Milkshake...Mistake

My mum ate all the bananas! So I chucked a frozen avocado into the blender along with my yogurt and a bunch of cranberry juice.

Nope.

Not a good idea.

Avocado doesn't go with cranberry. 

Victoria Day!

Hip hip - hooray! Hip hip - hooray! Hip hip - hooray!

I wish I knew the words to "God Save the Queen" so I could have sung it today. But alas, I had to settle for doffing my hat and cheering. In fancy dress. At a heritage village. It was a bit weird, as people took pictures of us (and asked us if we worked there) and that always makes me embarrassed.

It was cool though, cause I'd never been to the place before, even though it's close by and I've often walked around in the area. But I went, and it was awesome, and there were lots of houses and a blacksmith and bowls with potatoes and log cabins and a giant cake with a Union Jack on it and an outhouse and an old radio station and  lots of other stuff too! And I frowned at the only two young people costumed volunteers (they had little grasp of period appropriate costume). However, there was an appearance by Queen Victoria herself, being driven about in 1924 Model-T, so I suppose that opens the door to all sorts of anachronism.

This really has nothing to do with anything, except it's art based on a short film called The Anachronism.  It's pretty cool, we almost went to the opening (they were having the giant squid ship on display!) but the whole shindig was in one of the dodgiest areas of the city, at night. Linked to the Tumblr page, iffen you're interested.

She was escorted by Mounties and a piper and then a brass band! They played ABBA, Elvis, and...Barry Manilow after her speech. And there were Red Hat Ladies and lady Morris dancers! I think when I get old I'm gonna be a Red Hat Lady and drink tea and be a lady-in-waiting to the Queen on Victoria Day. Yep. That sounds about right to me :)

Hat by milliner Sally Faith Steinmann of Maggie Mae Designs.
Linked to her website.

Lots of good times were had, and then we were ready to go! And the bus disappeared, as they so often do around here (as in you're at the stop ten minutes early, and there are already people waiting who have probably been there an additional ten minutes prior, so you know it hasn't already come, and then it just never arrives.) so we had to wait for over half an hour. Without foooooood. Cause by then we were really hungry.

And then we made pasta with pesto and alfredo sauce when we got home and ate the whole thing!

Then watched the last Doctor Who episode! Ooh la la!

Richard E. Grant! And then...John Hurt?! That was weird. Very much so. But a pretty decent episode all in all!

The cake was like this! But waaaaaaaayyy bigger!

So I leave thee with a picture of a cake, and bid thee adieu! 

Halloween Plotting

It's only May, but hey, never too early to start planning for Halloween!

So I've got two front runners this year, one left over from a couple years ago when I was mostly bald (I went with Tintin that time, best costume of my life :) ) and one I thought of the other day.

Alien lady from Mars Attacks!

Pros: 

I can sew, so the dress shouldn't be too hard. 

I already thought of a way to get that hair height. 

Eyeball ring?!

Cons:

That print might be hard to find.

I don't have a bullet bra.

I lost all my makeup.

Spider Jerusalem from Transmetropolitan

Pros:

Black suit, easy!

Funky glasses readily available on Etsy.

I've always wanted to threaten people with a bowel disruptor.

Cons:

I have hair now.

Also, boobs. 

And I'd get a headache from wearing fake glasses.

So many decisions!

Just for funsies, here's a clip of a Halloween Costume Contest I was in last year. (Me and the BF as Liz and Ms. Frizzle from the Magic School Bus are at 36 seconds)

Third Time's a Charm

Guess who I got see in concert? Muahaha! The talented Pokey LaFarge and the South City Three! Well, now there's two more band members (TJ Muller and Chloe Feoranzo, not pictured) so I guess they can't really be the South City Three anymore. 

But I think they need to have some sort of thing acknowledging that it's not all Pokey. As supremely talented as he is, Adam Hoskins' guitar playing makes you feel like you can never lay claim to that instrument again (at least not until you've honed your skills for another 20 years) and Ryan Koenig's showmanship (those weird facial expressions almost rival Pokey's! And I noticed that TJ Muller had taken a few notes...) and harmonica playing are definite highlights. Where would they be without Joey Glynn's bass playing (and then no one in the audience would be able to shout "bass it up!")? And now that they've got cornet and clarinet/saxophone players it's like the perfect finishing touch. (Actually, that would be the worldwide success and oodles of dough that they deserve. But they're definitely on their way to that.)

Yes, Pokey might be the glue that brought them all together, the one with the style and the songs that could easily be mistaken for something written 80 years ago (that means awesome, btw), but those other guys and gal get plenty of respect from me as well.

A bunch of people who saw them at the Folk Fest a couple years back came to their first theatre show and told all their friends. This second time around (technically third) saw a lot of repeat concertgoers and even more of their friends. I know I tell everyone about how amazing this band is, and it seems that most people who see them do the same. We can't help it. It's too good to keep secret. 

Only thing. I gotta get Live in Holland or watch YouTube videos of the band performing cause the albums are nothing compared to the real deal. 

AAANNND THEY MIGHT BE COMING BACK IN OCTOBER! 

Hint hint birthday present!

A Loaf of Chocolate Cake!

I made this cake for my mum. It's super moist and not too sweet, and it's also vegan (with the option of being gluten free if you use rice flour instead of regular). The strange specks are from me not mixing it too thoroughly, but even so it tastes awesome. I had to eat two pieces with my tea this afternoon! It's made in a loaf pan, but I've also made it into cupcakes with good results. Basically, this is my go to chocolate cake recipe that's perfect for everyone!

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/vegan-chocolate-cake/

Latest Acquisition

This is a big book! I never got it from the library for years because I couldn't fit it in my backpack along with all my other books. Bought it at work the other day, so I haven't even got to return it! I hope this isn't the start of an alarming book buying trend...

So far finished the first chapter. Smashing stuff! :D

Gatsby Review - Spoilers and Strong Language Alert!

I suppose I must, but there is no joy in it! The movie, I mean.

Basically, wannabe Moulin Rouge. And not just like a nod to, like wishing to recapture the magic of that awesome movie (my second favourite, after Big Fish). From the opening "curtain" everything goes to poop. The voiceover is awful, Tobey Maguire sounds like an ancient (but he isn't! He's just jaded!) and the frame of him being in a sanatorium is so thin you just want to forget it completely. But you can't because they keep coming back to it for no reason, other than to remind you with painfully contrived typing the story sequences that this isn't Christian writing a story about love. It's Nick Carraway being obsessed with Leonardo DiCaprio and spouting some of the most flat, obvious dialogue that ever rearranged itself from the tomato sauce spilled on the script as Baz Luhrmann and Craig Pearce discussed "ideas" over dinner.

Sure, there are some good points. I saw the opening shot (water! with a green light on the other side!) and said this looks bloody beautiful. It is. But we all knew that already, and that's why I went. Okay, maybe I also had some hopes that it would be good. Let forth the floodgates of my disdain! Disappointed hopes have daubed my barbs with...um....lots of words!

Another good thing was Daisy-coming-to-tea scene. That was just funny. And Leo's suit got all transparent. And then dry right away! Of course, there were a few other super intense = hilarious moments. Mostly Nick creeping Gatsby. He must have very good eyesight to see him through the windows ALL THE TIME.

The ladies all look stunning. I would like to have some of Leo's shirts. THAT CANARY YELLOW CAR! POOP POOP! POOP POOP! (As Mr. Toad would say). I think the only good bit of acting in this whole shebang comes courtesy Amitabh Bachchan (the dude who played Wolfsheim). That tiny scene at the club where Nick gets an eyeful of his human tooth tiepin is just about the only time with genuine mystery or unease. Instead of the usual telling (saying blah blah blah Gatsby is so mysterious and magnetic, etc.) they actually show Wolfsheim's mystery and magnetism. Since he doesn't really say or do anything and we only see him for a few minutes, I'm giving this to the actor's performance rather than the rest of the "creative" team.

But was that worth it to be beat over the head with symbolism the whole time? (The Eyes of TJ Eckleburg, the green light) Nope. Especially if the actual meaning of the symbols is so muddied and overwrought that you forget why the hell they're important (this is if you even remember high school English class. Or if you even care) all you know is they keep popping up over and over and over and over etc.

What else peeved me? Oh yeah, Daisy and Tom and the careless rich and hope and the American Dream. Fuck that. It's not in the movie. Pardon my French. They spend all their time on confetti pool parties and try to explain away the rest through lazy narration. Rather than showing the characters doin' their thang we get told exactly what to think and what to take away from it all.

After the movie my mum asked what we went to see. "Gatsby" sez I. "Oh. Everyone said it sucked." Thus sayeth my 65 year old mother, and apparently everyone she knows. If that somehow makes it more awful... I really don't know. I'm just mad. But I did get some free Cherry Blasters out of it!

Second Best Cookies

That I've made. I had some macarons once that were awesome. But I bought those. And my mom accidentally threw out my ultimate fave recipe: Peanut Butter Chippers (If you have this - Gimme!! It came from a book a long time ago and I've been attempting to recreate it ever since I lost it...)

Ginger cookies! Unfortunately I can't find the recipe online (there was something about happy cows and chickens which caught my eye...) Anyhoo, I've typed it out for y'all, plus a couple of my own additions.

Ingredients:

2 cups flour

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup butter (or margarine)

1/4 cup molasses (I use a bit more than that)

2-4 tsp ground ginger

2-3 tsp ground cinnamon

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp salt

1 egg

Plus a bit of white sugar or white sugar mixed with cinnamon to roll the cookies in!

Cream butter and sugar. Add the egg and molasses. Stir in the dry ingredients gradually. I usually mix the first 3/4 of the dry stuff in with my hand mixer and then just squish up the rest with my hands - by this stage the dough is pretty "sturdy" (as the original says - I say dry and hard to mix! Hence my addition of more molasses. But see what you like). Roll the dough into one inch balls and then roll them in white sugar.

Place on greased cookie sheets and bake for 8-10 minutes in a 375 degree (F) oven. Leave the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for a couple minutes and then transfer to a wire rack. Or your tum!

I've really wanted to use these as the crust for a cheesecake. I think that would be epic. Haven't managed to do so, as I'd rather just eat them.

Desperate Romantics

Soooooo. I just watched six hours of this. I'm a fan. 

Fast and loose version of the lives and sexy times of Dante Gabriel Rossetti, John Everett Millais, and William Holman Hunt (plus extras like John Ruskin, William Morris, Elizabeth Siddal, etc.)

Silly but fun, and holy poops those guys are hot! And they have gorgeous waistcoats!

Bands I Want to See That I Probably Won't

This is a depressing post. At least for me. Why you ask? Well, I found out some fabulous news. But due to my other fabulous news (my new - full-time - job) I don't think I'll be able to go.

STRINGBAND AT THE FOLK FEST!

But alas! They are not mainstagers (pah), otherwise I'd just buy a ticket for that night and go see 'em. Smaller daytime shows means I would be able to follow them around for the full three days (ahem, Joel Plaskett/Pokey LaFarge/The Burning Hell/Graveyard Train - that was a couple years ago. I can still relive that most excellent time! But it always makes me sad cause I wasn't able to go last year, and probably not this year either). Except I would be working!

http://joelplaskett.com/
http://www.pokeylafarge.net/
http://www.wearetheburninghell.com/
http://www.graveyardtrain.com.au/

Also, a bunch of other cool peeps are in the lineup, one of which are local favourites (I like 'em! I'm local!) Maria in the Shower. The first time I saw these guys (two of them busking on the island) they were playing most of my favourite instruments - upright bass, accordion, trumpet, stomping, and singing (now you may guess which are my favourites). Yes, two dudes were doing all of those at the same time. Needless to say, their music as well as performance really left an impression on me, from the time they caught my attention as I was walking past to the end of their show when the singer/accordionist/trumpet player/stomper said "so and so on bass!" and the guy hopped up on his bass and played while balanced on top of it.

http://www.mariaintheshower.com/

And of course, I already missed Jeff Mangum, Nick Cave, hopefully won't miss Camera Obscura, and have no hope of seeing NMH now that they're touring (and not coming here! Or anywhere near here. Even if they came to Seattle...)

Ah well. If wishes was water we'd all be drowned, as someone (probably from the Redwall books) used to say. RIP Brian Jacques.

Man, this is getting more depressing than I thought!

No more of that from now on!

Gatsby

In honour of tomorrow's opening, me and the gals are having a Gatsby party. That means dressing up and going to the movie. Rather obvious, but c'mon! 1920s! Baz Luhrmann! Gotta get excited about something!

Shoulda used a filter! Too much light!

In this one you can see the colour of the dress better...

So! Here is my outfit for the night. Dress made by me for a 1920s museum event - basically two rectangles and a neck facing (the event was later that night, and of course I waited til the last minute, so I skipped my plan for a handkerchief hem and those pesky arm hole facings). The purse is from work (surprise!) and was an awesome find - nicely heavy and beaded on both sides with silk braid and tassels - for $7 and it even matched my fabric!

We all remember Leo and Baz's last outing - Romeo + Juliet - hopefully this one's a bit better :) If not, well, SPARKLES AND GLITTER AND SWOOPY CAMERA MOVES! And I get an excuse to dress up (I need more of those!)

It's Ooovveerrrrr!

Now try to imagine Roy Orbison singing that. However, it is with great merriment that I announce the end of Superheroes, volume one!

Superheroes is a comic. Created by a certain someone. Not me, but the BF. It's taken a really long time, but it's officially done, as of today. I am well pleased, 'cause I don't like superhero comics. Link below, if you'd care to while away some time before joining me in celebration.

http://www.purplesockstudios.com/comicarchive/

In other news, my mom says cougar pee is often sought at her work as a deer repellent, and I am apparently very good at removing blood stains from clothing (sometimes I get too enthusiastic when I'm cutting people's hair. Luckily they are good sports.)

L'Homme Que J'ai Ressuscité

More calendar movie posters. This time with a shocked (presumably) French guy in the corner.

Tea Time!

I don't always drink tea

But when I do

I prefer it with cats and my initials. 

Yeah right. Four cups a day keeps the blehs away!

That is actually my teapot. Covered in cool cats. Unfortunately it only holds about a cup of tea (the cats make it seem bigger), and that simply will not do! Purchased at work for the usual $3. Monogram cup from Chapters. I have a fat red teapot for everyday use, as well as an assortment of cup-sized diffusers and strainers for when I'm in a "hurry." Hohoho!

Best Things

I am sort of obsessed with this brand of yogurt. Hence! Post of a couple favourite things so it doesn't seem like I'm just a yogurt-lovin' fool...

Favourite Album: Blue by Joni Mitchell

This is my jam from start to finish. I don't know, every time I listen to it - FEELINGS! And if I feel like poop it makes me feel better. When I found it on vinyl I was over the moon. And then I took it home. And it was a misprint (it skipped a couple songs and repeated others and had a song from a different album). I was very disappointed! I traded it for some folk stuff and a Stray Cats album, but now I kinda wish I still had it. 

On another note, my BF told me a story about when he was younger (10ish?) and his friend's mom was a huge Joni Mitchell fan so she drove them and another friend out to try and find her house. They ended up at some random field/hill/naturey place and ate sandwiches and then they drove home.

Favourite Movie: Big Fish

A pattern emerges! I like emotional things! Yes, this movie is one of few that makes me cry - but a satisfying one, not like a cheap Les Miserables (the most recent one) cry. Don't get me started on how poopy that movie was - the only redeeming feature was that the French revolutionary guys were hot.

I love the storytelling, aesthetic, acting, everything, in this movie. Watch this and then watch Dark Shadows (or don't watch it, or anything Tim Burton's done recently) and lament how far that delightful man has fallen!

Favourite Food: Lemon Meringue Pie

BEST FOOD EVAR

That is all.

And one more thing....Fallen London!

Not my favourite game (Pictionary? Catan? Clue? Once Upon a Time?), but I am quite taken with it nonetheless: http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com

It's kind of addicting. You click cards and level up abilities (and you have to wait for them to refresh to boot!) but the story/writing and the look is just too good, and I have to check back a couple times a day. Fun in a slightly twisted, silly, demonic, rat infestation kinda way, with a nice dose of underground Victoriana. And there are mysteries to be solved!!!  

Bloomer Time!

Silky stuff, $8/m

Ribbon, $0.49

Woo woo! Sewing party with the ladies! I'm gonna make these bloomers (but with a higher waist, I hate clothes that sit on your hips - pour moi, I think they are très unflattering!)

http://www.coletterie.com/colette-patterns-news/free-pattern-to-download-the-madeleine-mini-bloomers

And then I'll hunt around for a free bra pattern or just make something up to match!

Hats with Peachy

Peachy wearing a straw boater I made last summer. I bought a regular old sunhat from work for $3 (it had some hideous trim hot glued to it - yeuch!) and then reshaped the crown, brim, and sewed on a hatband. 

The lovely thing about straw is that with a bit of steam/hot water you can basically get it to do whatever you want. I made a rough hat form (a thin strip of scrap metal my dad picked up, bent into an oval the size of my head and covered in plastic) and then steamed and stretched the crown over it and let it dry with a weight in the middle to keep the top flat. I also shortened the crown at the same time and unraveled/trimmed the brim when it was dry. The hatband is a piece of ribbon sewed on (no gluing hats!!)

I was going to sew a little button on the bow (I found an awesome button with Humphrey Bogart's face on it, and one with Bela Lugosi as Dracula!) but eh, I really don't wear this hat enough to make it fancy. It makes me look like Asian Anne of Green Gables (Anne of Green Gables is actually super popular in Japan, apparently). But sometimes you just gotta protect your head from the sun, especially if you don't have very much hair. So until I finish my new summer hat project (crocheting a cloche out of raffia - a much more flattering shape for me) this is what I got :)

Peachy, my model, is older than I am (she was given to me before I was born) and I can't remember a time before I lost all her clothes. Now that I have skills I really should make her some...

Until next time!