

2. Made corn chowder and it was good [gasp!].

3. Spent the better part of a two weeks on a hunt for the best hot chocolate I could find.

4. Had blini's [including salmon and cavier - I never eat anything from the sea, but it would have been rude to decline - blech!] and Kir Royal [nice :-)].

5. Started to learn German.

6. Bought boy's socks because they were nicer than the women's.

7. Drove 80mph past a police car [with police in it] and didn't get a ticket!

8. Subscribed to a serial graphic novel.

9. Figured out RSS and am now addicted to Bloglines.

10. Organized a surprise party and it stayed a surprise - it's this Friday so while this is still true now, it may not be then.

11. Gave an older man I didn't know a hug. He was working so hard and everyone around him was complaining loudly how he wasn't fast enough.

12. Started to watch the Soprano's and love it...only thing is, this is the last season. Thank goodness for DVD's.

13. Ate a box of Girl Scout Thin Mints...oops, I'm sure I've done that before, but since I can't remember I'm counting it!

Thursday 13 - #3!

A Passion for Fashion and Bondage is the name of a series I've been writing lately. The first is "The Leather Bride", due out in May from Phaze, the second is "Taming Marie Antoinette", where I delve further into the world of fashion.

Oh, yes, I love fashion in all its manifestations, even though I'm usually found in shorts, t-shirt and thongs [and never wear heels]. A little secret between you and me...I was in school to be a designer until I was found out to be a fraud. No problem doing everything except sewing...apparently I suck at it big time. Nevermind, I found another calling but am still addicted to fashion.

Haute couture, high fashion, is a select club opened to extremely talented and creative French designers [although the who started this movement was an Englishman, Charles Worth with the House of Worth, in the 1850's] and a few honorary members. For me, the pieces they produce are art...designed and constructed by artisians who will sometimes spend hundreds of hours on a single garment. And, most notable of all, most of the workmanship is done by hand! Here are my favorite 13 haute couture pieces from the Spring 2007 collection of John Galiano for Christian Dior. These are pieces of art.

Wow, did I not say they were incredible?!?

Hump Day Reflections!

Is a tattoo art or a sign someone is "bad"?

There is a long history for tattoos, going back more than 5000 years. They were marks that defined a person: religion, tribe, status, and much more was reflected in the tattoo. With Christianity came the decline of tribal tattoos. There were other markers in history, but in modern time, a decline started with the depression. One of the final straws to break in the acceptance of tattoos was with the rise of juvenile deliquint and biker gang violence. It was taboo to have a tattoo, only criminals had them.

Today the tide has turned again in the art forms favor. There are even popular shows on television based around tattoo shops. Now, many people have them, from housewives to grandparents. One that has always held my attention is the mascectomy patients who choose to get a tattoo where their breast used to be. Some tats mark a specific point in the persons life, others a statement, either way, they have become more mainstream and acceptable.

But are they beautiful? Erotic?

I think it's all in the eyes of the beholder.

They were finally moving quickly along the path he'd wanted all along. She was almost naked, in his arms and beneath his mouth. One last item of clothing separated from what he wanted to possess. For months she's been teasing him, tempting him to pull on the leash he'd unwillingly doned because he wanted so badly.

Slowly, confidently, he worked on releasing the small buttons, laying kisses over the exposed flesh as it appeared. From between her legs, he felt he'd finally had control of the situation, then, with three buttons to go, she called a halt. Sitting up she moved away from, seemed to curl into herself and away from him.

"What? Why pull away."

"I need to..."

"What, what do you need and I'll give it to you. Anything!"

She looked at him with guarded eyes. Was she still not sure of him? When she stood up and walked away, he was ready to put his clothes back on and leave, give them both space before he did or said something wrong. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a movement of white. Looking over he saw her working on the shirt buttons herself and, after a quick glance over her shoulder, let the top drop to the floor.

Upon seeing her bare back, he stood up and walked over for a closer look. A tattooed vine delicately traced and swirled around her spine. There were flowers dangling from a random branches. It was a thing of beauty, and yet this must be why she was hesitant to take the next step in their relationship.

"Are you ashamed of your tattoo?"

"No, I chose and love it. When I was younger I had a curvature of the spine and went through a great deal of pain and hard work to straighten it out. When the braces were finally relegated to the trash, I went out and got this vine. It was my way of reclaiming control of my body, my back."

The power radiating off her was an intense emotion that raced through him and firmed up the hold she had on his heart. He moved closer and pressed his lips to the first rose, then another and another. When he came upon a dangling heart, with his initials noted inside, he lost control of the situation. There was no waiting a moment longer, he needed to be in her, a part of her power so clearly painted along her back. Rushing her to the floor, on her hands and knees, he gave her the words clouding his mind.

"Sorry, must have you, fuck you...love you." He grunted and pressed for pleasure while never taking his eyes from her decoated spine.

"Take me!" She called as he thrust inside her welcoming embrace. "Love me!" She screamed as he possessed her body, heart and soul.

If you're curious for more about body art, I've written two books with two different approaches to body art. One permanent, the other not, but they are both have the same focus for the reader: arouse, tilliate, bring the lust forward on route to a happy-ever-after.

'The Painted Lady' and 'Dragon Lust'

Sniff, sniff...you look so young!

That's right, studies have shown that wearing pink grapefruit scent makes others believe you're younger than you are :-)

Personally, my upbringing has instilled in me a belief that I am as old as I feel, not what a number says. In the end, none of it matters. That being said, I love the smell of pink grapefruit...especially in spring and summer. Already I have a few candles to light and body wash to lather myself...lovely!

Thursday 13 - #2!

I'm a bookie, have been for years and figure I always will be. As such, there are piles of books waiting for me to read, to add into my database [I have a bad repuation for buying the same book over and over again, and always hope this will help - unfortunately it also allows the cutie to see a total number of books stashed throughout the house], to be stacked in the appropriate cases up in the attic for keeping or donating. Over the holidays and through the new year I judged two different contests [romance and young adult books] so haven't read much for myself. Now it's me time and I've started reading the ebook "Mi Lady's School for Girls" by Lady Midnight, but my TBR pile is still stacked high. Here are thirteen of the traditional books in my TBR pile...the ebook pile doesn't haunt me as much because I don't have to dust it.

1. Victorious Star by Morgan Hawke - read them each separately as ebooks and loved the series, but now want to read them together, straight through. If I remember correctly, they were intense.

2. Something Sinful by Suzanne Enoch - enjoy her historicals, a good fix.

3. Wolf at the Door by Christine Warren - her ebook series "Fixed" were fantastic, hope these have the same edge.

4. Kushiel's Scion by Jacqueline Carey - the first Kushiel trilogy was so fresh and full of lush details, I was compelled to step back into this world again.

5. Dark Celebrations by Christine Feehan - love the Carpathians.

6. Ricochet by Sandra Brown

7. Innocent in Death by JD Robb - Roarke and Eve are a favorite couple of mine. I usually devour these two when I first get them so it's odd to see this one waiting to be picked up...must be the mental place I'm in right now.

8. Shadow Dance by Julie Garwood

9. Taste of Innocence by Stephanie Laurens

10. For a Few Demons More by Kim Harrison - I'm always laughing during these books.

11. Chosen Prey by Cheyenne McCray

12. Just for Kicks by Susan Andersen

13. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by JK Rowling - if you tell me there is going to be a finite number of books in a series, I'll wait until the last one has been officially submitted to an editor before starting with book 1.

Go Disney!

Disney has announced the first black princess will star in "The Frog Princess", to be released in 2009. The setting, New Orleans :-)



And, to top it all off, Maddy will also be a part of the animated princess collection at the various theme parks and retail products.

Thursday 13 - the first!

The other day I saw a snip promoting the dvd release for the new Casino Royale and it had me thinking about all those leading men who, at some point in my lifetime, made my heart skip a beat, my breath catch in the back of my throat with an "oh my" hovering on my lips, or made me cry - the out loud, can't hold back the flood, kind. They are:

1. Cary Grant - To Catch a Thief - sigh, this man is the epitomee of a debonair gentleman, full of class, and even at a young age he made my heart beat faster.

2. David Craig - Casino Royale - I don't care that he's blond, he's rough around the edges, tough and sexy as heck.

3. Pierce Brosnan - Thomas Crown Affair - he was a good Bond, but I preferred him with a wicked side.

4. Colin Firth - Pride and Prejudice - oh man, the wet shirt scene says it all!

5. Denzel Washington - Glory - cried so hard when he is being whipped, the dignity and strength was right there, so was the determination to not be ground down.

6. Robert Redford - Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid - it was a tie between this one and the Rhinestone Cowboy, this one won out because he was bad without being evil :-)

7. Kevin Costner - Bull Durham - "I believe in long, slow, deep, soft, wet kisses that last three days." Need I say more?

8. Harrison Ford - Star Wars - Hans Solo was sexy and wild, a rascal really and he made my young heart go pitter-pat.

9. Doug McClure - Gidget [he was Waikiki] - HA, Moondoggie was cute but when Waikiki shared her blanket at the beach party, well, enough said. On a side note, there was only one Gidget and that was Sandra Dee!

10. Clark Gable - Gone with the Wind - its that good bad thing again, gets me every time, but he get's me every time his daughter dies. Oh, and this is the first flick I found myself entranced by the clothes.

11. Oded Fehr - The Mummy - wasn't sure whether to trust him and that kept my eyes focused on him, lovely way to spend some time.

12. Timothy Hutton - Ordinary People - he played the surviving son so perfectly, you want to stand up and shake the mom and tell her to wake up, her son needs her.

13. George Clooney [just because I think the older he gets the better looking he becomes and I love the recent Oceans 11 and 12, as well as Syriana]

Let's Celebrate!

It's International Women's Day!

First Female as Acting Head of State: from December 1917 through March 1918, Yevheniya Bohdanivna Bosh, was Acting Head of Executive Power, Ukraine

First Female President: 1940-44, Khertek Amyrbitovna, was Head of State Khertek Anchimaa-Toka, People's Republic of Tannu Tuva

As of today, there are four reigning Queens/Empresses, six Governor Generals, five Chiefs of Governments of External Territories, and Moçambique, Germany, Jamaica, Latvia, Finland, The Philippines, Liberia, Chile, Switzerland, Israel, and up to yesterday, South Korea, all have a female President or Prime Minister!

Is the US ready for a female president?