The more you know: dublé
Posted: November 13, 2022 Filed under: Accessories, Home and Garden | Tags: BDSM, cooking, D/s, definition, dievca, gift, Holidays 2022, kitchen, Life, practical, Shopping, spoon rest Leave a commentdublé
A spoon rest (also known as a dublé) is a piece of kitchenware that serves as a place to lay spoons and other cooking utensils, to prevent cooking fluids from getting onto countertops, as well as keeping the spoon from touching any contaminants that might be on the counter.
Perhaps a simple gift for Thanksgiving or the Holidays? (click on the photos for brand and prices)
Rein in the Spending? Normcore and a ~
Posted: November 2, 2022 Filed under: Accessories, Clothing, Fashion | Tags: American Vintage, BDSM, D/s, definition, dievca, LeSportSac, Life, Master, Normcore, NYC, Shopping, SoHo, style Leave a comment
Reining in didn’t work on dievca’s end….she spent her pennies.
dievca’s friend wanted to visit the “American Vintage” store in SoHo because she saw it in Amsterdam and liked their offerings. This comes after dievca’s Dutch friend mentioned that she really liked the brand and asked dievca if she had heard of it. It’s not an American brand, it’s French. dievca would describe it as a more expensive version of the Gap or something similar to Vince.
The offerings are an example of:
Normcore
Normcore is a unisex fashion trend characterized by unpretentious, average-looking clothing. Normcore fashion includes jeans, t-shirts, sweats, button-downs, and sneakers. Clothing is considered to be normcore when it is attractive and comfortable and is viewed as “normal” by the majority of people.
Normcore is a portmanteau of the words normal and hardcore. The word first appeared in a guest strip by Ryan Estrada for the webcomic Templar, Arizona in 2008 and was later employed by K-HOLE, a trend forecasting group, in an October 2013 report called “Youth Mode: A Report on Freedom”.
As used by K-HOLE, the word normcore referred to an attitude, not a particular code of dress. It was intended to mean “finding liberation in being nothing special.” (Sounds like the Swedish “Langom”) However, a piece in New York magazine by author Fiona Duncan that began popularizing the term in February 2014 conflated it with what K-HOLE referred to as “Acting Basic”, a concept which involved dressing neutrally to avoid standing out. It was this sense of normcore which gained popular usage. The characters featured on the television series Seinfeld are frequently cited as exemplifying the aesthetics and ethos of normcore fashion.
The word normcore was named runner-up for neologism of the year by the Oxford University Press in 2014. It was added to the AP Stylebook in 2016.
Anyways, dievca bought this American Vintage Puffer coat in Bear – honestly, it looks better in person:
Normcore wearers are people who do not wish to distinguish themselves from others by their clothing. This is not to mean that they are unfashionable people who wear whatever comes to hand, but that they consciously choose clothes that are functional and undistinguished. The “normcore” trend has been interpreted as a reaction to fashion oversaturation resulting from ever faster-changing fashion trends.
Normcore clothes include everyday items of casual wear such as t-shirts, hoodies, polos, short-sleeved shirts, jeans and chino pants, but not items such as neckties or blouses. These clothes are worn by men and women alike, making normcore a unisex style.
Clothes that meet the “normcore” description are mainly sold by large fashion and retail chains such as The Gap, Jack & Jones, Superdry, Jigsaw, and Esprit. They are generally cheaply produced in East Asian countries. Many other retailers such as Marc O’Polo, Woolrich, Desigual, Closed, and Scotch & Soda produce normcore-like clothes combined with individual design ideas.
Normcore is exactly how Master dresses – He buys excellent quality, but He doesn’t want to stand out.
dievca did get her Normcore “Flourish” piece at LeSportSac, the Floral Camo Helmet Bag:
Lindy Hop Dancer
Posted: October 7, 2022 Filed under: Entertainment | Tags: BDSM, D/s, Dancing, definition, dievca, Family, healing, Joy, Life, Love, music, video Leave a comment
So, during COVID dievca got sucked down the YouTube Rabbit Hole watching Phil Wright Choreography videos of families performing after learning a dance piece together. The first video she saw was this and she absolutely loved the first group of a Mom and two daughters.
The beginning of another video has this Mother/Son duo and dievca thought the Mom was an amazing dancer – perhaps she was a professional Lindy Hop dancer:
Comparing the Jon Batiste Video (above) and the Rockin’ Robin – they are not the same dancer.
But, watching these videos, again, made dievca smile because she shared them with her Mom before she passed and they had a good time watching together. Mom keep saying she would have loved to get the lessons for the Great Grandkids and their Parents, but the Midwest is an awfully long way from Los Angeles…
Anyways, dievca’s Mom and Dad met at a Dance Hall – they were an amazing Jitterbug couple.
Here’s the Jitterbug:
Is jitterbug the same as Lindy Hop?
Lindy Hop, also known as the jitterbug, was developed in the 1920’s and is said to be the original form of swing dance. The term ‘jitterbug’ is however commonly used to describe any swing dancer and is derived from the visual display of the dancers on the floor who look like jitterbugs with the fast, bouncy movements.
Can you tell that dievca is getting desperate to dance again?
Hah!
Posted: September 11, 2022 Filed under: Entertainment, Master | Tags: 1980's, BDSM, D/s, definition, dievca, genre, Humor, Life, Love, Master, music, The Romantics 1 CommentSo Master dropped His dievca a note:
Decadent on a Tuesday
Posted: August 30, 2022 Filed under: Entertainment, Musings | Tags: Art Nouveau, Aubrey Beardsley, BDSM, D/s, decadence, definition, dievca, Elegant, erotic, illustration Leave a commentdec·a·dent
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characterized by or reflecting a state of moral or cultural decline.“a decaying, decadent Britain”
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a person who is luxuriously self-indulgent.“for half a million dollars, he offers rich decadents the chance to lead a deadly safari”
Aubrey Vincent Beardsley was an English illustrator and author. His black ink drawings were influenced by Japanese woodcuts, and depicted the grotesque, the decadent, and the erotic. He was a leading figure in the aesthetic movement which also included Oscar Wilde and James McNeill Whistler. Wikipedia
Is It Frozen Yogurt, Ice Cream, Ice Milk, Custard, Sorbet, Gelato or Sherbet?
Posted: July 17, 2022 Filed under: Entertainment, Home and Garden | Tags: childhood, definition, Food, Frozen treats, Hot Summer, ice cream, Life, Love, Memories Leave a comment
Its summertime and the heat has you seeking a frozen treat. When you walk into a restaurant, ice cream shop, frozen yogurt shop or other frozen concoction shop do you really understand what you’re ordering? Here are some terms and descriptions to help.
Frozen Yogurt vs. Ice Cream
Both use dairy and sugar, although ice cream is made with cream, and frozen yogurt uses cultured milk (yogurt). Ice cream tends to be fluffier, while frozen yogurt is tangier. The healthiest frozen yogurt will contain live and active cultures, which are beneficial to your gut.
Ice Cream vs. Ice Milk
Under the rules that define product labels, ice cream has to contain at least 10 percent butterfat. Some premium ice creams have even more fat, as high as 13 to 17 percent. If the frozen dessert had less than 10 percent fat and the same amount of sweetener, it had to be called ice milk. Ice milk is sometimes priced lower than ice cream. A 1994 change in United States Food and Drug Administration rules allowed ice milk to be labeled as low-fat ice cream in the United States.
Ice Cream vs. Frozen Custard
The difference between ice cream and frozen custard comes down to one ingredient: egg yolks. Ice cream is made with milk, cream, and sweetener. Frozen custard contains the same ingredients, plus egg yolks. This extra ingredient means frozen custard usually has a richer, thicker, and creamier texture than ice cream.
Sorbet, Gelato or Sherbet?
A definitive set of definitions from Darryl David follows:
Butterfat: Or milkfat is the fatty portion of milk. Milk and cream are often sold according to the amount of butterfat they contain.
Over Run: The amount of air that is whipped into the ice cream mixture. For example, an overrun of 100 percent would mean for every gallon of ice cream mix, you get two gallons of finished ice cream. Without this air, the frozen ice cream mix would resemble an ice cube, the same as if you were to freeze milk or any other liquid. This would make the ice cream pretty difficult to scoop and very icy to eat.
Ice Cream:
Super Premium = Contains about 14-16% butterfat and typically 30 – 50% over run.
Premium = Contains about 12-14% butterfat and typically 40 – 70% over run.
Economy = In the U.S. is the minimum standard and has to contain at least 10% butterfat and less than 1.4% egg yolks and typically 90 – 100% over run.
Home Made Ice Cream: Often contain around 18 – 20+% butterfat with little to no air over run.
Ice Milk: Is about 3.5% butterfat, the same as whole milk and typically 70 – 100% over run.
Frozen Custard: Is similar to ice cream, and is defined by the same FDA regulation as ice cream. It also must contain at least 10% butterfat, but must also have at least 1.4% egg yolks. It’s made with a machine that adds less air (20 – 30% over run), so it tastes more dense, and served fresh at a higher temperature so usually softer than ice cream.
Sorbet: Contains no dairy at all, and is usually just frozen fruit juice, sugar, and water with little to no over run.
Sherbet: Is defined by the same regulation as ice cream in the U.S., and must contain 1-2% butterfat and 20 – 30% over run. Typically consisting of cream, water and sugar.
Frozen Yogurt: Is a frozen dessert made with yogurt and sometimes other dairy products. It varies from slightly to much more tart than ice cream, as well as being lower in fat (due to the use of milk instead of cream). It is different from ice milk (more recently termed low-fat or light ice cream) and conventional soft serve. Unlike yogurt, frozen yogurt is not regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)but is regulated by some states. Frozen yogurt may or may not contain live and active bacteria cultures. May contain 20 – 30% over run.
Gelato: Is not regulated in the U.S., usually about 3-8% butterfat and often contains more stabilizers to compensate for a lack of cream and eggs. And like frozen custard, it’s also made with less air (20 – 30% over run) and served warmer, than ice cream.
Soft Serve: Typically 3 – 6% butterfat with 10 – 20% over run. Dairy Queen is 5% as example.
Obviously, dievca loves iced treats. Master? Not so much. His dievca cannot wrap her head around that issue.
Bucolic
Posted: July 9, 2022 Filed under: Entertainment, Home and Garden | Tags: BDSM, D/s, definition, dievca, gratitude, Joy, Life, Midwest, outdoors, peaceful, Summer, travel Leave a comment
bu·col·ic
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relating to the pleasant aspects of the countryside and country life.“the church is lovely for its bucolic setting”
Photos: dievca – Midwest USA 07/2022
Summer Solstice: midsummer or the beginning of summer?
Posted: June 25, 2022 Filed under: Discussion, Home and Garden | Tags: BDSM, D/s, definition, dievca, Joy, Life, Love, Seasons, submissive, Summer, Weather 2 CommentsSo, The summer solstice was on June 21, 2022 and Midsummer is today, June 25th.
Which is truly the start of Summer?
The June Solstice is often referred to as the first day of summer, and yet celebrations across the Northern Hemisphere at this time of year carry the name Midsummer, which is pretty confusing.
Midsummer and the summer solstice are used interchangeably, but they refer to different things.
The solstice is the beginning of the astronomical summer that has been celebrated since ancient times as the longest day of the year, whereas Midsummer now refers to numerous celebrations that are held over the solstice period, between June 19 and June 24, with both pagan and Christian origins.
With celebrations originating in ancient times as a festival for the summer solstice, this could be where the name comes from. Bonfires were lit up to ward off evil spirits as the sun turned southward.
Meteorologically,
Because the Earth actually takes 365.24 days to travel around the Sun we add an extra day every fourth year, we call this a Leap Year. This means the longest and shortest days vary from one year to the next.
The elliptical shape of the Earth’s orbit causes the lengths of the astronomical seasons to change and this mean it is difficult to compare climatological statistics consistently for a particular season.
This is where the meteorological seasons come in.
Meteorological dates mark the start and end of seasons for statistical purposes. Meteorologists split the year into four quarters, each made up of three months, based on the annual temperature cycle.
The length of the meteorological seasons are more consistent than the astronomical ones, so that we can observe, forecast and compare season statistics reliably from year to year.
- Autumn: September 1 – November 30
- Winter: December 1 – February 28
- Spring: March 1 – May 31
- Summer: June 1 – August 30
This means that for meteorologists it’s been summer since the beginning of June…
Honestly – the Joy of Summer was probably dictated by when your school let out!
Lagom – something of use
Posted: May 21, 2022 Filed under: Accessories, Home and Garden | Tags: BDSM, culture, D/s, definition, dievca, homegoods, Life, Scandinavian, simple, storage, subtle, Swedish, wool Leave a commentLagom (pronounced [ˈlɑ̂ːɡɔm]) is
a Swedish word meaning “just the right amount”.
The word can be variously translated as “in moderation”, “in balance”, “perfect-simple”, “just enough”, and “suitable” (in matter of amounts). Whereas words like sufficient and average suggest some degree of abstinence, scarcity, or failure, lagom carries the connotation of appropriateness, although not necessarily perfection. The archetypical Swedish proverb “Lagom är bäst“, literally “The right amount is best”, is also translated as “Enough is as good as a feast” or as “There is virtue in moderation”.
In terms of a NYC apartment – the word Lagom is appropriate. You need enough, but not too much of everything.
aveva – felted wool home goods based out of Malmö, Sweden has helped dievca with “just enough” storage in the apartment.
A plant bucket holds dievca’s workout gear
(yoga block, jump rope, bands, lacrosse ball, pinky ball, etc).
A tote bag holds her road bike and swimming gear
(helmet, clothing, shoes, gloves, suits, goggles, etc.)
Subtle softness and colors blend into the NYC skyline without a jarring effect and are easy to reach.
Just Enough.
Items can be found at EUROPEAN Bliss (click here).
A squall~
Posted: February 20, 2022 Filed under: Clothing, Entertainment, Home and Garden | Tags: BDSM, Cold Weather, D/s, definition, dievca, Life, NYC, practical, Uniqlo, Winter Leave a commentNYC had a Snow Squall yesterday.
What is a snow squall? According to the National Weather Service, a snow squall is “an intense short-lived burst of heavy snowfall that leads to a quick reduction in visibilities and is often accompanied by gusty winds.”
Why are they more dangerous than blizzards? Driving in a snow storm is difficult. Add in blowing wind and poor visibility, and travel can become downright dangerous. Driving in a snow squall is next to impossible.
The Squall was about 10 minutes long and dievca missed it all – she was working. But, she was dressed appropriately against the heavy winds for the bike ride to and from work (click on photos for details):
Draped – with Bottega Veneta
Posted: February 8, 2022 Filed under: Dresses | Tags: BDSM, curves, D/s, definition, dievca, drape, Elegant, erotic, lilac, Presentation Outfit, Shopping, submissive Leave a comment
drape
/drāp/
verb
past tense: draped; past participle: draped
arrange (cloth or clothing) loosely or casually on or around something.
“she draped a shawl around her shoulders”
adorn, cover, or wrap (someone or something) loosely with folds of cloth.
“the body was draped in a blanket”
Similar:
wrap, arrange, wind, swathe, sling, hang, let fall in folds, cover, envelop, shroud, decorate, adorn, array, deck, bedeck, festoon, bundle up, muffle up, blanket, overlay, cloak, veil, enfold, sheathe
let (oneself or a part of one’s body) rest somewhere in a casual or relaxed way.
“he draped an arm around her shoulders”
Turnsole = Sun God/Goddess
Posted: March 30, 2021 Filed under: Discussion, Musings, Relationships | Tags: BDSM, D/s, definition, dievca, growth, healing, mind wandering, Spring, Sun, Weather Leave a commentA turnsole is a type of plant that turns with the movement of the sun, a sunflower being the most famous example. From Middle French tournesol, the word literally means “turns toward the sun,” and was modeled after the synonymous Greek term heliotrope. As in French, when the word came into English in the 1300s it initially referred to the purple dye that came from a turnsole plant (Chrozophora tinctoria.). Soon after, turnsole broadened in meaning to refer to all types of plant that turn with the sun.
Is a Human a “turnsole” when he/she faces the sun to welcome its healing heat? Or is the definition only for plants. All dievca knows is that she is seeking the sun this Spring, like a sun-worshipping goddess.
Sun Deities
| Name | Nationality/Religion | God or Goddess? | Notes |
| Amaterasu | Japan | Sun Goddess | Major deity of the Shinto religion. |
| Arinna (Hebat) | Hittite (Syrian) | Sun Goddess | The most important of three Hittite major solar deities |
| Apollo | Greece and Rome | Sun God | |
| Freyr | Norse | Sun God | Not the main Norse sun god, but a fertility god associated with the sun. |
| Garuda | Hindu | Bird God | |
| Helios (Helius) | Greece | Sun God | Before Apollo was the Greek sun god, Helios held that position. |
| Hepa | Hittite | Sun Goddess | The consort of a weather god, she was assimilated with the sun goddess Arinna. |
| Huitzilopochtli (Uitzilopochtli) | Aztec | Sun God | |
| Hvar Khshaita | Iranian/Persian | Sun God | |
| Inti | Inca | Sun God | The national patron of the Inca state. |
| Liza | West African | Sun God | |
| Lugh | Celtic | Sun God | |
| Mithras | Iranian/Persian | Sun God | |
| Re (Ra) | Egypt | Mid-day Sun God | An Egyptian god shown with a solar disk. Center of worship was Heliopolis. Later associated with Horus as Re-Horakhty. Also combined with Amun as Amun-Ra, a solar creator god. |
| Shemesh/Shepesh | Ugarit | Sun goddess | |
| Sol (Sunna) | Norse | Sun Goddess | She rides in a horse-drawn solar chariot. |
| Sol Invictus | Roman | Sun God | The unconquered sun. A late Roman sun god. The title was also used of Mithras. |
| Surya | Hindu | Sun God | Rides the sky in a horse-drawn chariot. |
| Tonatiuh | Aztec | Sun God | |
| Utu (Shamash) | Mesopotamia | Sun God |
A “Thank you” to Thought Co. and dictionary.com
Where you were and where you are now?
Posted: February 26, 2021 Filed under: Discussion, Relationships | Tags: BDSM, D/s, definition, dievca, emotional intelligence, feelings, Friends, Humor, Life, mental health, submissive 2 CommentsPatheodeficiency
The wrung-out feeling of being so emotionally spent you have actually run out of sympathy for anyone else.
dievca was in this space during the beginning of the pandemic – a drunk email from a friend triggered a direct reaction where dievca stated that she had no empathy/sympathy left in her body for her friend’s needs and drama. Worry for her parents, limited working, everyone unsure about safety protocols for COVID-19, challenging political environment, etc. took up her reserves. dievca didn’t realize there was a name for the feeling or condition.
Lately, she has just noticed that her body tension is diminishing and that wrung out, lack of energy for others feeling has lightened.
Is anyone else feeling better?
dievca hopes so!
Flabile
Posted: May 13, 2020 Filed under: Analysis, Musings | Tags: BDSM, blowjob, cock worship, D/s, definition, dievca, Dominant, erotic, submissive 3 Comments
This now-obsolete word has several definitions:
in the context of an instrument, flabile means “played by blowing”;
more broadly it means “liable to be blown about.”
The term is built on the Latin verb flare meaning “to blow.”
Insanity
Posted: December 7, 2019 Filed under: Entertainment, Musings | Tags: BDSM, crazy, D/s, definition, dievca, Humor, Life, Love, NYC, photo, submissive 1 Comment“The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results.”
Sometimes you just want the same predictable results…
Cacophany of the Body
Posted: July 28, 2019 Filed under: Analysis, Body Type | Tags: aging, BDSM, bodily functions, D/s, definition, dievca, Fitness, Life, Master, submissive, travel 1 Commentnoun
harsh discordance of sound; dissonance:
a cacophony of hoots, cackles, and wails. a discordant and meaningless mixture of sounds: the cacophony produced by city traffic at midday.
dievca experienced a cacophony of bodily noises as she slept. Every time she flipped over, reached for water, readjusted the sheets something popped or cracked. In the morning, she was amazed to find that her body was still in one piece without a lot of pain.
Various factors added to the experience:
- Aggressive deep tissue full body massage
- Running around with packing and errands
- Extensive play session with Master
- Session on a vibrator plate at the gym pre-flight
- Passing out on the flight to Europe
- Heavy stretching session after the flight
- Two beers and a long hot tub soak with friends
- A lot of salt from a BBQ and not enough water
- Pushing through to shift the sleep schedule
- Passing out in a very comfortable bed
- Hot flashes
It was a symphony of noise, unlike anything, dievca had ever experienced before…
What caused the noise?
Escaping gases: The synovial fluid present in the joints acts as a lubricant and contains oxygen, nitrogen and carbon dioxide. When a joint pops or cracks the joint capsule is stretched causing gas to release quickly.
Movement of joints, tendons, and ligaments: When a joint moves, the tendon’s position changes and moves slightly out of place. A snapping sound can occur as the tendon returns to its original position. Your ligaments can also tighten as you move your joints resulting in a cracking sound and most commonly occurs in your knees or ankles.
Loss of cartilage: Arthritic joints tend to make more noises as the loss of smooth cartilage means the bones rub together on a rougher, more unstable surface.
Ligaments: Ligaments are fibrous tissues that connect two bones at a joint. Tight ligaments are prone to popping when they are suddenly moved, this sometimes results in short-lived pain in the area or sometimes you may not experience it at all.
Tendons: Tendons are fibrous tissues that connect muscle to bone and can also cause popping noises around a joint. This is most commonly found in snapping hip syndrome which causes a snapping sensation when the hip is flexed and extended.
Scar tissue: After joint injury or surgery, scar tissue, known as adhesions, is formed by the ligaments which are more prone to popping and cracking.
Why did it end up feeling very good:
When you pop a joint a stretch occurs in the joint capsule which results in relaxation of the surrounding muscles meaning that it feels particularly good in those tight or stiff places! This is also a good indication of where you might be tight in the body. Another theory suggests that popping a joint releases natural painkillers (or endogenous opiates) in the body.
Whatever – dievca was just happy to wake up in one piece and be functioning after all the noise.
Have you ever had this happen?
dievca 