Past.

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.

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.

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.

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.

One of the new girls.

Cues.

Signs of stress in Comic-Con Sellers

1. Listening to the same cd over and over and feeling panicked when someone changes the music.
2. That rash on your arm and back that persists despite changing soap, lotion, detergent, and state.
3. Stomach upset following any food that is not sugar or carb based (only donuts don't cause queasyness).
4. Impending sense of doom.
5. 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).
6. Finding face in forced grin while saying "Hi, How ya doin'? Can I help you with anything?" under your breath.
7. List making, especially any list that includes "sleep".
8. The comic-con eye twitch. (It arrived today. Precisely at 2pm.)
9. The desire to drink alcohol at 8am.
10. Not drinking because you just don't have time.
11. Blogging while the print queue is full.
12. Idly googling "colin firth+coffee" (no, seriously, do it...) and "pretty british men" instead of working.
13. 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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...

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.

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.

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.

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?