This is so silly!

Poor little blog.

2011-11-03T18:15:00.001-07:00

I've not forgotten you. I see you here, all alone. I have words for you. Just not today.

Thanksgiving.

2010-12-16T18:07:00.000-08:00

Oh, it’s been a while…I wrote this in a timely manner and am posting it in a less timely manner and I am sorry for that. And I’ve half written three or four other posts. Eh. I hear blogging is dead anyway. But I am not. And I have those other posts to post..so I will…eventually. But if I don’t do it before Christmas…Happy Christmas! And all that jazz.

THANKSGIVING….

So, here’s the scoop. The pumpkin empanadas: super good. I used the recipe for empanada dough from The Joy of Cooking and added about two tablespoons of sugar and a teaspoon of cinnamon. For the filling, I mixed canned pumpkin with brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and mace to taste. They were a keeper and although I am not really a “pie” person, I did enjoy both the making and eating of these.

The chocolate pie with the pretzel crust was…good. Good with some reservations. I liked the filling a lot, but it was, essentially, just a rich chocolate pudding. The crust is a good idea, but I was not picky enough with my pretzels and ended up not liking it. I say go for good, thin pretzels. I am thinking a Mr. Salty stick pretzel type would be good. And although the recipe tells you to “coarsely chop”…don’t. Finely chop. Whiz (or, if you are Jamie Oliver, “wazz”) it all up in the food processor until it’s the consistency of bread crumbs or graham cracker crumbs. Coarse doesn’t work well. And also, if you are even mildly lactose intolerant, don’t get all cocky and think you can eat this. You can’t. I don’t know why you thought you could. Just don’t.

The mashed potatoes and parsnips with carmelized onions and blue cheese were..fine. I got lazy and bought a package of cubed parsnips, rutabagas and turnips and they were a little…grainy and slightly watery. And I sliced the onions into fine rings. Next time I would cut them into cubes or something so they weren’t so…dangly. In fact, I also think I’d just go with potatoes and leave out the other root veggies. And add more cheese. You’re not adding butter or milk to these so go for the cheese.

Let’s see…what else? Oh, the twice baked sweet potatoes…they were good, but hollowing out a baked sweet potato is slightly more delicate a process than hollowing out a russet. So they got made in ramekins, and that was fine. Probably good. But once that happened I just started winging it and didn’t really follow the recipe. But the principle is sound and the flavors were good, so don’t be worried about that.

Everything else was fine. I thought last year that I was over turkey. And this year, when the turkey came out of the oven I was actually quite excited about it. And then I ate it and I thought, “Hmmm… I think I am over turkey.” And then there were leftovers and I was definitely over turkey, so…I’ll have to think on that for next time.

Fifteen.

2010-11-23T18:09:00.000-08:00

Recently I was tagged on one of those facebook memes. This was the “Name 15 authors who have influenced you but do it in 15 minutes” one…Something like that.

It was harder than I thought it would be. I really thought I’d rip it off like nothing. But I couldn’t come up with fifteen authors…I did eventually, but then I started second guessing myself. Did these people really form my sense of self. And then I decided I was over thinking it all and posted it. And then I realized that I had left some out. And then I also realized that it didn’t really matter.

This is what I said:

The Rules: Don't take too long to think about it. Fifteen writers who've influenced you and that will always stick with you. List the first fifteen you can recall in no more than fifteen minutes.

1. William Shakespeare
2. Allen Ginsberg
3. Douglas Adams
4. Terry Pratchett
5. Jane Austen
6. China Mieville
7. John Donne
8. Edith Wharton
9. Nancy Mitford
10. M.F.K. Fisher
11. Geoffrey Chaucer
12. Roddy Doyle
13. Russell Hoban (specifically, the Francis stories0
14. F. Scott Fitzgerald
15. A.A. Milne

Special Mention: Neal Stephenson, Douglas Coupland, David Berman…

Also possibly Eoin Colfer.

But I wanted to say so much more about it. But I am a nerd that way.

Looking at the list now, I realize that the one thing that ties them all together in my mind is a sense of humor. They aren’t all humor writers, but they all….”get it.” I have long said that my favorite thing about Jane Austen is how damn funny she is. That hasn’t won me any points with the Janeites. But I am realizing that a sense of humor in writing, no matter how subtle, really makes it…click…for me.

But…wait…Edith Wharton…not so funny, but kind of big on the irony. We’ll let her stay.

And then there are those special mentions…all because of the way they twist the language to their needs. In fact, there are several Stephenson and Coupland books I don’t care for. But the ones I do like did make THAT BIG an impression. And lingering in the back is Eoin Colfer. Why? Because the last book I read by him really had people using technology in a natural way. Kids texting and IMing. Not necessarily to further the plot, but just because that’s what we do.

As for the famous fifteen…I can’t imagine my life without any of them. Some are newer finds, like Nancy Mitford. And some are authors who seem to become more important to me as I get older, like F. Scott…and oddly, Terry Pratchett. And do you remember how subversive A.A. Milne really is? How he’s really got that odd sense of humor that only some kids will appreciate? Go read it again.

I wish I could say that I unreserveredly recommnend these authors, but I don’t . You might not like them and that would make me sad. But if you like funny stuff that isn’t always funny…

So...time to comment. Name me one book that changed your life. Better or worse. I'm gonna say....Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy because it made me understand that I didn't have to be so serious about religion and science.

sigh

2010-11-12T18:41:00.001-08:00

I know, I know. You weren't waiting for me to post, but here I am anyway.

The thing is...this year is kind of just buzzing past me. And it's my own fault. I basically ignored Halloween. Not really a fan so it didn't seem like a big deal. Bought a bag of candy, just in case. SIDENOTE TO THE CHILDREN OF MY NEIGHBORHOOD: You should totally take advantage of apartments. You can get craploads of candy superfast. Seriously, when I was a kid, back in the olden days, we LOVED trick-or-treating in apartment buildings. Granted, that was on the east coast, where it might be really chilly on Halloween, but still, LOTS of candy, VERY LITTLE walking. Then you can move on to the neighborhood and you're golden.

I hear people are trick-or-treating less and now doing this trunk-or-treating thing. That's all well and good but please make it clear to the kiddies that they can't take candy from trunks on any other day of the year, ok?

So, like I said, I kind of skimmed over Halloween and started planning Thanksgiving dinner. Which is a little silly because it's just for two of us. But I like it. Here's the plan...

-Ancho Chili and Honey rubbed Turkey Breast (possibly cooked in the crock pot)
-dressing made with french bread and sage
-roasted brussels sprouts with garlic
-twice baked sweet potatoes
or
-vanilla mashed sweet potatoes
-mashed potatoes and parsnips with carmelized onion and blue cheese

and for dessert:
-pumpkin empanadas
AND
-milk chocolate cream pie with a pretzel crust

FOR THE TWO OF US.

Yeah, it's overkill, but I really want to try out some of these recipes. Besides, you'll come over for leftovers...won't you?

Past.

2010-09-21T18:08:00.000-07:00

What I’ve been reading: I have been reading! But I’ve been reading slowly. Currently it’s “The Girl who Played with Fire” by Steig Larsson and “Changeless” by Gail Carriger. I am enjoying both of them. The first is the second in a trilogy and at the moment, I like it better than the first. The second is also a second in a series, (but I don’t know how many will be in that series) and I don’t like it quite as much as the first. This is a problem with all book series, I guess. One will have one’s favorites.

Speaking of favorites, I see two of my favorite novelists have new (sorta) books out. Carl Hiaasen has a new one called “Star Island”, which, to be honest sounds like more of the same from him. The good thing is, I happen to like his same. And a Nancy Mitford novel that has been out of print for quite a while is recently back in print, ”Wigs on the Green.” Last year I read a Mitford novel…I think it was “Don’t Tell Alfred” that had me laughing out loud while waiting to serve my jury duty. So you know it had to be pretty good. Both are in the queue for next books to be read.

What I’ve been watching: We (the husband and I) just started watching “Rubicon” and I really, really like it. On several levels. I happen to really like mysteries and cryptography even though I am crap at figuring things out. The actors are, so far, very good and the art direction….sublime. Really. I mean, the art direction on “Mad Men” is very nice, but when you are given a period piece to elaborate on, you have a pretty good basis to start with, right? “Rubicon” is the current time period, but they have done that thing where it they attempt to make it feel rather timeless. Kind of like…well…look at that Harry Potter movies have…we all know that they are set in the now, but there is a quality to them that makes you feel like you are watching a fairy tale. No one randomly uses a cell phone or a remote control or computer…“Rubicon” has a similar feel. People drive older cars, and wear non-designer-y clothes. It all feels like it’s taking place in the now, but COULD be taking place 30 years ago if it weren’t for that computer on the desk. It also utilizes this amazing gray and tan color palette, which strikes a perfect balance (for me anyway) between cold and warm, glowing and chilly, dark and light. It all feels very purposeful and I rather like that.

And the movies? Recently watched “Kickass”, which I enjoyed but didn’t feel like I really need to see it again. It was fun and crazy and over the top. Mark Strong was amazing as per usual and, you know, I liked it just fine. But it didn’t blow my mind. However, I also recently watched “In the Loop” which kind of did blow my mind. Very funny, bitter, and painfully honest political comedy spun off from a British TV show, which I have only seen bits and pieces of. The much under utilized Tom Hollander was great and Peter Capaldi is, as ever, genius. But I think my favorite character is the one referred to as “the angriest Scotsman in the world.” What I found most impressive about this movie…well, I was watching it with my husband and just kind of chortling through the whole thing and whenever I wasn’t, I realized that he was doing the same. Highly recommend this one.

What I’ve been cooking: Eh, mostly just dinners. Nothing special lately. I did make that banana soft serve that is all over the healthy eating blogs and it was fine. But I am not sure it was worth the noise of the food processor. My food processor is very loud. Is yours? I don’t like to hear it.

NOW…here’s the thing. I wrote this a while ago, so…UPDATE AHOY!

Read those two books, also read “Star Island” which I need to say, disappointed me a bit. Ah well. Now reading a Val McDairmid novel and it’s intensely and disturbingly engrossing. I do need to stop reading serial killer novels over lunch though. Next I am thinking it’s “Wigs on the Green” or a China Mievlle. We’ll see.

Also in the meanwhile I saw “Whip It” which was fine but not really anything new. “I Could Never Be Your Woman” which was strange and not exactly not funny, but not exactly unfunny… but…well…research it and you’ll see why I am at a loss here. And…um…oh. Right. I saw Tim Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland.” And, Mr. Burton…I don’t know what to say about you anymore. You are an artist. You make pretty pictures, but I think maybe your pictures should remain static and speechless. I don’t want to be cruel but…you can’t tell a story for shit, dude. Nice casting though.

Oh and in the actual movie theatre I saw “Scott Pilgrim vs. The World.” I was a little nervous. I am a big fan of the books and I saw it with two people who had no familiarity with the books at all (does that make sense? It does, right?). We all really liked it. Way more than I expected to. So…yay.

There have also been…let’s see…Hostess style cupcakes, Funfetti style cupcakes, Vanilla cupcakes, Root Beer cupcakes, vegan cookies and…oh, brownies…probably some other stuff. You should totally invite me to your party. I like having excuses to bake. Don’t really like parties though, so I’d be happy to drop ‘em off on my way by…

Almost.

2010-09-18T00:05:00.001-07:00

So...there you go. Updated the blog a bit. I'll have to do something about that header and clean up some stuff, but it's cleaner and newer and I got rid of a bunch of stuff...and you don't care at all, do you? It's ok, I'm fine with that.

Again, not abandoned. Stuff still going on. Wrote some stuff, didn't post it. Got another blog but I'm trying to avoid cross pollination...or pollution...or whatever. If you have interest in an art blog of my art, but don't know where to find me drop me a line, I'll let you in on the big secret. It's just that I don't want to cross the streams too much. I don't want to say something that would...I am terribly paranoid, aren't I? But you knew that already. Ok. I'll be back shortly with all those things I've promised previously. Yeah...sure I will...

Oop.

2010-08-20T16:52:00.000-07:00

Also, I've been thinking about fixing that whole format thing. I spent a lot of time playing with html to get my blog design ages ago and really enjoyed the tinkering, but I don't really know what I am doing when I mess around like that. I may just grab a ready made template soon and fix all the goofyness with this sad old blog. We'll see...in the meantime, sorry about the silly mis-sizing of things and all that...

Hi.

2010-08-20T16:42:00.000-07:00

So, Comic-Con. That happened.

It was good. Busy. Exhausting. All the stuff that it always is. And good. I had fun. I lost my voice. The new stuff seemed to be well liked. I didn’t see the sun. Well…that’s an exaggeration, I DID see the sun, but only as I entered and exited the hall. I was busy like a little bee and that’s fine. I didn’t see very much of the floor, also fine. And I didn’t see the zombies that were apparently out wandering in front of the convention center. Which was more than fine.

I did go to a party which was supposed to be attended by Charlaine Harris. She of the Sookie Stackhouse novels. She wasn’t there. Eh. I had a cocktail and went to dinner instead. I saw China Mieville from a distance. Miss Smith ran after him to have a conversation. She said he seemed nice but that maybe there was a little crazy in there. But there’d have to be, no? Saw a few other famous faces here and there, tried to will them to come purchase my goodies (heh) but no…no interest.

One excellent thing did happen however and I owe it all to my beloved JHo, who is a god among geeks. See, I did a geeky girl pinup in honor of a character I particularly like from a show I particularly liked. Do you get this?

See her tattoo? It (hopefully) translates to “serenity”. See that circle thing behind her? It’s meant to be reminisicent of a particular logo. See that hat? Are you with me yet? She’s called “Jayne’s girl” alternate title, “How’s it set?” And I had hoped to see Adam Baldwin somehow. I didn’t EXPECT to see him, but I figured that if I saw him, I would give him one…print…I mean…not…anything else. Unless he asked…but probably not even then…anyway….I didn’t see him.

But that’s where JHo comes in. He DID see Adam Baldwin. They were on the same train. THE Adam Baldwin that I may have gazed so lovingly upon many years ago in a little film called “My Bodyguard.” Oh, you can have your Matt Dillion. I got me a big ol’ strapping man! And JHo saw him and in the beat of a generous and kind heart, decided to approach him with my art. Mr. Baldwin has been reported as saying “Nice, nice” upon viewing it. I forever thank JHo for his kindness.

And that said, I have to acknowledge that Mr. Baldwin and I do not see eye to eye politically. However, I don’t need to talk politics with him and I do admit that he doesn’t appear to be of the crazy variety. He is well informed and well spoken, just…the polar opposite of me belief-wise. But that’s ok. He’s pretty.

And…that was pretty much comic-con. Until I do it all again.

And since then there have been…coconut cupcakes made with coconut cream that were really lovely. Snickerdoodle cupcakes that seemed to do just fine. Several batches of vanilla cupcakes that no one complained about. Vegan rootbeer cupcakes that vanished rather quickly. Brown sugar cupcakes with cream cheese frosting that even impressed me, even though I was the one who made them and a batch of very dark chocolate cookies with butterscotch chips that I still dream about….so…yum.

Now life continues on. There is new art to be made, new recipes to explore. There are movies to watch, books to read and I really need to start listening to music that was not recorded by David Gray…eventually…

pee ess: This concert was actually on tv while I was at comic-con. I fell asleep to it. Which brought the whole thing full circle.

Oh.

2010-07-16T00:45:00.000-07:00

One of the new girls.

Cues.

2010-07-16T00:36:00.000-07:00

Signs of stress in Comic-Con Sellers

Listening to the same cd over and over and feeling panicked when someone changes the music.
That rash on your arm and back that persists despite changing soap, lotion, detergent, and state.
Stomach upset following any food that is not sugar or carb based (only donuts don't cause queasyness).
Impending sense of doom.
Loss of perspective. (Note to self: Odds are good that the world won't end if you don't print that last piece of art).
Finding face in forced grin while saying "Hi, How ya doin'? Can I help you with anything?" under your breath.
List making, especially any list that includes "sleep".
The comic-con eye twitch. (It arrived today. Precisely at 2pm.)
The desire to drink alcohol at 8am.
Not drinking because you just don't have time.
Blogging while the print queue is full.
Idly googling "colin firth+coffee" (no, seriously, do it...) and "pretty british men" instead of working.
Organizing iPod...again.

We leave on Wednesday. Everything was under control...until about a week ago. My mantra is now "it will get done because it HAS to get done." Well, it's that and "Damn, I need a gin and tonic."

There are at least 4, possibly 6 new prints on the table, two new sets of cards and a "sketchbook." It's worth it just to see the smiles on their faces when they look under the tree on Christmas morning...no...wait...that's not it...

Situational.

2010-04-29T18:45:00.000-07:00

What I listen to when I want to fall asleep: Pink Floyd: Division Bell, Buddha Machine

I discovered years ago that this one particular Pink Floyd cod just makes me fall asleep. I love it. And the Buddha Machine is this weird arty project that I think was kind of intended to be used for meditational sound scapes. I never did get my hands on an actual machine but I have the sounds from it. And there is also an app for that (go figure). It’s a little droney, a little incessant and really, really soothing for me.

What I listen to when I want to relax: Rancid: And Out Come the Wolves, Ramones: Pretty much any Ramones but most likely the Greatest Hits

I know it seems counter intuitive but punky loud music kind of wears me out. I like to listen to it when I just want to get home, kick off my shoes and watch crappy tv. It kind of keeps me in overdrive until I can get into my pj and start dozing.

What I listen to when I want to work; Opera, Thom Yorke: The Eraser

I’ve said it before but I’ll say it again. I am not that well versed (ha! Get it?) in opera. It’s kind of pretty noise to me. I have read up on a lot of the operas that I listen to and I have some favorite singers (Franco Corelli), and preferred operas (NOT La Boheme) but it’s really just nice in the background. I have seen operas, some I have enjoyed more than others and I would like to see more. But when I am working, it’s nice to not know the words and get distracted. It’s pure feeling, I don’t know the story, but I can certainly get the emotions behind it. And as for Thom Yorke…I am oddly obsessed with his solo album and wish he would do another. I listen to it a lot. A lot a lot. I mean it’s kind of silly.

What I listen to when I want to feel like someone is whispering in my ear: John Doe: The Wilderness, David Gray: White Ladder, Gary Louris:Vegabonds

You know what I mean, right? That soft voice in your ear that may or may not give you shivers. Or maybe just makes you feel not quite alone, not that you were feeling lonely but just that little…you know what I mean, right? I have long loved John Doe, in X, as an actor and then I bought this album and I kind of feel like I found him all over again. Not as punky as X, just mellow and kind of sad, but in a good way. Kind of all golden light in the late afternoon, if you know what I mean. Now, David Gray, I have a few of his albums and he’s just a fine, fine musician, but I CAN NOT WATCH HIM SING. Well, not if he’s playing the guitar because he does this odd head nodding thing and I swear it looks like it’s gonna fall right off. But I don’t care because White Ladder is such a good, good album that I listen to it over and over. And of course, Gary Louris is part of my beloved Jayhawks, which doesn’t hurt, not at all.

What I listen to when I am cooking; my ipod mix

It’s a weird little mix, this one. A little Joan Jett, a little Nerfherder, The Cramps, Robbie Williams, Gnarls Barkely, Hoodoo Gurus, Joni Mitchell, Blur, Pet Shop Boys, Peter Murphy, Elvis Costello, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Julian Lennon, Nina Simone. It’s a lot of …stuff. And it just doesn’t get boring at all.

What I listen to when I when I need cheering up: T. Rex.

Never fails.

What I listen to when I want a place to feel like home; The Cure, Radiohead: Pablo Honey, The Jayhawks

What I listen to when I want to revisit my youth: Adam and the Ants: Kings of the Wild Frontier and Prince Charming

My brother introduced me and my mother to Adam and the Ants and we fell in love. My mom loves the drums. I loved Adam. It’s good stuff to bounce around to. Mom even took me to see him in concert when I was in…probably just in high school. It was when he was solo on the “Stripped” Tour. Mom dressed up as a pirate and danced the whole time.

What I listen to when I want to sing loud: the soundtrack to Josie and the Pussycats

I know, I know. Bad, bad movie. I totally agree. Excellent soundtrack that was created by a bunch of cool people. Anna Waronker, Adam Duritz, the girl from…um…I don’t know, people you kind of vagely know from other bands. Some dude from Fountains of Wayne and the girl from…The band had an album called “Wholesale Meats and Fish”…Oh…Letters to Cleo. Right. Oh and Matthew Sweet. Anyway…good soundtrack and I like to sing it. It’s almost in a key I can sort of keep in tune and it’s very girl power-y.

What I listen to while driving: Pretty much anything, but often times it’s Django Reinhardt

I have a nice box set and I can listen to it for weeks at a stretch and never get bored. Mostly it’s instrumental but there are plenty of songs with singers and so it kind of covers all the bases.

What I listen to when I wasn to sing softly: Tom Waits, Everything but the Girl

I never feel bad when I sing to Tom Waits songs. I mean, I feel BAD because so many of them are so mournful, but I don’t feel bad because, let’s be honest here, the dude has a strange way of singing…and that makes my strange way of singing seem less strange. As for Everything but the Girl, it’s weird, Tracy Thorne has a beeeeyoootiful voice, oddly deep but just lovely, and I can almost, not quite keep up with it. So, I can handle most of the notes. Not as nicely as she does, but it’s not like trying to sing along with…I don’t know, Christina Aguilaria, or anyone who uses an autotuner.

What I listen to when I feel all girl-powery: Loretta Lynn, Spice Girls (no,seriously)

Aw, hells yeah! I loves me some Lo-retta Lynn. Always have. Well, always probably since I first saw Coal Miner’s DAugher, which is one of my all time favorite movies and I think I know all the words. (An' stoppa that growlin'. You sound like a big ol' bar.) But she is really one of those songwriters that people tend to dismiss, oh, it’s just tears in your beer country music, but dude, Loretta is the queen of girl power. Songs about birthcontrol and beating up women who cheat. Squaws on warpaths and all that. Just awesome stuff.

Of course then there is the Spice Girls. But c’mon, I’m not saying they were brilliant, just brilliant at what they did. I don’t much care for their ballads, but the dance stuff is great fun and you get to actually yell GIRL POWER during it. Hence the girl-powery vibe.

What I listen to when I need to feel a little bit badass: AC/DC, Green Day

Oh yes I do. Loudly.

What I am listening to now: Pomplamoose

Have you seen these two? Cute stuff. Partially, I really like watching the videos because that Nataly Dawn is so cute, but the music works so well in that lo-fi way. It’s just sweet and charming and not at all AC/DC.

What I LITERALLY was just listening to:

Radiohead: Pablo Honey. Got the urge. But I am thinking this world could use a little hmmmm….How about some Cake?

Listen.

2010-04-29T17:52:00.000-07:00

So, the Snarkydork recently posted on music and as she and I have some crossover in our listening, I was very interested. Then Russell of EBCB has been doing this thing about music too, and again I was interested.

I can’t promise to be interesting but here (shoves this at you)…

What I’ve been listening to lately: Well, I am a radio listener, for the most part, in my car. Not entirely by choice. But I don’t have a mp3 jack in my car, and I get tired of my cds from time to time, so it’s a blend of news, rock and the sort of indie station here in L.A. Kind of radio ready indie, as it were. But it’s what there is. There is a pretty good stretch of my drive where the news station isn’t available and I switch between the two music stations looking for something I like. And what I like is pretty whimsical. 70’s rock, 80’s “alternative”, the occasional pop tune. I hop between stations with…um…I can’t think of a good word here…oh! abandon, that will work. Once I get the main bits of news traffic and weather, it’s music, until there are commercials, then it’s cds.

The Cds: In my car at any given time are probably about…let’s be conservative and say 50 cds. It’s terrible. They get everywhere, under the seats, in every nook and cranny and none of them are ever in the proper case or carrier. It’s annoying, but it’s also a necessity. It’s a long drive. What’s a girl to do?

Some of the cds are just regular ol’ cds, I can tell you from memory that at this moment, in the pocket of the door on the driver’s side is…well…let’s see, I know there is a Cyndi Lauper cd, her last one, the dancey one, and I know there is a Britney Spears cd…Circus, I think it’s called. Gary Louris, lest you think all I listen to is disco dance pop, and I think a Gary Louris/Mark Oleson duet as well, Andrew Bird, and I know there WAS a Bibio cod, but that might be elsewhere by now (apologies, Word is once again insisting that I listen to cods in my car and well…yeah). Oh, Spoon, is there, and at least one Gorillaz and I know by David Gray’s “White Ladders” is in there because I was just listening to it.

Then there are the mixes. Or, more specifically, the throw-togethers. Cds that I just throw songs I am interested in on. No rhyme or reason, and usually things I have come across on music blogs, free from amazon or at places like 3hive. They all get chucked on so I can see what I like. And that’s how I end up finding a lot of new music.

Then there are the sing-along cds….I don’t really have to go into this, do I? I know I am not the only person who sings in my car…loudly. Lots of Tom Waits, Elvis Costello, Holly Cole and…the occasional big musical dance number.

At the moment I am seeking out music for a friend who is a belly dancer and wants something new to make her shake. I’ve been pulling together a lot of trip-hop and bluesy feeling stuff so…um…when you pass me on the four oh five and I look like I am having a seizure, it’s seated belly dancing. Seriously. I can’t expect her to dance to it if can’t, right?

Fiddly.

2010-03-18T16:34:00.001-07:00

So, around Christmas time, I was invited to a cookie swap. I had never been to one before and it was fun but…I didn’t really enjoy baking the cookies. I couldn’t tell you exactly why except…it’s kind of fiddly. I mean, with a cake or cupcakes, pretty much all the work happens at once, it’s baked and you are done (unless you want to frost them). But cookies, much like candy, seem to go on and on. I tried to bake several pans of cookies at a time, but with an entirely accurate oven and all, I got a little twitchy. If burned one batch, I’d burn all of them, so I stuck to two pans at a time. It was fine. I think I made three kinds of cookies and you know, they were all good, but I just didn’t enjoy the experience as much as I wanted to. I’ve baked cookies many times before and you know, it’s not my favorite thing to bake but…this time…I kind of felt guilty that I didn’t enjoy it more. Maybe it was the holiday aspect, maybe it was because I was taking them to a party. It just wasn’t…my thing.

So, I’ve decided I need to dedicate a little more time to cookie baking. And, since I enjoy the vegan cupcake-baking thing so much, AND there is a lovely vegan cookie book by the same authors, I’ve been baking cookies a little bit more.

So far I’ve tried three recipes from the cookbook and I’ve liked them all well enough on their own merits. I do have to say though that a vegan chocolate chip cookie, while perfectly pleasant, even good, is not a chocolate chip cookie to me. It’s like a veggie burger. I enjoy it for what it is, not what it isn’t. I don’t like beef much but I do enjoy a good veggie burger, be it bean, soy or…other. But they don’t taste the same to me at all. One is not a replacement for the other in my book, and so far, I feel the same way about the chocolate chip cookies. Non-vegan chocolate chip cookies get much of their flavor from the butter. The two versions we tried relied more on the chocolate. One was enhanced by a base of whole wheat pastry flour, which gave the cookie a nice nuttiness. The other was, to me rather bland, but with a nice traditional texture, that half-baked chewy thing. But it was this that made me realize that I actually prefer a cake-like cookie and I liked the texture of the whole-wheat version.

Surprisingly, well…to me…the brown sugar flavor of a chocolate chip cookie really kind of fades into the background without butter. Who knew? Nonetheless…we ate all of both kinds. And yesterday my husband asked me where I had hidden the cookies. Um…in my tum. Sorry.

The other recipe I tried was a peanut butter bar cookie and man was it good. It was ever so peanutty and the recipe described it as fudge like. I don’t like fudge. I liked this bar. There you go.

Next, I’d like to try the recipe for… I think they were Mexican flavor influenced snickerdoodles. And there is a recipe for Rocky Road cookies with and accompanying picture that drives me to distraction.

But, in the meantime, while I haven’t had time for the fiddlyness of cookies, I did whip out a batch of wicked good cornbread muffins and a whiskey cake that was very good but could be better.
(PeeEss…if you are interested in the cookie book it’s Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar but Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romeo. I am enjoying it very much.)

Quoted.

2010-03-16T17:48:00.000-07:00

Today I read a Dorothy Parker quote that I had never heard before. Granted, I am not well versed in Dorothy Parker, although she is part of a good era for me, she was an American, and I tended to kind of phase out during modern American lit lest someone mention John Updike.

“This wasn’t just plain terrible, this was fancy terrible. This was terrible with raisins in it.”

Now, personally, I love this quote because it mentions raisins. If you are child of the same 80’s that I am a child of, you probably know the other famous quote involving raisins.

“It’s got raisins in it. You like raisins.”

And if you don’t know that quote…I’m truly sorry that you believe that John Cusack is just now starting to do wacky comedies (don’t get me started though, I am kind of cheesed off about this whole “Hot Tub Time Machine” thing. Seriously, dude, you wouldn’t do commentary for “Better off Dead” but three or four tragic films later you hearken back to your roots? Seriously?).

Um…anyway…raisins.

Yes. Raisins. I could tell you how I am not such a big fan of raisins except in certain circumstances (covered in chocolate, perhaps).

Or I could tell you that I actually own a bracelet.that has another Dorothy Parker quote on it. “I like to have a martini, Two at the very most. After three I'm under the table, after four I'm under my host.”

My husband doesn’t think it’s funny.

He’s should be glad it’s not this one: “Ducking for apples -- change one letter and it's the story of my life.”

Yeah, I know this isn’t much of a post but I read those quotes today and felt the need to share.

Smug.

2010-03-11T17:56:00.000-08:00

So tell the truth. Do you read certain blogs or websites because you hate them? Hate the recipes, hate the designs, hate the suggestions for improving your life, the sanctimonious tone or the trite ideas? Do you?

I subscribe to a newsletter that I detest. It’s written by a “person of note” and it’s ridiculious. It tells me all the wonderful things I can do in cities I can’t afford to visit and places to stay that will cost more than I make in a week. It gives me recipes that make me shudder and tells me that I should exercise more, eat more fish, and only use organic toilet paper. It tells me why my friends don’t like me, who my friends should be, what my friends should be wearing and where to meet my friends to tell them I no longer want to be friends with them. It’s amazing and spectacular and hateful and horrible. And every time I read it I think, “Man, this is awful, I should cancel it.”

But I don’t.

Because then how could I possible feel so smug about being better than all this? Being better than a newsletter? How could I make fun of it if I didn’t read it every damn time it appears in my inbox?

It’s petty and it’s childish and I am pretty sure we all do it. I am pretty sure that someone is doing it right here, right now. It’s all right. We don’t all have to like the same things. Heck, I rarely like the stuff other people like, but I’m just contrary like that. But yeah…’fess up. You do it too, don’t you?

Soooo…here’s what I am doing for and you can now dislike and make fun of in your spare time…

Soulless by Gail Carriger- my dad says that the Kindle, which he loves, is problematic in one way, he can’t browse the aisles of the book store the way he used to and he has a hard time finding new books. Um…I have the opposite problem. I browse online (he doesn’t really like being online) and I follow links and the next thing I know I’ve got a list of new books and not enough time. I think that’s how I came across this one. And I was given a few gift certificates and I thought, oh what the heck? And I am glad I did. Very entertaining, light but not fluffy. Good understanding of the Victorian age and clothing of, and sexy in a way that worked without being embarrassing. Oh and it has vampires and werewolves. Can’t really go wrong can you? But then I finished that. So right now it’s:
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Yeah, I know, I know, you read it ages ago. Whatever. It’s taken me while to get into it but at about 23% in (hello kindle!) and I am starting to get into the groove and I’m enjoying it a bit more (NO! Wait! I finished I enjoyed it but…well…that’s for another day). After this…well, I have quite a lot of free books I have picked up for the kindle, a few cozy mysteries, a romance (of all things!) and what appears to be a parody of a Victorian mystery. So I have choices to make, but I also just ordered the first book of the Red Riding series by David Peace. After reading about the tv series based on these books which were themselves inspired by a series of murders and…well, I haven’t read it yet, but it looks good. I’ll let you know.

What I’ve been listening to:

I think I have a new desert island disc. I’ve been listening to Pablo Honey on repeat for a while now. I think I kind of dismissed the whole Radiohead thing early on. Well, not true, I liked Creep, from this album and of course Fake Plastic Trees, but then I kind of wandered away from them, as I tend to do, until much later. And then I started kind of obsessively listening to Thom Yorke’s solo album, which I really, really love and that brought me back to Pablo Honey. So, the current list of desert island discs kind of reads like this:

Pablo Honey- Radiohead
The Eraser-Thom Yorke
Fashion Nugget -Cake (I know, what?)
All Over the Place-The Bangles (DO NOT JUDGE ME! It's a very listenable album!)
Django Reinhardt Box Set (sorry, I’ve not yet decided which single disc, I’ll try not to get stranded until then)
Elvis Costello-Mix cod (spell check insists that I mean COD here, and who am I to argue?) that I will have to prepare before being deserted
And I am starting to think that Massive Attack may have to appear here, possibly with Blue Lines (or maybe Protection) and some Rolling Stones...and...and...

Hmm. I think I need think on this. I did spend some time over the weekend tracking down some cds. Don’t you hate when you grab a cod (*ahem, thank you spellcheck) case take it to your car and then go to pop it in and…what? Am I the only person who doesn’t have an mp3 player in their car? Anyway, lots of empty cod (knock it off!) cases later I tracked down my copy of Fashion Nugget and listened to it on the way to work. It remains awesome.

Also, I’Ve been baking cookies. It’s experimental as I don’t really care for the act of making cookies as much as I like the act of eating cookies, but…it’s been slightly enlightening. Which is mostly just a phrase I wanted to use because I like the way it sounds. I’ll get back to you on this cookie experiment later…

Ahem.

2010-01-14T18:16:00.001-08:00

I haven't abandoned anything! I don't care what they say. But until I can get it all back together (um...the tree is still up. Christmas presents are still ungifted...and there are two big boxes full of stuff from the east coast in the middle of the floor. Not to mention the suitcases that need to be put away, the thank you notes that need to be written and the dusting...oh god the dusting!...that needs to be done)...

Hellllllllo Nurse. Nice to see ya, Doctor!

Until then, gaze adoringly at the Ninth Doctor as John Lennon. How could that be any better? Maybe if he was holding a fluffy bunny or perhaps a Publisher's Clearing House check made out in my name...or maybe just a cupcake.

I'll be back. I have a list of the books I read in 2009. A rundown of People's Sexiest Men (no, seriously, I wrote it THAT long ago), some commentary on candy making, and why I don't like baking cookies...oh all kinds of lovely things! It will be delightful. Really, it will!

Prunes.

2009-11-20T18:28:00.000-08:00

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!

Versus.

2009-10-27T19:29:00.000-07:00

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…

Comparisons.

2009-10-27T19:05:00.000-07:00

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?

Music.

2009-10-05T17:50:00.000-07:00

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:

“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.

Meanwhile...

2009-09-24T18:06:00.001-07:00

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.

Smoke.

2009-08-28T16:18:00.001-07:00

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.

Flu-ent.

2009-08-14T17:59:00.001-07:00

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!

Cheer.

2009-07-21T18:48:00.000-07:00

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?

Management.

2009-07-06T17:33:00.000-07:00

*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.

Facon.

2009-06-15T18:28:00.000-07:00

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.

Things.

2009-05-28T15:49:00.000-07:00

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..."

Advice.

2009-05-05T18:11:00.000-07:00

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.

Then.

2009-05-05T18:07:00.000-07:00

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).

Ketchup.

2009-04-22T17:26:00.000-07:00

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.

Menu.

2009-04-09T17:24:00.000-07:00

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.

Bits.

2009-04-06T18:23:00.000-07:00

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.

Shaped.

2009-03-30T17:44:00.000-07:00

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

Semi.

2009-03-25T18:47:00.000-07:00

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?)

Hi.

2009-03-24T18:51:00.000-07:00

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.

Crispy.

2009-03-04T17:57:00.001-08:00

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…

Baked.

2009-02-24T18:15:00.000-08:00

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...

Justice.

2009-02-20T16:16:00.000-08:00

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...

Dammit.

2009-02-11T22:55:00.000-08:00

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.

Fluke.

2009-02-03T17:33:00.000-08:00

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.

Post.

2009-02-03T17:21:00.000-08:00

Sorry. I've been doing my civic duty for five days and foresee at least five more. I'll be back in touch if and when it's done. Until then...

New cards are available in the store. For the not quite ordinary Valentine.

Quick.

2009-02-03T17:07:00.001-08:00

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.

Playlist.

2009-01-16T17:42:00.001-08:00

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.

Movie.

2009-01-14T16:33:00.000-08:00

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.

Read.

2009-01-08T16:26:00.000-08:00

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.

Beginning.

2009-01-07T17:17:00.000-08:00

Getting back to normal here..slowly. I had a nice Christmas visit with my family, a safe and uneventful trip back and now I am here..raring to…yeah…not so much. But hey, it’s a new year and there are new things to do and…sleep. I slept plenty at my mom’s house. Yeah, I know that the EMFs from that electric blanket are bad for me but man do I love a cozy bed! And it’s really cold in my room, so it’s kind of necessary.

New Year’s Eve was spent showering, kissing the cat at midnight and going to bed. The husband represented at a party that I would have liked to attend but just couldn’t. Too exhausted (got in from east coast at 10:30 pm).

Oh and hey, the new year has started off nicely in a different way. I made it into my first etsy treasury. That is, for those not in the know, a “curated” selection of items that the curator finds particularly interesting. My bee cards were listed in a bee themed treasury. The cards were originally designed last year as Valentines and are still available in the shop. They are…well…kind of goofy. I have a fondness for bees and puns so…you know..there you go.

OH! For those of you playing along, a NEW DOCTOR has been named. I have seen him in a few things but at this point, I don’t really have an opinion on him. I was pulling for an older doctor but what do I know? If you've seen the Phillip Pullman adaptations done for the BBC starring Billie Piper...one was called something like The Ruby in the Smoke, then you've seen Matthew Smith. He was fine. He's a stage actor primarily and he's 26 years old. So...there you go. We'll see.

Gossip.

2008-12-19T17:29:00.000-08:00

Well, hello there...

Some small things of note:

If you have been following the Doctor Who saga of “who is the next who”, you may be interested in some things I have read, which I won’t link, because I am lazy…

James Nesbitt is not currently “the one” but apparently, David Tennant thinks he should be and tells reporters to go congratulate Nesbitt on his new role. Mean boy!

Robert Carlyle is amazing…but I don’t know if I want him as my new doctor. On the other hand…Robert Carlyle. He is, however, signed to be on a new Stargate show, so I'm thinking no.

Rumors abound about the first female doctor. It is my understanding that it has already been established that Time Lords do not change sex when they regenerate. But I could be wrong and anything is possible. Billie Piper has been mentioned as the first female doctor but that’s just silly, and now, everyone is stumping for their favorite girl. Jennifer Saunders? Nah. Joanna Lumley? Nah, although, she did play the female doctor in a one-off, charity video a number of years ago. Sophie Okonedo? Hey, wait a minute…that’s interesting. She's already a part of the team as she's done some voice acting for...Scream of the Shalka, I think. But it gets better. Russell T. Davies has mentioned his interest (although he no longer really has a say) in Catherine Zeta Jones (meh) or…Lesley Sharpe. HOLDIT! If I’m gonna have a female doctor, you have just found her. Lesley Sharpe, if you have watched the most recent season, appeared in the “Midnight” episode as “Sky Silvestry” who was inhabited by the alien/presence that mimicked everything? Remember? Remember how she was creepy as hell? Well, yeah, that’s what she’s good at. And I love her. So if you gotta go for a lady, please do go for her. If you ever see her series "Afterlife" playing on BBCAmerica...dude, it's awesome. So, you know, if we gotta go female, let's do it right. (Also, she has a history with these guys, so that's good).

I think the current buzz is David Morrissey (again, someone with connections to the show and the writers and producers) and you know, that don't hurt, that don't hurt at all.

Oh, ok here, here’s one link with some (fake) info.

Ok, enough of that…well, one more thing. In my humble opinion, despite my deep love for the last two doctors (nine more than ten), I think we need a less sexy doctor for a while. Remember, he started out as an older man. There’s no reason he can’t be that again. It brings a different dynamic to the show and one I think is sorely needed at the moment.

OK, what else?

Pecan pie truffles. Done. Haven’t tried one since they got coated in chocolate but they seemed ok. They aren’t true truffles and I had to adapt the recipe a bit to make them work but…we’ll see what people think.

Chocolate mint brownies. Done. To be gifted this evening.

Gingerbread Cupcakes….
Yeah…I ran out of sugar. I don’t know why I was so underprepared but there you go. No sugar. No cupcakes. But I will be making them in January because dammit, I really want them!

Shopping? Done.
West Coast Christmas? Done. I got a Roomba! Groovy. And lots and lots of books and cds. Excellent. And the complete Nero Wolfe series with Timothy Hutton. THANK YOU!

East Coast Christmas? Leaving on Sunday. Wish me luck.

Have a happy whatever and a merry new year. See ya on the other side…I hope.

Blending in.

Done.

2008-12-17T17:51:00.000-08:00

Well, sort of done.

Bourbon balls (sounds uncomfortable)?
Check.
Guinness Truffles?
Check.
Whisky caramels?
Check.
Guinness Cupcakes?
Check.
Gingerbread cupcakes?
…
No.
Brownies?
…
No.
Pecan Pie Truffles?
…
Look, I’m only human…well…mostly human.

Many packages have been mailed (keep an eye out). No presents have been wrapped though. And right now, right this very minute. I am tired. All of the sudden and quite decidedly. But hey, it’s getting there. Although I am doubting that those gingerbread cupcakes will show up before I leave.

And for the record, let me tell you about making caramel. I like to do it. It’s one of my favorite things to make, but be warned, caramel is extreme cooking. It’s candy napalm waiting to happen. Boiling sugar? Oh hell yeah that’s dangerous. But, what you may not think about (but believe me, I do) is that when you add cream to boiling sugar, you get a hot volcano of death. So far I have survived but I can’t say that the eruption doesn’t scare the bejeezus out of me. Luckily, this Whisky caramel recipe doesn’t call for cream. Instead it calls for whisky. Which also boils up violently when added to hot sugar. Except, it sort of…growls at you first. There is a distinct grumbling sound and then the insane bubbling starts. I was expecting the insane bubbling…I was not expecting the prelude of deep angry sounds. I am glad they warned me to step away. I was in the process of stepping away anyway but man did I JUMP when the caramel started making that noise.

Finally, randomly…I was thinking the other day about the Peanuts, the Tao of Pooh and identifying oneself with a cartoon character…don’t ask why. But when I was in college, all those years ago, The Tao of Pooh was a very popular freshman sort of things to read. My friends and I realized that we all fit into the mold of a Winnie the Pooh character and really lead our lives in the manner of those characters. Then I realized that I also fit into the mold of one particular Peanuts character, who also just happens to be my favorite Peanuts character as well. So, I’m asking you…which Pooh character and which Peanuts character do you think I am…and which are you?

Hmmm...also, just noticed that this is my 499th post. That's kind of interesting...

Things.

2008-12-11T17:30:00.000-08:00

A few random things:

I watched Alvin and the Chipmunks. It wasn’t as bad as I imagined. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t good, but I’ve seen much, much worse (*ahem* I’m looking at you Grinch who ruined my belief in all that is good in the world). Yeah, there is that disturbing “raisin” joke but, I can see why an 8 year old might like it. That’s my review, “Reasonably watchable if you are eight.”

I read “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”. I am a fan of F. Scott Fitzgerald but for the life of me, I couldn’t remember if I had read this before, because, in my ever so humble opinion, it’s not his best work. I found it depressing and discomforting, if well written. I fail to see how you get a…90 minute? 120 minute, more likely, “romance” out of a story that, to me, was about aging, birth and how the very young and very old are treated. And how callous we can be in the middle. Whatever. I probably wouldn’t go see it anyway. My cat, however, might. Have I mentioned that she is obsessed with Brad Pitt? Seriously, she has her own dvd of Fight Club. If he’s on the televison, she will stop and watch and the only other thing she seems to watch is cartoons. Personally, I am very interested in “Nothing Like the Holidays” because it stars John Leguizamo, who is either a rich genius who just does whatever the hell he wants or is a seriously underused and undervalued actor. AND Alfred Molina. Who is one of the future ex Mr. “This is so silly”s. Dude, he made Doc Ock hot. What can I say?

I thought I had all my Christmas shopping done. I was, of course, wrong. It’s down to those little things. Gift certificates, gift baskets. Things that I put off until the last minute (last paycheck). Close…so close.

I also thought I had my Christmas mix done. I was so very close this morning. It seemed a little depressing and I was trying to see if I could weave a few cheerful songs in and…um…I accidentally deleted the playlist. Oops. Well, it’s given me a chance to rethink and cheer it up. So…anyone want a Christmas mix cd? I’d be willing to trade for something similar…when I get it done…it’s so close….

It’s down to parties and candy making now. Three…possibly four, liquor enriched sweets. Guinness truffles, single malt caramels, bourbon balls and…if time permits, rum enriched pecan pie truffles. No time for any others this year. Oh but I did get suckered into making some cupcakes. I am thinking gingerbread w/lemon butter cream (faux buttercream, that is).

I’m sure there’s more to be said, but I’m not the one to say it.

Reminders.

2008-12-04T18:07:00.000-08:00

The deadline is near. Enter the Paperlotus Holiday Giveaway. It’s easy and it would make me happy. Don’t you want me to be happy?

If you are shopping (I am done save a few gift certificates, a bottle of booze and one dvd set that I may or may not purchse) don’t forget to check out retailmenot.com for coupons and shipping codes and if they fail you, although it seems rare that they do, google the store in which you are shopping and “coupon”. I saved at least $20 dollars this morning on some books that were presents…for me. But still.

Giveaway.

2008-12-01T22:12:00.000-08:00

Oh I had plans. I had big plans. Four days off, no guests for Thanksgiving dinner? Plans, baby. Clean house. Trip to the storage unit. Christmas decorations. Yep. Big plans.

What? Oh, you want to know what got done? Um…well…my desk is a lot cleaner. And my kitchen floor. But that's about it. Oh there was cooking. There was turkey and stuffing and and roasted Brussels sprouts and sweet potato casserole. There was sticky toffee pudding and pumpkin pie. There were even emergency muffins made late last night when I realized there was no real breakfast food in the house and that I am done, DONE, with turkey. But there are no christmas decorations up. There are a few sitting on the table in the dining room (also known as my office, also known as the other side of the living room). There are plenty more in the storage unit. But no tree. Not yet. Maybe next weekend.

Oh, next weekend…there is a craft show. Tallmouse hosts the Handmade Brigade, which the Tired Girls attended in the summer and enjoyed very much. So, you know, if you find yourself in Cerritos, stop by. I'll have a soy peppermint mocha, no whip please. And if you are feeling generous, make it a grande. Thanks.

In the meanwhile, I have a suggestion for you. See, there is this other blog…the PaperLotus blog, where you may have seen my musings on artsy things. Well, we are having a little holiday giveaway over there. All you need to do is stop by and follow the instructions which pretty much boil down to: choose something you like from the store and post a comment with a link to it. Simple, right? And who knows, you might win something. So please do. Besides, we love the company. And sometimes I say something over there that's not so stupid. And we like to talk about art and craft, so maybe you'll enjoy it.

Toast.

2008-11-18T18:41:00.000-08:00

I am going to be completely honest with you here. I am burnt. And crispy. Like toast. Burnt, crispy, toast. Or bacon. Overdone. Uncomfortably crunchy. No, let’s go with toast. I like toast. I don’t care so much for the bacon. I am toast.

It’s been a busy three or four weeks around here. Traveling, birthdaying, premiering, Felt Clubbing, and having a cold has taken it out of me. Add on the poor air quality due to the fires and I am left a crispy outer shell with very little inside. But you know what? I am left, and my home is intact (messy, but intact) and all my people are ok, so I guess being burnt out, is a lot better than some of the alternatives around here right now.

Felt Club was good. I think we were pretty successful. We always get nice people visiting us and this time was no exception. And hey, there were also people we sort of know. Friends and internet buddies stopped by and that was lovely. I bought stuff that I don’t need but want anyway and that too was lovely. An adorable “soap dish” that is destined to become a display stand for the perfect cupcake, a very excellent print of a bat, a charming watercolor, a nice little bag…probably some other things that I am not remembering. It was big and it was loud and it was crowded and it was fun but on top of everything else, it was pretty exhausting.

And besides that, I had, AGAIN, this weird blushing problem. See, I am pretty shy. I do blush quite a lot when I have to talk to strangers but usually, it’s like, in a classroom situation, or being singled out from a crowd, which I guess is not really that strange, right? That’s a normal reponse, to blush when put on the spot. But here, it happened twice, no…three times during conversations that I instigated. And when I blush, I get really embarrassed. Which is kind of the opposite of how it’s supposed to work, right? But yet again, while talking to a very pleasant artist that I am fond of, I felt my cheeks flare red and I hightailed it out of there. And again when I spoke to a handbag designer and yet again while talking to a cartoonist. Now, partially I can say that I get bashful because these people are good at what they do and I feel a wee bit tiny next to them, but you know, I feel a wee bit tiny next to pretty much everyone, so…I don’t know. Any one have any ideas on combating that creeping flush?

Anyway, now it’s on to one more craft show, this one a smaller deal, but a very nice one, I am looking forward to that. And there’s a little bit of work to be done for it, but nothing too scary. And there’s thanksgiving. Which I thought was two weeks away. And I was wrong. So…yeah. And apparently I am cooking for all of you, so I guess I need to go shopping. And for the record, we usually have Pilsbury orange rolls from a tube for Thanksgiving breakfast. Years ago I would make beautiful cinnamon rolls or muffins or something lovely and take it to my girlfriend’s house. We would eat sweets and drink coffee and go off to our alma mater’s football game and it was a lovely tradition. Until her husband said “Wow, these are good cinnamon rolls, way better than yours, honey.” Thus ended the Thanksgiving breakfast…well and I moved away so…you know. But it’s orange rolls this year, so come early if you are into that (Brenda).

Dinner.

2008-11-13T17:07:00.000-08:00

At the moment, the thinking is this:

roast turkey stuffed with:
bread stuffing with sage
sweet potato casserole
roasted brussels sprouts with garlic
crescent rolls (can’t help myself)

And for dessert:
chocolate tart with hazelnut crust

But I am sure that I will feel guilty for not making a pumpkin pie and overcompensate with some kind of pumpkin cupcake or cookie or…pie.

Also watch for hors d’oeuvres to be added, as well as various side dishes as I start to worry about not having a “thanksgiving” feeling…for two people. I’d say you’ll probably see the appearance (or at least the consideration) of: deviled eggs, cheese and olive platter, pastry wrapped olives, cheese straws, home made breads, another vegetable, possibly a salad, corn bread to replace rolls from a tube, various wines (although I am the only one that drinks them), ice cream to go with whatever kinds of pies, and as long as I am making ice cream, maybe I should just go ahead and make chocolate chip mint, since that’s his favorite, and since I don’t eat ice cream, maybe I should make some soy cream too…

Yeah, I always start with the best intentions.

Aren't you thankful that Thanksgiving cards are available in the store?

Ugh.

2008-11-11T17:55:00.000-08:00

Feeling a bit weary at the moment due to a cold that I received for my birthday. Yay. Thanks. Don’t know where it came from but I literally felt it arrive. I was talking to a friend’s mother and aunt and my nose started to tickle. At first I thought it was an allergic reaction to some perfume but no, it was a wicked little sniffle. I’ve been trying to kill it off with loads of vitamin c and some elderberry stuff and truth be told, I’ve had much worse. Today, however, I feel pretty uggy.

Still I had several nice dinners out over the weekend. Several cakes (no, seriously…several cakes), received many excellent gifts and one cold and it was a really nice way to get older (except for the cold). And I am old. But not bothered by it. I think I’ll save that post for another day though.

Anyway, things are in high gear around here for Felt Club. I have not done nearly enough cutting and folding and packing and ironing and what have you so it’s really not going to settle down before Sunday. And then we have another show on the sixth at Tallmouse in Cerritos, the Handmade Brigade. So, you know, please do stop by if you are in the neighborhood. And if you are not…here’s one of the new Christmas cards…

I dunno, I am kind of fond of her. I think she’s cute but I also think she’s kind of…creepy…what do you say?

Sexy.

2008-11-04T19:12:00.000-08:00

So I just read saw through Boing Boing via Defamer that we are not the only childish, immature people to make the “I Farted” sticker, which I never really doubted anyway. I am pretty sure we were the only people to have the “I’m Hammy” sticker though.

And I forgot to mention some of the costumes I saw on Halloween. Actually, I was kind of concerned at first because I kept seeing people that could have been in costume or could have just been, you know…kind of…off. I saw a woman that I thought was dressed up as a 70’s lady. Bell bottoms, wedge heels, cute scarf at her neck and big sunglasses, but the bad wig threw me off…it wasn’t bad in a good costume way, it was more bad in a “I accidentally shaved my hair off and all I could find to put on my head was this dead cat” kind of way. So I got confused. Then there was the guy who could have been dressed as a golfer, or possibly a hip-hop moguls umbrella carrier or…he could just really like obnoxiously argyle sweaters. Dunno.

But the best bad costume, by far was worn by a teenage girl. As I was driving home I encountered a little pack of them. I’d guess they were 15 or so but I find that I can’t really tell with teenagers, especially in L.A. they could have been 12 for all I know, either way, they looked a little too old to be trick-or-treating, but there they were with pillowcases. There was the sexy Native American, the sexy nurse, the sexy punk and my all-time personal favorite…sexy Marilyn Monroe.

Seriously? You had to shorten the skirt on that iconic white dress? You had to make the neckline even lower? And how old are you anyway? Does your mother know you are dressed like that? Sexy Marilyn? Really? Just…don’t you…I…oh never mind.

And Janet, the recipe for the cheeseless mac and cheez was from here. I didn’t use green beans, I had chard on the side, and I was profoundly slap-dash with my measuring…and I used whole wheat pasta because that’s what I had. But it worked out just fine. And it took, like, no time at all.

Sticker.

2008-11-04T12:29:00.000-08:00

I, too got up and voted this morning. No real wait at my polling place which I refer to as “some dude’s garage.” That kind of drives me nuts as I think all polling places should be public buildings but I guess we really do need every available space. I let an elderly couple go ahead of me, I was in no real rush and they actually arrived before me but walked very slowly.

So, when I lived in New Jersey, we didn’t get the little sticker, I’m not sure that they do now either, but here in L.A. we get an “I Voted” sticker and hopefully, I will see a lot of them today. However, if you voted by mail you won’t have one, so please feel free to print yourself one of these…

Heh. Sorry, I work with children, by which I mean, I work with a bunch of boys who wanted me to make this for them a few years ago. There was, at one time, an “I’m Canadian” sticker and one that said “I’m Hammy” for my friend Hammy. But really, this is the one that is most effective. And gross.

And in other news, I made vegan mac and cheese (which had no actual cheese, hence the cheez) and it was…surprisingly…good. More than edible in fact. Jason claims it was delicious but Jason claims all my food is delicious and I know for a fact that it is not. Still, I was impressed by how easily the recipe came together and how flexible it could be, and still be vegan. On the other hand, I also made some cinnamon rolls. And they didn’t work. And I knew as I was making them that they wouldn’t but I went ahead anyway. It was mostly my fault, but the recipe is slightly suspect as well. But like I said, as was making them I was thinking, this flour isn’t gonna work, and this milk is too hot, and that’s too much yeast and not enough rising time…ah well. It happens.

Boo!

2008-10-31T11:15:00.001-07:00

One of the Halloween cards in the store this year. We also have some Thanksgiving. And Christmas too...you know, if you want to get ahead there...

Enjoy your candy and costumes. I am actually thinking about watching a "horror-ish" movie tonight. And possibly making some chocolate cupcakes with pumpkin buttercream icing. You can knock on the door if you want but I don't have any candy and I probably won't answer. Or if I do, you're getting the left over ketchup packets from El Pollo Loco. Sorry.

McCain.

2008-10-28T18:40:00.000-07:00

So I wrote a whole post on what I thought about Barak Obama’s campaign logo and in the interest of being even-handed, I need to say something about John McCain’s logo. Here’s the thing…he doesn’t really have much of one, does he? And to me, that’s kind of a problem. See, this is a visual world. Sadly, a lot of people either can’t or don’t read. And that’s their choice or their burden I guess, but when it comes to selling something, you really gotta stand out. You have to be visual. We all know this, don’t we? We’ve seen the studies that kids recognize the McDonald’s Golden Arches logo before they recognize their own names in writing. Sales and marketing matter, especially when we are talking about politics.

Now, I don’t want to say that McCain has NO logo, he does, it’s a star…so I guess what I am saying is “not much of a logo”. On the other hand, it’s a very traditional symbol for presidential elections. And I think some effort has been made to select a specific type of star. In fact, I have looked high and low (ok, not high and low, I have looked around a BIT) for the meaning of that type of star and I still have not found it, but I have seen it referred to as a “naval star” so I am thinking that it was chosen to remind us of Senator McCain’s military career. More recently I have seen it referred to as a “maverick star” which is actually the name of a type of geranium so I think it’s a bit of a misnomer there.

Anyway, we have a…let’s call it a beveled star. It’s a very traditional image, it has military connections and, if you are thinking sneaky, it’s become very popular with a younger generation for use as a tattoo. So maybe that was the philosophy? Nah, doubt it. The star is either white or yellow on a field of either black or blue and there are embellishments on either side in a matching color. That’s not a very good description is it? Well like I said, it’s not much of a logo.

If I were a designer for the campaign I’d be a little annoyed. There’s not really a lot one can do with this. But, on the flip side, it is very traditional, very timeless and very…political looking. There are some attempts to adapt the image but I am not sure how good they are. In one case the blue or black background was replaced with green and the star was replaced with a shamrock. Really? I get that he is a “MC”, I was once a MC too, but we’re not talking Kennedy here, are we? Is the Irish American population really behind him? Hmmm…looks like there is. And that he actively courted them. Annnnyway, that has nothing really to do with the design elements. I just wanted to mention that the adaptations of his very traditional logo were, for me, at best questionable. I feel like they diluted the design unlike Obama design being enhanced by the adaptation, but that is because the Obama design still remains center. If you replace the star in the McCain logo with anything, you have effectively changed the entire logo. So, in this case, I think it’s safe to say that the simplicity of the logo is just as much it’s downfall. And the changing of color, from black and white to blue and yellow, also dilutes the image. It is, in other words, not an effective branding.

A little more searching reveals yet more color changes. “Women for McCain” adds fancy pink text on a white background (tsk, what a stereotype!), while “Sportsmen for McCain” is green and yellow. And while I agree that foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of…whatever, I don’t think this is working.

I tried to be impartial here. And to be fair, I am honestly only talking about design, not the actual campaigns, but I think these designs tell a lot about the candidates. One is fresh, well thought out and adaptable. The other is very traditional, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but when it is changed, even in the slightest, it ceases to be representative or useful.

So here’s my point. Design is important, even when you don’t realize it.

Genius.

2008-10-24T19:05:00.000-07:00

Well, OK iTunes Genius…not bad, not bad at all…except for the Feist tune…gotta delete that one…

Black Grass-Gary Louris
Paperback Bible-Lambchop
John Saw That Number-Neko Case
Everybody Daylight-Brightblack Morning Light
Let's Get Out Of This Country-Camera Obscura
Is It Like Today?-World Party
Another Sunny Day-Belle & Sebastian
Woman King-Iron & Wine
All I Need-Radiohead
Fake Empire-The National
Marry Song-Band Of Horses
Wraith Pinned to the Mist and Other Games-Of Montreal
Naked As We Came-Iron & Wine
She Only Calls Me On Sundays-Gary Louris
Girlfriend-Matthew Sweet
Your Heart Is An Empty Room-Death Cab For Cutie
I Got You-Split Enz
Satellite-Guster
Either Way-Wilco
Two Silver Trees-Calexico
The Swish-The Hold Steady
Can't Say No-The Helio Sequence
Freeway-Aimee Mann
Let's Dance-M Ward
My Moon My Man-Feist

Leaving town is always pleasant…almost always anyway. But returning can be…well, first off, my husband enlisted a friend to pick me up from the airport because it was the first game of the world series and he wasn’t about to miss his beloved Phillies. Fair enough, I don’t know what would keep me from picking him up at the airport but I guess it’s fair game now, isn’t it? Had a nice long talk with said friend on the way though since we were stuck in traffic for quite a bit. That’s how Los Angeles welcomes you home. And then, in the morning, it reminds you again how much it missed you with a two hour drive to work. Fire on the mountain and all that. And a fire on the off ramp as well. Sigh. I did think about turning around and going home but even that would have been another two hour drive I think.

And then, no surprises here, it was about an hour and forty-five minutes to get home. My knee actually feels weak from all the stop and start driving. Yeesh. This morning? Much better, and I drove through the area which had burned. It was kind of spooky. Black and charred and smelling of barbeque. Eerie. This was a case where no homes or businesses were lost and that’s good. The landscape is torched but that’s not so bad, it will grow back and it took care of some of the underbrush. Still, it was close to home and unnerving.

But the trip east (did I mention I was making a surprise trip east? For my mom’s birthday? No? Well…SURPRISE!) was darn pleasant. Everything went off without a hitch. Mom was surprised and her big spectacular birthday cake, a present from my dad at the request of mom, was big and spectacular. She seemed to enjoy her present and the surprise of me sitting in the kitchen when she arrived home from church. Everyone was healthy and reasonably happy and really what more could you ask for? I even spent a morning at a “living heritage” museum hanging out with a spinner, the blacksmith and some ladies in funny dresses.

Sadly, I was apparently not missed much on the east coast. I arrived at work this morning and was greeted by “Did you get that calendar that I left on your desk?” “Um…I just got here”, I replied. “Yeah but did you get it yesterday?” “Uh…no…I wasn’t here yesterday…or the day before…I’ve been gone for almost a week…” “Really?”

Thanks for noticing.

Nice

2008-10-16T13:45:00.001-07:00

We all have our pet peeves about the written language. Colleen made hers clear today, she hates the “e.e. cummings” fakery in which I happily indulge. I don’t capitalize. Well, I do, kind of. You’ll see I capitalize here, but that’s because I write everything in Word and it does most of it for me. And that annoys me. My handwriting is a mix of printed and cursive and is, for the most part, lowercase. And when I type an email or leave a comment it’s all lower case. For me it’s a threefold excuse, which I gave to Colleen. 1) I type faster and better without a shift lock. 2) As I said, my handwriting is pretty much all lower case and that is because 3) when I was a kid I got in trouble for mixing my printed and curvise letters. And because I am a pain the ass, I decided to go full throttle and piss of the teacher by not capitalizing as well. It was a choice I made and one I have stuck with all these years.

Now, to be honest, I don’t write everything lowercase. I don’t write formal letters, resumes or term papers that way. I wouldn’t because it’s not the “accepted norm” and no matter how much I call myself a rebel or an artist, I know what is appropriate and what is not and although I didn’t mind losing points in fifth grade, nowadays I am less…of a pain. SoI guess that makes me pretty half-assed. No surprise. But I also don’t do a lot of the “accepted norm” in my writing because I want to have a particular voice and style. I use a lot of ellipses because I think I talk with a lot of ellipses, I pause and think a lot. I sometimes write out my stammer, because I sometimes stammer. This is my voice, written down. If I could get the Minnie Mouse tone, I certainly would write that too.

We all have pet peeves. I’m sorry if you don’t like the way I write my emails and letters to you, but you know…I’m probably not going to change. On the other hand, I remember once saying that I would never begin a sentence with “and.” And look at me now. I also remember being told that a sentence must never, EVER begin with the word “but”. But look how different things are. NEWSPAPERS DO IT! I suspect that someday, when ink is more expensive or everything is monospaced type, we will all write in all lowercase or all uppercase. Because I really do believe that the written language is not as steadfast as we once thought. So many rules of writing and grammar are pretty much…arbitrary. A lot of the rules of grammar and writing come from a language that has been long dead to most of us (ahem…that would be Latin, a language I actually studied in school…I’m not saying I did well, I am only saying that I studied it…). And despite the fact that many people don’t believe in evolution, we can see the process at work in language. Did you know, for example, that a synonym for the word “nice” is “foolish”? (Yeeeeah, I learned that one on my English GRE). I would venture to guess that the average person does not use that word in that fashion anymore. I was once told by a medieval literature professor that the original pronunciation of the word “asked” is actually much closer to the much reviled “axed” as in, “I axed you a question!” How many times have you shuddered when you heard someone say that? Ain’t is in the dictionary (but spell check is telling me it’s wrong), certain commas are optional, no one uses two spaces after a period when typing anymore (or they shouldn’t, anyway).

None of this is a very good defense for my lack of capitalization in emails, I’ll write that off to a stylistic choice, much like any one who writes in ALL CAPITAL LETTERS, WHICH DRIVES ME CRAZY. We all have our foibles, and clearly I have more than my share.

And for the record, my linguistic/literary pet peeve? People who insist they are incensed by improper grammar but misuse words. Technical literacy over actual literacy? I don’t know how to explain that but I am a big fan of the dictionary. I look up any word that I suspect that I may be using incorrectly so I am pretty unforgiving when other people don’t. We all have our thing. That one is mine. Get your own.

Obama.

2008-10-10T16:24:00.001-07:00

I don’t generally talk about politics publicly. I have pretty specific views and I want people to feel free to tell me their views before I open fire on them. No, no, just kidding. I think everyone is entitled to their political views and I am interested in differing opinions, but I tend to keep mine to myself. Like Luanne from King of the Hill once said, “If I tell you who I voted for it won’t come true.” So I don’t. But there is one thing in the current campaign for President that has really caught my attention and I want to talk about it. It’s um…logo design.

You heard me. Logo design. You’d think what with the millions of dollars they spend on all this political stuff, logo design would be pretty important, right? I mean, it’s the very branding of an idea and an ideal as well. It’s gonna show up on every thing you get from a candidate, on every ad, every sign, every tee shirt. It needs to have impact and it needs to make a very specific statement. At least, that’s how I would see it if I had to design one.

It’s kind of surprising me though. I talked to several people about it while I was writing this and they looked at me like I was perhaps a slightly wee tiny bit crazy. Me, I swear I see this design everywhere and I know I see it on a daily basis, but when I mentioned it to other people, they didn’t really get what I was talking about. Does no one else see what I see?

Clearly, someone else has thought about this as well because since the first time I saw the Obama logo, I have been marveling at it. It is a lovely little design that makes quite a significant statement and no matter your political views, I think you probably have noticed it and probably thought about it without realizing that you are even thinking about it. In short, I think it’s good design. I might go so far as to say that I think it’s excellent design.

Let me refresh your memory, or, if you have been living under a rock for the past year or so…here:

I remember seeing this logo on a bumper sticker at least a year ago and commenting to my husband, “Man that is an intriguing, thoughtful design.” And he said “Hunh? What design?” and I ignored him. But that’s neither here nor there. The first thing that struck me was the use of the red, white and LIGHT blue color scheme. It’s the light blue that’s important here, isn’t it? It’s a way of showing hey, we’re American, we’re united but um…we’re a little different too. We’re brighter. Cheerier. Light blue is a HOPEFUL color, isn’t it? Dark blue can be mysterious or serious or even depressing, but light blue is the sky, endless and boundless and natural. Even the red is a slightly brighter red than we typically see used in the language of politics. This red is a little more candy red.

And then there’s the shape. Most obviously there is an O for Obama. But the “O” here is used as an opening, a doorway. We are invited to look through it. In the case of this particular campaign, I think it is intended that we see the O as a type of window to a future. Perhaps the opposing party would point out that there is nothing beyond the O and that this perceived future is blank. If I were a spin doctor, I think I’d say “Not blank. It is yet to be written by the PEOPLE. The future can be what we want it to be.”

And for my part, I like circles. I am willing to bet if you took a survey most people would choose a circle over a square. Even though, in this case, the circle is an initial, I think it may be a very calculated choice. Looking back at previous presidential races, I don’t find a lot of logos that incorporate the intital of the candidate. There are a few notable exceptions, Hubert Hortario Humphrey, which, c’mon, that’s too good too pass up. HHH. And…W. However, it would appear that the W. was adopted for his second campaign. Hmm…something else I am just now noticing is that most presidential candidates tend to use stars in their logo…no stars here (although the Mr. McCain uses one, something I think I will address on another day). But back to circles. Typically, the circle in design invokes certain ideas. The circle is never ending, it is also enclosing, like a hug perhaps. It is universal symbol for unity and wholeness. Aaaaaaand…it’s the first letter in the name Obama. Go figure. But THEY (the designers) DIDN’T HAVE TO USE IT. Personally, I think it’s very clever of them that they did.

Finally there are red stripes, a design element familiar to Americans. But in the case of the Obama logo the stripes appear to be in motion, moving off away into something new, but NOT into the O, alongside the O. Hmmm….very interesting. And you’ll notice that the stripes carry off the logo but do not rise up…there is only the gentlest of curves. No hill to be climbed, just a little bump to get over. And in the center, where the stripes meet the openness of the O there’s a little lens flare. A bit of a shine perhaps. A brightness. A glow.

The design is simple and elegant and even better, well, better for the campaign’s designers, it lends itself to adaptation. Change the red stripes to a rainbow and voila! You get something new and significant. Veterans have added stars, Asian American and Pacific Islanders have added a lotus style pattern, and check out the Republicans for Obama button!

I gotta say, this, to me, is an excellent logo. It says a lot with out really saying anything at all. And I bet if you asked the designer “What was your intention here?” he/she’d say, “What do YOU see in it.” Or maybe I’m just crazy, but I suspect not. Not in this case anyway.

Contrite.

2008-10-07T18:35:00.000-07:00

Ahem. I have been…scolded by Brenda. Well, she had her coffee in the Los Angeles mug this morning and used that as an excuse to gently encourage me to “get to posting” so here I am…posting.

I don’t make excuses when I don’t post because…well, it’s my blog and I’ll post if I want to but how can I not post when she drinks from the L.A. mug? Truth be told, all has not been quiet on this western front. Lots of things being made and fixed and cupaked and oh, I don’t know. Just lots of stuff. And I’ve been writing a lot, but then not posting it. Essays sort of. And random ones at that. One, that I will post shortly on the Obama campaign and branding. One on reading gothic literature. One on…well, I don’t know. But there’s a lot of things turning around in my brain that are bound to make an appearance soon. Until then, a few other things…

-My BFF recently helped start up an all new company in her field and it’s been a bit of a bear. It’s been a really good bear, but a really stressful bear too. I wanted to do something to mark the occasion for her but was kind of at a loss. When she told me that she would finally have her own office space, I decided to build a box o’ cool office stuff for her. I found some great post-it’s from KNOCK KNOCK, a funny cigarette pen for those really stressful times, great notebook and planner from Cherry Bomb Squad, a cool business card holder made from sock monkey fabric…but something was missing. I wanted her to have some art for her new walls but I couldn’t really find anything I liked, or that was the right size so I made her a version of the “Keep calm and carry on” poster that’s been going around the design blogs. If you’ve not seen this poster it looks like this:

It’s basically a British propaganda poster from World War Two. Well, propaganda in the sense that it was meant to reassure the public that eventually all would be well. And it’s kind of comforting. It didn’t originally come in pink but my friend likes pink so…but also, I wanted it to match my response to the original poster.

She says she hasn’t put my version up at work but only because she doesn’t want to offend anyone…yet.

-There’s also been a lot of cupcakes lately. Both vegan and non-vegan. And while chocolate cupcakes remain my favorite, man, when you can cram a cookie into a cupcake…that’s a serious dessert. Now to get some candy bars in there..

-I’ve been doing a follow along read at Austenprose of Northanger Abbey. I am a fan of Jane Austen anyway and I have read NA before but I am really enjoying it this time around. I have always found it to be the hardest Austen to get into because it’s a different type of humor than her other novels. See, this one is a parody of Gothic novels and not being a big fan of Gothics, I always felt a little lost. For whatever reason, it’s really clicking with me this time and I am enjoying it immensely. So much that I have just ordered some classic Gothic novels to help fill in the blanks. I also did a bit of research into Gothic novels and discovered some interesting ideas that really put me back in the mood for study and research, which in turn makes me want to read more, which then makes me want to buy a Kindle. I’m holding out for the next version but the more I read about them the more intrigued I get.

-I watched the VP nominee debate with a twitter feed over it. It was…well, it was about what you’d expect, a lot of people not saying much, but those who had something worthhile to say, did. What I found really interesting though was the idea. If I could watch a debate with some interesting policial pundits, commenting in real time, and not having to speak over the debaters…or even…you know, it would be really interesting to hear just a few, well spoken (or typed) average people commenting on it. I’d like to know what other people, people who aren’t my friends, or people with different political views see when the nominees speak without it all end up in one big shouting match. It’s an interesting application for social networking technology and I’d like to see what could be done with it.

-Finally, there has been much preparation for craft fairs. But not enough. So back to that. But here is one new thanksgiving design that I kind of get a kick out of. If you like it, it should appear in the shop shortly.

Arrr.

2008-09-19T16:30:00.000-07:00

I have so much to say but…oh…ARRRR….matey. It’s talk like a pirate day you know so here…have some pirate girls. Better yet, stop by the etsy store to check them out.

Also, slightly sad lunch. Cottage cheese, sweet potato, carrots and radishes. Saved from being totally sad because I actually like all the items involved and chose them. Not a very well matched lunch though, gotta work on that part.

Preparations have begun for FELT CLUB ’08. I’ll be there as a Tired Girl, but you don’t have to be tired to attend. It’s a fun way to get some holiday shopping done. Consider it, won’t you?

I am also considering switching over to the new blogger template thingy...yesh I am a terrible holdout but only because it took me forever to make this page the way I wanted because I know NOTHING about this CSS/HTML thing and it was really all about tinkering until I got what I wanted. Now, if I want to change it and have those nice little gadgety, widgety things made easy, I have to start all over again. Oh, who am I kidding. I don't have time for that right now! There are cards to be made, things to be...thunged...I don't know. It's a little goofy in here right now. Sorry. Carry on.

Fleshy.

2008-09-10T18:37:00.000-07:00

From the Candy Blog, one of the more horrifying sentences I have read today:

"The squares are surprisingly light, not dense and gelatinous, more soft and fleshy like Mochi can be."

I do not want to imply that her writing is horrifying, it’s not, and I love her blog. It’s also not inaccurate, in fact, that’s is exactly what caught my attention, how very accurate the word “fleshy” is to describe the texture of mochi, for me anyway. I keep rereading that sentence and shuddering. You, of course, may enjoy mochi and that is certainly your prerogative…personally, I don’t enjoy it. But that is by turns the most horrifying and correct sentence I have read for quite a while. (For the record, she is describing Turkish Delight, another item which I have not developed a taste for, and if Edmund hadn’t it would be a very different story now, wouldn’t it?)

What I’ve been reading: Well, some time ago, Captain Blogger suggested that I read Midnight’s Children, and I did start it, and then I put it in a tote bag and forgot all about it. Yeah. I do that a lot. Still not sure where I put that Michael Pollan book either. But, I did find Midnight’s Children and it is now back in line. Currently I am reading My Name is Will: A Novel of Sex, Drugs and Shakespeare by Jess Winfield, who was a former co-worker of my husband. I’m not very far into it though because…

What I’ve been watching: …I’ve been watching some TV. Some of it has been catch-up stuff, some of it has been curiosity and some of it…well…I have no excuses. So there are the old favorites, Mad Men, Weeds, Burn Notice (not caught up, do not spoil). The things I watch with the husband but kind of don’t always enjoy like Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations and Entourage. The cooking shows I love like, Jamie at Home and Mexico: One Plate at a Time. The new shows I am watching out of curiosity like Gavin and Stacy and True Blood. And the things I can’t really explain, the mind rotting candy of Primeval which I think is supposed to fill the void left in my heart by Doctor Who but doesn’t because it’s really not good but I can’t stop watching poor Douglas Henshall looking surprised every time a dodo appears. And then there are the occasional forays into dvd collections like Jeeves and Wooster and The Thin Man movies. Not all at once mind you, and really not much at a time at all. It is kind of amazing how much time you save with a dvr.

What I’ve been cooking: There have been some cupcakes and there will be some more. I’ve got a package of chocolate cream Newman O’s that need to be used up so I am thinking vanilla cupcake, vanilla frosting, crushed up cookies. And lest you think all we eat here is cupcakes and brownies, there has been much fruit and veggie cooking around here. Plenty of red chard in olive oil and garlic, braised bok choi, baked peaches, grilled peaches, peaches with yogurt (oh how I love peaches), figs with yogurt, roasted brussel sprouts, roasted asparagus with chili sauce, salads, steamed corn and who knows what else. I do love summer veggies and I’ll be sad when it’s back to cabbage and beets and apples. Although I like those too. And there are various forms of meat to go with the veg, but you know I don’t care so much about those.

What I’ve been drawing: Christmas cards, Christmas cards, Christmas cards. Ugh. But I am pleased as punch with the things I’ve got in the works, so I am hoping they do well. I do have plans for a few more Hanukkah cards and some new notecards too. If you are into that stuff, keep an eye out. I try to remember to post here when A.C. puts new stuff in the store but I am forgetful. Just go here and look around, see if anything catches your fancy. Some of the newest stuff includes cupcake pendants and happy hungry monsters, robots and some rather unpleasant food.

Who I am crushing on:
(The one on the left.)

Rock.

2008-09-04T18:20:00.000-07:00

There’s one final pinup for you coming after all this type-ity stuff. I’d be hard pressed to say which pinup was my favorite to draw but this one is my favorite joke (if you don’t know why it’s funny, don’t worry, it won’t matter anyway) but this is also the pinup that went through the most revisions. She started out just as kind of rock chick and eventually became a kind of rockin’ Uhura. Mostly I just wanted to have something that said “Rock out with your Spock out.” And now I do. So here she is before and as you can see, no hands, one sock, no shoes. She’s a bit of an urchin here. But I still like her with the pink hair and all and I suspect she’ll make a return appearance…somewhere…sometime.

As for now, it’s all Christmas cards all the time as I gear up for a holiday craft fair. Oh, there are some Hanukkah cards too. And Chanukkah…and Hannukah. Whatever. All of them. I like to cover all my Jewish spelling bases. Oh, and hopefully, before that, there will be a few Halloween cards in the store. So, you know keep an eye out for that.

Meanwhile…you will never guess who I met last weekend…give up? I MET THE AMBITOUS HAMSTER. How cool is that? Well, very cool for me since I also work for her and this is the first time we have met face to face. We have emailed, IMed, texted, called and tweeted one another but this marks our first actual meeting. And it was grand. Hopefully she wasn’t too scared and will come back again sometime.

Sadly, there were no cupcakes for the hamster meeting, although she remarked that it would have been nice, and it would have but I was at work. Even sadder? There were many cupcakes the very next day. So many that we weren’t even able to eat them all and there were cupcakes enough for the whole weekend. And you know what…yum. I hate to say I make great food because really, that’s all just a matter of taste, right? I mean, what I like and what my husband likes are markedly different, so I can’t really assume that…anyway…I made two kinds of cupcakes and I gotta say, I done good on both. I started with “Crimson Velveteen” vegan cupcakes. Now, I am not a fan of the red velvet variety of cupcake. It tends towards oilyness and it’s not really chocolatety and holy cow it uses a whole bottle of red food dye. Yeeesh. Even this “Crimson Velveteen” recipe calls for 2 TBS of red dye but I could only bring myself to use one and then promise that I would find a more natural solution next time (I’m thinking dried beets will do the trick). But this recipe, even with the shocking amount of dye…fabulous. It bakes up so light and fluffy and not at all oily and because it calls for some chocolate extract, it actually tastes of chocolate. It’s different from a chocolate cupcake in a good way, not in an oh god what did I just eat way.

But then I started to worry that some of the people I would be with wouldn’t cotton to a red velvet cupcake, but I knew that at least one of them likes coconut, so coconut it was. And they were damn fine too. And they got better the second day when the flavor had developed even more. So sorry Hamster, I’ll make sure you get some next time.

And the final pin-up in the geeky girls set:

Daemon.

2008-08-27T17:55:00.001-07:00

What I’ve written about lately that I haven’t posted:
My favorite comics
Why Frederic Wetham could be more important to you than you know
My first (and last) scrapbooking experience
Tempeh Chickenless Wingz
How quiet my life is when my husband goes away (the phone rang 3 times in one week…that is all. Three times.)
What I’ve been reading, watching and doing lately.

But…um…yeah. Not really done with any of those yet. There were some lemon cupcakes a few weeks ago because I found some lemons in the office kitchen. Don’t know where they came from though. I’ve read some books. I…um…watched some new tv shows…

LOOK, a pinup!

And the pinup cards are now available HERE.

So are the cupcake cards.

And some new robot cards by Ambitious Hamster.

So…there you go.

Seduction.

2008-08-19T16:12:00.000-07:00

It's the return of the sad lunch.

It wasn’t really a sad lunch, more like a weird lunch because it was all stuff I more or less wanted to eat, but not all together. But I was feeling particularly lazy and I didn’t want to walk to the store. I guess I should have. But because I didn’t it was peach soy yoghurt with a fresh peach mixed in and some hummus and pretzel thins. It doesn’t seem very balanced does it? But it’s got a fair amount of protein and fiber I think. It was a lot of creamy stuff though, but without any cream. Kind of like a baby food lunch.

Here’s the problem. The husband left town. Usually that means a week of vegetarian goodness over here. In fact, this time it was going to mean a week of premade, delivered fresh vegan goodness. I was gonna order my meals from a fresh food delivery service, just to see what it was like. But the menu for this week was…eh (OH! next week it looks really good! Tofu Chilaquiles and Korean Chapchae! Quinoa salad! With cranberries! Darn.) And I got sidetracked and that’s how I found myself in a crowded Whole Foods last night, running into comic-con friends and searching for an appealing soup for dinner (veggie) but I neglected to look for lunch. Ah well. Maybe I will make my own Tofu Chilaquiles for dinner.

Sorry, anyway…pin-up, because I really have nothing of interest to say.

This is the second in the set and she is called Seduction of Innocent. Now, there is kind of a joke here, which, if you are not a huge nerd, may just sweep on by you. That’s ok. It was aimed at the nerds.

In 1954, this guy Frederic Wertham, a psychiatrist wrote a book titled Seduction of the Innocent, which postulated that comics were a cause of juvenile delinquency. To be fair, that’s a simplification of the whole thing, but all you need to know for this picture is that comics caused kids to do naughty things. There’s actually a lot of interesting stuff connected with both the book and with Wertham, who aside from some strange ideas on comics, was a pretty interesting guy. But the pin-up, not really meant to be any real social commentary, just a nekkid girl with comics.

What did cause a little buzz around this picture (and I mean little buzz, like three people’s worth) was the bruise on her leg. See, when I was drawing her, I was trying to go a little bit against the pin-up type. See the glasses? The sneakers? The comics? And most pin-up girls have flawless skin, right? Well, this one has a bruise…on her calf. Which some people saw as her knee. And then took to some unintended extremes. So…whatever. She’s a nerdy girl who loves the Batdude and Hellguy, what more do you need?

Zombie.

2008-08-15T18:39:00.000-07:00

I’ve been meaning to show you one of my pin-ups for a while now. They were quite a treat and a revelation for me. I have always avoided drawing people because…well…they just never end up looking like people. Not to my satisfaction anyway. I sometimes will draw distorted cartoony children because hey, if their heads are too big, well who is gonna complain about that? But pin-ups are a whole other thing. And oddly, I kind of dreaded drawing them, even as I knew it was something I had wanted to do for some time now. So, here is “Dead Sexy” the first of the four pin-ups. I actually sold more prints of her than any of the others and one girl even bought one and came back the next day for another. She told me she had ended up giving hers away and wanted another. She also told me that she had shown it to a friend who was a pin-up artist who had commented that it was “demure” and not too gory or disturbing, which made me happy since that was exactly what I was going for.

In the end, I was very pleased with all the pin-ups and I discovered that I really, really enjoyed doing them. I am planning on another set of four girls and I think I am even going to try a few pin-up guys. Any requests?

Preferences.

2008-08-12T19:20:00.000-07:00

I prefer:

Waffles to pancakes.
Cake to pie.
Comedy to drama.
Mystery to romance.
French fried to mashed.
Iced tea to iced coffee.
65 to 85.
Reggae to rap.
70’s rock to 90’s rock.
Indie to super hero.
Batman to Superman.
Mac to PC.
Compact to SUV.
Dimes to nickels.
Black to blue.
Chocolate to vanilla (except when used as icing).
Paperback to hardback.
(Mass market to trade).
Email to phone calls.
Bo to Luke.
Cats to lizards.
Soy milk to cow’s milk.
Blueberries to blackberries.
Left to right.
Ballpoint to felt tip, no matter how much I think I don’t.
Warm to cold.
Firm to soft.
Outcasts to underdogs.
CD to mp3.
Satchel to handbag.
Barefoot to shod.
Rain to snow.
Orange-flavored to oranges.
Victorian to Mid Century.
Digital to analog.
Aisle to window.
Cast iron to Teflon.
Plastic to glass.
Raised to cake.
Dark to milk.
The 9th to the 10th.

Lists.

2008-08-11T18:22:00.000-07:00

Movies watched recently:
30 Days of Night-Eh. I liked the first half hour. The rest was…eh.
Most of Sydney White-Surprisingly cute. Something that I could show my mom and not be embarrassed by.
Brick-V. v. good. My brother told me it was and he was right. Not that I doubted him. Minimal. Very minimal. Very clever. Very good.
The Dark Knight-Good. I liked it. It was quite nerve-wracking but good. Still, and this comes from someone who only likes movies where stuff gets blown up or ears get cut off…it was slightly over the top for me. Possibly only because when you have Batman, you have kids, and I don’t think this is appropriate for any one under…let’s say…12. So, you know, be careful.
Please Don’t Eat the Daisies-I don’t know if I had ever seem all of this before but I do love me some Doris Day and David Niven.
The Namesake-Oh Kal Penn. You are so cute. But…no. I like the book quite a lot but the movie? No. Not so much. Well, to be fair...good actors, bad retelling.

Books Purchased for self:
When Twilight Burns By Colleen Gleason
Colleen has a blog here. You should read it, she is very entertaining.

Artemis Fowl: The Opal Deception by Eoin Colfer
Artemis Fowl: The Lost Colony by Eoin Colfer

I don’t know if Eoin Colfer has a blog. I imagine he does. I should go look….no, I don’t see one. He does have a website though. And he’s very entertaining as well. And I like the way he’s been writing lately. Well, I like the way he writes but I recently read “Half Moon Investigations” and it struck me as one of the first non Gossip Girl type books that was really using technology the way kids use technologly. Texting and video and the like. China Mieville did this too in that book he wrote…um…Un-lon-don. I like that idea. That the actual uses of video on cell phones and you tube are starting to filter into books.

All Wrapped Up! Groovy Gift Wrap of the 1960s by Kevin Akers

Kevin Akers has a website here. I don’t know Kevin Akers but I intend to email him and tell him how very much I do indeed enjoy this book. It’s lovely.

Getting it Right with Type: The Do’s and Don’ts of Typography by Victoria Squire

I haven’t read this yet. I skimmed it and I was slightly disappointed (not by you, Victoria Squire) because I think it may be more basic than I was hoping for. Typography is hard. Hard, I tell you!

Art of Modern Rock Mini #2: Poster Girls by Dennis King

I am hoping that this book will be inspiration for some more pin-up girl illos from me. We’ll see. I did discover an artist that I like but didn’t know his name. Unfortuantely, I don’t have the book with me and I still don’t know his name.

Little Pea by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Jen Corace
Cute. Slight. Simple. It’s a nice book. Buy it for a kid.

I Completely Must Do Drawing Now and Painting and Coloring by Lauren Child
Do you know Charlie and Lola? I love Charlie and Lola. This is a Charlie and Lola book. It’s not here yet, but I am looking forward to seeing it.

Drop Dead Cute by Ivan Vartanian (postcard book)
It was cheaper than the book, so I thought I’d start small.

Summer Knight by Jim Butcher
Jim Butcher was at Comic-Con, promoting his new comic with the Dabel Brothers. I didn’t see him. Or the comic for that matter. I would have liked to see him. Not so sure about the comic.

Books Purchased for others:
Comic Book Tattoo by Tori Amos and a lot of artists (two copies)
The Cricket in Times Square by George Selden
Chester Cricket's Pigeon Ride by George Selden
Harry Kitten and Tucker Mouse by George Selden
Dinosaur's Binkit by Sandra Boynton
Winnie-The-Pooh by A. A. Milne
A Treasury of Curious George by Margret Rey
Baby Signs by Joy Allen
Pat the Bunny by Dorothy Meserve Kunhardt

I don’t think the people from whom some of these books are meant to surprise read this blog, but um…if you do…SURPRISE!

What I had for lunch:
2 slices portobello mushroom pizza

Regrets I have:
Eating portobello mushroom pizza

…and drinking soda.

Cookies within reach that I will not eat because I ate portobello mushroom pizza:
White chocolate chip and pecan
Oatmeal chocolate chip
Gluten and egg free chocolate chip button cookies

What I am making for dinner:
Gnocci with chicken, mushrooms and swiss chard with garlic, crushed red peppers and olive oil, NO CHEESE! In the name of all that is holy! NO CHEESE!

(EDIT: There will be no gnocci with chicken, mushrooms and swiss chard for dinner. There will be only soup.)

OH OH! Christmas presents purchased:
ONE! Yay!

Oh dear. I am listening to a random opera podcast of Robert Merrill and he just started singing “Ohhhhh sweet mystery of life at last I’ve found you….” that’s just made my day.

And next time I say the word “pizza” could you just punch me in the stomach? Same effect but much quicker.

Weak.

2008-07-29T18:58:00.000-07:00

What a strange few days. Not even counting Comic-Con. I mean, that was strange but…well, let’s do that first.

Comic-Con was, as always, by turns, infuriating, fun, exhausting, exhilarating, exhausting and…exhausting. I am working at about 60 percent power right now with 75 percent of my voice. It will take me a week or so to catch up with myself but that’s to be expected. Sales were good, response was great. All was fine. I didn’t sell to a celebrity, which is always my goal, but I did meet an artist I am rather fond of, which was pleasant and I did talk to millions of people. Well, it felt like millions, I don’t know…dozens? I didn’t take a single picture, and I probably only saw about half the floor. I work two jobs at Comic-Con, so it’s not a vacation for me. And the weeks leading up to Comic-Con are equally as exhausting and frustrating what with trying to get prepared to do both jobs. So, you know, it’s this love hate thing. At the moment it’s more…eh…then either love or hate. I guess I am too tired for emotions.

Perhaps more inconvenient than con was the trip back. Ran over something on the 405 and blew a tire. Luckily, AAA showed up without much problem. I got off on the closest exit and lo and behold, there was a tire store. They hooked me up and I was back on the road in less than 40 minutes. It wasn’t a tragedy, it was a minor inconvenience, but it was indeed inconvenient.

And now, today, back at work, achy, tired and getting crankier by the minute and oops, rattle, rattle…earthquake. A long one. 5.2 on the Richter scale. Maybe not the biggest earthquake ever but big enough to scare my whole office. And when the giant glass pendant lamp above your desk starts swinging around…I think fear is the appropriate response. So, you know, it’s gonna be one of THOSE weeks. It already is.

Bye!

2008-07-22T16:09:00.000-07:00

Goodness but I am getting twitchy about Comic-Con. It will all be (more or less) fine, I know but…aaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrgh! I am pretty much ready, except for packing and getting there, but it’s making my head all buzzy and my stomach all fluttery and damn it’s annoying. I should be used to this by now.

Now, I haven’t really been looking at my blog stats lately. I mean, it’s always interesting to see why people show up here and where they are from, but I am not one of those hardcore bloggers that really…cares. But I happened to look at referrals that brought people here recently. Among them was the search phrase “China Mieville is hot” and I’d just like to reiterate that fact. Hi China. You’re a good lookin’ man. And you scare me. But if you are searching for info on China Mieville, I have to be honest with you. He’s hot.

Also, one of the referrals that shows up fairly frequently is “Denny Duchette” because I think I once mentioned him. Now I rather like the actor that played him, Jeffery Dean Morgan. He’s handsome, he’s been in some shows I enjoyed for a time. But sadly, his character always dies. Poor man. Bad news if you are here for him, he’s in a film that I was not at all interested in until I found out he was in it. Yes, I am a bad nerd who is talking trash about Watchmen, but oh hey, Jeffery Dean Morgan is playing the Comedian and now…I am smitten. Like, wallpaper on my cell phone kind of smitten. I am a dork. I know. The only other people who are either not a cat or I am not related to who have graced my cell phone? Professor Snape and Doctor Who. Yep. Dork.

So, ok, if you are going to be at San Diego Comic-Con International, and you want to swing by and say HI to me, or one of the Tired Girl Collective, you can find us in the small press area at table L5. And if you are looking for me at my day job, you can find me…there. You know where that is and I hesitate to cross the streams, as it were. So, travel safely if you are traveling, sit quietly if you are sitting and be happy if you…whatever dude, see you on the flip side!

Nerves.

2008-07-21T16:02:00.000-07:00

Well, it’s almost here. That one thing that makes me both shudder in horror and squee with glee. Well, fine, a lot of things do that to me, but this one…you know…Comic-Con is right around the corner. I leave on Wednesday and I am more or less ready. More or less. Some new stuff to show off, some old favorites. It should be good. It should also be exhausting and nerve-wracking. It’s just one of those things.

At the moment I am experiencing the weariness that goes with Comic-Con. Stayed up a little too late last night to get one last thing done, woke up a little too early this morning due to the endless construction on the building across the way. I’ll be better tomorrow I am sure. But it’s not tomorrow that I am worried about.

Right now, aside from regular life worries, I am experie….

Here’s a strange aside. I just answered the phone and Sponge Bob Square Pants was on the other end. Well, voice actor that plays him was on the other end. Weird. He was very nice though.

Anyway, aside from regular life worries, I am a little nervous about presenting new art. You know that it’s hard enough for me to refer to what I do as art, but then showing it to people….ewwwwww. Makes me twitchy. And that’s kind of the point for me doing things like Comic-Con. Or having a blog. It’s a challenge to myself to step outside of my comfort zone. And…well…right now I’m not totally comfortable. But, for me, that’s kind of a part of the whole process. The nerves part.

So, in an attempt to kind of get it started, here is a little sampler of some of my newest art….my first attempt at pin-up girls…nerdy pin-up girls…for nerds. I hope you like them! Um, I am just now realizing that the nerdy part doesn’t always show through with just these little bits. They are all full figures, heads, feet and everything in between. And the titles kind of reveal what makes them nerdy, so clockwise, from top left…

Dead Sexy
Rock Out with your Spock Out
Seduction of the Innocent
Mailer Daemon

That should give you some clues. And maybe, when I get back from con, if they have been well received, I will show you a bit more.

Hmmm….you know…there is a serious shortage of pin-up boys in this world…maybe…nah…not yet.

List-y.

2008-07-17T18:36:00.000-07:00

Four things from my youth that I apparently have no nostalgia for (some of which are kind of old news since I started this a while ago and never finished it):

Journey. Did you hear? They have a new lead singer. He sounds just like Steve Perry. Eh.

Strawberry Shortcake. Did you know that they redesigned her? I didn't. She now appears to be something modern girls might find appealing. So? (OK, while I have absolutely no problem with the changes made to Strawberry Shortcake, I do not like the changes to Holly Hobbie…but the whole appeal of that character was that she was a “prairie girl.”)

Star Wars. Sorry. You can take my geek card away now. I have seen it. I liked it well enough, I don’t feel the need to think about it all that often.

Growing Pains. I don’t think I have ever seen a whole episode of this show. And you know what else? Saved by the Bell. And pretty much everything everyone my age watched after school. I don’t know what I was doing…oh, maybe marching band, drama club, indoor color guard or…something, but I didn’t watch much tv in my youth apparently.

Movies I have never seen but am quite should I would enjoy:

The Big Lebowski

The Bourne Identity (series)

The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (I may have seen most of this but I can’t remember.)

The Godfather (I know! I know! I have tried to watch it but I always fall asleep.)

Pretty much anymovie where things get blown up, people get shot or young lovers sing in French. What? I never claimed to be consistent!

Have you seen Doctor Horrible’s Sing Along Blog? Because I know people are talking about it all over the internets and that, for me, is generally the kiss of death for pretty much anything but I gotta say…utterly charming. And some very entertaining songwriting. And God bless Neil Patrick Harris. He’s a big ol’ mug of AWESOME!

Things I have recently discovered that make me a little too happy:

Soy pudding. I tried soy pudding years ago. It wasn’t good. I tried to make my own. It was worse. But now that soy milk tastes better (or perhaps I am just used to it), I can finally be a pudding lover again. Thank you.

The return of Burn Notice and Weeds. Possibly my two favorite shows ever. I can’t watch all those reality type shows that my parents and friends so love. They drive me crazy. I like things blowing up, drug smuggling and Bruce Campbell. Really, what more could a girl ask for? Oh, right. Jeffrey Donovan.

Movies I would very much like to see but can’t just yet:

Hellboy II-The Golden Army. Oh yes, please! How happy am I about this movie? Very. How sad am I that I haven’t seen it yet? Very. I am shooting for Monday.

Wall-E-It’s Pixar and I am a fan. Why would I not?

The Dark Knight- Nevermind that Batman and Hellboy are my two most favorite comic book characters. This honestly looks really damn good.

Mama Mia!- DON’T JUDGE ME! Look, I saw the musical and I thought it was just OK. But I do love me some ABBA, more importantly, I love me some Colin Firth and Stellan Skarsgård. So there.

The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor-SHUT UP. The Mummy is probably on my top twenty movies list. Definitely on my top ten movies that I can and will watch over and over again. Good looking men, Rachel Weisz and you know what? It’s just a really fun, classic adventure movie. It reminds me of 1950’s type matinee movies. And I will defend Brendan Fraser with my last breath. He is a fine actor who likes to make fun stuff. And if you aren’t sure about the “fine actor” part, please do see Gods and Monsters, he’s quite good in it. Do not, however, mistake Monkeybone for anything resembling fine. Just don’t.

Things I am successfully not panicking over…yet:
Comic-con. I am zen. For the moment. Due to the Handmade Brigade, I am more or less prepared. So much so, that I am planning on rolling out two new card sets and a set of prints! I am very excited about the prints and really hope that they do well. I’ll post some next week I think but until then, here is an image from the new card set that I “debuted” at Handmade Brigade (“debuted” makes it sound like I had a big fanfare or at at least a sign that said NEW! But I didn’t. I just mean that they had not previously been for sale…because they weren’t finished…but now they are. And they will be available (hopefully) in the shop within the next few weeks).

Now, as I said, the cupcakes are not yet available in the Paperlotus store but many fine items are. Most recently I have added some less quirky, more useful cards, so maybe you’d like to check these out…

Radio.

2008-07-16T17:10:00.001-07:00

Today started better than yesterday. The hairdryer didn’t trip the circuit breaker (twice) because someone was making toast. I didn’t have to drive around the block several times trying to get gas because I managed to do that yesterday (after circling 3x’s, finally going to another station and stupidly paying 10 cents more). I didn’t almost get in three accidents on the way to work. I also didn’t spill the jam from my English muffin because I had a Kashi bar instead. I didn’t nearly slap three friends for being morons…so far. In general it’s been a better day and it started with R.E.M., moved to a little Rolling Stones, then some New York Dolls and the real kicker, the shocker that made me think, “Hey, even if it gets bad, it started out good”? Hoodoo Gurus. On the radio. The radio! Thank you radio gods, you have made me happier.

Returned.

2008-07-10T18:45:00.000-07:00

So, you don’t really need to know the details of where I went or what I was doing but I will tell you this. I made:

2 large lasagne with sausage
1 large pan brownies
2 pans of chicken stew topped with biscuits
2 pans of chicken and stuffing with gravy
2 pans of pasta with meatsauce and cheese
1 dozen cupcakes
1 dozen biscuits
1 dozen raisin scones
1 large roll of sugar cookie dough
16 deviled eggs
2 dozen deviled clams
2.5 large containers clam/vegetable soup

...and I am thinking there was more, but I don’t honestly remember. It was all a blur. I cooked a lot, I cleaned a bit, I slept amazingly well. And there was no internets. None. It’s a little like visiting the Flintstones. But you know, it’s do-able.

And now it’s back to this reality and there’s a lot of printing and cutting and folding and drawing and…what else? Ironing…bake and shrinking…framing…cleaning. All that stuff. This week there is the Handmade Brigade (if you are there, stop by and say HI! I’ll be the tired one.) In less than two weeks there is the comic-con. And if you are THERE please bring me a coffee (soy milk, little bit of sugar) because I will be the really tired one.

Packed.

2008-06-27T16:08:00.000-07:00

I am preparing to take a trip, so , despite the fact that I have been very lax about posting here, I just wanted to make it clear that it is about to get even more lax. Because I suck.

And my trip comes at a very awkward time. Right before a craft fair and comic-con. Both of which require me to be prepared. Which I am sort of am. Sort of. I am always sort of prepared. And that’s kind of what is causing me just a little bit more stress at the moment. I gotta pack. I gotta pack for my trip, I gotta pack for a craft fair and I gotta pack for comic con. And I need to make sure I‘ve got everything I need. And I need a lot.

I keep telling myself that I am not going off into the wilderness. There are drugstores and grocery stores and Targets and Walmarts and…everything in all the places I am going. If I forget something, I can just pop out and get it. And my brain does know that, but I can’t help tucking in that sewing kit, just in case. Those extra books, just in case. Two sweaters…for the summer weather on the east coast. Sandals, flip flops, clogs and sneakers. Should I take a pair of dress shoes? You know, in case I have a job interview or a wedding to attend? What about soap? Do I need soap? There is soap at mom’s house. But I like my soap. And I use a different soap on my face than the one I use in the shower…should I consolidate? Mom always said always pack a dress. Do I even own a dress?

It’s not that bad. I get it done and I get it done well, but it’s always a bit of a battle between my brain and my…brain. Knowing what I need and what I might need are two different things. Although, I will say, my overpacking and planning tendencies have come in handy in the past. People mocked me for keeping an ice scraper in my car. The ice scraper I bought 15 years ago in New Jersey that still resides in my trunk in semi-sunny Los Angeles. But I always thought, well, maybe I will need to use that snow brush on ash someday. And frost isn’t UNHEARD of here, it’s just UNLIKELY. But on that cross –country trip two years ago? The one with the blizzard? A lot of people were really happy that one girl from Los Angeles, staying in that little hotel in Arizona, had an ice scraper. One person was prepared for anything. That was me.

This time I am trying to take my cue from my mother. When I was a kid she and my father traveled together a fair amount. It was to business conferences with fancy people but travel is travel, no? My mom would always map out her wardrobe. I remember the lists well. They looked kind of like this:

Monday
Morning (museum trip): Floral skirt, blue blouse, blue espadrilles, silver chunky necklace, silver earrings, woven handbag,
Afternoon (Tea): Pale blue suit, silk camisole, tan pumps, tan envelope bag, gold necklace and earrings
Evening (cocktails and theatre): brown sequined gown, evening bag, brown heels, gold wrap
Also: Swimsuit and sunhat for after tea

OK, fine, that’s not what I need to do, Mine looks more like this

Monday: black pants, grey tee, black flip flops
Tuesday: green pants, brown top, brown flip flops

And on and on.

But oh, there are 4 or 5 novels, 3 graphic novels, two sketchbooks, a computer, a pile of work, last minute designs, a yoga DVD, 3 British TV series (Sensitive Skin and Shoestring) and one documentary on medieval cooking and soap/

But I am getting there. I have a list. Lists are good.

So, as I said, going away. Back…well…eventually. See ya later, suckers!

Chocolate.

2008-06-20T14:25:00.001-07:00

Something has just occurred to me that makes me feel pretty darn stupid. Well…stupider than usual anyway.

I have insomnia. I have always had insomnia but from time to time, and especially around this time of year, it gets worse. I don’t sleep much at all. In some ways I am used to it, it’s been going on most of my life but tired is tired and lately, it’s been the even more evil kind of insomnia. No pills, natural or otherwise seem to help. Meditation, relaxation techniques, chamomile tea, my insomnia laughs at these. And this is, and I am speaking from experience here, a psychological issue. There is no real medical reason that is the problem. And while everyone else is complaining about the heat, I have found the nights to be the perfect sleeping temperature…if I could sleep.

So…here’s the tie in that made me realize that I am stupid. Aside from having insomnia on and off most of my life, I have also had migraines. The thing is, when I was a kid, I didn’t have the language to express what I was feeling and I could only really tell my mom or the doctor that I had a bad headache. It was put down to allergies (which are my primary trigger) and I was given meds for them that I did not like and eventually would not take (they made me dizzy and ill, the pain was better than the painkiller). As an adult, I finally had the language to explain what was going on and lo and behold, not crazy, just migraine-y. But now I know and I can combat them, stop them, or ride them out without fear of…well, whatever one fears with a headache.

So, the insomnia, I was just reading a little about magnesium and particular supplements that may help with a lot of things…one of them being difficulty sleeping. Also that magnesium, which aids in the relaxation of nerves and muscles, is depleted when one is under stress.

Um…turns out. I am stressed. Heh. Look, I know that there is stress in my life, but generally I look at it as stuff that has to be taken care of before I can relax. I don’t really think of it as stress because it’s just the stuff that needs to get done. Aaaaaaand another word for “stuff that needs to get done” is…? Oh…stressors.

Stupid. But now that I can look at the stuff that needs to get done and the effects that said stuff is having on me, I think I can finally get my head around it as “stress” and respond to it appropriately. Yes, yes, I knew there was stress, I just didn’t understand how it was actually affecting me. I knew that when the bedroom was redecorated and all the new furniture was out of the living room and the old furniture was out of the house, I would be happier but you know, it’s furniture! What’s there to get stressed about? Oh, those giant boxes blocking every pathway in my living room? That floor that needs vacuuming but the vacuum is in the closet that is blocked by the boxes? The printer that needs to be printing out cards and such for comic con that is trapped between two other giant boxes? That long trip that is going to be hard work…just before your job demands you to be cheerful, flexible and in the public eye? Right. I get it now, that’s not called life…that’s called stress.

More meditation, more magnesium, more printing and cleaning and hopefully sleep will follow, now that I get it. Dur.

Also…more chocolate. Chocolate has magnesium in it. Seriously.

Quickly.

2008-06-17T15:31:00.000-07:00

What DID get done ~~this past weekend~~ the weekend before last:

Spent some time with the cat.
Chose and ordered new bedroom furniture.
Cleaned all of the bathroom.
Cleaned some of the bedroom.
Went to Goodwill.
Ate a very nice veggie taco at Hugo’s.
Made spicy chicken vegetable soup and popovers.
Did some other stuff that I can’t remember…

One notable thing ~~this past weekend~~ the weekend before last? We ate dinner in every night. Usually we go out at least one night on the weekend and I had fully intended to go out on Friday night but my hippie home grocery delivery arrived and we had tons of veggies so it seemed that a roasted veggie salad was in order. Then we tried to go out for BBQ on Saturday but it was too long a wait. So there were BLTAs and the most delicious organic “potato puffs.” Then Sunday it was home made spicy chicken soup. Kind of like tortilla soup but w/o tortillas. And it was all really good. But now I don’t want to cook again…but I did last night too! (Chicken sausages in the slowcooker with a nice tomato sauce with lots of spices and red wine, served over polenta and topped with sautéed fennel, spinach salad on the side). I wouldn’t say it’s been “healthy” around here, there’s been a fair amount of meat going on but you know, it’s been better than average.

Um…yeah, things have not been getting done around here as fast as they should be. My living room is filled with bedroom furniture. My “office” is over run with comic-con supplies, my car, until recently, was filled with Goodwill donations. It’s been a wee bit crazy. And instead of doing what I should be doing, I caught up on Doctor Who episodes.

But there is a lot of new, exciting art in the works. PIN UP GIRLS! CUPCAKES! And I’m having…fun. I am really enjoying drawing lately, so, you know, that’s good. Even if I am not getting everything done.

NEED.

2008-06-06T17:15:00.001-07:00

Things I would LIKE to do this weekend:

Take a long nap.
Make granola in the slow cooker.
Make some brownies for my dad.
Finish reading that book about yoga.
Go record shopping.
Spend some time with the cat.
Watch the second season of Life on Mars.
Work on my newest “art” which I am kind of in love with.
Purchase new bedroom furniture.

Things I NEED to do this weekend:
Print up cards.
Score cards.
Cut cards.
Pack cards.
Design new cards.
Clean the bathroom.
Clean the bedroom.
Clean the office.
Clean the living room.
Make some stuff for lunches for next week.
Make some stuff for breakfasts next week.
Go to Goodwill.
Make onsies for friend.

Things that WILL get done this weekend.
Bathroom will be cleaned.
(Some) cards will be printed, scored, cut, folded and packed.
Onesies will be made.
(Some) food stuff will be made.
(Some) of bedroom and office will be cleaned.

I make no promises though.

I started a new drawing yesterday that I was so pleased with that I was giddy for the rest of the night. It’s still in the digital sketch stage but I have big plans for it. Today, however, my allergies kicked in big time. My eyes were watering while I was in the shower so I took some meds. I was doing ok until now. They are starting to make me sleepy and I really don’t feel like drawing now. Which makes me sad because last night, that was all I wanted to do! Ah well. I’ll get there. That’s my motto, actually, well, no, my motto is “It will get done, because it has to.” But you know…loose translation and all. Happy weekend!

Fire.

2008-06-02T19:22:00.000-07:00

I don’t have a coherent post today. FINE! I don’t have a coherent post ANY day, but I have a lot of things running through my mind so, in brief…possibly. I don’t know how brief…

-I made some chocolate pumpkin muffins to eat for breakfast this week. They are indeed vegan and I adapted them a little but from here. I don’t much care for ginger, so I left that out. I added some vanilla and some flax seeds too. I had one for breakfast this morning. I had it in the car with me and the smell was killing me! I couldn’t eat until I was out of woogy traffic but the intense chocolate scent filled my car and made me a little crazy. When I finally was able to eat I thought “Oh…eh. These are ok, but a little bland.” But then, by the time I got to work I was longing for another and now I am sitting here typing and thinking “Awwww yeah, I am having a chocolate pumpkin muffin for breakfast tomorrow and it’s gonna be…sooo…..goooooood!” So…is that weird? That’s how addiction works, right? You are kind of like, oh I don’t really care and then the next thing you know you are sitting on the kitchen floor surrounded by empty muffin wrappers and you can’t remember the last twenty minutes. Anyway. I think I like these muffins but I also think that if I made them again, I’d leave out the cinnamon, add some chocolate extract and some more cocoa. But oh, they are so velvety…

-The weekend was particularly cruel to my sinuses. Apparently, whatever was in the air is what I am allergic to (well, besides the pot smoke, I mean.) and I found myself sitting at my desk on Saturday, working away, tears streaming down my face. Ugh. Sunday did not get better however. The smell of burning monkey was so overpowering that we ended up closing all the windows and turning on all the air filters. Damn monkey.

-I finally finished watching the second season of Torchwood and came to the realization that I am just watching it out of crossover duty. I will watch the next season to see how they fix what was broken at the end of last season but…really not all that into it. Love Jack, love Gwen, love Capt. John but not thrilling to the stories.

-Watched Tristram Shandy: a Cock and Bull Story, which kind of left me…confused. I confess that I have never read the book but I was intrigued by the film since it had so many actors that I like in it. But I found the story telling to be muddled and self congratulatory…which is how I think I was supposed to feel. So…well done? I don’t know.

-I ordered some local organic fruit and veg through a delivery company. The delivery was free but I did have an added carbon offset charge. Which was still cheaper than the pizza delivery charge at pretty much every place. I don’t mind paying a little extra for cleaner air, that’s fine. Look how earth friendly I am! Actually, I was thinking about this the other day. Around earth day when everyone was all “Rah-rah! Look what you can do to save the environment!” I kept quiet because I was feeling like, wow, I just don’t do enough. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized, I do a fair amount but it doesn’t seem like it because I’ve always done it. Or I’ve been doing it for a long time , anyway. I have my own shopping bags and I have for many years now. I still sometimes get the clerk that tells me that they don’t know the price on these bags because there is no tag. Um…yeah. I brought those. I generally make my own cleaning supplies. Have done for quite a while now. I don’t drive a hybrid but I did pay extra so my car would be a ULEV. So, you know, that’s not too bad. Well…it’s better than nothing. So, if you need to charge me an extra buck or two for my carbon footprint then go ahead, I am trying to fill smaller shoes anyway.

Elvis.

2008-05-29T16:45:00.000-07:00

Well! How about that? I got to see the future ex Mr. This is so silly! the other night. That’s right, you read me! ELVIS LIVES and rocks! He rocked the Hollywood Bowl anyway…and my heart. While he rocked, my inner sixteen year old girl just about freaked out. Then, when he sang “Allison” and this slender blonde dude took the stage to sing along…my inner sixteen year old girl fainted. Dude, it was Sting! STING! Of course that was because Elvis Costello and the Imposters opened for the Police. Or really, they played before the police because my man, he don’t open for no one, he headlines and then lets other bands play after him, because he is nice that way.

Yeah, so, enough. I saw Elvis Costello and the Imposters and The Police the other night. It was several shades of awesome. I did enjoy it immensely. And when Snarkydork showed up and made fun of me for not dancing, I showed her…by not dancing some more. Still, I get why people would dance at a Police show, even, to some degree, dancing to Elvis Costello, even though I don’t. I just still don’t see Crowded House as dance music, but apparently I am the odd one out.

You know what else I don’t get? The weed. Why people? Why? It hurts me. And that’s just mean when I pay a pile of money to listen to pretty men sing that you have to go and blow smoke in my face and then my throat swells and my head aches and I have a concert hangover the next day. You’re mean. Is it really that hard to make the brownies? Isn’t it more convenient anyway? You can take a brownie into the Bowl easy peasy. Or go big time and do the shrooms. I hear they are pretty good in a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Just…no more smoke, ok? It hurts.

Recently.

2008-05-20T18:49:00.001-07:00

Well , it was another exiciting weekend over here that involved a lot of dozing on the couch. Seriously. But it also involved a preview of the new Simpsons ride in Universal Studios, Hollywood, some dinosaurs, a “rock and roll music” concert, extremely high temperatures and…dozing on the couch. Most notably, we turned the air conditioner on…twice! How exciting is that? Very exciting in our house. But high temps and too much sun gave me a migraine and the only thing that would soothe it was cool air and a couch.

To be fair. The picture above was taken near sunset. When the sun is actually hitting the wall on which the thermometer is positioned. So, one wall of my living room is getting the 114 degree blast while the back of the room isa more reasonable 95 degrees. The room itself stayed cool-ish. But the air conditioning helped get it down below 85.

So the Simpsons ride? Very cool. Very fun. Very fast. As one of the guys I was with pointed out, the most exciting part of it was being on a ride that was not yet sticky from the hands of a thousand tourists. Personally, I am not much a fan of Universal Studios. There’s not a whole lot there and…eh. But I can see it from my back window so when the chance came to ride the ride, I didn’t turn it down.

The Simpsons Ride before it gets all...sticky.

Apparently, the style of the ride is similar to the old Back to the Future ride (which it has replaced) but I don’t remember if I was ever on that ride (my husband claims that I was, but he also claims that my favorite cookies are gingersnaps and he is wrong so…you know…grain of salt and all that). It’s a virtual thing where you kind of start off in a virtual rollercoaster and then the story progresses into a wild chase. All your favorite characters are there and it’s pretty darn exciting. Lots of detail went into the whole set up, from the entrance throughout. I enjoyed it immensely. And I would say if you are a Simpsons fan, it may be worth it to go to Universal just for the ride.

And while I was in the park, I got to ride the Jurassic Park water ride for the first time ever. I am assured by those in the know that it was much more awesome ten years ago. Nonetheless…yay! Dinosaurs! So, you know…cool. I did try to get on this ride one other time, maybe 8 years ago. I made it all the way to the front of the line when they closed it down due to too many baseball caps in the water filtering system. Yeesh. But still..dinosaurs! (Stegosaurus is my favorite.)

What else? Oh the rock and roll musical concert was Crowded House. Very nice. It was the husband’s birthday and he was gifted with a ticket so away we went. Nice venue. Good music and lots of old people rocking out. What more could you want? Ok…old is a relative term. They were all about my age. Which is old. But clearly not too old to rock out because that’s what the audience did. And I personally never thought of Crowded House as a WOOOHOO! YOU ROCK! I GOTTA DANCE! Sort of band, but the rest of the world apparently does. That’s ok, have fun old people. I’ll sit here quietly and watch.

And then there was the dozing. And the cleaning of the bathroom. And the nice sushi dinner. OH! and Doctor Who! With Tim McInnerny. I love him so very much. Thank you Doctor Who writers. You are doing a bang up job of employing my favorite actors. How about a little Alan Rickman now? Or maybe some Stephen Fry? You know you want to…

OH MAN! In searching for a wee picture of Tim McInnerny because you know I can’t resist, I came across a review of him in OTHELLO, my favoritest of favorite Shakespearian things. I had read the glowing reviews of Eamonn Walker’s Othello and somehow glossed right over the fact that one of my favorite actors played my favorite part in my favorite play. Tsk. I should pay closer attention. I know you think I am a little goofy when I get all swoony over him, but dude...talent.

Thots.

2008-05-13T17:15:00.000-07:00

Ah, well, it’s been a weird and crazy few weeks and now I am thinking gee whiz, I haven’t blogged in a while and then I think…eh. It’s not that I don’t want to, it’s just...well, I’ve been feeling overwhelmed lately. But I am getting over that so here’s some of what’s been filling my head lately:

Pie crust. I hate making pie crust, I really do, but I also don’t care for ready made pie crust all that much and when I make pies, they are generally as a gift, so it seems like the cheap way out to fake it, since I know how and I am capable of making it from scratch. So I do. And I hate it. But the crust came out ok. First there was a strawberry and cream pie for a friend’s birthday. Then there were jam tarts made from the leftovers. This week there will be a chocolate satin pie for the husband’s birthday. It’s all good. I just don’t get the same joy from making a pie that I do from making cupcakes. Silly me.

Brining chicken breast. I don’t brine turkey. Two reasons for that. I generally buy a frozen turkey because…I do. And most frozen turkeys are already treated with a “solution” which means salt. Secondly, when you brine a turkey you probably shouldn’t then stuff the turkey or make gravy from the drippings. You COULD and I have. But it’s pretty salty. And while I like turkey, what I really like is stuffing and gravy. So…no brined turkey for me. But recently I was watching a cooking show where the chef brined some chicken breasts. I had some chicken in the fridge that I had defrosted a few days before and I kind of hoped that brining it might kill of anything scary in it. Well, no one got sick, so that part was fine. And the chicken was super-tender and very nice. But a little salty for my tastes. So last night I tried again. I used less salt and sugar in my brine and I started with frozen chicken breasts instead of thawed. I also only let it sit in the brine for about 2 hours, on the countertop while it defrosted. Perfect. Excellent chicken. Super tender, fork tender, and not at all salty. I didn’t use an exact brine recipe. More like one hand full of salt to one half handful of sugar and two limes, squeezed into a gallon or so of water and then the rinds thrown in as well. There are plenty of recipes available online though. If you find plain old chicken breasts dry and boring, this might be your solution…heh…get it? Because you soak them in a solution? Nevermind.

Rare Birds. I don’t know if you read Rare Bird Finds, but I’d like to suggest that you do. It’s a site devoted to cool online shopping. They post new finds everyday and they are very conscious about affordable choices. Well, I say “they” but I really mean “we” because I am now a Rare Birder too. Well, I am starting to contribute their awesome site as the finder of “Cool Guy Things.” See, they had filled all the positions except that one and when the call went out, I thought. “Oh sure, I could apply for that, why not?” and next thing you know…I suspect that I was the only applicant but shhhh…don’t tell me that. Let me feel good about it for a while. Annnnnyway, check out the site for help tracking down those really unique gifts. And if you come across any cool guy stuff, let me know. I’ve got a huge list but it’s gonna run out eventually.

Comic Con. Due to a paperwork error, we initially were not accepted to Comic Con. We were on the waiting list and I guess someone dropped out because BAM! now we have a table. I was totally down with taking the year off because it is exhausting (I work TWO jobs there!) but now we have a table so now we are going. I do love to sell stuff though so it’s good. But, as I say, it’s exhausting, so it’s bad. But hey, there is good and bad…in everyone…we learn to live and we learn to give…(you see where I am going with this so I will stop…). If you will be at the San Diego Comic Con this year, please do stop by and say hi. You may have to wake me up but it will be nice to see you.

Headaches. I’ve been having a fair amount of headaches due to stress and allergies. Nothing new. We pretty much all have them in the spring, no? I am not a fan of the optical migraines but I can deal with those. What really pissed me off the other night was the headache I had in my sleep. Sure, I’ve had the kind of headache where it’s there when you go to bed and it’s there when you wake up but the one that actually makes a guest appearance as a significant element of your dreams? That just seems mean.

Pumpkin pie. I changed my shampoo and now every time I turn my head I get a whiff of pumpkin pie…because my shampoo smells like pumpkin pie. Not because my shampoo is toxic and damaging my brain or anything. It actually does smells like pumpkin pie. Which is nice…I guess.

Hey, look, it’s one of those things where it all leads back to the beginning because I started out with “Pie crust” and I ended with “Pumpkin pie”. I like when that happens. Even if I don’t care that much about pie.

p.s. Captain Blogger, I haven’t gotten very far in Midnight’s Children yet. There are a lot of bodily fluids in the first 50 pages though. I’ll call it “earthy” for now and reserve judgment until I get further in. Also, um…you blogging anywhere these days?

Referred.

2008-04-30T16:35:00.000-07:00

For the past several mornings, I have come into work to find a message on my voicemail. It’s the same guy, calling to tell Charlotte that she is either needed or not needed to work today and for her to call in. I feel bad that Charlotte is missing out on possible work. I tried to return his call to let him know he has a wrong number and if he hasn’t heard back from Charlotte, then it’s his own fault. But the return number is wonky. Poor Charlotte.

Years ago I had a similar situation. I kept getting phone calls for some dude. After the fifth or six call I started to worry. What if someone was trying to tell him that his mother was sick? Or that his bank account had been compromised. So I called back to let the caller know, hey, wrong number. Turned out, the dude they were trying to connect owed someone a lot of money. They started asking me things like “When was the last time you saw him?” and “Are you related?” Uh…no. Just trying to do the right thing, man. You had a wrong number and I wanted to let you know. It got a little scary for a minute there but I convinced them that I was in no way involved. So much for being nice.

Possibly the best (read: worst) unsolicited call I have ever received was a resumé check on an ex. Who gives their ex-girlfriend as a reference on a resumé? Well, if I dated you and you did, you’d actually be in luck as I am a nice person. But seriously, it was hard to answer questions without being cruel. And when the interviewer realized what was going on, that I had never “worked” with the guy but that I was more of a “character” reference he started asking questions that were fraught with complications. But to be fair to him, he needed some sort of confirmation on this guy before hiring him. I was a good person though and did not trash my ex. I did fess up to the fact that he was an ex and I was honest but I didn’t answer any questions about our breakup or our relationship only what I knew about his work ethic and skills. At the end of the interview the interviewer thanked me and said that he wouldn’t have been as nice if someone had asked him about his ex.

I hope I earned some extra credit for my karma that day. (Yes, yes, I know, that’s not how karma actually works, don’t lecture me!)

Answers.

2008-04-29T17:18:00.000-07:00

OK, I admit it, I am a dork, but you already knew that. I got a comment on an older post that made me all squee because someone who created something cool stopped by to say hi!

Jeremiah Jones is the guy who does the recordings for Lisztonian. He stopped by here and that is most excellent. If you haven’t checked it out, Lisztonian is an excellent collection of free downloadable mp3s of classical piano music . I have my itunes set as a subscription and I listen to them when I need some soothing. Thanks Jeremiah, you done good!

And since I often forget to answer anything in comments, here are a few answers to recent questions: yes, no, maybe and OMG WTF?

Kidding!

Sassy Priscilla: Yes that his Col. Brandon from Sense and Sensibility that will be appearing on Doctor Who at chistmas time. And yes, DO watch Doctor Who because if you think David Morrissey is a cutie, I am betting you will love our darling doctor too (And I know that there are a few fans here who will chime in…)

And Ambitious Hamster: I do agree with you, the Voyage of the Damned episode was a bit “soulless” but I think you will get a kick out of the Doctor’s newest assistant. She’s not the shiny young things that Rose and Martha were, she’s a little bit older and a little bit wiser and a lot more sarcastic. I was surprised at how much I like Donna since I didn’t love her as the bride.

Anonymous (who I know is Donovan’s Mama): Yesh, you did make mushroom soup once, it was…earthy. Also, a “tag” is that little thing at the end of a post that will take you to other posts with the same themes, or mentions. Snarkydork has a tag because…well, she does.

Fond of Snape: "...chocolate filled with strawberry balsamic caramel"

Captain Blogger: I don’t know where you have gone, I hope all is well, but I wanted you to know, Midnight’s Children showed up today and I started reading it over lunch…interesting.

And finally, Cakespy: my impromptu icing consisted of whipped cream, a little sour cream, powdered sugar, cocoa, chocolate and vanilla extracts and a tiny dab of butter, which I had hoped would provide a little extra structure. It was actually very good and a nice, less sweet icing. And I think I will tinker with it and make it a staple!

Any other questions? Because now I am in an answer-y mood!

Trashed.

2008-04-28T17:12:00.000-07:00

Did I mention the talking trash can? I didn’t did I?

I had heard about the remote control trashcans at Disney parks before and I saw one in Florida, but it didn’t appear to be talking, just chasing some kids around. But while we were in California Adventure we got a little turned around, so my friend pulled out her map (she is obsessed with Disney maps, by the way, I just feel the need to say that). I saw the trash can out of the corner of my eye, it came charging down a back alley way and started calling to her “Hello! Are you lost? Can I help you find something?” She didn’t notice it at first and I said “Um, I think that trashcan is talking to you.”

It was really cute and really nicely done. The trashcan was friendly and a little sarcastic and told us that it would lead the way to “Soarin’” We had a nice little chat along the way. Kids were absolutely perplexed by it, running up and shoving their hands in the trashcan to see who was inside (no one, just trash). The trash can informed us that his name was PUSH and chatted with us for about ten minutes as he guided us most of the way to our destination. He asked where we were from and upon hearing about our Jersey roots questioned us about Bon Jovi and the Boss.

I gotta say, I was impressed with how smooth the trashcan was, both in his motions and in his patter. I scanned the crowd to find the operator and it took me several minutes to pick him out. Youngish guy, blue jeans, white shirt and a black bag slung across his chest. He kept his hand up to his mouth as if he was thinking or rubbing his chin and as soon as he saw me identify him, he totally disappeared into the crowd.

Later I called my husband to let him know that my friend had been hit on by a talking trashcan. He said “I thought you went to Disney, not to Hollywood.” Ha.

Meanwhile.

2008-04-22T18:34:00.000-07:00

Well, my husband was out of town for a week and I still got nothing done.

That’s not entirely true. I had a guest, I went to Disneyland, I saw the renovated Griffith Observatory, I made chickpea cutlets with mushroom garlic gravy, I went shopping, I…I didn’t clean the bedroom. Or put away all those winter clothes. I did wash the dishes. I did pick up the cat’s meds from the vet. I did do a lot of things, but not the things I thought I would do. Ah well.

The chickpea cutlets, by the way, were very nice. I made them on a whim, a whim that kept me from having to go shopping right away and when I first tasted one I thought, “Eh, it’s ok. Whatever.” By the time I finished the first, I wanted more. Now, I will say, I had one without the mushroom/garlic gravy and it wasn’t as exciting. But it was still good. And I have decided that I love gravy and it’s easy to make and it’s easy to make pretty much fat free. So there is a fair amount of gravy around here. Actually, when I cleaned out the fridge the other day I found three containers, one of chicken gravy, one of pork gravy and one of mushroom gravy. I have gotten weird about it I guess but it’s so good.

I’ve been doing a lot of half-assed cooking, I guess but…well, I don’t know that “half-assed” is a fair assessment of what I’ve been doing. I’ve been using up the cans in my cabinets. Chickpeas, obviously, and a can of mushroom broth that I had big plans for and then forgot about. Does it make me a bad person that I don’t make my own mushroom broth? Does ANYONE make their own? (I don’t want to hear about it if you do.)

Then, this past weekend there was some baking. Some chocolate cupcakes and some lemon cupcakes and a super fast made up sour cream/whipped cream frosting because there was no confectioner’s sugar and I am too lazy to bother making my own. Some brownies as gifts, some…no, that’s all. Lots of little bits and bobs and no real directed cooking.

No real directed anything really. I guess I need to find my direction in life because I appear to be wandering all over the place.

Oh, I did make some new cards though, and they will be up in the store shortly. If you’ve got something to say and you don’t know how to say it, try this…

Stuff.

2008-04-22T18:28:00.000-07:00

A few things I feel the need to say:

I have, through magic, seen the first two episodes of the newest series of Doctor Who and I am pleased.

Also, I was informed today that David Morrissey will be in the Christmas Episode this year. Thank you TV gods, you have done a good thing.

Pretty, pretty.
I have a headache but this chocolate filled with strawberry balsamic caramel seems to be helping. Please send more.

I have written several blog entries lately that remain unposted. I am getting to it.

I was advised last night to view Rules of Engagement, I show I am largely uninterested in despite the presence of Megyn Price and Patrick Warburton. This particular episode however, was written by Savage Steve Holland. It made me laugh out loud. Sometimes you just don’t expect the funny and then there it is

It is apparently impossible for me NOT to buy books. Intrigued by Janet’s mentions of Martin Millar and a cool looking cover, I sought out two of his books. Then Captain Blogger goes and mentions his favorite books and since we have several in common, I demand that he reads The Death of Vishnu and he says only if I read Midnight’s Children, which sounds like a comic book and…now I have three more books to add to the pile. And I had been reading a lot, but then I read that crappy, crappy book my mom sent me and I kind of fell out of the reading habit. Which is weird because all I ever want to do is read! But one bad book will do that to me, I guess. Annnnnyway…new books on their way. Many other books await reading. So much for cleaning! And for the record, I got them all cheap on half.com. I am totally interested in using bookins or the like but they never have the books I am looking for.

There are cupcakes at home, calling my name…can you hear them?

Oh! Oh! Kind of awesome if you are a geek like me!

Ten.

2008-04-15T17:17:00.000-07:00

A while ago Snarkydork posted some of her “Top Ten Most Excellent Blogs (as of today)” and lo and behold, there I was. Dude, it’s an honor, since this barely qualifies as a blog. Now, part of being recognized is recognizing in turn. Since many of my favorite blogs have already been recognized, I didn’t name them here, so please don’t be offended if you don’t see yourself listed, it only means that you’ve been listed elsewhere. So, without further ado, ten more excellent blogs and why I love them:

Glass Incarnate
I think Brenda found me first but then I found her and it all worked out somehow. Brenda blogs about glass, something I know nothing about (save what I’ve learned from her) and in fact, it’s something that I never had much interest in, but you know what? She makes it interesting and fun. Go figure. I like the little window into an artist’s life that she provides…and she’s a big ol’ geek who reads and watches the same things that I do, so that’s cool too. Brenda is pretty freakin’ awesome.

Life of Donovan
Donovan posts sporatically but can you blame him? He’s like three years old. But what a three year old! We were best friends when he lived in California so I am glad to be able to keep track of him now that he is so very far away. And I gotta be honest with you, even though I know his mama helps him out with his posts, Donovan is one of the funniest, smartest kids I have ever met. I just wish he could post more often but you know a three year old has a pretty busy life…

Bootleg Sketch
I work with this guy and yet I still visit his blog regularly. That should tell you something. Excellent artist and all around nice guy. Well…more or less.

Fond of Snape
Janet and I have something in common that got me to her blog in the first place…a fondness for Professor Snape. For me, it’s all about the Rickman, but Janet certainly makes good points for being fond of fictional characters. We are going to have to throw down over who gets non-fictional cutie LL Cool J though. He’s totally mine.

FlipFlopFlyin
I have been a fan of Craig’s artwork for a long time so I was thrilled when he started blogging. And then I was sad when he stopped. But then he started again, so all is well in the world. Currently he is wandering the earth and taking lots of pictures. I don’t actually KNOW Craig, but you know, I think we might get along…but then again, I could be wrong. Which would make me sad. But…whatever. Lately he’s been doing some podcasts too and I find his voice quite soothing.

Captain Blogger
I will confess, I discovered Captain Blogger when he was a PopCandy reader of the day. I read Pop Candy and I have for a long time, but it’s one of those things that I love to hate. I couldn’t tell you why I clicked on Tim’s link that day but now I stop by his place daily. I like how honest and open he appears. That’s tougher to do than it sounds. He also likes the Jayhawks and I like pretty much anyone who likes the Jayhawks…unless, you know Kim Jong Il is a fan…I might not like him so much.

Cupcake Show
Miss Cupcake herself! SHE DOES NOT BLOG ENOUGH…but when she does, I find it very entertaining. I am particularly fond of her daylong blogs. Come back, Cupcake, I miss you!

Eric Nixon
Hrrmmm….he’s related to CupcakeShow….and he too does not blog enough for my tastes, but I guess some things are worth waiting for. He's also a very interesting poet. Interesting enough that I bought a book of his poetry. And read it at red lights on my drive home. I like how he notes where he was (figuratively and literally) when he wrote a poem. That's a great way to get inside a poet's head. Also, he and the cupcake have the cutest doxies in the world. I keep asking when those dogs are going to come live with me and they keep ignoring me. I don’t know why.

Cakespy
I’ve only recently started reading Cakespy and I don’t know where I have been all this time. Even if you don’t bake, this is one heck of a site. And Jessie makes good art. I bought some. It had a cupcake on it. And a unicorn. God bless you, Cakespy, you know what I love.

Bread, whine and cheez
I started reading felicia’a blog before that header, but man I love that header. Who wouldn’t love a girl who loves Xanadu and wine…and whine. And she makes cupcakes. I love cupcakes. In short, funny girl, funny blog, go see her.

Those are only TEN of the excellent blogs I read. There are many, many more great things out there. I think blogs are a great way to see the world outside of your own comfort zone. I like to read the blogs of people who do things that I would never, or could never do. Sometimes it's a vegan blog, a style of cooking that fascinates me, but a manner of living that I haven't made my own yet. Sometimes it's about making the kind of art that I could never make, or reading the political opinions from an opposing party. Even reading the adventures of someone way more adventurous than I could ever be. In a way, it's a bit of armchair quarterbacking, or maybe a bit of fantasy, but it's a nice way to see the rest of the world while I eat my lunch.

So, what kind of blogs do you read?

Early.

2008-04-10T09:24:00.000-07:00

Things I learned at 4:45 this morning:

Lights stay red longer at the crack of freakin’ dawn.
The people that ARE out, are crazy.
Doughnut places don’t open until 6.
The doughnuts you do find in the grocery store are probably from yesterday.
The loud guy in the grocery store buying soda and chocolate milk is probably also crazy.
There is not enough caffeine.
Traffic at the airport still sucks, even this early in the morning.
My office parking lot is scary in the dark.
I am not a morning person.

OK fine, I already knew that I am not a morning person but waking up at 3:30 confirmed it. One of the guys I work with does it every day. He is not right in the head. I’ve now been in the office so long that I didn’t even notice that the sun had actually come up.

Currently.

2008-04-04T16:37:00.000-07:00

I wrote a whole post about what I am doing now. What I am reading, what I am watching all that stuff that I usually fall back on when I am stumped for a post. And then…I misplaced it. I know it’s around here somewhere because I read it recently but…eh. Whatever. I can do it again since it’s probably all changed from the time I wrote it anyway.

What I am reading: BAH! I know this has not changed because I am really struggling to read this book. It’s annoying me and I could just put it aside and not finish it but I started it and I have a really hard time just abandoning a book. I was rolling along with my “read more books in 2008” campaign until I hit this one. I WILL FINISH IT. In fact, I could finish it if I just sat down for an hour and read. But I can’t bring myself to enjoy it.

What is this tome of dread, you ask? Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, a New York Times best seller. And not my cup of tea at all. In fact, it’s making me want to punch someone so I will just leave it at that and maybe come back to discuss it some other time when I am less annoyed.

UPDATE: Finished it. Threw it in a box to mail back to my mother. Contemplated attaching a note to it, a note with a face like this:

So now I have started the most recent Jasper Fforde Thursday Next novel (First Among Sequels) and I am feeling better about reading again.

What I am watching: Jose: Made in Spain, Sense and Sensibitlty, Eli Stone

Have you seen Jose: Made in Spain? Am I the only person obsessing over this dude and his food? He’s just so damn happy! I love when people are happy with what they do. And every time he’s on screen he’s got a glass of wine. How could I not love that?

And thank you, Masterpiece Theater. I didn’t love all your Jane Austen, but you did the best Northinger Abbey, a very nice Mansfield Park and an excellent Sense and Sensibility (part 1, part 2 remains to be seen). Your Persuasion, however, sucked it. Hard. Go back and do it again. (But thanks for the David Morrissey in S&S…that made me happy).

And as for Eli Stone, well, I am sure it will be cancelled because I enjoy it. I would say, for the most part,it’s not been the stories that made it appealing, it’s been Jonny Lee Miller's amazingly expressive face (and when did he go from “hottie” to “boyishly adorable”? doesn’t it usually go the other way around?). But then the television knows that I will try to watch anything with Victor Garber or Tom Amandes in it, so yay! The best way to describe it is…charming. But there are a lot of potential layers there, layers to do with faith, trust, morality and George Michael In general, I doubt you will like it, but me, I am loving it. So yeah, sorry Eli Stone, I think I just rang your death knell.

Oh and The Riches is back! The Riches is back! I am a happy, happy girl.

What I am listening to: not a lot, but I have this list that I carry around in my pocket. (Actually, it’s a “Pocket Mod”) and on one of the pages I keep a running tally of the cds I want to pick up next time I am out cd shopping. It currently looks like this:

elbow
m. ward
she & him
bob mould
nada surf
the weepies
kate nash
r.e.m.
vampire weekend
gary louris
except it’s in my scratchy handwriting.

I have managed to get hold of a smattering of all of these and there will have to be a large amount of money spent on actual cds soon.

What I am cooking: After the whole Easter shebang, I have not had much urge to do big cooking. I have made dinner, but nothing special. But I do have a carton of cream in my fridge that was intended to top some chocolate soufflés, which I never did make, and my husband is going out of town soon, so I guess I’d better get on that. I THINK I made lemon soufflés once, I am not sure, so I am a little worried about how this will work, but…chocolate is pretty much always good, so…

What I am drawing: Fruits and vegetables and cupcakes. There will be new stuff in the shop from me…soon. I SWEAR!

Currently crushing on: Ah, Jose, you are so cute when you get all excited about cheese and say things like “Somehow this makes something good.” And the Riches is back! Which means Eddie Izzard is back! Sadly, he never dresses in drag on that show but I will take what I can get. Oh and David Morrissey is Col. Brandon in Sense and Sensibilty and I just couldn’t be happier. If The Rickman isn’t going to play it, at least Morrissey is. I also may have a small crush on Jasper Fforde, but I only just learned that he was cute, my actual crush seems to be on his vocabulary and narrative bending skills.

Memorial.

2008-04-04T16:35:00.000-07:00

I really debated with myself wheter to post this or not. I typed it out to get it down and out of my brain but then I wasn’t sure I wanted to share since you didn’t know the guy so you don’t care but…in the end…he was worthy of some memory time, so here are some of my memories of a long ago friend:

I just found out today that one of my former history teachers has passed away. I hate that phrase, “passed away” but the alternative seems disrespectful and despite what may appear, I have never had anything but respect for Dr. Griffith.

At my alma mater, all freshmen were required to take the “freshman program.” There may have been a more formal name for it, I can’t remember, but it was a required set of classes and something called “Master Learner” which was basically a babysitting and mentoring class. One prof with maybe 15 students to keep on track. Make sure they were doing their work, understanding things, teaching them how to study, how to deal with college life and how to highlight texts (no kidding, that was part of the class, you’d be amazed at how helpful it was). My Master Learner was Dr. Griffith and I was part of his “honors” class. Go figure.

I immediately took to Dr. Griffith. I can remember that on one of the first days of class he finished by asking “Any questions?” and one student (not me) said “Yeah, can we call you Bruce?” He looked at the student and said ” …No.” I raised my hand. “Can we call you Griff?” He paused and blinked at me for a minute. And Dr. Griffith was the kind of guy who just looked like a nerdy history professor, rumpled, messy hair, general air of bewilderment, the kind of guy who said volumes with just one blink. “Griff? Yeah, ok. You can call me that.”

And so he was Griff, for my next four years. I don’t think I ever once called him “Doctor” or “Professor” after that. And despite not being a history major, he was always one of my favorite teachers. Before a student declared a major and received an advisor in that department, their Master Learner served as a temporary councilor. I would drop by his office and sit in a chair across from his desk to check on certain classes and while he answered endless phone calls, I would marvel at the bookshelves lining his walls. They were packed. Books crammed every which way and the whole shebang looking like it would topple at the slightly provocation. Had the area been earthquake prone, I would have feared for his life. And yet, when he wanted to show you some particular reference, he could pull a book from the bottom of the pile without anything else even wobbling.

I should have known I was in his good graces by his acceptance of my nickname. And he was always in mine. It started as a joke, me leaving him little gifts on his desk before class. One day as I walked past him on my way to my desk, I placed a particularly red and shiny apple in front of him. He laughed and never being one to pass up an easy laugh, I continued and it became something of a tradition, I would bring him a flower or more apples. And lest you mistake fun for a crush, that’s not what it was. It was fondness and friendship, which was proven equivocal when I introduced Griff to my parents at my graduation. He actually teared up and told them that he would miss me. (Dude, no teacher has ever claimed that they would miss me before. Most of them were shoving me out the door before I even graduated!) And sadly, I never saw him again.

Look, I am not a nostalgic person. I don’t visit my alma maters and I rarely stop by the college homepage for updates. I only happened upon Griff’s obituary when searching for something else. And while I am sad that other people won’t get to know Griff, I am very happy that I did know him.

So, I guess I could have made this eulogy a bit shorter. One story pretty much sums up our relationship as teacher and student and friends. One day I was standing on the landing in the main campus building, talking to a professor with whom I did not get along particularly well. I have no idea what we were discussing but somehow we needed the opinions of several other professors. We had flagged a few down but really wanted Dr, Griffith’s opinion and I saw him at the end of the hall. The professor that I didn’t particularly like called to him, “Dr. Griffith! Dr. Griffith,” but Dr. Griffith didn’t respond. A second prof. joined in, “Oh Dr. Griffith…yoooo-hoooo!’ (ok, well, maybe not like that but you get the picture). Bah. No response. “I can get his attention,” I said, “Yo Griff!” I called, softer than they had.

The unliked prof. gasped and chided me. How rude I was to talk to my professors that way! Good heavens! How dare I? Dr. Griffith had earned that title and I damn well better use it! And the like.

Griff turned around and dashed down the hall. “Hey, Ren. What’s up?”

The unliked professor looked at him, baffled. “I was calling you to ask your opinion on something, Dr. Griffith. But I am sorry Ren was so rude to you.”

“Oh”, he said, “She’s not rude at all. SHE’S allowed to call me that.” And he gave me a hug and carried on his way. I’m not sure we even got to ask him our question.

He was a good guy. I wish him well in any future endeavors.

Proof.

2008-04-03T16:25:00.000-07:00

The proof of the pudding is in the…cupcake. Displayed above is the proof that refutes my husband’s mini-cupcake theory once and for all. HA! I WIN!!

He’s still arguing though.

In the background you can just see my beloved PG Tips canister. Actually it's a WG (Wallace and Grommit) Tips canister, gifted to me by my good friend who shall only be known as the Princess of Wails. He brings me tea back every time he goes to England and I love him for it.

And below, the lovely cupcakes iced and topped with shiny red currants. They were good. And if I ever remember, I will post the recipe. But don’t get your hopes up, because I won’t remember.

And one more…my sweet kitty. The one that likes to bite Jodi (well really, who WOULDN’T?). The beautiful rug beneath the cat was a Christmas gift from my mother. When it arrived, my husband laid it out on the floor and the cat took up residence. I had to physically remove her from it in order to put the rug to use. My cat firmly believes that all rugs belong to her and, I am pretty sure that she thinks she is invisible when she is on the rug. She’s wrong. But if it makes her happy, who am I to argue?

(Please no comments on her size. She has a "condition" and she's very sensitive about it.)

Easter.

2008-03-31T16:28:00.001-07:00

Wait…what?

Yeah, I’ve been all over the place around here. We’ve had guests, Easter, more guests, cupcakes…you name it. OH! And by the way, there is also now photographic evidence that my husband does not know the definition of the word “mini” but…I can’t find my camera cable, so you’ll just have to take my word on it until then.

Let’s see, Easter was nice. Quiet. Just the two of us and way too much food. And probably the straw that broke this camel’s back. I made a nice dinner but somehow I got totally sidetracked and ended up cooking all…day…long. For two people. So…next year, I am thinking is either dinner out, or I am heading south and cooking dinner with Donovan’s Mama (shhhh…she doesn’t know that, I plan on just showing up on her doorstep with a ham). But, before the exhaustion set in there was lamb, potato salad (really good potato salad with eggs and pickles in it), roasted asparagus…did I go over this already? I can’t remember. Either way…too much food. So much that we never even made it to the soufflés. So we’re going to have to have those this week. The success of the meal for me was the potato salad. Just what I wanted to herald spring. I don’t know why, but it was. For the husband it was the pastry wrapped, blue cheese stuffed green olives. I didn’t care for them but I would try them again with an almond stuffed olive. The idea is good, but you really need to get the kind of olives that you like and not just any olive as the flavor really concentrates while baking. Oh and I did use use extra puff pastry to make fig and chocolate…things…turnovers? Hand pies? Is handpie a euphemism for anything? It should be.

Now, the night before Easter we stopped by a friend’s house for a party-ish thing and I took more of the lemon cupcakes. Big hit. Confirmation on their tastiness and their not- mini size. They are a keeper, even if I don’t generally like lemon-flavored things.

Anything else? Yeah, there’s stuff. I wrote a whole post about my teen years Easter baskets and then forgot about it and didn’t post it. Brief summary: granola and soy nuts instead of peeps and chocolate bunnies…BY REQUEST. That right there tells you a lot about me and why I stand in the kitchen eating my all natural, whole grain, 11 grams of fiber per ¾ cup breakfast cereal, doused in fat free soymilk out of the same mug I just used to drink filtered water to wash down my handful of weird supplements and stare at my husband’s box of frosted flakes of corn frosted with sugar and shake my head sadly.

And that, that previous sentence right there tells you I am not very good at constructing sentences.

Answers.

2008-03-21T11:08:00.000-07:00

Ooops, I guess I should get back to the movie post, eh?

2. Selena: You were thinking that you'll never hear another piece of original music ever again. You'll never read a book that hasn't already been written or see a film that hasn't already been shot. (28 Days Later)

Number 2 is from 28 Days Later, a movie that I was terrified to see and have since decided is one of my very favorites…ever. I recently had an argument with someone who insisted that people would not become as savage as the soldiers in only 28 days. And it is very sad to me, but I have to disagree.

4. [Regarding men]
Maggie: You can't trust none of 'em no further than I can kick this lemon pie. (The Women)

Number 4 is from The Women, a true classic, although I can see how Janet might have thought it came from Cold Mountain, it certainly does sound like something Ruby would say. The Women is currently being remade, but before it arrives in theatres, I suggest seeing the original, or even the musical remake, The Opposite Sex, just in case the remake is awful. That way, you will know what a good movie it could have been.

6. Ellen Wagstaff Arden: Child?! Nick is not a child.
Grace Arden: No, he's not that smart. He's only a man. (Move Over, Darling)

Number 6 is from Move over, Darling and I am not surprised that no one guessed it. It’s Doris Day and James Garner and I love it beyond all reason. James Garner=hottt. (This is a remake...but I like this version (See: My Favorite Wife and Something's Gotta Give.))

10. Queenie: I sit in the subway sometimes, on buses, or the movies, and I look at the people next to me and I think..."What would you say if I told you I was a witch?" (Bell Book and Candle)

Number 10 is from Bell, Book and Candle another one that I kind of figured would go unguessed but another good one. Kim Novak and Jimmy Stuart, along with Jack Lemmon. It’s cute and sad and romantic and funny and the kind of movie they just don’t make anymore. If you are looking for something old fashioned but surprisingly modern, it’s a good one.

13. Holly Golightly: You musn't give your heart to a wild thing. The more you do, the stronger they get, until they're strong enough to run into the woods or fly into a tree. And then to a higher tree and then to the sky. (Breakfast at Tiffany’s)

Number 13 is from Breakfast at Tiffany’s and I am shocked that no one caught this. I am very fond of this movie but I will always remember showing it to my cousin, who was horrified by it. She didn’t like that all the characters were basically bad people. But in my opinion, that’s the point of the story. It’s all about being human, and the possibilities of the redemptive quality of love. Except for that part with Mickey Rooney, there’s no excuse for that.

14. Liz Sherman: In the dark I heard your voice, what did you say?
Hellboy: I said, "Hey, you, on the other side - let her go. Because for her I will cross over, and then you'll be sorry!" (Hellboy)

Number 14 is from Hellboy, a movie that I adore. Mostly because I have a huge crush on Hellboy. Not Ron Perlman…HELLBOY.

I also realized that the list was supposed to be 15 movie quotes, but someone I deleted one. So here:

Listen, not a year goes by, not a year, that I don't hear about some escalator accident involving some bastard kid which could have easily been avoided had some parent - I don't care which one - but some parent conditioned him to fear and respect that escalator.

If you know me at all, you know this quote. And you’ve probably heard me yell it in the mall more than once.

And finally, there is Easter in my house. There will be a nice Easter dinner that involves many…things. And there will be challah, which is weird, because it’s a traditionally Jewish and Easter is…not traditionally Jewish. And this time of year is close to Passover, which is the time that yeast is not used to leaven bread, so it’s kind of doubly weird. But…I like it. So there. Also, chocolate soufflé, hot cross buns and more lemon cupcakes (for a friend, I swear!).

Continued.

2008-03-19T16:30:00.000-07:00

From my husband:

Ha! Cupcake liner is 3.5 and the cupcakes have a puffy domed top. The
lemon cupcakes are 3.25 without said puffy top... so let's say a
cupcake is 3.75 and a souffle cup cupcake is 3.25 before ripping it
out of the paper and having part of it rip away. So the lemon cupcakes
were 3.0 oz... Mini-cupcakes!!! Ha!

To further this you should make more.

Love, James

From me:

mini cupcakes are 1oz and there is no way that .25 oz. ripped away with the paper. also, not all cupcakes have a domed top. these lemon cakes won't no matter what because they can't support it. the dome is not due to the liner but rather the structure of the cake.

so shut up mr. science unbeliever.

and no more cupcakes for you. you've had enough.

And he just can’t stop himself:

Science says people didn't ride dinosaurs and I've seen proof to the
contrary! Fred Flinstone! Ha!

- hubby

But then last night we had friends over for dinner. I told them the story, with much shouting of SCIENCE! And then we got out the cupcake liners and soufflé cups again. Turns out, the cupcake liners fit into the soufflé cups…with considerable room to spare. So even taking the fact that cupcake liners are more flexible and that their “stretch” is limited by the cupcake pan itself, there is clear evidence that SCIENCE is right…yet again.

I will be making more lemon cupcakes this weekend. None of them will be for my husband. That’s what you get when you fuck with science.