How often can I start a blog with…”So much has happened since last time!”?
Apparently, pretty often.
I don’t even know when last time was…hang on, let me look…hmmm….not quite a month. So I have almost avoided blogging for the entire national blogging…month…thing…what do you call that? NANBLOPOMO…eh. I am not participatory anyway.
So, we’ve had Halloween…nothing on there, I’ve made a few new Christmas card designs…the ‘rentals have come to visit and now we are well on our way to Thanksgiving. So, there…now we are caught up. Oh, right. And I got a year old and I received an awesome gift or two…one of them being a Kindle. Which is exciting…for me. I also became the proud owner of a 1917 cookbook entitled “A Thousand Ways to Please A Husband, “ oddly, there seemed to be no companion book on pleasing a wife…go figure.
Let’s see…Thanksgiving. Same ol’, same ol over here. Turkey…last year I felt like I was done with turkey. That maybe it was time to move on to some other holiday protein. Tofurky…nut loaf…something else. I still kind of feel this way but because I am cooking for others, I will stick with traditon. We’ll see how I feel about it this year and perhaps next year I will add the vegetarian option. I don’t know. I do have strong feelings on both sides, but last year the turkey just didn’t work for me.
Sorry, lost my train of thought there…turkey, stuffing, sweet potato casserole (topped with pecans and brown sugar or may be almonds or walnuts since I already have those …), roasted Brussels sprouts, cranberry jelly (from a can, dammit, none of your fancy compotes here!), crescent rolls (ya gotta!), and…what else? Pumpkin pie. Maybe some whoopee pies…and, if we have company, some sort of snacks for earlier in the day. Maybe the old standby of artichoke spinach dip or some jalapeño dip. I think that sounds pretty good. We’ve gotten rid of the mashed potatoes because…eh, we have enough. And I was going to make an acorn squash pie instead of a pumpkin pie but was advised against it. So there you go.
Actually, let me check my new 1917 cookbook and see if it has any good recipes…no…several “creamed” things…several “escalloped” things and…oh, this is kind of telling, three dessert recipes that involve prunes. Considering we no longer even call them prunes (they are now called “dried plums”), that seems pretty…dated. Prune blanc mange, prune soufflé and prune whip. Hey, I LIKE prunes, but…yeah. We’ll stick to pumpkin pie for this one.
One last thing for today…my big and lovely birthday present from my husband was a Kindle. I am swoony over it. Jodi said a while back that she didn’t think I would want one. She thought that I am the kind of reader that likes the tactile sensation of a book, and the smell of them. I’m gonna be honest with you here…I’m not. Despite loving books and owning many, many old and treasured volumes. I really don’t like touching old books. Too dirty (I know! Coming from me that’s pretty rich!) and I am really not fond of the smell of old books either. Guys I work with rhapsodize over that musty smell but ugh. Maybe it’s the memory of traveling during my childhood. I would bring my mother’s and grandmother’s books with me to read on long cartrips and spent too many sunny days trapped in the backseat of a car with and old book, and old dog and two older brothers coming back. I would get so queasy from the smell of the book on a hot day (not to mention the smell of dog and brothers!) and now, when I crack open an old book, that’s all I can think of. Yeesh, I’m feeling carsick right now. So, the Kindle seems ideal for me. No smell. No dust. And since I got it, I have put…let’s see, maybe 15 or 20 books on it and I’ve only paid for two! Naturally, like a good little geek my first addition was “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” and being a lit geek, my second was the complete works of William Shakespeare. But since then I have been adding historical cook books, classics and the occasional free mystery novel. It’s been fun finding new stuff and so far, I am really enjoying it. And, again, no smell.
p.s. oh hey, look, a recipe for homemade crescent rolls....nah. i'm gonna get mine from a tuuuuuube!
Friday, November 20, 2009
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Versus.
There have been cupcakes. Oh yes. And brownies. And toffee bars. And cookies with tofu. Yep. There has been baking. And lots of it.
Cupcakes to celebrate birthdays. Chocolate with vanilla buttercream and vanilla with brown sugar butter cream. Brownies and toffee bars to celebrate the arrival of fall…even though it was 95 degrees when I baked them. And tofu cookies because…well, just because. And all were well received.
The brownies were, perhaps, an experiment. I have a brownie recipe that I like and another that my father likes. But I used a third recipe for these particular brownies because…I could. Also, I had purchased some pumpkin spice flavored Hershey’s Kisses and when I opened the bag I discovered that they were…squished. They were all still wrapped and edible but I felt guilty leaving their little warped kissness sitting in the candy bowl, so I unwrapped a bunch and chucked them into some brownie batter. The brownies were ok, pretty good actually, but I am not thrilled with the Kisses. So I am thinking that particular recipe will be revisited soon and without any add-ons.
In other news…well there is no other news. But I did want to add that I had to step into a Mac vs. PC argument today and I just want to say…shut up. (Not to mention, doesn’t PC stand for personal computer? And isn’t a Mac still a personal computer? Isn’t this kind of similar to the ATM machine thing? You know, ATM stand for automatic teller machine, right? So why do people add “machine” to the end of it? And is it only in New Jersey that people say “I have to tap MAC” (MAC was the abbreviation for money access center, but I don’t know if it was used anywhere but in the Northeast.)
Um…where was I? Oh, right. Mac vs. PC…so to speak. Look, the basic function of all cars is pretty much the same. They get you from point A to point B. There are some very specialized cars that can do something…special, but, for most people, a car is pretty much a way to get to work. Now, since most cars do the same thing, couldn’t we all just drive the same type of car? I mean, what is the point of having something like…a Ferrari, when the speed limit is 65 (or 55)? Right? Why do some people spend more money on a high performance vehicle that they will never use to it’s full potential? Well, probably because they like it. Jeans are pretty much jeans, right? I can get jeans for $20 or I can get jeans for $500. Maybe the $500 jeans will give me some benefits. Maybe they won’t (you know, if they would vacuum, they’d be worth the $500 and I might buy them). It’s a matter of preference. Macs do some things better than PCs, PCs do some things better than Macs. I was trained on a Mac before I was trained on a PC and I have always found Macs more compatible with me. And yes, I have used PCs and I have used them at simultaneously with a Mac. I have used pens and pencils too. It’s all about what works best with and for you. So shut up already. Jeez.
That’s my rant. I swear these two guys argued about it for an hour in little whiny voices and it was just…so…irritating. But since I am sure that you too, no matter who you are, have also had to listen to this argument, I thought I’d throw in my views on the subject, because we just haven’t heard enough about it, have we?
Annnnnnd, back to baking. The next thing I want to make is …tofu cookies. Again. But with this lovely new vanilla tofu…I just can’t find it. But when I do, there will be cookies. Oh yes, there will. And I am kind of getting nervous about this pumpkin shortage. I don’t even like pumpkin pie but I think I am going to start hoarding pumpkin…just in case…
Cupcakes to celebrate birthdays. Chocolate with vanilla buttercream and vanilla with brown sugar butter cream. Brownies and toffee bars to celebrate the arrival of fall…even though it was 95 degrees when I baked them. And tofu cookies because…well, just because. And all were well received.
The brownies were, perhaps, an experiment. I have a brownie recipe that I like and another that my father likes. But I used a third recipe for these particular brownies because…I could. Also, I had purchased some pumpkin spice flavored Hershey’s Kisses and when I opened the bag I discovered that they were…squished. They were all still wrapped and edible but I felt guilty leaving their little warped kissness sitting in the candy bowl, so I unwrapped a bunch and chucked them into some brownie batter. The brownies were ok, pretty good actually, but I am not thrilled with the Kisses. So I am thinking that particular recipe will be revisited soon and without any add-ons.
In other news…well there is no other news. But I did want to add that I had to step into a Mac vs. PC argument today and I just want to say…shut up. (Not to mention, doesn’t PC stand for personal computer? And isn’t a Mac still a personal computer? Isn’t this kind of similar to the ATM machine thing? You know, ATM stand for automatic teller machine, right? So why do people add “machine” to the end of it? And is it only in New Jersey that people say “I have to tap MAC” (MAC was the abbreviation for money access center, but I don’t know if it was used anywhere but in the Northeast.)
Um…where was I? Oh, right. Mac vs. PC…so to speak. Look, the basic function of all cars is pretty much the same. They get you from point A to point B. There are some very specialized cars that can do something…special, but, for most people, a car is pretty much a way to get to work. Now, since most cars do the same thing, couldn’t we all just drive the same type of car? I mean, what is the point of having something like…a Ferrari, when the speed limit is 65 (or 55)? Right? Why do some people spend more money on a high performance vehicle that they will never use to it’s full potential? Well, probably because they like it. Jeans are pretty much jeans, right? I can get jeans for $20 or I can get jeans for $500. Maybe the $500 jeans will give me some benefits. Maybe they won’t (you know, if they would vacuum, they’d be worth the $500 and I might buy them). It’s a matter of preference. Macs do some things better than PCs, PCs do some things better than Macs. I was trained on a Mac before I was trained on a PC and I have always found Macs more compatible with me. And yes, I have used PCs and I have used them at simultaneously with a Mac. I have used pens and pencils too. It’s all about what works best with and for you. So shut up already. Jeez.
That’s my rant. I swear these two guys argued about it for an hour in little whiny voices and it was just…so…irritating. But since I am sure that you too, no matter who you are, have also had to listen to this argument, I thought I’d throw in my views on the subject, because we just haven’t heard enough about it, have we?
Annnnnnd, back to baking. The next thing I want to make is …tofu cookies. Again. But with this lovely new vanilla tofu…I just can’t find it. But when I do, there will be cookies. Oh yes, there will. And I am kind of getting nervous about this pumpkin shortage. I don’t even like pumpkin pie but I think I am going to start hoarding pumpkin…just in case…
Comparisons.
As a kind of experiment, I have been reading Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre side by side in small installments (via DailyLit). I don’t think I have ever finished either of these books before, or if I did, I don’t’ remember. I have seen, and enjoyed, several movies based on each book, so I do know the basic premise of the stories.
I think I started this project as…well, I am honestly not sure. I am trying to fill in the gaps on my “classics” reading lists. I like to read. I like to read in installments and it seemed like a good idea at the time. I also had a conversation with a friend about Wuthering Heights and a theory I had about it. So I guess I wanted to be able to defend that theory. I don’t honestly know if I can, so I won’t bother boring you with it yet. But what has really gotten my attention is how very different the two books are, and how one appeals to me as a novel, the other as a novelty.
I let you know how it plays out in the end. Until then, any bets on which one I am enjoying more?
I think I started this project as…well, I am honestly not sure. I am trying to fill in the gaps on my “classics” reading lists. I like to read. I like to read in installments and it seemed like a good idea at the time. I also had a conversation with a friend about Wuthering Heights and a theory I had about it. So I guess I wanted to be able to defend that theory. I don’t honestly know if I can, so I won’t bother boring you with it yet. But what has really gotten my attention is how very different the two books are, and how one appeals to me as a novel, the other as a novelty.
I let you know how it plays out in the end. Until then, any bets on which one I am enjoying more?
Monday, October 05, 2009
Music.
Sometimes I just don’t know what I want to listen to. It’s like being musically restless, I think I need some…rolling Stones, but that doesn’t do the trick, so it’s on to…the bangles…cake…underworld…pucinni…and it goes on and on. Today I posted on Facebook of my restlessness:
A friend responded that I should listen to some Bob Mould, so I did. Still not right. He came back and suggested The Pixies and here’s where it gets complicated.
I like all kinds of music. Seriously, even country and opera, which is where most people say “I like everything but…” I listen to some rap. Not a lot, but I think I am pretty open-minded when it comes to music…except for The Pixies…oh and Sonic Youth…and most Nirvana.
And that’s the thing. If you like indie, alternative or rock, you probably like all three of those bands. And honestly, I can’t say I hate every song by them, but…I will never choose to listen to them.
But, in order to do my due diligence, I went to Pandora and typed in The Pixies. It played “Hey” and I listened. I resisted the urge to shut it off. But I didn’t really enjoy it. And then, as Pandora does, it started to play music that is similar to The Pixies. First Weezer…ok, I am ok with Weezer in small doses. Then The Smiths and you know, I can listen to The Smiths, even though I still think that Morrissey sounds like Kermit the Frog, but you know… I can do that. Oh hey, what’s next? Radiohead, “Creep” groovy, love this song. And then…what is this crap? Oh, it’s The Pixies again.
I’m sorry, I can’t put my finger on it. I think it’s partially the jangly, feedbacky guitars, partially the voices. Just not for me, I guess. But I tried. And now it’s playing Smashing Pumpkins…what am I missing? This is nothing like The Pixies! *Sigh*…I guess I’ll just never be cool….oh well.
For the record, I have several “channels” on Pandora that have come up when I JUST HAVE TO LISTEN TO THIS BAND NOW…see if these make me sound any cooler, even though I still don’t like Sonic Youth...
X Radio
The Runaways Radio
Frankie Goes to Hollywood Radio
Streetlight Manifesto Radio
Social Distortion Radio
Ben Lee Radio
The Veils Radio
Robbie Williams Radio (one of these things is not like the other….)
Ted Leo Radio
Genesis Radio
Underworld Radio
Peter Gabriel Radio
Yeah...not really cooler, I guess.
Hmmm…Pandora is now playing Sonic Youth. I think it’s trying to tell me something.
“can't decide what to listen to...first the runaways, then there was some x, which spawned some john doe and then exene, which morphed into streelight manifesto but that wasn't doing it...thirty seconds of "la giocanda" went to jace everett and now it's band of horses...still doesn't feel right.”
A friend responded that I should listen to some Bob Mould, so I did. Still not right. He came back and suggested The Pixies and here’s where it gets complicated.
I like all kinds of music. Seriously, even country and opera, which is where most people say “I like everything but…” I listen to some rap. Not a lot, but I think I am pretty open-minded when it comes to music…except for The Pixies…oh and Sonic Youth…and most Nirvana.
And that’s the thing. If you like indie, alternative or rock, you probably like all three of those bands. And honestly, I can’t say I hate every song by them, but…I will never choose to listen to them.
But, in order to do my due diligence, I went to Pandora and typed in The Pixies. It played “Hey” and I listened. I resisted the urge to shut it off. But I didn’t really enjoy it. And then, as Pandora does, it started to play music that is similar to The Pixies. First Weezer…ok, I am ok with Weezer in small doses. Then The Smiths and you know, I can listen to The Smiths, even though I still think that Morrissey sounds like Kermit the Frog, but you know… I can do that. Oh hey, what’s next? Radiohead, “Creep” groovy, love this song. And then…what is this crap? Oh, it’s The Pixies again.
I’m sorry, I can’t put my finger on it. I think it’s partially the jangly, feedbacky guitars, partially the voices. Just not for me, I guess. But I tried. And now it’s playing Smashing Pumpkins…what am I missing? This is nothing like The Pixies! *Sigh*…I guess I’ll just never be cool….oh well.
For the record, I have several “channels” on Pandora that have come up when I JUST HAVE TO LISTEN TO THIS BAND NOW…see if these make me sound any cooler, even though I still don’t like Sonic Youth...
X Radio
The Runaways Radio
Frankie Goes to Hollywood Radio
Streetlight Manifesto Radio
Social Distortion Radio
Ben Lee Radio
The Veils Radio
Robbie Williams Radio (one of these things is not like the other….)
Ted Leo Radio
Genesis Radio
Underworld Radio
Peter Gabriel Radio
Yeah...not really cooler, I guess.
Hmmm…Pandora is now playing Sonic Youth. I think it’s trying to tell me something.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Meanwhile...
To be completely honest…I haven’t felt like it.
There, that’s out of the way. No excuses (but I have been busy), no explanations (seriously, I’ve been busy), no complaints (he’s been sick…and it’s annoying). Just…haven’t felt like it.
Oh, I have written a bit, here and there, but some of it got political and some of it got…wrong and eh, there you go. I’ve been a little burnt out since comic-con and now, here we are, in September, of all places, and it’s like one hundred and two degrees and everything is on fire again.*sigh* So, for the moment, there are a few things I need to type and then a few things to fill some space and then….well…we’ll see.
I had a dream a few nights ago. I don’t remember what the dream was about at all but I do remember that at some point in the dream I was reading the concert listings in the newspaper and the name of one band in particular stood out to me…”Norman Fell and the Tits, the Nymph’s Nipples and the Fleshy Undertones.” This strikes me as odd. Does it strike you as odd too? It’s a rather long and involved name for just one band. And how, exactly, does Norman Fell fit into all this? I wish I could remember, but I do remember that, in my dream, they were playing on a Saturday night.
Also, there have been brownies…and cupcakes. And soon there will be cookies that have bacon in then. So that’s something.
And also also, since we last spoke, I have watched a movie. It was called “Rocknrolla” and I enjoyed it. It was return to form for Guy Richie and it was fun enough, with one excruciating chase scene that had me in stitches. So…there’s that.
I’ve been reading quite a bit and have finally finished Queen of Fashion: What Marie Antoinette Wore to the Revolution by Caroline Weber and I declare it good. If you have any interest at all in French History, clothing or Marie Antoinette, then it’s brilliant, and if you don’t, you will after reading this. The best book I have read in the last ten years was called The Death of Vishnu by Manil Suri, but this is the second best book I have read in the last ten years. I’d loan it to you but I already loaned it to someone else, and then I went and bought another copy to give to my mom. It’s good enough to do that, buy another copy.
And now…
What I am reading: Crooked Little Vein by Warren Ellis-It’s…eh. Its Warren Ellis, and don’t get me wrong, I love some of his comics, but this isn’t really doing it for me. It’s a fast read and it’s certainly Warren Ellis, so, you know, if that’s your thing…
Serendipity by Louise Schaffer, given to me by my mom. I should know better. Anytime my mom gives me a book about a troubled relationship between a mother and daughter…wait…is she trying to tell me something? I don’t know but this is not my type of book. I am finishing it because mom gave it to me, but I am going to give her hell about it later. Actually, I probably won’t. But eh, it’s good to read things that aren’t necessarily what you would choose, right?
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte (dammit, I can’t find the umlauts on my keyboard!). I don’t remember if I have ever read this all the way through, but I have seen many movies based on it. It’s a bit of a mess of a story for me, but I am trying to get something new out of it. I was talking to a friend about it a while ago and he was declaring his distaste for it, but I was trying to defend it as something other than what was expected and then I decided I’d better go back and read it before I got in over my head. So far, I’d have to say that my theory stands.
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte…see above. It’s just one of those things. I am reading them in installments via Daily Lit and enjoying it. So there.
What’s next? I dunno, I got a new Neil Stephenson book the other day, but those are a real commitment for me…hmmm. I do have some more books from my mom to read…sigh.
What I am watching…hmmm…what AM I watching? A little bit of this, a little bit of that. I’ve seen several things that I thought I had no interest in and then ended up enjoying. The Good Wife, for example, was…not bad. I am not a fan of Juliana Margulies but you know, I watched the beginning and felt compelled to watch the rest so…it did its job. Cougartown didn’t seem like my kind of thing, but it was much better than I expected and hey, that Courtney Cox Arquette…she was kind of funny. Surprise. I’ve been watching a bit of British stuff and if you didn’t catch Being Human as it ran, I’d recommend tracking that one down. Very enjoyable. Russell Tovey is awesome in his dorkiness. And I’ve been enjoying a show called Economy Gastronomy that made me realize that I’d be a pretty darn economical cook if I paid attention. Also, the chefs on this show…cute.
What I’m listening to…um…not much really. I have an Andrew Bird cd sitting here next to me…some John Vanderslice, Bibio and the Mark Olson and Gary Louris cd…but I’m not listening to them. I wanted to listen to some Franco Corelli yesterday, but I couldn’t find my cd and I’ve been trying to learn to appreciate La Boheme but my cod player absolutely refused to play it and it forced me to listen to The Marriage Figaro instead…seriously.
What I’m working on…nothing. Well, stuff, but…yeah...nothing.
What’s next for the rest of that stuff? Well, I am going to get the TV to myself for a while, so I guess I will catch up on all those episodes of the Elvis Costello show and maybe finish watching Dirty Sexy Money, even though I am kind of over it now that my favorite character is gone (yes, well, they are all gone, I know but…), musicwise…I’ve been wanting some ambient kind of stuff to listen to while I read. Any suggestions?
And workwise, well, it’s gonna get busy round here soon…we’ll see what comes out of it, shall we?
Until then. There is a give away for some Paperlotus cards over at Cupcakes take the Cake and another giveaway planned for Rarebird Finds, so you know, you could pop over there and leave a comment and maybe win a thing…
And finally, because I know you don’t care…
Who I’m crushing on…
Paul Merrett, Allegra Mc Evedy, Gerard Butler
Merrett and Mc Evedy are the chefs that I mentioned, he’s got stunning blue eyes and she’s just so freaking cool, and you know, I never got the Gerard Butler thing until Rocknrolla…go figure.
There, that’s out of the way. No excuses (but I have been busy), no explanations (seriously, I’ve been busy), no complaints (he’s been sick…and it’s annoying). Just…haven’t felt like it.
Oh, I have written a bit, here and there, but some of it got political and some of it got…wrong and eh, there you go. I’ve been a little burnt out since comic-con and now, here we are, in September, of all places, and it’s like one hundred and two degrees and everything is on fire again.*sigh* So, for the moment, there are a few things I need to type and then a few things to fill some space and then….well…we’ll see.
I had a dream a few nights ago. I don’t remember what the dream was about at all but I do remember that at some point in the dream I was reading the concert listings in the newspaper and the name of one band in particular stood out to me…”Norman Fell and the Tits, the Nymph’s Nipples and the Fleshy Undertones.” This strikes me as odd. Does it strike you as odd too? It’s a rather long and involved name for just one band. And how, exactly, does Norman Fell fit into all this? I wish I could remember, but I do remember that, in my dream, they were playing on a Saturday night.
Also, there have been brownies…and cupcakes. And soon there will be cookies that have bacon in then. So that’s something.
And also also, since we last spoke, I have watched a movie. It was called “Rocknrolla” and I enjoyed it. It was return to form for Guy Richie and it was fun enough, with one excruciating chase scene that had me in stitches. So…there’s that.
I’ve been reading quite a bit and have finally finished Queen of Fashion: What Marie Antoinette Wore to the Revolution by Caroline Weber and I declare it good. If you have any interest at all in French History, clothing or Marie Antoinette, then it’s brilliant, and if you don’t, you will after reading this. The best book I have read in the last ten years was called The Death of Vishnu by Manil Suri, but this is the second best book I have read in the last ten years. I’d loan it to you but I already loaned it to someone else, and then I went and bought another copy to give to my mom. It’s good enough to do that, buy another copy.
And now…
What I am reading: Crooked Little Vein by Warren Ellis-It’s…eh. Its Warren Ellis, and don’t get me wrong, I love some of his comics, but this isn’t really doing it for me. It’s a fast read and it’s certainly Warren Ellis, so, you know, if that’s your thing…
Serendipity by Louise Schaffer, given to me by my mom. I should know better. Anytime my mom gives me a book about a troubled relationship between a mother and daughter…wait…is she trying to tell me something? I don’t know but this is not my type of book. I am finishing it because mom gave it to me, but I am going to give her hell about it later. Actually, I probably won’t. But eh, it’s good to read things that aren’t necessarily what you would choose, right?
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte (dammit, I can’t find the umlauts on my keyboard!). I don’t remember if I have ever read this all the way through, but I have seen many movies based on it. It’s a bit of a mess of a story for me, but I am trying to get something new out of it. I was talking to a friend about it a while ago and he was declaring his distaste for it, but I was trying to defend it as something other than what was expected and then I decided I’d better go back and read it before I got in over my head. So far, I’d have to say that my theory stands.
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte…see above. It’s just one of those things. I am reading them in installments via Daily Lit and enjoying it. So there.
What’s next? I dunno, I got a new Neil Stephenson book the other day, but those are a real commitment for me…hmmm. I do have some more books from my mom to read…sigh.
What I am watching…hmmm…what AM I watching? A little bit of this, a little bit of that. I’ve seen several things that I thought I had no interest in and then ended up enjoying. The Good Wife, for example, was…not bad. I am not a fan of Juliana Margulies but you know, I watched the beginning and felt compelled to watch the rest so…it did its job. Cougartown didn’t seem like my kind of thing, but it was much better than I expected and hey, that Courtney Cox Arquette…she was kind of funny. Surprise. I’ve been watching a bit of British stuff and if you didn’t catch Being Human as it ran, I’d recommend tracking that one down. Very enjoyable. Russell Tovey is awesome in his dorkiness. And I’ve been enjoying a show called Economy Gastronomy that made me realize that I’d be a pretty darn economical cook if I paid attention. Also, the chefs on this show…cute.
What I’m listening to…um…not much really. I have an Andrew Bird cd sitting here next to me…some John Vanderslice, Bibio and the Mark Olson and Gary Louris cd…but I’m not listening to them. I wanted to listen to some Franco Corelli yesterday, but I couldn’t find my cd and I’ve been trying to learn to appreciate La Boheme but my cod player absolutely refused to play it and it forced me to listen to The Marriage Figaro instead…seriously.
What I’m working on…nothing. Well, stuff, but…yeah...nothing.
What’s next for the rest of that stuff? Well, I am going to get the TV to myself for a while, so I guess I will catch up on all those episodes of the Elvis Costello show and maybe finish watching Dirty Sexy Money, even though I am kind of over it now that my favorite character is gone (yes, well, they are all gone, I know but…), musicwise…I’ve been wanting some ambient kind of stuff to listen to while I read. Any suggestions?
And workwise, well, it’s gonna get busy round here soon…we’ll see what comes out of it, shall we?
Until then. There is a give away for some Paperlotus cards over at Cupcakes take the Cake and another giveaway planned for Rarebird Finds, so you know, you could pop over there and leave a comment and maybe win a thing…
And finally, because I know you don’t care…
Who I’m crushing on…
Paul Merrett, Allegra Mc Evedy, Gerard Butler
Merrett and Mc Evedy are the chefs that I mentioned, he’s got stunning blue eyes and she’s just so freaking cool, and you know, I never got the Gerard Butler thing until Rocknrolla…go figure.
Friday, August 28, 2009
Smoke.
First, I want you to see this:
I'm pretty sure that "smoke" is not weather, unless you are in California.
Secondly, today I have read bits of Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, a Jim Butcher novel, a vegan cookbook and I am about to take a look at an Ian Rankin graphic novel. Tonight I will continue reading my werewolf book. I am trying to work on the books I so I can justify the Kindle I want. But then, I just read an article that says that the average Kindle user keeps their device for two years. TWO YEARS? I've have books that are older than my mother. I have books from the 1800s. And i realize that the point of a Kindle is basically to have those sorts of books that you read once and then let sit around until you remember to pass them on or take them to the used book store or donate, in a less physical form or something but...two years?
Anyway. Hot. Smoky. Books. That's pretty much the sum of things at the moment.
I'm pretty sure that "smoke" is not weather, unless you are in California.
Secondly, today I have read bits of Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, a Jim Butcher novel, a vegan cookbook and I am about to take a look at an Ian Rankin graphic novel. Tonight I will continue reading my werewolf book. I am trying to work on the books I so I can justify the Kindle I want. But then, I just read an article that says that the average Kindle user keeps their device for two years. TWO YEARS? I've have books that are older than my mother. I have books from the 1800s. And i realize that the point of a Kindle is basically to have those sorts of books that you read once and then let sit around until you remember to pass them on or take them to the used book store or donate, in a less physical form or something but...two years?
Anyway. Hot. Smoky. Books. That's pretty much the sum of things at the moment.
Friday, August 14, 2009
Flu-ent.
So, here’s how it happened.
I went to Comic-Con. It went pretty well, I worked A LOT and didn’t see as much as I would have liked. But somehow I managed to talk to every damn person in that convention center, touch their money, shake their hands and lick their netbook keyboards. That’s all I can figure. Because I got the nerd flu. And I got it pretty bad.
Well, ok, look, I TRIED to eat right. I had fresh fruit and tea and veggies everyday. I avoided soda. I had a few cocktails here and there but…nothing like I normally would. But then…then there was the tacos, or maybe the it was the late nights? Could have been the air conditioned room. Could have just been all that breathing. But I did try. I washed my hands, I used that sanitary spray stuff every once in a while…but…welll… by the time I got back from San Diego I was exhausted and had lost part of my voice. Then I got a cough, then the aches…and you know how the rest goes. Nerd flu. It could have been worse, I am sure, but it was bad enough to keep me home from work for several days. And then, of course, even after much rest, hydration and vitamins and whatever, there was still the lingering weariness that the flu gives you. Oh and the nausea…there was that one day where I was getting ready to go to work and suddenly couldn’t.. Too weak, too feverish…too…sick. Out of the shower, back into the pajamas, call in sick and then collapsed on the couch. Woke up three hours later.
I am better now. Still a little tired. But hey, this is a hazard of hanging with 140, 000 nerds and I guess I am willing to…hazard it.
So, the convention went well. BFF came along and, I think to her own surprise, enjoyed herself a lot. She got to see David Tennant while I worked. And she was a huge help at the Tired Girl table, writing up sales and fetching beverages and veggie burgers. The table was, once again, very well received and a pleasant time seemed to be had by all.
Sadly, I didn’t have any celebrity customers this time, which is something I get a kick out of. But I did get to see a few famous-ish folks on the floor (Deborah woll, of True Blood, very briefly and Matthew Gruber Grey of Criminal Minds on crutches…some others I don’t remember at the moment…).
I sold some new art and it did pretty well. I did a series of pin-up girls that were inspired by various Doctor Whos. I chose to do girls for the fifth, ninth and tenth doctor and I hope to do girls for the other doctors eventually, and possibly even some BOY pin-ups inspired by some of the female companions. I did these for Comic-Con because…well…geeks…you know. And the ninth doctor pin-up did sell out (OK fine…I didn’t take that many, but I came back with…NONE! Yay!). So it was a good show. I sold plenty of cards, some prints and lots of flirt cards, I had a good time. I saw a lot of people and then I got sick. That pretty much brings us up to date I think.
Here are some "parts" of my girls. I'll show you more and tell you a little bit about them later. But for now...nekkid girls!
I went to Comic-Con. It went pretty well, I worked A LOT and didn’t see as much as I would have liked. But somehow I managed to talk to every damn person in that convention center, touch their money, shake their hands and lick their netbook keyboards. That’s all I can figure. Because I got the nerd flu. And I got it pretty bad.
Well, ok, look, I TRIED to eat right. I had fresh fruit and tea and veggies everyday. I avoided soda. I had a few cocktails here and there but…nothing like I normally would. But then…then there was the tacos, or maybe the it was the late nights? Could have been the air conditioned room. Could have just been all that breathing. But I did try. I washed my hands, I used that sanitary spray stuff every once in a while…but…welll… by the time I got back from San Diego I was exhausted and had lost part of my voice. Then I got a cough, then the aches…and you know how the rest goes. Nerd flu. It could have been worse, I am sure, but it was bad enough to keep me home from work for several days. And then, of course, even after much rest, hydration and vitamins and whatever, there was still the lingering weariness that the flu gives you. Oh and the nausea…there was that one day where I was getting ready to go to work and suddenly couldn’t.. Too weak, too feverish…too…sick. Out of the shower, back into the pajamas, call in sick and then collapsed on the couch. Woke up three hours later.
I am better now. Still a little tired. But hey, this is a hazard of hanging with 140, 000 nerds and I guess I am willing to…hazard it.
So, the convention went well. BFF came along and, I think to her own surprise, enjoyed herself a lot. She got to see David Tennant while I worked. And she was a huge help at the Tired Girl table, writing up sales and fetching beverages and veggie burgers. The table was, once again, very well received and a pleasant time seemed to be had by all.
Sadly, I didn’t have any celebrity customers this time, which is something I get a kick out of. But I did get to see a few famous-ish folks on the floor (Deborah woll, of True Blood, very briefly and Matthew Gruber Grey of Criminal Minds on crutches…some others I don’t remember at the moment…).
I sold some new art and it did pretty well. I did a series of pin-up girls that were inspired by various Doctor Whos. I chose to do girls for the fifth, ninth and tenth doctor and I hope to do girls for the other doctors eventually, and possibly even some BOY pin-ups inspired by some of the female companions. I did these for Comic-Con because…well…geeks…you know. And the ninth doctor pin-up did sell out (OK fine…I didn’t take that many, but I came back with…NONE! Yay!). So it was a good show. I sold plenty of cards, some prints and lots of flirt cards, I had a good time. I saw a lot of people and then I got sick. That pretty much brings us up to date I think.
Here are some "parts" of my girls. I'll show you more and tell you a little bit about them later. But for now...nekkid girls!
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Cheer.
So, I am heading out to San Diego Comic Con shortly and this year, more than previous year, I seem to be feeling all the stress that entails. And you know, I’ve done this a few times so it shouldn’t bother me. But it does.
But that’s ok because I have a few things that help me through times like these….
Baby porcupines (known as porcupets) eating bananas and having the hiccups…
Pugs with baby strollers…
Baby fruit bats yawning…(sorry, can’t embed this one but it’s worth the click if you aren’t afraid of bats).
Eighty three year old ladies who can totally rock it.
Inspiring article on acting with a quote that stopped me in my tracks, “I could not be more alive than I am at this moment. I can't do most things in life. This is what I'm for.”
Paper taco trucks.
And the things you really need to learn. Not as cute as a pug with a stroller but important nonetheless.
I’ll be back in a week or so with tales of geekery, Doctor Who pinup girls and with any luck, a photograph of someone famous…but who?
But that’s ok because I have a few things that help me through times like these….
Baby porcupines (known as porcupets) eating bananas and having the hiccups…
Pugs with baby strollers…
Baby fruit bats yawning…(sorry, can’t embed this one but it’s worth the click if you aren’t afraid of bats).
Eighty three year old ladies who can totally rock it.
Inspiring article on acting with a quote that stopped me in my tracks, “I could not be more alive than I am at this moment. I can't do most things in life. This is what I'm for.”
Paper taco trucks.
And the things you really need to learn. Not as cute as a pug with a stroller but important nonetheless.
I’ll be back in a week or so with tales of geekery, Doctor Who pinup girls and with any luck, a photograph of someone famous…but who?
Monday, July 06, 2009
Management.
*Ahem*…Hi. This is what I wrote when it happened…
Oh dear, the LA Times caused a bit of a stir with a stupid (and kind of sexist) little article/slideshow called something like “A Girl’s Guide to Comic-Con.” It features (if you don’t feel like clicking over) some speculation on what cute boys will be appearing at Comic-Con to pimp their movies. Some people are bothered that it seems to assume that women only go to Comic-Con for the cute boys. As a woman who rather likes cute boys (OK, well…men, I am the anti-cougar and have no interest in anyone under the age of 39), I am a little more bothered by the fact that NO COMIC BOOK GUYS are featured in the story. Not a damn one.
Yes, yes, Comic-Con is now considered a “pop-culture” convention and believe you me, I have no problem with that. There was a time when (in my opinion) the movie and tv presence at the convention may well have saved the bacon of many a comic book company by generating a buzz that seemed to have dissipated around comic books. By bringing in the stars of movies based on comics, I think some new readers were led to our booths and tables and hopefully a new wave of fandom was born. So yeah, I’m ok with that pop-culture thing, as long as the comics are still important. And they are. And I love them, and I love the people who make them. And guess what…some of those people happen to be cute boys. I just wish the L.A. Times had mentioned that.
That was…a while ago. In the meanwhile the world has lost…a lot of people and think what you will of any of them, they all made some sort of significant contribution to this world and will be missed.
And other things have happened.
But blogging clearly has not.
This was written a while back too:
About a year ago I was traveling to the east coast by plane (I say by plane, because, as you may know, I am stupid enough to occasionally do it by car…but not this time). I was getting on the plane, waiting on the…what do you call that thing? The corridor leading to the plane? The gangplank? Well, I was waiting there as the inevitable backup had occurred. Someone was probably trying to put a child in the overhead compartment or something. How many times do you people have to be told that children should be checked? Aaaaaanyway, two girls, in their 20s standing in front of me having a conversation….
I’ve been listenting to this great band called MANAGEMENT.
Oh yeah?
Yeah, they are awesome.
Hunh. Haven’t heard of them.
The conversation carries on for a bit when the second girl, who has clearly been trying to figure out how to do this without making her friend look like a complete ass says:
Have you heard MGMT?
Um….that’s what I said earlier. MANAGEMENT.
Oh, I…I think they are called MGMT.
Yeah, that’s what I said. MANAGEMENT. That’s what MGMT stands for.
I…uh…I think they are just MGMT. Like the abbreviation.
Right. The abbreviation for MANAGEMENT. That’s what they are called MANAGEMENT.
It was the modern day “Who’s on first?” with the added twist of abbreviations.
I really wanted to let her know that the band does, indeed, go by the name MGMT and not MANGEMENT. But I was enjoying the conversation too much.
(I don’t really mean to make fun of this girl, I am pretty sure that almost every conversation I have sounds a lot like this.)
And it only serves to remind me that we are all someplace else sometimes when we should be right where we are….get it?
I’m not here. I’ll be back.
In the meanwhile. New cards in the shop.
Oh dear, the LA Times caused a bit of a stir with a stupid (and kind of sexist) little article/slideshow called something like “A Girl’s Guide to Comic-Con.” It features (if you don’t feel like clicking over) some speculation on what cute boys will be appearing at Comic-Con to pimp their movies. Some people are bothered that it seems to assume that women only go to Comic-Con for the cute boys. As a woman who rather likes cute boys (OK, well…men, I am the anti-cougar and have no interest in anyone under the age of 39), I am a little more bothered by the fact that NO COMIC BOOK GUYS are featured in the story. Not a damn one.
Yes, yes, Comic-Con is now considered a “pop-culture” convention and believe you me, I have no problem with that. There was a time when (in my opinion) the movie and tv presence at the convention may well have saved the bacon of many a comic book company by generating a buzz that seemed to have dissipated around comic books. By bringing in the stars of movies based on comics, I think some new readers were led to our booths and tables and hopefully a new wave of fandom was born. So yeah, I’m ok with that pop-culture thing, as long as the comics are still important. And they are. And I love them, and I love the people who make them. And guess what…some of those people happen to be cute boys. I just wish the L.A. Times had mentioned that.
That was…a while ago. In the meanwhile the world has lost…a lot of people and think what you will of any of them, they all made some sort of significant contribution to this world and will be missed.
And other things have happened.
But blogging clearly has not.
This was written a while back too:
About a year ago I was traveling to the east coast by plane (I say by plane, because, as you may know, I am stupid enough to occasionally do it by car…but not this time). I was getting on the plane, waiting on the…what do you call that thing? The corridor leading to the plane? The gangplank? Well, I was waiting there as the inevitable backup had occurred. Someone was probably trying to put a child in the overhead compartment or something. How many times do you people have to be told that children should be checked? Aaaaaanyway, two girls, in their 20s standing in front of me having a conversation….
I’ve been listenting to this great band called MANAGEMENT.
Oh yeah?
Yeah, they are awesome.
Hunh. Haven’t heard of them.
The conversation carries on for a bit when the second girl, who has clearly been trying to figure out how to do this without making her friend look like a complete ass says:
Have you heard MGMT?
Um….that’s what I said earlier. MANAGEMENT.
Oh, I…I think they are called MGMT.
Yeah, that’s what I said. MANAGEMENT. That’s what MGMT stands for.
I…uh…I think they are just MGMT. Like the abbreviation.
Right. The abbreviation for MANAGEMENT. That’s what they are called MANAGEMENT.
It was the modern day “Who’s on first?” with the added twist of abbreviations.
I really wanted to let her know that the band does, indeed, go by the name MGMT and not MANGEMENT. But I was enjoying the conversation too much.
(I don’t really mean to make fun of this girl, I am pretty sure that almost every conversation I have sounds a lot like this.)
And it only serves to remind me that we are all someplace else sometimes when we should be right where we are….get it?
I’m not here. I’ll be back.
In the meanwhile. New cards in the shop.
Monday, June 15, 2009
Facon.
Why do people get so incensed when I mention veggie bacon? Not you…no, no, I know you understand me. But I mentioned having veggie bacon with my dinner (which, I didn’t for the record) the other night and right away got a response…a horrified response, from an old friend. Here’s the thing. I don’t mind bacon. But I don’t care about bacon either. It’s not my thing really. But, man do people get defensive about that. It’s not like I’m saying, I don’t really like…puppies or something. And it’s not that I don’t like bacon. I just don’t care about it. If there were no bacon, I wouldn’t be sad. And it is exactly because of this that I first tried veggie bacon years ago.
Now mind you, years ago, veggie bacon isn’t what it is today. I can’t remember the brand, but I do remember that it had such a strong smoke scent, that everytime I opened the freezer, I could smell it. Frozen and I could smell it. Yikes. It wasn’t good. Neither, for that matter, was the soy milk I tried all those years ago. But now I can’t imagine life without soymilk, it makes everything so much easier for me. But the point is, I tried something new, I didn’t like it. I tried it again, much later, but again nonetheless and I did like it.
When I first started in this job I have. I was often teased for my lunches. They were often (and still are often) vegetarian, and they often incorporate strange (to some) ingredients that my co-workers (Hi Candypants) would often mock. Nowadays, I hear these guys (yeah, you heard me, I said CANDYPANTS!) eat veggie friendly food on a regular basis.
I’m not a foodie, or a food snob. I’m not a vegetarian. I just like to try things. And usually I try them more than once. And sometimes, like with the veggie bacon and soy milk, it’s better the second time. Look, I don’t recommend veggie bacon if you like real bacon. I don’t recommend veggie bacon if you like turkey bacon. It’s not bacon. It’s something else. But it works for me.
Wait…what was my point here? I don’t remember. I just know if I mention veggie bacon people will appear from nowhere to tell me what a terrible thing it is.
Meanwhile, I’ve been watching movies. So far:
Shoot ‘em Up-Liked it. Crazy, over the top violent and v.v. entertaining.
Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day-Liked it. Surprisingly dark. But filled with pretty boys. Oh, yeah...and good acting.
Strictly Sinatra-Not bad. Scottish gangster type flick.
Othello-Modern version w/Christopher Eccleston, Eamon Walker, Richard Coyle and Keeley Hawes. Liked it a lot. A very nice adaptation with brilliant acting. Highly recommended.
Meet the Robinsons-Kind of all over the place but in an entertaining way. I dunno, I wanted to dislike it because it was all over the place, but in the end, that’s part of the reason that I did like it. Nice art, some good jokes and I loved, loved, loved Goob.
Ok, look, if you don’t work in this office, the one where YOU had to RING in to get through the door, why would YOU, the person who does not work here, just let someone in? Jerk.
Sorry, had to get that one out of the system. I guess I’m feeling kind of ranty today…so here are some bits of my new pinup girls (not THOSE bits)...
As you were.
Now mind you, years ago, veggie bacon isn’t what it is today. I can’t remember the brand, but I do remember that it had such a strong smoke scent, that everytime I opened the freezer, I could smell it. Frozen and I could smell it. Yikes. It wasn’t good. Neither, for that matter, was the soy milk I tried all those years ago. But now I can’t imagine life without soymilk, it makes everything so much easier for me. But the point is, I tried something new, I didn’t like it. I tried it again, much later, but again nonetheless and I did like it.
When I first started in this job I have. I was often teased for my lunches. They were often (and still are often) vegetarian, and they often incorporate strange (to some) ingredients that my co-workers (Hi Candypants) would often mock. Nowadays, I hear these guys (yeah, you heard me, I said CANDYPANTS!) eat veggie friendly food on a regular basis.
I’m not a foodie, or a food snob. I’m not a vegetarian. I just like to try things. And usually I try them more than once. And sometimes, like with the veggie bacon and soy milk, it’s better the second time. Look, I don’t recommend veggie bacon if you like real bacon. I don’t recommend veggie bacon if you like turkey bacon. It’s not bacon. It’s something else. But it works for me.
Wait…what was my point here? I don’t remember. I just know if I mention veggie bacon people will appear from nowhere to tell me what a terrible thing it is.
Meanwhile, I’ve been watching movies. So far:
Shoot ‘em Up-Liked it. Crazy, over the top violent and v.v. entertaining.
Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day-Liked it. Surprisingly dark. But filled with pretty boys. Oh, yeah...and good acting.
Strictly Sinatra-Not bad. Scottish gangster type flick.
Othello-Modern version w/Christopher Eccleston, Eamon Walker, Richard Coyle and Keeley Hawes. Liked it a lot. A very nice adaptation with brilliant acting. Highly recommended.
Meet the Robinsons-Kind of all over the place but in an entertaining way. I dunno, I wanted to dislike it because it was all over the place, but in the end, that’s part of the reason that I did like it. Nice art, some good jokes and I loved, loved, loved Goob.
Ok, look, if you don’t work in this office, the one where YOU had to RING in to get through the door, why would YOU, the person who does not work here, just let someone in? Jerk.
Sorry, had to get that one out of the system. I guess I’m feeling kind of ranty today…so here are some bits of my new pinup girls (not THOSE bits)...
As you were.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Things.
Here’s the thing, I’ve been writing a lot lately, but…not posting because I haven’t finished a damn thing. But today, Janet scolded me and I was already typing this so…I’m gonna throw a few of my not quite finished posts up here because yeah, I do feel like a slacker for not having finished any of them. So here are some lists of things because…that’s the best I can do right now.
Things made since last I posted:
Lemon lavender lace cookies-They were good, they just weren’t what I was planning on making. Not the lace part anyway. They were supposed to just be sugar cookies but all I can figure is that I wasn’t paying attention and left out some flour. HOWEVER, they were much lauded and well recived at beach party and I was told by one person that I need not make any other cookie ever again. So…I guess that’s good.
German chocolate cupcakes-these were pretty good. The cake was nice, although I really do just prefer a chocolate cake. The icing was different than the usual German chcoclate cake icing and it was less…sticky and more…pudding-y. which I rather liked.
Almond zucchini cupcakes with a marshmallowy, lemony frosting-these too were pretty good. I really liked the frosting, which was what I think we used to call a 7 minute frosting, which is basically a meringue. No butter. Which was a nice change. But it was sticky as all hell and kind of messy, so I am thinking of tinkering.
Speaking of meringue, there was a lemon meringue pie for a birthday. I don’t like lemon meringue pie and I don’t like making pie crust. But I did it. So there.
Aaaaaand…I think there was an emergency focaccia and some shortcakes in there as well.
There was also a birthday and an anniversary since last time I stopped by and now…well, I guess everything from here on in leads to comic-con. Sigh.
Random images found in my “inspiration” files:
1 moth
2 foxes
1 Alan Rickman
1 Dalek
4 Jeffrey Dean Morgan as the Comedian (and yes I know the Comedian is an awful character but I love that moustache)
3 Hellboys
2 Colin Firth
2 Wolverine images (Hugh Jackman style)
2 Thom Yorke images (Hunh? I mean, I do love the man and all, but when did I put those in there?)
1 Christopher Eccleston and 1 image from Doctor Who episode w/Christopher Eccleston (the valet parking ticket from The End of the World)
4 dresses made of paper
1 Trevor Eve
Many cupcakes
and then 3 Cyndi Laupers….
Go figure. That really sums me up, doesn’t it?
And finally, just because…
Rockstars I may or may not have had crushes on over the years:
Mick Jagger
Phil Collins
Peter Gabriel
Corey Hart
Eric Clapton
Adam Ant
Stewart Copeland
Andy Gibb
Donny Osmond
Shaun Cassidy
Ric Ocasek
Roger Daltry
Ray Davies
David Bowie
Have at it. i know you've got something to say about it....
Also, because I have been working while you weren't looking, some samples of new art.
Cupcake treeeeee, how I love theeeeeeeee...
And this is from a piece titled "He said I have a good personality..."
Things made since last I posted:
Lemon lavender lace cookies-They were good, they just weren’t what I was planning on making. Not the lace part anyway. They were supposed to just be sugar cookies but all I can figure is that I wasn’t paying attention and left out some flour. HOWEVER, they were much lauded and well recived at beach party and I was told by one person that I need not make any other cookie ever again. So…I guess that’s good.
German chocolate cupcakes-these were pretty good. The cake was nice, although I really do just prefer a chocolate cake. The icing was different than the usual German chcoclate cake icing and it was less…sticky and more…pudding-y. which I rather liked.
Almond zucchini cupcakes with a marshmallowy, lemony frosting-these too were pretty good. I really liked the frosting, which was what I think we used to call a 7 minute frosting, which is basically a meringue. No butter. Which was a nice change. But it was sticky as all hell and kind of messy, so I am thinking of tinkering.
Speaking of meringue, there was a lemon meringue pie for a birthday. I don’t like lemon meringue pie and I don’t like making pie crust. But I did it. So there.
Aaaaaand…I think there was an emergency focaccia and some shortcakes in there as well.
There was also a birthday and an anniversary since last time I stopped by and now…well, I guess everything from here on in leads to comic-con. Sigh.
Random images found in my “inspiration” files:
1 moth
2 foxes
1 Alan Rickman
1 Dalek
4 Jeffrey Dean Morgan as the Comedian (and yes I know the Comedian is an awful character but I love that moustache)
3 Hellboys
2 Colin Firth
2 Wolverine images (Hugh Jackman style)
2 Thom Yorke images (Hunh? I mean, I do love the man and all, but when did I put those in there?)
1 Christopher Eccleston and 1 image from Doctor Who episode w/Christopher Eccleston (the valet parking ticket from The End of the World)
4 dresses made of paper
1 Trevor Eve
Many cupcakes
and then 3 Cyndi Laupers….
Go figure. That really sums me up, doesn’t it?
And finally, just because…
Rockstars I may or may not have had crushes on over the years:
Mick Jagger
Phil Collins
Peter Gabriel
Corey Hart
Eric Clapton
Adam Ant
Stewart Copeland
Andy Gibb
Donny Osmond
Shaun Cassidy
Ric Ocasek
Roger Daltry
Ray Davies
David Bowie
Have at it. i know you've got something to say about it....
Also, because I have been working while you weren't looking, some samples of new art.
Cupcake treeeeee, how I love theeeeeeeee...
And this is from a piece titled "He said I have a good personality..."
Tuesday, May 05, 2009
Advice.
Let me help you. Just take it from me that these are good ideas, I tested the theories so you don’t have to.
-Always put sunblock on the tops of your feet if you take off your shoes outside. And if you are wearing shorts, the backs of your knees as well. I wasn’t wearing shorts otherwise I might have remembered the tops of my feet when I did the backs of my knees. But I didn’t do either and my poor tootsies have suffered for my lack of attention.
-While baking is easy for some, it’s still a process that requires some amount of attention. You can always count the eggshells if you forgot how many you added but there is nothing left behind when adding flour. While the lovely, buttery, lacy lemon and lavender cookies were good, they weren’t what I was trying to make. So…um…pay attention.
-Primeval starts up again here on May 16. My advice is watch this show as if you were a fourteen year old boy. It’s easier to enjoy that way. Well, that way or with a cocktail in hand. How do fourteen year old boys feel about Douglas Henshall though? Because…yeah. Just watch. It’s good, stupid fun. But don’t expect, you know, real science or anything.
-Always put sunblock on the tops of your feet if you take off your shoes outside. And if you are wearing shorts, the backs of your knees as well. I wasn’t wearing shorts otherwise I might have remembered the tops of my feet when I did the backs of my knees. But I didn’t do either and my poor tootsies have suffered for my lack of attention.
-While baking is easy for some, it’s still a process that requires some amount of attention. You can always count the eggshells if you forgot how many you added but there is nothing left behind when adding flour. While the lovely, buttery, lacy lemon and lavender cookies were good, they weren’t what I was trying to make. So…um…pay attention.
-Primeval starts up again here on May 16. My advice is watch this show as if you were a fourteen year old boy. It’s easier to enjoy that way. Well, that way or with a cocktail in hand. How do fourteen year old boys feel about Douglas Henshall though? Because…yeah. Just watch. It’s good, stupid fun. But don’t expect, you know, real science or anything.
Then.
I just found this post that I started and never quite finished. So I am posting it. I can do that. It's my blog.
What I’m reading:
Queen of Fashion: What Marie Antoinette Wore to the Revolution by Caroline Weber.
I read about this on The Dutchess of Devonshires’ blog and got interested. I have never been big on French History or the 18th century but I am really, really enjoying this book. I did study some costuming in school and really loved it but didn’t want to make a living at it. This book is making me reconsider that. What can I do that would involve just studying clothes without having to sew them? Because I don’t really like sewing all that much…
Lonely Werewolf Girl by Martin Millar I’m enjoying this one a lot too. It’s become a bit of a court machinations sort of book, but I like that. It’s hard to write a good and convincing werewolf story…I’ve read a lot that don’t succeed, but so far so good on this one.
Just about finished The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie on Daily Lit and trying to decide if I want to do another Christie or if I’m feeling my spring need for some Shakespeare yet…maybe one of the histories that I don’t remember...
What I am watching:
Well, I’ve been trying to clear off the dvr and I did finally watch Wuthering Heights, Oliver Twist and Sunshine. Now it’s on to Richard III with Sir Laurence Olivier, Little Dorritt and a documentary about Nick Drake. I like to run through the channel listings for some of the more…esoteric sorts of channels and record random stuff that I might not otherwise catch.
Wait! Wait…I wrote this awhile ago and I watched that Nick Drake doc. It was ok. It was very…well…dreamy. Lots of time lapse of a shadow falling across the floor and the like but…eh. I don’t know. I really like his music but I don’t have that great sadness that seems to come with being a fan of his work. It was interesting that there was so much family stuff available though. Lots of family film and recordings, which made for some interesting listening. I ended up not finishing watching Richard III though. I wanted to but was running out of room on the dvr and wasn’t enjoying this version as much as I had hoped. Very stylized and old fashioned. If you’ve never read or watched Richard III, it’s one of my very favorite plays but it can be a little hard to follow if you aren’t a Shakespeare fan. I’d tell you to watch the Ian McKellan version, but last time I suggested that to someone it only confused them more. Maybe just read it. That’s probably the best way to go.
Also loving Lie to Me. At the moment I feel like I could watch that show every day, but that might be my eternal crush on Tim Roth. (This just ended for the season and I am looking forward to it's return next season).
What I’m reading:
Queen of Fashion: What Marie Antoinette Wore to the Revolution by Caroline Weber.
I read about this on The Dutchess of Devonshires’ blog and got interested. I have never been big on French History or the 18th century but I am really, really enjoying this book. I did study some costuming in school and really loved it but didn’t want to make a living at it. This book is making me reconsider that. What can I do that would involve just studying clothes without having to sew them? Because I don’t really like sewing all that much…
Lonely Werewolf Girl by Martin Millar I’m enjoying this one a lot too. It’s become a bit of a court machinations sort of book, but I like that. It’s hard to write a good and convincing werewolf story…I’ve read a lot that don’t succeed, but so far so good on this one.
Just about finished The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie on Daily Lit and trying to decide if I want to do another Christie or if I’m feeling my spring need for some Shakespeare yet…maybe one of the histories that I don’t remember...
What I am watching:
Well, I’ve been trying to clear off the dvr and I did finally watch Wuthering Heights, Oliver Twist and Sunshine. Now it’s on to Richard III with Sir Laurence Olivier, Little Dorritt and a documentary about Nick Drake. I like to run through the channel listings for some of the more…esoteric sorts of channels and record random stuff that I might not otherwise catch.
Wait! Wait…I wrote this awhile ago and I watched that Nick Drake doc. It was ok. It was very…well…dreamy. Lots of time lapse of a shadow falling across the floor and the like but…eh. I don’t know. I really like his music but I don’t have that great sadness that seems to come with being a fan of his work. It was interesting that there was so much family stuff available though. Lots of family film and recordings, which made for some interesting listening. I ended up not finishing watching Richard III though. I wanted to but was running out of room on the dvr and wasn’t enjoying this version as much as I had hoped. Very stylized and old fashioned. If you’ve never read or watched Richard III, it’s one of my very favorite plays but it can be a little hard to follow if you aren’t a Shakespeare fan. I’d tell you to watch the Ian McKellan version, but last time I suggested that to someone it only confused them more. Maybe just read it. That’s probably the best way to go.
Also loving Lie to Me. At the moment I feel like I could watch that show every day, but that might be my eternal crush on Tim Roth. (This just ended for the season and I am looking forward to it's return next season).
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Ketchup.
Things that have happened since last I blogged….
-I got to use the phrase “since last I blogged.”
-Easter. Food was good. Strawberry cupcakes not as strawberry as I would have liked but no one else was bothered. Burned the bottom of the buns so I cut the burnt bits off and refused to talk about it. There’s still a container of strawberry cream cheese frosting in the fridge that we have been using on our sandwiches and the like (no, we haven’t but that doesn’t mean we haven’t thought about it).
-HEATWAVE. Which I am enjoying.
-Watched Sunshine, Grey Gardens (the movie) and Twilight. None were satisfying and two were painful. I’ll let you figure out which was which.
-Received photo of the lead singer of a band for which I designed a logo. His anonymity is protected here because I don’t want him to get mobbed by fans.
(Here’s the logo)
-Caught a cold. Recovered from a cold. Meanwhile, my partner caught himself a fractured elbow. OW! Poor guy.
-Wrote a bunch of stuff I didn’t post. I’ll get around to that.
-Got a new computer at work that is so big it actually makes me a little dizzy. It’s kinda awesome. Also got a wee keyboard with none of the extraneous trim and such. Not quite used to it yet so there may be more typos than usual.
-Got an external HD for home. Haven’t hooked it up yet but it’s green. Not in color. Since it’s almost Earth Day I figured I’d mention that part.
-Watched the end of season one of “Ashes to Ashes” and really liked it. Also saw Futurama: Into the Wild Green Yonder (is that the title, I can’t remember…) and really liked that as well.
-Today I wore my hemp shoes and I didn’t even know it was Earth Day. Dirty hippie power even when unaware! Awesome.
-I got to use the phrase “since last I blogged.”
-Easter. Food was good. Strawberry cupcakes not as strawberry as I would have liked but no one else was bothered. Burned the bottom of the buns so I cut the burnt bits off and refused to talk about it. There’s still a container of strawberry cream cheese frosting in the fridge that we have been using on our sandwiches and the like (no, we haven’t but that doesn’t mean we haven’t thought about it).
-HEATWAVE. Which I am enjoying.
-Watched Sunshine, Grey Gardens (the movie) and Twilight. None were satisfying and two were painful. I’ll let you figure out which was which.
-Received photo of the lead singer of a band for which I designed a logo. His anonymity is protected here because I don’t want him to get mobbed by fans.
(Here’s the logo)
-Caught a cold. Recovered from a cold. Meanwhile, my partner caught himself a fractured elbow. OW! Poor guy.
-Wrote a bunch of stuff I didn’t post. I’ll get around to that.
-Got a new computer at work that is so big it actually makes me a little dizzy. It’s kinda awesome. Also got a wee keyboard with none of the extraneous trim and such. Not quite used to it yet so there may be more typos than usual.
-Got an external HD for home. Haven’t hooked it up yet but it’s green. Not in color. Since it’s almost Earth Day I figured I’d mention that part.
-Watched the end of season one of “Ashes to Ashes” and really liked it. Also saw Futurama: Into the Wild Green Yonder (is that the title, I can’t remember…) and really liked that as well.
-Today I wore my hemp shoes and I didn’t even know it was Earth Day. Dirty hippie power even when unaware! Awesome.
Thursday, April 09, 2009
Menu.
Easter Dinner
Jalapeño popper dip w/some sort of cracker/chip
Deviled eggs
Roast lamb with parsley, garlic, lemon, breadcrumb and anchovy gremolata sort of thing
Roast asparagus
Spring potato salad (with green onions, pickles, eggs, parsley and celery)
Homemade challah
Strawberry cupcakes w/strawberry cream cheese frosting
Deep-dish brownies
That’s the plan, man. We’ll see how it works out. We’ve had the same basic meal for the past three or four Easters and we still like it so…you know.
I was just having a conversation with someone about how you think you know a person and then they tell you something so simple and basic that you had no idea about that you feel like you’ve never known them at all. Like how they hate chocolate, or how they were raised by bears. Stuff like that. I think I am pretty transparent. It was made obvious when I found this in my inbox (that’s not a euphemism).
Oooh…shiny and naked. My two favorites.
(That's Wolverine there, in case you DON'T know me all that well. I get Naked Wolverine emails. Oh yes I do.)
And in my continuing adventures in hypnosis, I had another hypnotherapy session. Now, I don’t know how deeply I am actually hypnotized. To me it just feels more or less like sitting with my eyes closed, being mellow and listening to my friend’s voice. But it was pleasant, and I did feel relaxed and everything kind of…sloooowsss….dowwwwwn. So that’s good. This session was centered on creativity. It was nice and I do feel good and raring to draw today, but I think I liked the visualization part of the relaxation session more. We’re going to try some other stuff, but I have to say, even if it’s not achieving much, it’s very nice, and it’s 40 minutes or so of deep relaxation. I do feel something though and it’s been different somethings each time, so…whatever. It’s fun.
Finally....look at this. Give it a few seconds to load and then just sit and watch.
Jalapeño popper dip w/some sort of cracker/chip
Deviled eggs
Roast lamb with parsley, garlic, lemon, breadcrumb and anchovy gremolata sort of thing
Roast asparagus
Spring potato salad (with green onions, pickles, eggs, parsley and celery)
Homemade challah
Strawberry cupcakes w/strawberry cream cheese frosting
Deep-dish brownies
That’s the plan, man. We’ll see how it works out. We’ve had the same basic meal for the past three or four Easters and we still like it so…you know.
I was just having a conversation with someone about how you think you know a person and then they tell you something so simple and basic that you had no idea about that you feel like you’ve never known them at all. Like how they hate chocolate, or how they were raised by bears. Stuff like that. I think I am pretty transparent. It was made obvious when I found this in my inbox (that’s not a euphemism).
(That's Wolverine there, in case you DON'T know me all that well. I get Naked Wolverine emails. Oh yes I do.)
And in my continuing adventures in hypnosis, I had another hypnotherapy session. Now, I don’t know how deeply I am actually hypnotized. To me it just feels more or less like sitting with my eyes closed, being mellow and listening to my friend’s voice. But it was pleasant, and I did feel relaxed and everything kind of…sloooowsss….dowwwwwn. So that’s good. This session was centered on creativity. It was nice and I do feel good and raring to draw today, but I think I liked the visualization part of the relaxation session more. We’re going to try some other stuff, but I have to say, even if it’s not achieving much, it’s very nice, and it’s 40 minutes or so of deep relaxation. I do feel something though and it’s been different somethings each time, so…whatever. It’s fun.
Finally....look at this. Give it a few seconds to load and then just sit and watch.
Monday, April 06, 2009
Bits.
First, people I know, doing great things:
Nathan’s interview on starwars.com.
His first vinyl toy will be out soon and it’s looking pretty darn awesome.
And Jason has been doing some art that coincides with Nathan’s art cards and although I am not a die-hard Star Wars fan…I now want my own wookie.
Captain Tracy has launched her website. Keep an eye on it for geocacheing opportunities.
Nextly…um…well, work continues apace on all things. I am struggling a bit with my book but not to fear because I am friends with a hypnotherapist and she’s gonna help me unlock my brain. Cool, eh? Actually, I was hypnotized for the first time last weekend. I am not sure how deep I went because for most of it, it didn’t feel like anything at all. But there was one portion that felt so odd, I can only assume that something was going on. The hypno-therapist explained that sometimes the subject doesn’t go under very well on a first attempt because they are apprehensive about what will happen. I didn’t feel nervous, because I trust her implicitly, but I was very curious to see what would happen. And since I have never been hypnotized before, I was unsure of what to expect. But it was not unpleasant, even if I didn’t respond as well as I would have liked. It was still a quite room with peaceful music and a relaxing atmosphere, so nothing lost. The next time we try it will be to encourage creativity. Open that part of my brain that is holding back, I hope, so…well…we’ll see. If I cluck like a chicken then you’ll know it didn’t go so well.
Nathan’s interview on starwars.com.
His first vinyl toy will be out soon and it’s looking pretty darn awesome.
And Jason has been doing some art that coincides with Nathan’s art cards and although I am not a die-hard Star Wars fan…I now want my own wookie.
Captain Tracy has launched her website. Keep an eye on it for geocacheing opportunities.
Nextly…um…well, work continues apace on all things. I am struggling a bit with my book but not to fear because I am friends with a hypnotherapist and she’s gonna help me unlock my brain. Cool, eh? Actually, I was hypnotized for the first time last weekend. I am not sure how deep I went because for most of it, it didn’t feel like anything at all. But there was one portion that felt so odd, I can only assume that something was going on. The hypno-therapist explained that sometimes the subject doesn’t go under very well on a first attempt because they are apprehensive about what will happen. I didn’t feel nervous, because I trust her implicitly, but I was very curious to see what would happen. And since I have never been hypnotized before, I was unsure of what to expect. But it was not unpleasant, even if I didn’t respond as well as I would have liked. It was still a quite room with peaceful music and a relaxing atmosphere, so nothing lost. The next time we try it will be to encourage creativity. Open that part of my brain that is holding back, I hope, so…well…we’ll see. If I cluck like a chicken then you’ll know it didn’t go so well.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Shaped.
Ok, let’s be honest. Were you listening to Jimi Hendrix out of the womb? Did you start your musical appreciation with The Velvet Underground? Were your first words, “Turn that easy listening crap off. Mommy!”? Because for me, it’s No, no, and no. I didn’t start out this cool…cool being a relative term and all. I grew up listening to what my mom put on the stereo or what my best friend’s mom played on the kitchen radio.
Despite the face that almost everyone in my family (well…not my dad) is musical to some extent, we really didn’t obsess over music during my childhood. Granted, my oldest brother is enough older than I am for me not to really have been exposed to his music during my most formative periods but later he would introduce me to some good stuff. But the only thing I really remember him listening to when I was little was Olivia Newton John. Not that Grease stuff either, the Please Mr. Please stuff. And my mom was all about Jim Croce and Paul Simon.
I didn’t grow up on the Beatles or the Rolling Stones, although someone in my house had a copy of Let it Bleed because I remember being amazed by the cover…still am. I suspect my mother still wouldn’t be able to name all the members of either band. My dad listens to Wagnerian opera, John Philip Sousa, Beethoven and Japanese drummers. I did hear a lot of marching band music…a lot. But that was pretty much it. So when Facebook added this “Five Albums that shaped you” thing…well…you want to see what really shaped me? Because now I listen to music, all kinds of music but then…
Yeah, that’s right, you see what I am talking about…you recognize some of those, don’t you? And if you are that much cooler than me, well let me illuminate you as to what the hip kids of the early 70’s were listening to. From left to right you have: The Muppet Movie Soundtrack, The Monkees, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band MOVIE SOUNDTRACK (i.e. NOT THE BEATLES), Andy Gibb’s Shadow Dancing, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Theme and Variations, The Purple Puzzle Tree, Supertramp-Breakfast in America, McCartney II, K-Tel’s Songbird collection, Donny Osmond’s Singles and Shaun Cassidy.
You heard me. That’s what I listened to. And I am only slightly ashamed. Not really ashamed, just…well…honest. I was shaped by easy listening, kids Christian education albums, and bad movie soundtracks (The Muppet Movie was not bad, Sgt. Pepper was…not good…oh, and I forgot the soundtrack to the Raggedy Ann and Andy movie!) not the White Album. Don’t get me wrong, I love the White Album but I am guessing I never heard the whole thing until I was…in college maybe?
I remember listening to the radio. I remember Terry Gibbs, Eddie Rabbitt, and Crystal Gayle. I can probably sing you all the words of the “Piña Colada Song” or any number of Barry Manilow tunes. I listened to Super Chicken on the radio and I listened to the Kingston Trio at Christmas time. I LIKED ABBA IN AN UNIRONIC WAY. I STILL DO!
As a pre-teen and teenager, I was exposed to a lot more music. I played in the jazz band, the marching band and the concert band. I danced to disco, classical and showtunes. I watched the Muppet Show and learned about Alice Cooper (whom I later met). My friends and I bought Queen albums and I won an 8-track player in a contest and got Billy Joel, Fleetwood Mac and the REAL Sgt. Pepper for Christmas that year…on 8-track, yes.
I get the idea behind that little Facebook app and I tried to turn it into “5 albums that mean a lot to me” or “5 albums that I could listen to right now” but it didn’t feel right. It felt…dishonest. It felt like a betrayal of all that was good and pure and Osmond in the world.
And as for those albums in the picture, I own three of them on cd. But there are a few more I will get eventually…I’ll leave it to your imagination as to which ones.
For the record, the K-tel Songbird album playlist is as follows:
Every Woman in the World-Air Supply
How ‘Bout Us?-Champaign
Crazy Love-Poco
Games-Phoebe Snow
Together-(I think it’s by a band called Tierra but I can’t read the printing)
Biggest Part of Me-Ambrosia
Crying-Don McClain
SIDE 2 (THERE WERE TWO SIDES!)
More Than I Can Say-Leo Sayer (I still love this song)
Looking For Love-Johnny Lee
The Winner Takes it All-ABBA
Fool In Love with You-Jim Photoglo (Can that be right? Photoglo?)
Killing Time-Susan Anton and Fred Knoblock
Her Town Too-James Taylor and JD Souther
Somebody’s Knockin’-Terri Gibbs
Despite the face that almost everyone in my family (well…not my dad) is musical to some extent, we really didn’t obsess over music during my childhood. Granted, my oldest brother is enough older than I am for me not to really have been exposed to his music during my most formative periods but later he would introduce me to some good stuff. But the only thing I really remember him listening to when I was little was Olivia Newton John. Not that Grease stuff either, the Please Mr. Please stuff. And my mom was all about Jim Croce and Paul Simon.
I didn’t grow up on the Beatles or the Rolling Stones, although someone in my house had a copy of Let it Bleed because I remember being amazed by the cover…still am. I suspect my mother still wouldn’t be able to name all the members of either band. My dad listens to Wagnerian opera, John Philip Sousa, Beethoven and Japanese drummers. I did hear a lot of marching band music…a lot. But that was pretty much it. So when Facebook added this “Five Albums that shaped you” thing…well…you want to see what really shaped me? Because now I listen to music, all kinds of music but then…
Yeah, that’s right, you see what I am talking about…you recognize some of those, don’t you? And if you are that much cooler than me, well let me illuminate you as to what the hip kids of the early 70’s were listening to. From left to right you have: The Muppet Movie Soundtrack, The Monkees, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band MOVIE SOUNDTRACK (i.e. NOT THE BEATLES), Andy Gibb’s Shadow Dancing, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Theme and Variations, The Purple Puzzle Tree, Supertramp-Breakfast in America, McCartney II, K-Tel’s Songbird collection, Donny Osmond’s Singles and Shaun Cassidy.
You heard me. That’s what I listened to. And I am only slightly ashamed. Not really ashamed, just…well…honest. I was shaped by easy listening, kids Christian education albums, and bad movie soundtracks (The Muppet Movie was not bad, Sgt. Pepper was…not good…oh, and I forgot the soundtrack to the Raggedy Ann and Andy movie!) not the White Album. Don’t get me wrong, I love the White Album but I am guessing I never heard the whole thing until I was…in college maybe?
I remember listening to the radio. I remember Terry Gibbs, Eddie Rabbitt, and Crystal Gayle. I can probably sing you all the words of the “Piña Colada Song” or any number of Barry Manilow tunes. I listened to Super Chicken on the radio and I listened to the Kingston Trio at Christmas time. I LIKED ABBA IN AN UNIRONIC WAY. I STILL DO!
As a pre-teen and teenager, I was exposed to a lot more music. I played in the jazz band, the marching band and the concert band. I danced to disco, classical and showtunes. I watched the Muppet Show and learned about Alice Cooper (whom I later met). My friends and I bought Queen albums and I won an 8-track player in a contest and got Billy Joel, Fleetwood Mac and the REAL Sgt. Pepper for Christmas that year…on 8-track, yes.
I get the idea behind that little Facebook app and I tried to turn it into “5 albums that mean a lot to me” or “5 albums that I could listen to right now” but it didn’t feel right. It felt…dishonest. It felt like a betrayal of all that was good and pure and Osmond in the world.
And as for those albums in the picture, I own three of them on cd. But there are a few more I will get eventually…I’ll leave it to your imagination as to which ones.
For the record, the K-tel Songbird album playlist is as follows:
Every Woman in the World-Air Supply
How ‘Bout Us?-Champaign
Crazy Love-Poco
Games-Phoebe Snow
Together-(I think it’s by a band called Tierra but I can’t read the printing)
Biggest Part of Me-Ambrosia
Crying-Don McClain
SIDE 2 (THERE WERE TWO SIDES!)
More Than I Can Say-Leo Sayer (I still love this song)
Looking For Love-Johnny Lee
The Winner Takes it All-ABBA
Fool In Love with You-Jim Photoglo (Can that be right? Photoglo?)
Killing Time-Susan Anton and Fred Knoblock
Her Town Too-James Taylor and JD Souther
Somebody’s Knockin’-Terri Gibbs
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Semi.
I know everyone who cooks loves to complain about Sandra Lee and her Semi-Homemade show. I watch it. I am fairly frequently horrified by the ideas she has. But I fully support the concept. 70 percent storebought , 30 percent home made isn’t perfect, no. But it’s certainly better than 100% drivethrough. And it’s a good way to start if you really aren’t much of a cook. So, no, I don’t take issue with it, but I do hope that it’s a learning tool. I mean I use canned beans all the time. Have I used dried beans? Yes, I have. And I like dried beans but it’s pretty amazing that I remember pants most days so let’s not push it, ok. I don’t want to be out a dinner just because I forgot to put the beans to soak. Have I made my own bread? Yep, many, many times. And I love it. But do I still buy sliced sandwich bread? Oh hells yes.
I enjoy a baking challenge. Just yesterday I was reading a recipe for croissants and I thought…hey…I should…no. No! NO! But you know I will someday. I like to try stuff and I like to bake and I wish all my food was perfect and home made and organic and vegan…but it’s not. I can’t pretend that there aren’t Wendy’s nights. And even, once a year, a…dare I say it? McDonalds night (literally ONCE…A…YEAR because it takes me 364 days to forget how much I didn’t like any of it except for the hot mustard. I love the hot mustard.). So I can’t really complain about Semi-Homemade all that much.
Except for one thing. And it’s not the Kwaanza cake because that just defies…everything.
(And just so you know, I am not the only person obsessed with the Kwanzaa cake.)
I was watching the other day and she made a cocktail called the “Risky Whiskey.” She started by saying “Put three cups of Whiskey in a pitcher…”” and I said “DONE!”.
Sandra Lee, I just beat you at your own game. 100% store bought. 100% delicious. Wanna come over for a cocktail?
(Obviously she added other things to the pitcher (maple syrup? really? ew.) but really…why mess with perfection?)
I enjoy a baking challenge. Just yesterday I was reading a recipe for croissants and I thought…hey…I should…no. No! NO! But you know I will someday. I like to try stuff and I like to bake and I wish all my food was perfect and home made and organic and vegan…but it’s not. I can’t pretend that there aren’t Wendy’s nights. And even, once a year, a…dare I say it? McDonalds night (literally ONCE…A…YEAR because it takes me 364 days to forget how much I didn’t like any of it except for the hot mustard. I love the hot mustard.). So I can’t really complain about Semi-Homemade all that much.
Except for one thing. And it’s not the Kwaanza cake because that just defies…everything.
(And just so you know, I am not the only person obsessed with the Kwanzaa cake.)
I was watching the other day and she made a cocktail called the “Risky Whiskey.” She started by saying “Put three cups of Whiskey in a pitcher…”” and I said “DONE!”.
Sandra Lee, I just beat you at your own game. 100% store bought. 100% delicious. Wanna come over for a cocktail?
(Obviously she added other things to the pitcher (maple syrup? really? ew.) but really…why mess with perfection?)
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Hi.
This is how I know I’ve been really tired, mostly due to allergies, I think…this morning, when the alarm went off, I decided it was far too early and reset it (didn’t just hit the snooze, actually reset it) for one half hour later. I was pretty angry about a minute later when it went off again and I thought I must have set it wrong. But no, it was actually a half hour later. It only felt like a minute. I never sleep THAT deep or THAT soundly in the morning. Mostly due to the endless construction on the building across the street. Or possibly the endless landscaping of California. Or maybe the dude at the window repainting the trim…yeah, that’s always a fun one. I had my breakfast with that dude the other day as he was painting the kitchen window trim. It was rather shocking to walk into the kitchen for my coffee and encounter a mustachioed man in the window. He seemed nice enough but there wasn’t enough coffee for him too.
My point? Tired. Allergy ridden and tired. Ah spring!
So, in lieu of actually doing anything here, I’d like to show you a few links.
Pride and Prejudice conducted on Facebook made me laugh out loud.
I find Ecofont amazing. No one else seems as thrilled as I do. But people, with this font, you use 20% less ink and it’s very nicely designed, totally readable and you can’t see the holes at normal point sizes. If you have to print things out a lot for say, proofreading purposes, don’t just tell me you print in draft mode, try this. It’s all kinds of awesome. Seriously.
Also, love this palette generator. It’s a nice way to change the way you look at things and it generates a usable palette, so if you particularly like the look of a picture of piece of art, you can adopt the colors to play with at will.
And in a similar vein, this lovely blog captures personalities and feelings in a CMYK palette. Very nice. I am feeling kind of like this at the moment…
(The green represents my allergies. ewwwwww.)
These happy clouds are changing my outlook though. Although, I think if I actually saw one in the sky, not knowing what it was…dude, I’d freak.
Boxed water is better for the earth. So simple. So practical. Interesting.
Finally, I find this endlessly entertaining. Through it , I created a great poem, but then I forgot to save it, so you’ll have to take my word that it was creative genius. GENIUS!
I'll be back. I have other posts a-brewin', I've just been feeling a little 75/50/73/23 lately.
My point? Tired. Allergy ridden and tired. Ah spring!
So, in lieu of actually doing anything here, I’d like to show you a few links.
Pride and Prejudice conducted on Facebook made me laugh out loud.
I find Ecofont amazing. No one else seems as thrilled as I do. But people, with this font, you use 20% less ink and it’s very nicely designed, totally readable and you can’t see the holes at normal point sizes. If you have to print things out a lot for say, proofreading purposes, don’t just tell me you print in draft mode, try this. It’s all kinds of awesome. Seriously.
Also, love this palette generator. It’s a nice way to change the way you look at things and it generates a usable palette, so if you particularly like the look of a picture of piece of art, you can adopt the colors to play with at will.
And in a similar vein, this lovely blog captures personalities and feelings in a CMYK palette. Very nice. I am feeling kind of like this at the moment…
These happy clouds are changing my outlook though. Although, I think if I actually saw one in the sky, not knowing what it was…dude, I’d freak.
Boxed water is better for the earth. So simple. So practical. Interesting.
Finally, I find this endlessly entertaining. Through it , I created a great poem, but then I forgot to save it, so you’ll have to take my word that it was creative genius. GENIUS!
I'll be back. I have other posts a-brewin', I've just been feeling a little 75/50/73/23 lately.
Wednesday, March 04, 2009
Crispy.
I think I said previously that I have gotten in the habit of roasting things. Did I say that previously? Because I should have. I like to roast things. Or, maybe more accurately, I like to cook as much of my dinner as I can in the oven, so I can do other things while that is happening. Like go to the bathroom.
Seriously. I come home from work, throw things in the oven and then go to the bathroom, change into sweats, find my clothes for the next day, find some pajamas, give the cat her meds, wash my hands and then finish dinner. So, anything that can happen in between throwing something in the oven and washing my hands is good. Very good. Anything that makes dinner easier and faster…very, very good.
So a lot of things get thrown in the oven these days. Most veggies get roasted. I love asparagus, but roasted asparagus? Perfection. Don’t like Brussels sprouts. Roasted? They are awesome. Roasted cauliflower stinks while it’s roasting but tasted great, especially the browned bits and roasted broccoli works great, even with frozen broccoli. So the newest veggie to get chucked in the oven was kale.
Kale is bit of a tricky one. I like it, most of the time. But it’s got a strong flavor and if I am not in the mood…eh. Boiling it just never seems to do the trick, steaming it doesn’t seem to cook it enough and sautéing it used to be the best option. That is, until last night when I roasted it. The husband declared it a keeper and we ate a whole pan of it as a topping to baked potatoes.
Here’s what I did:
Preheated oven to 450°
Washed and spun one smallish bunch of kale dry…actually, I do this backward. I usually cut the kale (lettuce, greens, cabbage, whatever) first, then put them in a salad spinner and wash and dry them. Is that bad? I wash the cutting board and knife before using them again, in case the greens were contaminated, but it just makes more sense to me…anyway…kale is cut into about 1” strips and washed and dried.
Then I put it on a baking sheet and drizzled it with olive oil and tossed it around a bit to coat. You want a fairly healthy covering here, so if you are concerned with fat, this probably isn’t much better than frying or sautéing. But it’s olive oil, so your skin will be smooth and your coat will be nice and glossy.
Chuck the whole mess in the oven for about 10 to 14 minutes. Check it at ten and see what you think. It should still be very green but the edges may start to get brown. That’s about where you want it. Too much brown is bad. Black is also probably not good.
Take it out of the oven and turn the oven off…because I always forget that part.
Drizzle with a little tiny bit more oil, just a little bit and sprinkle liberally with sea salt or kosher salt. I don’t want to be all fancy here, but they do work better as finishing salts because they have a “softer” taste and we’re all about the soft taste over here.
We put the kale on top of baked potatoes and it was good. Like really good. It’s crispy, and almost like a really thin potato chip, only made from kale. And I could eat these leafy greens like chips, just put ‘em on a plate and munch away, they were that good.
I was going to draw you a picture of my potato with kale topping but…that sounded like work, so I didn’t. Here’s a worried tiger instead…
Seriously. I come home from work, throw things in the oven and then go to the bathroom, change into sweats, find my clothes for the next day, find some pajamas, give the cat her meds, wash my hands and then finish dinner. So, anything that can happen in between throwing something in the oven and washing my hands is good. Very good. Anything that makes dinner easier and faster…very, very good.
So a lot of things get thrown in the oven these days. Most veggies get roasted. I love asparagus, but roasted asparagus? Perfection. Don’t like Brussels sprouts. Roasted? They are awesome. Roasted cauliflower stinks while it’s roasting but tasted great, especially the browned bits and roasted broccoli works great, even with frozen broccoli. So the newest veggie to get chucked in the oven was kale.
Kale is bit of a tricky one. I like it, most of the time. But it’s got a strong flavor and if I am not in the mood…eh. Boiling it just never seems to do the trick, steaming it doesn’t seem to cook it enough and sautéing it used to be the best option. That is, until last night when I roasted it. The husband declared it a keeper and we ate a whole pan of it as a topping to baked potatoes.
Here’s what I did:
Preheated oven to 450°
Washed and spun one smallish bunch of kale dry…actually, I do this backward. I usually cut the kale (lettuce, greens, cabbage, whatever) first, then put them in a salad spinner and wash and dry them. Is that bad? I wash the cutting board and knife before using them again, in case the greens were contaminated, but it just makes more sense to me…anyway…kale is cut into about 1” strips and washed and dried.
Then I put it on a baking sheet and drizzled it with olive oil and tossed it around a bit to coat. You want a fairly healthy covering here, so if you are concerned with fat, this probably isn’t much better than frying or sautéing. But it’s olive oil, so your skin will be smooth and your coat will be nice and glossy.
Chuck the whole mess in the oven for about 10 to 14 minutes. Check it at ten and see what you think. It should still be very green but the edges may start to get brown. That’s about where you want it. Too much brown is bad. Black is also probably not good.
Take it out of the oven and turn the oven off…because I always forget that part.
Drizzle with a little tiny bit more oil, just a little bit and sprinkle liberally with sea salt or kosher salt. I don’t want to be all fancy here, but they do work better as finishing salts because they have a “softer” taste and we’re all about the soft taste over here.
We put the kale on top of baked potatoes and it was good. Like really good. It’s crispy, and almost like a really thin potato chip, only made from kale. And I could eat these leafy greens like chips, just put ‘em on a plate and munch away, they were that good.
I was going to draw you a picture of my potato with kale topping but…that sounded like work, so I didn’t. Here’s a worried tiger instead…
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Baked.
Last night I decided that I wanted an egg with my dinner. It was a breakfast for dinner night and I thought an egg would be lovely with the Kashi waffle and veggie bacon. And I was right. The thing I is, I don’t generally care about eggs and I eat them so rarely that I am not very good at making them. I can scramble. Oh yes, how I can scramble (I use water instead of milk or cream…something about the proteins? Or the steam? I don’t remember, but it was in a book.) I can boil, soft or hard. I don’t think I’ve ever poached and egg but I am betting I could. It’s the frying that’s the problem. It should be easy enough but I can’t get the timing right and I either break the yolk or I cook it too long or, worst of all, I don’t like to cook eggs in butter so I use olive oil and they get really, really brown and look gross (but they taste fine, I swear). So last night, I figured it was about time to try something new. Baked it was. And it worked perfectly. One good egg was a perfect serving with the other stuff. It was easy. I DIDN’T HAVE TO PAY ATTENTION TO IT! That’s the biggest thing for me. I get home from work kind of late and I like to be able to put the dinner in the oven and let it go while I change clothes, give the cat her meds, check the mail, go to the bathroom, gather up clothes for the next day, prepare my breakfast and sometimes lunch for the next day and put away some dishes.
…
You know what I’d like even more? Someone else to do all that stuff…
Anyway, it worked well, it tasted good and it’s a keeper. Baked eggs are nothing new but if you are not a fan of standing over a frying pan it’s a nice way to go.
Here’s what I did:
-Buttered small ramekins (Next time I will use olive oil. Turns out, I don’t really like butter all that much. But, I had some in a small dish from a dinner I had served to friends the night before so it was convenient. Live and learn. Olive oil or Earth Balance next time.)
-Cracked one egg into each ramekin.
-Topped with salt, pepper and parsley.
-Added a few drops of soy creamer on top. A very few drops. Just enough to dampen the yolk really. I had read that the eggs could dry out without the addition of cream or milk and I had no cream or milk because I don’t really like cream or milk (or eggs…except last night, or butter…) so soy creamer it was. I was worried that there might be a protein issue here like when you add soymilk to hot coffee....it kind of curdles a bit…but no. No problems. Then, because most of the recipes I read called for it, I added a bit of cheese. Parmesan on one, cheddar on the other.
-Tossed the whole thing in a 350° oven for about 14-18 minutes. I let them cook a little long because I was unsure about how well done they would be. 18 minutes was fine. 14 would have been fine too, for a runny yolk.
-What I’ll do differently next time:
Olive oil instead of butter, no creamer on top, no cheese on top, possibly a wee bit of toast on bottom, and some frozen spinach, and if I have it, a slice of tomato. And maybe some other herbs, like thyme, or some green onion. And despite the fact that I claim not to like eggs (unlike Snarkydork, who REALLY does NOT like eggs), I think I might use two eggs in a slightly larger ramekin…with previously mentioned toast (or bread), spinach and tomato.
Congratulations to me for doing something else that the rest of the world has done for ages. Yeah, I’m not breaking new ground here. But it was really good.
Oh, also, if you are looking for more things to read, I've been posting a bit over here...
…
You know what I’d like even more? Someone else to do all that stuff…
Anyway, it worked well, it tasted good and it’s a keeper. Baked eggs are nothing new but if you are not a fan of standing over a frying pan it’s a nice way to go.
Here’s what I did:
-Buttered small ramekins (Next time I will use olive oil. Turns out, I don’t really like butter all that much. But, I had some in a small dish from a dinner I had served to friends the night before so it was convenient. Live and learn. Olive oil or Earth Balance next time.)
-Cracked one egg into each ramekin.
-Topped with salt, pepper and parsley.
-Added a few drops of soy creamer on top. A very few drops. Just enough to dampen the yolk really. I had read that the eggs could dry out without the addition of cream or milk and I had no cream or milk because I don’t really like cream or milk (or eggs…except last night, or butter…) so soy creamer it was. I was worried that there might be a protein issue here like when you add soymilk to hot coffee....it kind of curdles a bit…but no. No problems. Then, because most of the recipes I read called for it, I added a bit of cheese. Parmesan on one, cheddar on the other.
-Tossed the whole thing in a 350° oven for about 14-18 minutes. I let them cook a little long because I was unsure about how well done they would be. 18 minutes was fine. 14 would have been fine too, for a runny yolk.
-What I’ll do differently next time:
Olive oil instead of butter, no creamer on top, no cheese on top, possibly a wee bit of toast on bottom, and some frozen spinach, and if I have it, a slice of tomato. And maybe some other herbs, like thyme, or some green onion. And despite the fact that I claim not to like eggs (unlike Snarkydork, who REALLY does NOT like eggs), I think I might use two eggs in a slightly larger ramekin…with previously mentioned toast (or bread), spinach and tomato.
Congratulations to me for doing something else that the rest of the world has done for ages. Yeah, I’m not breaking new ground here. But it was really good.
Oh, also, if you are looking for more things to read, I've been posting a bit over here...
Friday, February 20, 2009
Justice.
Where have I been, you ask? I have been doing my civic obligation, my friends. And I hope to never have to do it again. Thirteen days of jury duty didn’t convince me that our legal system is the…well…look, it’s better than some, but it’s far from perfect. And while I can legally tell you all about the trial now, I don’t know that you care. Let’s say words like whistleblower, probation, psychiatrist, forensic accountant and pain in the lower back and leave it at that for now. It wasn’t fun. It wasn’t the kind of learning experience I like having and when your 20 minute commute is the highlight of the day, something bad is happening.
For the record, my usual commute is no less than 40 minutes. Today was an hour. Twenty minutes was pretty nice as far as that part goes.
So, that’s pretty much been it lately. I’ve been doing some art for a friend’s website, but not much else art wise…soon though…soon my pretty…
And other than that:
What I’ve been reading: Scott Pilgrim vs. the Universe, which was, as Scott Pilgrim comics are wont to be, entertaining. But it confused the hell out of me. Characters start to look alike and hey, I thought this was the last one! (Apparently, it's not.)
The Reckoning The Murder of Christopher Marlowe.- I am not so much a Marlovian (look it up, it’s for real) but, as a friend once told me, I clearly have a crush on Kit Marlowe. I’ve only just started this book as part of my “read more non-fiction” initiative and it’s interesting.
Pigeon Pie-Ah, Nancy Mitford. It’s dated (WW2) and snobby and funny as hell. Rarely do I actually find myself laughing aloud at a book, but this one got me several times. It made cheerful reading in the hallway of the courthouse while other jurors were, oh, you know, BEING INCREDIBLY LATE.
Midnight’s Children- Salman Rushdie-Yeah…still reading this…slowly. I don’t know, I get it, I get why he’s famous, I just don’t know if I like it. He’s awfully in love with his words.
What’s next: Well, I just got two books in the mail that are non-fictions about 18th century women. One I bought because it was also written by Nancy Mitford so I am looking forward to that. There’s also a book called Lonely Werewolf Girl hanging out in my living room and I am thinking that’s next for fiction.
Oh goodness…look at the time…you don’t need to know what I’ve been watching (Sheep themed horror movies), cooking (root beer cupcakes) or drawing (cute little girls), do you? No, I didn’t think so.
I’ll get back on some sort of schedule eventually.
Maybe.
In the meanwhile, if you really miss me, I did do a post over here...
For the record, my usual commute is no less than 40 minutes. Today was an hour. Twenty minutes was pretty nice as far as that part goes.
So, that’s pretty much been it lately. I’ve been doing some art for a friend’s website, but not much else art wise…soon though…soon my pretty…
And other than that:
What I’ve been reading: Scott Pilgrim vs. the Universe, which was, as Scott Pilgrim comics are wont to be, entertaining. But it confused the hell out of me. Characters start to look alike and hey, I thought this was the last one! (Apparently, it's not.)
The Reckoning The Murder of Christopher Marlowe.- I am not so much a Marlovian (look it up, it’s for real) but, as a friend once told me, I clearly have a crush on Kit Marlowe. I’ve only just started this book as part of my “read more non-fiction” initiative and it’s interesting.
Pigeon Pie-Ah, Nancy Mitford. It’s dated (WW2) and snobby and funny as hell. Rarely do I actually find myself laughing aloud at a book, but this one got me several times. It made cheerful reading in the hallway of the courthouse while other jurors were, oh, you know, BEING INCREDIBLY LATE.
Midnight’s Children- Salman Rushdie-Yeah…still reading this…slowly. I don’t know, I get it, I get why he’s famous, I just don’t know if I like it. He’s awfully in love with his words.
What’s next: Well, I just got two books in the mail that are non-fictions about 18th century women. One I bought because it was also written by Nancy Mitford so I am looking forward to that. There’s also a book called Lonely Werewolf Girl hanging out in my living room and I am thinking that’s next for fiction.
Oh goodness…look at the time…you don’t need to know what I’ve been watching (Sheep themed horror movies), cooking (root beer cupcakes) or drawing (cute little girls), do you? No, I didn’t think so.
I’ll get back on some sort of schedule eventually.
Maybe.
In the meanwhile, if you really miss me, I did do a post over here...
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Dammit.
Can you believe this shit? I am STILL commuting to the Hall of Justice and I have at least one more day to go. But I have said that before...
Here's the really good part. They are closed tomorrow. I have to go to the office. And then back to the duty on Friday.
I am a good citizen. But I am not happy about being a good citizen.
Here's the really good part. They are closed tomorrow. I have to go to the office. And then back to the duty on Friday.
I am a good citizen. But I am not happy about being a good citizen.
Tuesday, February 03, 2009
Fluke.
Ah well, sometimes love isn't pretty. You can find this card in the store. There's no real explanation here except a fluke and a flounder are essentially the same fish except for the location of the eyes. And how you tell the left from the right is beyond me. Basically, it's a valentine joke for my dad. But if your valentine loves fishing, perhaps it will work for them too. Or...you know...if you really just want to confuse someone...go for it.
Ok, NOW I am out for a few days. I just wanted to show you some valentines before I had to go back to the HALL OF JUSTICE...yeah, i only wish Batman was there. Even Aquaman would do.
Quick.
Coming in under the wire. Posting a link to download this Neko Case song because:
A) Neko Case is freakin' awesome. So there.
B) $5 will be donated to the Best Friends Animal Society, which is also awesome.
C) I love animals, I love Neko. Can't go wrong here.
I am sorry I didn't get it up in time for you to follow suit...unless you follow quickly.
A) Neko Case is freakin' awesome. So there.
B) $5 will be donated to the Best Friends Animal Society, which is also awesome.
C) I love animals, I love Neko. Can't go wrong here.
I am sorry I didn't get it up in time for you to follow suit...unless you follow quickly.
Friday, January 16, 2009
Playlist.
Because I don’t have kids of my own, it’s important that I indoctrinate a love of the good things in my nieces and nephews. My two oldest are steps and they were too old to really change by the time I got there. In fact, last time I saw them they were making fun of me for having a Spider-Man antenna topper and a Hellboy dashboard saint on my car. Apparently, that’s not cool. But, despite my lack of input, those two are pretty cool on their own and read a lot of the same comics and listen to the same music as I do, so we can count them as successes, even if I had nothing to do with it.
The others…well, I still have some work to do there. My 16 year old niece is doing ok on her own. She’s a bit of a punk/goth/slacker and I am all right with that. She likes horror movies and Harry Potter and…Led Zeppelin…ok, that needs some work but you know, she’s 16 (sorry Janet, I just don’t love the Zep). She’s also from my husband’s side of the family so that explains a lot of deficiencies.
Now, a while back when the (now) 16 year old nephew was starting to read a lot for pleasure, I tried to pick out the books I had loved at his age. I gave him The Phantom Tollbooth, Trumpet of the Swan, stuff that I really liked at 9 or so. And he got it. I don’t know if he liked all the books, but he got the concept and I think he appreciated it. A few years later, we were talking about music and he was just starting to find his personal musical…feet. So I decided I would make him a cd of song that I liked and THOUGHT he would enjoy. Now, look, I do want to say that I very desperately want to be the “cool auntie”. I want him, and all the kids to say, “Oh wow, you like the Sex Pistols? That’s awesome!” but I don’t want to be the auntie that tries to hard to look cool and just looks foolish. I don’t want to be auntie mutton trying to dress as auntie lamb, as it were. So, right, I made him a cd, I tried to mix it up a bit, older newer, rock-ish, emo-ish, punk-ish. And he was…well…unimpressed. I don’t think he HATED it and hated me, I just didn’t hit the right buttons on that one. Here’s the playlist:
Crooked Teeth --Death Cab For Cutie
Hands Open--Snow Patrol
All Sparks--Editors
Gone Daddy Gone --Gnarls Barkley
Dance Like A Monkey--New York Dolls
Baby Goes to 11—Superdrag
Girlfriend--Matthew Sweet
World Shut Your Mouth--Julian Cope & The Teardrop Explodes
Spirit In The Sky--Norman Greenbaum
Mass Romantic--The New Pornographers
La Mer--Django Reinhardt
Slow Train--Lemon Jelly
Way To Blue--Nick Drake
Ballet Lane—Underworld
The Rainbow--Apples In Stereo
Eaten By The Monster Of Love—Sparks
Like Wow Wipeout--Hoodoo Gurus
(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding—
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
That Old Pair Of Jeans --Fatboy Slim
I Am Not Your Gameboy—Freezepop
You see where I was going though, right? Happy, appropriate, fun stuff that he may not hear otherwise.
So, this Christmas, the ten-year-old got an mp3 player. I gave him an iTunes gift card and made him a mix cd, again, trying to stay happy, fun and appropriate. I have yet to hear what he thinks but I know his dad liked a lot of it.
"Itchy And Scratchy" Main Title Theme--The Simpsons
Shining Star--Earth Wind & Fire
Land Of 1000 Dances--Wilson Pickett
Mr. Big Stuff --Jean Knight
Iko Iko --Cyndi Lauper
Mr. Blue Sky--Electric Light Orchestra
Here Comes My Baby--Cat Stevens
Beyond The Sea--Robbie
Big Yellow Taxi--Joni Mitchell
God Only Knows--Petra Haden
Minor Swing--Django Reinhardt
Stand--R.E.M.
All Star--Smash Mouth
And We Danced—Hooters
Antmusic--Adam & The Ants
I Wanna Rock--Twisted Sister
Go--Apples In Stereo
Rock Me Amadeus--Falco
Like Wow Wipeout--Hoodoo Gurus
Rock Lobster--The B-52's
It’s Tricky--Run DMC
One Step Beyond—Madness
The Simpsons Main Title Theme
Yeah, there’s a little cross-over there. But you gotta try to get your favorites in, right?
So, let me ask you, what were your favorites at 10 and 14? Would you have liked getting a cd mix (or cassette mix…or gramophone mix) from your auntie? What would she have put on it? I’m thinking mine would have had some Barry Manilow and Anne Murray, but I could be wrong.
The others…well, I still have some work to do there. My 16 year old niece is doing ok on her own. She’s a bit of a punk/goth/slacker and I am all right with that. She likes horror movies and Harry Potter and…Led Zeppelin…ok, that needs some work but you know, she’s 16 (sorry Janet, I just don’t love the Zep). She’s also from my husband’s side of the family so that explains a lot of deficiencies.
Now, a while back when the (now) 16 year old nephew was starting to read a lot for pleasure, I tried to pick out the books I had loved at his age. I gave him The Phantom Tollbooth, Trumpet of the Swan, stuff that I really liked at 9 or so. And he got it. I don’t know if he liked all the books, but he got the concept and I think he appreciated it. A few years later, we were talking about music and he was just starting to find his personal musical…feet. So I decided I would make him a cd of song that I liked and THOUGHT he would enjoy. Now, look, I do want to say that I very desperately want to be the “cool auntie”. I want him, and all the kids to say, “Oh wow, you like the Sex Pistols? That’s awesome!” but I don’t want to be the auntie that tries to hard to look cool and just looks foolish. I don’t want to be auntie mutton trying to dress as auntie lamb, as it were. So, right, I made him a cd, I tried to mix it up a bit, older newer, rock-ish, emo-ish, punk-ish. And he was…well…unimpressed. I don’t think he HATED it and hated me, I just didn’t hit the right buttons on that one. Here’s the playlist:
Crooked Teeth --Death Cab For Cutie
Hands Open--Snow Patrol
All Sparks--Editors
Gone Daddy Gone --Gnarls Barkley
Dance Like A Monkey--New York Dolls
Baby Goes to 11—Superdrag
Girlfriend--Matthew Sweet
World Shut Your Mouth--Julian Cope & The Teardrop Explodes
Spirit In The Sky--Norman Greenbaum
Mass Romantic--The New Pornographers
La Mer--Django Reinhardt
Slow Train--Lemon Jelly
Way To Blue--Nick Drake
Ballet Lane—Underworld
The Rainbow--Apples In Stereo
Eaten By The Monster Of Love—Sparks
Like Wow Wipeout--Hoodoo Gurus
(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding—
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
That Old Pair Of Jeans --Fatboy Slim
I Am Not Your Gameboy—Freezepop
You see where I was going though, right? Happy, appropriate, fun stuff that he may not hear otherwise.
So, this Christmas, the ten-year-old got an mp3 player. I gave him an iTunes gift card and made him a mix cd, again, trying to stay happy, fun and appropriate. I have yet to hear what he thinks but I know his dad liked a lot of it.
"Itchy And Scratchy" Main Title Theme--The Simpsons
Shining Star--Earth Wind & Fire
Land Of 1000 Dances--Wilson Pickett
Mr. Big Stuff --Jean Knight
Iko Iko --Cyndi Lauper
Mr. Blue Sky--Electric Light Orchestra
Here Comes My Baby--Cat Stevens
Beyond The Sea--Robbie
Big Yellow Taxi--Joni Mitchell
God Only Knows--Petra Haden
Minor Swing--Django Reinhardt
Stand--R.E.M.
All Star--Smash Mouth
And We Danced—Hooters
Antmusic--Adam & The Ants
I Wanna Rock--Twisted Sister
Go--Apples In Stereo
Rock Me Amadeus--Falco
Like Wow Wipeout--Hoodoo Gurus
Rock Lobster--The B-52's
It’s Tricky--Run DMC
One Step Beyond—Madness
The Simpsons Main Title Theme
Yeah, there’s a little cross-over there. But you gotta try to get your favorites in, right?
So, let me ask you, what were your favorites at 10 and 14? Would you have liked getting a cd mix (or cassette mix…or gramophone mix) from your auntie? What would she have put on it? I’m thinking mine would have had some Barry Manilow and Anne Murray, but I could be wrong.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Movie.
The only movie I saw over the holidays…actually, the only movie I have seen in forever was Frost/Nixon. I was persuaded to see it by my BFF although I did slip in one “OH hey, we could go see Twilight!” just to to make the effort, but no, it was Frost/Nixon or nothing so…ok. Hey look, I have a deep fondness for Michael Sheen. He’s cute. He’s a good actor. That’s pretty much enough. But I also really like Frank Langella. I think he is kind of a forgotten actor. When I mention him people always say “Frank Who?” but then you mention a few movies he’s been in and “Oh yeeeeeeah, him.”
He is, in fact, my first Dracula (I am totally going to market that as a new toy. MY FIRST DRACULA by Fisher Price!). Before him I was only aware of the Bela Lugosi verision which is a good one, I don’t mean to dismiss him since he is THE movie Dracula (who is nothing like *shudder* Nosferatu), but the 1970 something version was my favorite for many years…may still be. And Langella gets the sexy vamp, unlike the wonderful Gary Oldman who…let’s just assume it was someone else’s idea, ok? Annnnnyway…yes, frank Langella. AMAZING. Brilliant as Nixon. And this movie is basically two guys talking. A talking head movie, as it were. So I found myself concentrating on his face a lot. I couldn’t decide if he was wearing prosthetics or not, I couldn’t quite picture the details of his face to know. Turns out, he was. I know there were jowl prosthetics and I think there was a bit of a nose involved as well. I am not totally convinced that there weren’t earlobe add-ons too…they struck me as not quite right for his face. I’ve been pouring over pictures of him trying to tell.
Because this was basically an endless series of close-ups, I finally understood why all the actors these days are worrying about high definition tv. It struck home when I noticed that both Kevin Bacon and Michael Sheen have pierced ears. Not a big deal except I doubt that the people they were playing had pierced ears. For me, this isn’t a big deal but it does open a small can of worms for actors. If I noticed holes in ears in a movie, what am I going to notice on a high def televison. I hear the prOn actors are the most worried. Can’t really blame them.
So, not really a review but I did rather enjoy Frost/Nixon, much to my surprise. I went in expecting nothing and came out thinking, “Hmmm, better than I imagined.” The two phrases that do chase around my mind though are “ham-fisted” and “heavy-handed" which, yes, do pretty much mean the same thing. Some of the direction and writing took away from my pleasure in the acting. But I also go in with a bias of not loving Ron Howards’ direction, so you know, if you dig his other stuff, you won’t be bothered. Hmmm…I just went back to look at his directorial credits and I do like some stuff. Splash, Night Shift. Parenthood, but…yeah, I think it’s fair to call him heavy-handed. And I will never be able to forgive him for How the Grinch Stole Christmas, never.
Now I am off to much worse pursuits. The husband is going out of town so I have moved terrible romantic comedies to the top of the queue. I don’t expect Mama Mia to be good but hey, Colin Firth, Stellan Skaaaaarsgaaaaaaaaard and Pierce Brosnan? Singing ABBA? Yeah, not gonna miss that. I even got a bottle of sparking sake to make it go down easier. I’ll let you know how that works for me.
He is, in fact, my first Dracula (I am totally going to market that as a new toy. MY FIRST DRACULA by Fisher Price!). Before him I was only aware of the Bela Lugosi verision which is a good one, I don’t mean to dismiss him since he is THE movie Dracula (who is nothing like *shudder* Nosferatu), but the 1970 something version was my favorite for many years…may still be. And Langella gets the sexy vamp, unlike the wonderful Gary Oldman who…let’s just assume it was someone else’s idea, ok? Annnnnyway…yes, frank Langella. AMAZING. Brilliant as Nixon. And this movie is basically two guys talking. A talking head movie, as it were. So I found myself concentrating on his face a lot. I couldn’t decide if he was wearing prosthetics or not, I couldn’t quite picture the details of his face to know. Turns out, he was. I know there were jowl prosthetics and I think there was a bit of a nose involved as well. I am not totally convinced that there weren’t earlobe add-ons too…they struck me as not quite right for his face. I’ve been pouring over pictures of him trying to tell.
Because this was basically an endless series of close-ups, I finally understood why all the actors these days are worrying about high definition tv. It struck home when I noticed that both Kevin Bacon and Michael Sheen have pierced ears. Not a big deal except I doubt that the people they were playing had pierced ears. For me, this isn’t a big deal but it does open a small can of worms for actors. If I noticed holes in ears in a movie, what am I going to notice on a high def televison. I hear the prOn actors are the most worried. Can’t really blame them.
So, not really a review but I did rather enjoy Frost/Nixon, much to my surprise. I went in expecting nothing and came out thinking, “Hmmm, better than I imagined.” The two phrases that do chase around my mind though are “ham-fisted” and “heavy-handed" which, yes, do pretty much mean the same thing. Some of the direction and writing took away from my pleasure in the acting. But I also go in with a bias of not loving Ron Howards’ direction, so you know, if you dig his other stuff, you won’t be bothered. Hmmm…I just went back to look at his directorial credits and I do like some stuff. Splash, Night Shift. Parenthood, but…yeah, I think it’s fair to call him heavy-handed. And I will never be able to forgive him for How the Grinch Stole Christmas, never.
Now I am off to much worse pursuits. The husband is going out of town so I have moved terrible romantic comedies to the top of the queue. I don’t expect Mama Mia to be good but hey, Colin Firth, Stellan Skaaaaarsgaaaaaaaaard and Pierce Brosnan? Singing ABBA? Yeah, not gonna miss that. I even got a bottle of sparking sake to make it go down easier. I’ll let you know how that works for me.
Thursday, January 08, 2009
Read.
And now…looking back…I kept a record of all the books I read in 2008 and my intention was to write little reviews of them. I did write reviews for a few of them but then I got lazy and I decided just to make notes on the rest. Then I got lazier and I decided to just make notes on a few. It was a very vampire filled year so…you know…just a little more than skin deep, I suppose. I didn’t read as much as I would have liked (and for the record, I only list novels, not novellas, short stories or comic books) so there was some more reading, but still less than I wanted. Maybe this year…
Books Read 2008
January:
Fool Moon-Jim Butcher
The Stupidest Angel-Christopher Moore
Twilight-Stephanie Meyer
The Half-Moon Detective Agency-Eion Coufler
Tall, Dark, and Dead- Tate Hallaway
Clearly January’s books had a supernatural theme running through them. Fool Moon is the second in the Harry Dresden series from Jim Butcher and it was a fun read. I love the character and Butcher adds such nice touches to the story (Dresden has amazing magical powers but they short circuit modern technology, so simple things like email and cell phone calls just don’t work for him. It’s a nice little bit that can certainly heighten the tension of story when you know the hero just can’t call for help or download a file that will contain the info he needs). If you like mysteries and supernatural series, check the Dresden Files books out. And if you happen to catch the series running on sci-fi, that was kind of fun too. Sorry it’s gone.
The Christopher Moore I have read has been hit or miss for me. I loved Lamb but was less enthralled by Bloodsucking Fiends. The Stupidest Angel falls somewhere in the middle. I didn’t dislike it, but it was maybe a little to slapstick for my tastes. Moore does seem to enjoy himself though and his characters are memorable and silly (in a fun way).
Twilight is the first in a series of young adult novels. This one was pretty standard girl loves vampire fare. I didn’t find anything that offended me in it, but nothing grabbed me enough to make me want to continue the story either. I guess I am not the target market on this one though. (Hmmm...well, this was written before all the big Twilight boom this year. It was popular at the time I wrote this but I didn't yet know about HOW big it was or would get. I still think it was pretty boring and I am quite the fan of crappy vampire stories, so...)
The Half-Moon Detective Agency is another Y.A. novel (I know, I have to start reading big kid books!). I am particularly fond of Eoin Colfer, For some reason I feel like he writes like a kid. Rather, he’s got the right mindset to write for a super intelligent kid. I am fond of his Artemis Fowl series but this book, which I suspect will spawn it’s own series was more…fun. It made me laugh out loud while I was reading it and that doesn’t happen all that often. I don’t really know how to put into word the giddiness I felt reading this book and I don’t even know how to tell you WHY I felt that way but it just worked for me, the language, the style, the character development. And finally I see a writer who understands how kids use technology. Books are only just starting to make use of text messages and instant messages and the like in a way that seems natural. Colfer gets that and uses it to great advantage. If you are 8-13 and a looking for a very entertaining mystery novel, this is it. If you are…much older…read this and see if you don’t feel like this guy just gets how a kid’s brain works.
Well, I guess that this would not be the time to deny my fondness for vampire stories. Don’t know what it is, although I do know it’s not that I find them sexy. In fact, I tend to really dislike any stories that make vampires overtly sexual. I get the whole penetration thing, I get the whole blood thing, let’s get to the interesting stuff, eh? But that said, I really do enjoy the Tate Hallaway books.
February
The Bleeding Dusk-Colleen Gleason
Cakes and Ale-W. Somerset Maughm
Grave Peril-Jim Butcher
Kiki Strike and the Shadow City-Kirsten Miller-Oh hey, wow. I got a real kick out of this YA novel and I will certainly pick up more from this author.
April
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan-Lisa See-I am sorry, I can not really describe how little I liked this book. My mother passed it on to me and I read it because she did but…I should really know better, she did, after all, ask me to read all ten billion pages of The Corrections before confessing that she didn’t like it either. Anyway, a number of years ago we saw a museum…thing…about Lisa See’s family and loved it. The book…not so much.
Thursday Next: First Among Sequels- I love Jasper Fford. If only for that extra eff.
Dead Sexy-Tate Hallaway
June
Anonymous Rex-Eric Garcia This book kind of took me by surprise. It really sounds ridiculous when you try to explain it (Dinosaurs exist alongside people, hide themselves in people suits and eat herbs) but it worked. It was far more entertaining that I could have expected.
July
Cross Bones- Kathy Reichs I’d been wanting to read one of the temperance Brennan novels for a while and I did enjoy this. Very different from the TV series “bones” though, so if you are reading it for that…don’t. Still, I enjoyed it and may pick up another eventually.
Wire in the Blood- Val McDermid-Another book I wanted to read due to having seen a tv show. But you know what? It works here. Good book, good tv show. And I guess I was also influenced by an article I read some time ago where Ian Rankin put his foot into it by saying women, especially lesbians, were more bloodthirsty writers than men. Val McDermud, a lesbian and a woman (heh), had a bit to say about that. And I’m gonna toss this quote in just because I think sums it up pretty well
“I’ll tell you what pisses me off more than almost anything: when people say, ‘As a woman, how do you feel about writing on violence?’ Have you ever heard a male crime writer being asked, ‘As a man, how do you feel about writing about violence?’
“There’s a profound disassociation, it seems to me; as if somehow it’s wrong for us to be writing about violence against women, as though somehow we need permission to write about violence against women.”
August
Romancing the Dead-Tate Hallaway
When Twilight Burns-Colleen Gleason
The Good Fairies of New York-Martin Millar
Summer Knight-Jim Butcher
October
My Name Is Will: A Novel of Sex, Drugs, and Shakespeare-Jess Winfield- Written by a former co-worker of my husband. I felt like I should support the cause.
Any Given Doomsday- Lori Handeland-Preview copy that I got by asking for it on some website. It was…not my cup of tea. Yeah…let’s just be polite and say that.
Northanger Abbey-Jane Austen-Oh hey, I read this with an on-line read along and I really, really enjoyed it, which was cool because I feel like this is the hardest Jane Austen book to like and that there is a lot going on under the surface that goes missing. In fact, I enjoyed this so much that I was inspired to purchase some of the gothic horror novels mentioned in the story. I am currently reading The Mysteries of Udolpho which is one of the books that is repeatedly mentioned.
December
Roo’d Joshua Klein-this was a Daily Lit read that…I think I read an intereview with Joshua Klein about it. It was entertaining.
Making Money-Terry Pratchett-I am sad about Terry Pratchett’s not so recent diagnosis of a rare and specific type of Alzheimers. It makes me wonder what’s in store for his series of novels and how far he writes ahead. But I feel some amount of relief in the memory that even if he were never to write another word, he will have left quite a legacy behind. But I hope he keeps writing.
Death Masks-Jim Butcher
The Thin Man-Dashiell Hammett I don’t know if I had ever read a Dashiell Hammet book before. I kind of think I read part of the Maltese Falcon, but I don’t remember. I love the Thin Man movies and while the book doesn’t quite match the fun of Willam Powell and Myrna Loy’s version, it clearly defined the concept and for that I am greatful.
Well, I'm almost done my first book of 2009 and it's another supernatural...I think I need to move on to something different. Back to Midnight's Children, I guess.
Books Read 2008
January:
Fool Moon-Jim Butcher
The Stupidest Angel-Christopher Moore
Twilight-Stephanie Meyer
The Half-Moon Detective Agency-Eion Coufler
Tall, Dark, and Dead- Tate Hallaway
Clearly January’s books had a supernatural theme running through them. Fool Moon is the second in the Harry Dresden series from Jim Butcher and it was a fun read. I love the character and Butcher adds such nice touches to the story (Dresden has amazing magical powers but they short circuit modern technology, so simple things like email and cell phone calls just don’t work for him. It’s a nice little bit that can certainly heighten the tension of story when you know the hero just can’t call for help or download a file that will contain the info he needs). If you like mysteries and supernatural series, check the Dresden Files books out. And if you happen to catch the series running on sci-fi, that was kind of fun too. Sorry it’s gone.
The Christopher Moore I have read has been hit or miss for me. I loved Lamb but was less enthralled by Bloodsucking Fiends. The Stupidest Angel falls somewhere in the middle. I didn’t dislike it, but it was maybe a little to slapstick for my tastes. Moore does seem to enjoy himself though and his characters are memorable and silly (in a fun way).
Twilight is the first in a series of young adult novels. This one was pretty standard girl loves vampire fare. I didn’t find anything that offended me in it, but nothing grabbed me enough to make me want to continue the story either. I guess I am not the target market on this one though. (Hmmm...well, this was written before all the big Twilight boom this year. It was popular at the time I wrote this but I didn't yet know about HOW big it was or would get. I still think it was pretty boring and I am quite the fan of crappy vampire stories, so...)
The Half-Moon Detective Agency is another Y.A. novel (I know, I have to start reading big kid books!). I am particularly fond of Eoin Colfer, For some reason I feel like he writes like a kid. Rather, he’s got the right mindset to write for a super intelligent kid. I am fond of his Artemis Fowl series but this book, which I suspect will spawn it’s own series was more…fun. It made me laugh out loud while I was reading it and that doesn’t happen all that often. I don’t really know how to put into word the giddiness I felt reading this book and I don’t even know how to tell you WHY I felt that way but it just worked for me, the language, the style, the character development. And finally I see a writer who understands how kids use technology. Books are only just starting to make use of text messages and instant messages and the like in a way that seems natural. Colfer gets that and uses it to great advantage. If you are 8-13 and a looking for a very entertaining mystery novel, this is it. If you are…much older…read this and see if you don’t feel like this guy just gets how a kid’s brain works.
Well, I guess that this would not be the time to deny my fondness for vampire stories. Don’t know what it is, although I do know it’s not that I find them sexy. In fact, I tend to really dislike any stories that make vampires overtly sexual. I get the whole penetration thing, I get the whole blood thing, let’s get to the interesting stuff, eh? But that said, I really do enjoy the Tate Hallaway books.
February
The Bleeding Dusk-Colleen Gleason
Cakes and Ale-W. Somerset Maughm
Grave Peril-Jim Butcher
Kiki Strike and the Shadow City-Kirsten Miller-Oh hey, wow. I got a real kick out of this YA novel and I will certainly pick up more from this author.
April
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan-Lisa See-I am sorry, I can not really describe how little I liked this book. My mother passed it on to me and I read it because she did but…I should really know better, she did, after all, ask me to read all ten billion pages of The Corrections before confessing that she didn’t like it either. Anyway, a number of years ago we saw a museum…thing…about Lisa See’s family and loved it. The book…not so much.
Thursday Next: First Among Sequels- I love Jasper Fford. If only for that extra eff.
Dead Sexy-Tate Hallaway
June
Anonymous Rex-Eric Garcia This book kind of took me by surprise. It really sounds ridiculous when you try to explain it (Dinosaurs exist alongside people, hide themselves in people suits and eat herbs) but it worked. It was far more entertaining that I could have expected.
July
Cross Bones- Kathy Reichs I’d been wanting to read one of the temperance Brennan novels for a while and I did enjoy this. Very different from the TV series “bones” though, so if you are reading it for that…don’t. Still, I enjoyed it and may pick up another eventually.
Wire in the Blood- Val McDermid-Another book I wanted to read due to having seen a tv show. But you know what? It works here. Good book, good tv show. And I guess I was also influenced by an article I read some time ago where Ian Rankin put his foot into it by saying women, especially lesbians, were more bloodthirsty writers than men. Val McDermud, a lesbian and a woman (heh), had a bit to say about that. And I’m gonna toss this quote in just because I think sums it up pretty well
“There’s a profound disassociation, it seems to me; as if somehow it’s wrong for us to be writing about violence against women, as though somehow we need permission to write about violence against women.”
August
Romancing the Dead-Tate Hallaway
When Twilight Burns-Colleen Gleason
The Good Fairies of New York-Martin Millar
Summer Knight-Jim Butcher
October
My Name Is Will: A Novel of Sex, Drugs, and Shakespeare-Jess Winfield- Written by a former co-worker of my husband. I felt like I should support the cause.
Any Given Doomsday- Lori Handeland-Preview copy that I got by asking for it on some website. It was…not my cup of tea. Yeah…let’s just be polite and say that.
Northanger Abbey-Jane Austen-Oh hey, I read this with an on-line read along and I really, really enjoyed it, which was cool because I feel like this is the hardest Jane Austen book to like and that there is a lot going on under the surface that goes missing. In fact, I enjoyed this so much that I was inspired to purchase some of the gothic horror novels mentioned in the story. I am currently reading The Mysteries of Udolpho which is one of the books that is repeatedly mentioned.
December
Roo’d Joshua Klein-this was a Daily Lit read that…I think I read an intereview with Joshua Klein about it. It was entertaining.
Making Money-Terry Pratchett-I am sad about Terry Pratchett’s not so recent diagnosis of a rare and specific type of Alzheimers. It makes me wonder what’s in store for his series of novels and how far he writes ahead. But I feel some amount of relief in the memory that even if he were never to write another word, he will have left quite a legacy behind. But I hope he keeps writing.
Death Masks-Jim Butcher
The Thin Man-Dashiell Hammett I don’t know if I had ever read a Dashiell Hammet book before. I kind of think I read part of the Maltese Falcon, but I don’t remember. I love the Thin Man movies and while the book doesn’t quite match the fun of Willam Powell and Myrna Loy’s version, it clearly defined the concept and for that I am greatful.
Well, I'm almost done my first book of 2009 and it's another supernatural...I think I need to move on to something different. Back to Midnight's Children, I guess.
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