Happy Birthday Courtney!

Oh Hai!

Happy 13th Courtney, Love Erica!

Thank You For Your Consideration,

The Graham Ten

Oscar Needs a Home

Oh Hai!

If you live in the Seattle, Washington area and are in the market for a cat, I would like you to consider Oscar.  Even though I already have more pets than I have space (can you really have too many pets?), I still often find myself perusing Petfinder.com.  I ran across this 12 year old guy and fell in love.  Why did I fall in love you ask?  Could it be his vampire fang like front teeth?  That’s definitely part of it (Edward Cullen anyone?).  Could it be his declawaedness?  That could be a consideration.  Is it his unique meow?  Maybe.  All those things make him a great companion for a forever friend.  The thing that put it over the top for me is the fact that he only has three legs.  I am a sucker for three-legged babies, as evidenced by the fact that I have had two of them.  They never seem to let their lack of a limb get them down or stop them.  Oscar is no different, running around and acting as if all four legs were present.    I wish I had the space to bring him into my home.  If you do, the Seattle Animal Shelter can give you all of the information or find him at Oscar at Petfiner.com.

Thank You For Your Consideration (and Oscar thanks you).

The Graham Ten

The World is a Dangerous Place

Oh Hai!

It’s a dangerous place out there.  Take one of these.  It will protect you.

Thank You For Your Consideration,

The Graham Ten

Etsy Christmas Season Sale!

Oh Hai!

I am having an artism sale over at my Etsy site – Rockshanks Repurposed Art Jewelry.  The details of the sale are as follows:

1st Item – Regular Price

2nd Item (of equal or lesser value) – 10% Off Regular Price

3rd Item (of equal or lesser value) – 20 % Off Regular Price

4th Item – Free Shipping on All Items (Within the United States only. $4.80 off all other shipping.)

All items must be purchased in the same transaction to qualify for sale prices. A refund will be made via PayPal for the difference in price.

If you are looking for some unique (if I do say so myself) gifts for Christmas, birthdays, or any other special occasion, please take a look.  I specialize in repurposed altered art jewelry, but I also offer bookmarks and key chains and a few things that men and boys might enjoy as stocking stuffers.  Here are some examples of the gifts you can find in my store.

Twilight Book Mark

Colorful Lego Brick Charm Bracelet

Evel Knievel Lego Minifigure Key Chain Lanyard

Harry Potter Themed Overloaded Charm Bracelet

Pewter Sourvenire Spoon Necklace

New Moon Themed Overloaded Charm Bracelet

Turn Your Favorite Books into a Custom Made Charm Bracelet

This is just a small fraction of what my shop has to offer.  I am adding new stuff daily for the holiday season.  If anything you have seen interests you, please visit

Rockshanks Repurposed Art Jewelry

Mention that you saw my blog, and I will include something special with your order.

Thank You For Your Consideration,

The Graham Ten and Rockshanks

Legos are Awesome

Oh Hai,

Since I started making jewelry out of Lego pieces I have rekindled a childhood love of Lego bricks.  It is truly amazing what people can do with the building toy.  In fact a man in England has recently made the first full-size Lego house.

James May of the BBC television show Top Gear, along with about 1,000 volunteers, recently finished a house made completely out of about 3.3 million Lego bricks.  Unfortunately, the status of the house is now in limbo.  Originally Lego Land England was going to move the house to their park.  Due to some issues involved in moving the house they have backed out of the deal.  May feels that it would be a travesty, and I agree, to take the house apart so he is trying to sell it to a private collector.  It can not be used as a public attraction outside of Lego Land because they have the exclusive right to such attractions in England.  I hope things work out for this amazingly awesome structure.

Read more about May and his awesome Lego house at The Daily Mail.

Than You For Your Consideration,

The Graham Ten

Bats For Halloween

Oh Hai:

I find my thoughts turning to bats during this Halloween season.  Once you get past their undeserved vampiric reputation, they really are amazingly beautiful and complex creatures.  I am constantly amazed by the creatures we share our planet with.  Enjoy!

Bonus Question:  Which one of these is not like the other?

Happy Halloween!

Thank You For Your Consideration,

The Graham Ten

Beautiful Bugs For Thursday

Oh Hai!

Bugs can be beautiful too.  Don’t believe it?  Take a look for yourself.

Thank You For Your Consideration,

The Graham Ten

More Lawsuit Craziness – Much, Much More

Oh Hai!

I thought I had found all of the best crazy lawsuits.  Boy was I wrong.  Here is some more craziness for your consideration.

1.  And Which Kind of Bread Would You Like That On?

Would You Like Knife With That?

John Agnesini, 27, of Astoria, New Yorker sued Subway because he took a bite of a sandwich and found a 7 inch serrated knife baked into the bread of his 12 inch cold cut sandwich.   He was not cut by the knife, but he became violently ill and experienced severe stomach pains for about three hours.  A doctor told him he was experiencing the symptoms of food poisoning, possibly from the filthy knife baked into his bread.  He is suing for $1,000,000.  Gross and unsanitary?  Definitely.  $1,000,000 gross?  I am not so sure.  Read more at The New York Post.

2. Excuse Me, Those Are My Magic Powers You are Using

A man named Christopher Roller, a resident of Minnesota, recently sued David Blaine, David Copperfield, and James Randi claiming that acts he had seen them perform could not possibly be done by trickery and thus must be actual divine magic.  He claimed the magicians were covering up their magical abilities and demanded that they reveal their secret magic tricks to him.   Roller sued not just because he claimed the performers were using divine powers – he sued because he thinks he is God and therefore it is his powers they were stealing.  He demanded 10% of their earnings for life.  After his suit was dismissed, Roller filed an affidavit claiming that the lawyer for the performers tried to kill him.  Can you kill God?  You can read more about Mr. Roller at The Skeptics Guide to the Universe.  A fun podcast by the way.

3. I Swear I Thought It Was My Gun

The City of Madera, California and Officer Marcy Noriega filed suit against a taser company after Officer Noriega mistakenly shot and killed a suspect with what she thought was her taser but was really her gun.  Officer Noriega decided to tase the suspect in the back of her car when he became uncontrollable and started kicking at the windows. Noriega drew her taser from her belt and fired it at the man. Unfortunately for the crook, the officer had accidentally drawn her gun, and she shot him in the chest.   The suspect died from his wound.   The city sued the taser company, arguing that any reasonable officer could mistakenly draw and shoot their gun instead of their taser. The city also claimed that their officers were given inadequate training in the use of the device.  They sued for the full costs of the wrongful death lawsuit which the man’s family has filed against the city.  Read more about it at The Madera Tribune.

4. The Thong Lawsuit

A 52 year old traffic officer from Los Angeles sued Victoria’s Secret for damage to her eye.   She claimed that while she was trying on a new thong a design defect caused a decorative metallic piece to fly off and hit her in the eye.  The woman sought unspecified damages for an eye injury that had her out of work for a few.   Read more about it at The Smoking Gun.

5. Oh The Irony

Two members of PETA were driving home from a protest in New Jersey when they hit a deer which had run on to the highway. The members informed the New Jersey Division of Fish and and Wildlife that they intended to sue for damages and injuries. In their letter they stated that the Division was responsible for the damages “as a result of their deer management program, which includes, in certain circumstances, an affirmative effort to increase deer population.”  Silly me.  Isn’t increasing the animal population part of what PETA is all about?  Read more about it here.

6. The Weather Report is Never Wrong

An Israeli woman sued a TV station for an inaccurate weather forecast.   The forecast predicted good weather but it rained instead. The woman claimed that the forecast caused her to dress lightly – resulting in her catching the flu, missing a week of work, and spending money on medication. She further claimed that the whole incident caused her stress. She sued for $1,000 – and won.

7.  A Frightening Haunted House?

A woman who attended ‘Halloween Horror Nights’ at Universal Studios sued the theme park for $15,000 in damages.  She claimed to have suffered extreme fear, mental anguish, and emotional distress due to visiting the haunted house, which she said was too scary.  That raises the question (inside to the power of inside TBTL reference).  Can a haunted house be too scary?

8. A Different Kind of Subway Lawsuit

A New York City woman sued after she was hit by a subway train.  In most cases this would be a tragic accident.  In this case the woman was patiently laying on the tracks in an apparent attempt to commit suicide.  She was awarded $14.1 million by a state supreme court jury.   The reward was later cut by 30 percent, to a mere $9.9 million, because of her “comparative negligence.”

9. A Vampire In Prison

Robert Paul Rice, in prison for 1-15 years on various felony charges,  sued the Utah State Prison system, claiming that they violated his right to practice his religion.  The problem is he professes to be a Druidic Vampire.  Mr. Rice claimed in his suit that the prison system violated his right to religious freedom by failing to provide him with a “vampire” diet of blood and denying him a conjugal visit with his “vampress.”  Mr. Rice’s suit was thrown out of court.  Dare I say it?  That sucks.

10.  Why Shouldn’t I Get the Retirement Benefits?

Fayette Nale, 56, is serving a 3-15 year sentence at the Women’s Huron Valley Correctional Facility in Ypsilanti after she was convicted in Macomb County on charges of voluntary manslaughter.  Mrs. Nale was convicted of stabbing her husband of 34 years Michael, 56, to death after a struggle in their home.   As if the tragic loss of her husband was not bad enough, his employer refused to pay her survivor pension benefits.  Mrs. Nale then proceeded to sue the Ford Motor Company Retirement plane for the benefits.  I am sorry Mrs. Nale.  This just not compute.  Read more about it at the One Minute Lawyer.

As if this crazy list of ten absurd lawsuits is not enough for you.  I can promise many more in the future.

Thank You For Your Consideration,

The Graham Ten

I am Seeing a Pattern Here

Oh Hai!

Apparently I am not only obsessed with animals, but I am also obsessed with miniature animals.  Smaller is always cuter, right?  This time I have found Pygmy Animals for you to enjoy.  Just what is the difference between miniature and pygmy you ask?

Pygmy:

Something that is a very small example of its type.

Miniature:

a. A copy or model that represents or reproduces something in a greatly reduced size.

b. Something small of its class.

Not much different actually.  It is all in the name, but they are equally cute.  Enjoy!

Thank You For Your Consideration,

The Graham Ten

Minimals for Thursday

Oh Hai!

I hope you enjoy your Thursday (it’s almost Friday).  Here are some mini animals (minimals) to start the day off right.  Enjoy!

Thank You For Your Consideration,

The Graham Ten