Our New Year's Eve dumplings, fish, pork belly and lettuce wraps were consumed. We've got our brand new clothes on today. Our kitchen god is up in his place by the stove. We're headed out to the Buddhist temple later. Chinese New Year is a go!
Wishing you all a Happy Year of the Dragon.
Hey, you guys! Today I'm going to show you how to make a lovely Christmas tree that will brighten your tabletops all through the winter. It's such a simple project that it hardly merits a tutorial, but it can't hurt to walk through the steps together.
You'll need:
The first step is to punch out your circles. This is probably the most time consuming part of the project since, especially if you want to evenly space out some of the patterns in your circle like I did. My trees have circles from about four different double-sided pattern sheets, but I think they would look quite striking in just two or three patterns, too. I would recommend punching a couple dozen circles to start and then adding more later on.
You'll start out gluing the circles at the bottom of the tree, slightly overlapping.
You don't have to cover each punchout in glue. I covered them halfway at most. On some of the circles I only applied a couple of small dots of glue. That way, the bottoms of the circles don't lie completely flat on the cone and your tree gets a little bit of dimension.
Once you start placing the circles, you'll get an idea of how many you'll need to cover your tree. You can punch more circles accordingly.
Keep on working up the body of the tree, making sure your circles overlap enough to cover the cardboard or styrofoam.
Once you get to the top you can glue to circles back to back to form a charming little tree topper!
Make yourself a few of these and you'll have a whole little forest of pretty scrapbook trees to display. Hope you have fun with this one. Happy holidays and happy crafting!
If you had told me when I was growing up that someday I would clamor to put up Christmas decorations in the middle of November and that I would even have said decorations in my bathroom, I would have refused to ever speak to you again. You would obviously have been deranged. Yet here I am with a tree up and fully trimmed the weekend before Thanksgiving, working on more and more holiday crafts to fill up every corner of the house.
I bought a bunch of Christmas things on clearance at Target last year and it was quite a hoot to find them tucked into our boxes of ornaments and lights. I was especially happy to find this blessedly awful light-up tree topper amongst last year's finds:
Trust me, it is way tackier in person than it even looks in the picture. All plastic and tinsel, it's the Christmas dictionary definition of el cheapo, barely worth more than the $1.25 I paid for it. It's just SO fugly and I couldn't love it more.
365 - 106
April 16th, 20`11
I had the girls over during the weekend for an afternoon of Easter crafts and fun. We decorated eggs, made lollipop flowers, watched four episodes of the PBS show Arthur and painted some flower pot picture frames. They helped me feed the turtles and we saw some hummingbirds visit my outdoor feeder.
I also got the girls some adorable Easter puppets and they put on some puppet shows for me. My favorite storyline involved a high stakes game of roshambo between the chick and the rabbit who were haggling over the ownership of a cache of eggs and candy.
365 - 96
April 6th, 2011
Easter has always meant two things to me: candy and MORE candy. I'm trying not to eat as much of it this year, so I've turned to crafting with it instead. This Peeps and Eggs vase is so fun and simple to put together and it gets a lot of smiles. Try it with jelly beans and a variety of Peeps in different colors for an even more vibrant effect.
A picture, a poem and four songs for Valentine's Day
.....---.....---.....---.....---.....
syntax
by: Maureen N. McLane
and if
I were to say
I love you and
I do love you
and I say it
now and again
and again
would you say
parataxis
would you see
the world revolves
anew
its axis
you
.....---.....---.....---.....---.....
I've got four cover songs for you again this Valentine's Day. It's my mid week mix coming to you a little bit early. I hope it brings some good love into your day.
By Your Side (Sade cover) - Gayngs - Thank you for this, Carolyn!
I Want You (Kings of Leon cover) - Javier Dunn - It's my delightful Javier Dunn again, the one who sang the gorgeous cover of Miike Snow's "Animal". This take on KOL is pretty damn good, too.
When I Get You Alone (Robin Thicke cover) - Glee cast - There's something a bit too raunchy about Robin Thicke but when the Glee cast takes this song, it gets a veneer of bright-eyed sweetness which just makes it so enjoyable for me. Darren Criss has the perfect voice for this track.
Lovesong (The Cure cover) - Adele - While I can't say this is an improvement on the original (which is untouchably perfect), Adele's voice is just so stunning that she brings magic to it.
I love my friends.
February 10th, 2011
Sending out some Valentine's love to you all today!
It's my favorite holiday, always sending me into a flurry of longing for my dear friends whom I haven't seen in far too long, who have stood by me through everything over the years. It's also a day that makes me giddy and grateful, not merely for romantic love, but for the bonds of family and friendship, and for all the little things we do to make each other laugh and help each other get through the days. I know that I personally couldn't keep on fighting this fight without all of my friends, including my work buddies and the dear people I've met through flickr and twitter and through this little site right here.
So here's to all of you, perfect and beautiful exactly as you are, generous and curious, loving and loved.
You've Got the Love (Florence and the Machine cover) - The xx
Year of the Rabbit
February 2nd, 2011
Lunar New Year's Eve still life with auspicious pinwheel.
Mid Week Mini Music Mix
Happy Chinese New Year, everyone!
As part of our New Year's eve meal tonight Patrick and I had roast pork belly buns, Momofuku-style. I had to work until six today so I semi-cheated and bought lechon kawali from my new favorite Philipino supermarket as the bun filling. The lechon was prepared fresh and was oh so delicious!
In a sense, this is pan-fried style is even more apt for me than a barbecue version. The crisp skin and robust flavor is very reminiscent of Chinese roast pig which was my grandpa's favorite food. Grandpa loved this stuff so much that he made pre-arrangements to have a whole roast pig at his own funeral. I always remember him fondly when we sit down to eat this, and especially so on Chinese New Year's Eve.
With the steamed buns, hoisin sauce, sweet crisp pickles and scallions, these pork belly buns are downright amazing. I know my Grandpa would have heartily approved.
Merry Christmas, everyone! I hope that those of you who celebrate are safe and happy with family and friends. Let this be a time of hope, joy, peace and helpful contemplation. Happy holidays and love to you all.
I Do Not Care For The Winter Sun - Beach House
Christmas in Harlem - Kanye West
Last Christmas (Wham cover) - Florence and the Machine
Christmas Wrapping (The Waitresses cover) - Summer Camp
We're getting pretty close to Christmas Day now, guys! I'm about to take Patrick to the airport for his flight to Detroit and tomorrow I'll head down to L.A. for Christmas with my family. There's still a few things to take care of before I travel but I just wanted to show you a few of my favorite ornaments from our tree this year:
I posted a picture of these guys previously, but I have to show them again. Of course I love the gingerbread people I painted at Color Me Mine when we took Elysa and Kristen there for a crafty afternoon. They're supposed to look like me and Patrick though I'm not sure how successful I was. To be truthful, I rarely wear piped jumpers (though cookie Patrick's chest hair looks good.)
I also put together (and broke!) a number of glass ball ornaments. I filled then with Christmas ribbons and bells and I put teeny tiny holiday decorations in them, too. If you look in the mini tabletop tree ornament section of your craft store you'll find lots of great things.
We got a set of ornaments to represent Patrick's German heritage. This soft pretzel is the best of the lot, although the beer frau is a close second.
Then we felt obliged to get an ornament that would reflect my cultural heritage, but the closest we could come was this panda suspended from a papier mache zeppelin.
And of course, we have an ornament that represents the all-American Christmas spirit! Sorry, vegetarians.
Not bad for our first Christmas tree, not bad at all.
Present shopping is halfway done. I'm gearing up for some more baking. The office holiday party is this weekend. It's beginning to look (and sound) a lot like Christmas! Well, maybe more like Outkastmas:
My favorite holiday DIY project for this year is these happy yarn Christmas trees. They're fun, lively and simple and they can be made using any sort of extra scraps from your crafting or gift-wrapping stash. This is all that you'll need to make these sweet trees:
The best thing about this project is that the styrofoam cones were the only item I really had to buy. I was lucky enough to stumble across these cones at a discount store last month, but you can often find them on sale in the floral supply section of a craft store or even at Wal-Mart or Target. With all the normal expenses of the holidays, you gotta love an el cheapo craft project!
First you'll trace a circle the to fit the bottom of the cones and then glue them on as protective bases. That will prevent the styrofoam or oasis from flaking off so you can enjoy your trees for many a year. I used leftover Xmas scrapbook paper but you can use gift wrap or just plain letter paper.
Apply a ring of glue around the base of the cone and press the yarn to it. Wait a couple of minutes for it to start drying and then begin wrapping the yarn in circles around the circumference of the cone. P.s. your fingers will get gluey. It's cool. You don't need to continue adding glue after that. This is a great opportunity to use up leftover yarn. I had enough to make some matching trees, but a variety of colors looks awesome, too.
Keep wrapping like a boss while you gossip with a friend or watch some t.v. (or both!) You can be v. v. careful and wrap in perfect lines or you can just wrap around and backtrack to cover any gaps you made, creating a handmade and homespun look that I think is quite nifty. Continue until your cone is covered.
When you get to the very top, apply one more ring of glue to the side and some glue to the top of the cone, pressing the yarn to it. Cut off any extra yarn. Again, wait a minute or so for the glue to dry and the yarn to settle. Yes, your fingers will get gluey again. You'll live. Hopefully you'll be at an absorbing point in your t.v. show and the time will go by quickly.
Then it's time for the fun part - decorate your tree! I glued ribbons around my little guys and I'm delighted with how they turned out. As with the yarn, feel free to use odds and ends of ribbon and string. You can also decorate with little paper punchouts, sequins, beads or charms. Heck, glue some candy to it, if you want. (Sorry, I have candy on the brain. It's all this holiday junk food I've been indulging in!)
For my toppers, I used wooden buttons and acorns I found in the forest, but you can really get creative and go wild with it. Tie a pretty ribbon to match the ones encircling the tree. Fold a paper star, or use a little toy (Lego topper!)
The trees are the perfect starting point to create a pretty winter tabletop scene. Have fun with it, kids. That's what Christmas should be about :)
Things that kept me busy this past weekend:
Wrapping presents. Wrapping Bieberbooks for a little chicky who can't even read yet. Fun tidbit: my goddaughter's friends make fun of her for loving on Taylor Swift, whom they apparently call "Toilet Swift".
Getting ornaments for our tree. Alas, I had to set this one down because it cost almost $20 freaking dollars and didn't even have lights or sound or animatronic motion where Edward almost kisses Bella, or anything (ridiculous, Hallmark). We did get some other cool tree trimmings though, which I will highlight in an upcoming post.
Went a little crazy at Cost Plus World Market, that oh so dangerous store. Every time I go in there for one little thing I leave with bagfuls of chocolate, chips, beers from around the world and a bunch of other things that I "need". I'm currently contemplating whether or not I should give some of this seasoning to my Momo for Xmas.
Ate Patrick's great cooking! He made us some delish Italian sausage, sun-dried tomato, artichoke heart and fresh basil pasta on Saturday night. It was so nice for me after a long unexpected afternoon at work. On Sunday morning he whipped us up some awesome pancakes, too. A girl could get used to this, I think.
Organized our fridge magnets and made three new holiday ones. We need more magnets, don't you think?
I also did some dirty work on my Top Ten Albums of 2010 list. It's been tougher than I though, especially with so many strong albums coming out at the end of the year! Stay tuned for more on the list soon.
Mid Week Mini Music Mix
via the ever so brilliant Recovering Lazyholic
Happy Thanksgiving, babies! There is just so very much to be thankful for this year, but today I have the warm and fuzzies for two things especially. 1) You guys. Thank you so much for dropping by here to read and share in my little ups and downs. Thanks for loving music, good food, funny stories and life. And thank you for being such sweethearts all the while. 2) Being able to walk again soon unassisted! Woo hoo! Never have I felt so much appreciation for such a simple, basic thing. This week's music mix is dedicated to the easy freedom of just walking around. May this holiday weekend lead you all to wonderful adventures, family, friends and happiness.
Every Day (I walk over, I walk on) - Clair
Backwards Walk - Frightened Rabbit
Walking With A Ghost (Tegan & Sara cover) - The White Stripes
I was looking for this:
Because I've had my eye on this Peanuts Xmas tree for years and I think this might be the Christmas it joins my household.
But then I also saw this Sea Creature Mask:
And I don't think I speak alone when I say, "Seriously. What the fuck?"
I've decided that I'm going to start posting a timeline of my Hello Kitty jack o' lanterns each Halloween. I work too darn hard on these things not to glorify them! This year I have a cute little witch Kitty on my pumpkin. She's supposed to be holding a broom, but I opted to carve her without. Just witchy Kitty doing her spooky thing under the full moon!
Warning: the pumpkins from Trader Joe's are fairly-priced ($2.99 in my 'hood) and beautifully colored, but they weigh like three times as much as other pumpkins. Despite this setback, Patrick and our friends had a really fun time carving our jack o' lanterns. We ate the fresh-roasted seeds, drank some dranks, kept a mini marathon of scary Netflix Watch Instantly movies on the tv (Paranormal Activity, The Omen and Killer Clowns from Outer Space) and listened to a spiffy Halloween music mix that Patrick was cute enough to have downloaded from the goodness knows where. The mix had the Ghostbusters theme and Elvira on it.
Can you tell I'm excited about Halloween this year? Hope you guys are all having fun with your festive preparations, too!
2009 "Kitty Paparrazi" aka "I Was Finishing Up My 2nd Year of Flickr 365 and Was Obsessed With Photography":
2008: "Tall Kitty" aka "Her Overall Buttons Look Like Nipples and Now You CAN'T Unsee It":
2007: "The OG" aka "Spaghetti Neck"
Mid Week Mini Music Mix
Do you guys know what an incredibly special day it is? It's the autumn equinox, the first day of fall, and also the night of the full moon. This is the first time since 1991 that the moon will be full on the autumn equinox. It's the Harvest Moon at that; a huge, glowing glory of a moon. You simply must go out and see it tonight. The moon will be visible, enormous and low in the sky, starting at sunset. It will leave you stunned.
Harvest Moon is a time to mull over all the blessings of the earlier months, to evaluate how far we've come along the roads we set out to walk when the year was still new. It's a time to hope that the coming winter will not feel too long nor treat us harshly.
And of course today is also Chinese Moon Festival, a vitally important day in my family. Tonight we will have our tea and mooncakes, our lanterns and our loved ones near. All these things in one day – how can that not be magical? Tonight I will feel summer start to let go of its leaves, the slow fade getting ready to feed next year's riotous spring, just as everything past blooms in the present me who writes this and in the present you who reads it. And the same moon looks down over it all.
Night By Night - Chromeo If this doesn't make you want to get down, then I don't even know. I'm loving this new Chromeo album, Business Casual. It's cheeky, it's lively and it's just plain good.
Coronado - Deerhunter Oh my goodness, guys. The new Deerhunter album is the SHIZ. I've enjoyed them in the past, but their songs can be a little difficult, you know? During my very first listen of Halcyon Digest I was blown away and every listen since I've been like Double Rainbow guy when I listen to it, all blubbering over how incredible it is. NPR is streaming it until September 28th or buy it from the band and get an instant mp3 download of the whole album.
My Plants Are Dead - Blonde Redhead I had really high hopes for this band's latest release Penny Sparkle but, truth be told, I'm a bit disappointed in the pleasant but uninspired shoegaze album. This song is along the lines of what I was expecting. Get lost, enjoy.
Ghost - Antony & The Johnsons There's always been a teensy bit missing for me where Antony and the Johnson's are concerned. The music is melodramatic and you really, really have to be in the mood for it. But the new album Swanlights is cohesive and operatic. It tells a good story in an awesomely beautiful fashion. It's absolutely gorgeous.
San Antonio
by: Naomi Shihab Nye
Got To Get You Into My Life - The Beatles
Much to my disappointment my father lent our Christmas Pilgrims to my aunt this year. Holiday traditions are a huge deal to me and the Pilgrims were an instant classic. To make up for this I took solace in several other annual celebratory events and even established a few new ones which will hopefully be repeated for many years to come.
*Winter mix cds were made and distributed. I think they really capture the quiet and capacious solitude of being snowed-in this year and I am rather pleased with it.
*Chicken wings for Festivus. Also drinking Martinelli's straight from the bottle in bed.
*A mountainous amount of cookies were produced this year, all devoured with alarmingly ravenous energy by friends, family and co-workers. I've baked Christmas cookies ever since my sister was knee high and making up plates for Santa but I have to admit I am more than a little proud of all I've learned about baking this year. Chewy toffee chip cookies have become my trademark. My cousin Aaron ate like six of them in the space of three minutes after Christmas Eve dinner.
*Speaking of Christmas Eve dinner we had swedish meatballs and noodles and it was the bomb. We followed it up with a viewing of Inglourious Basterds, which was a delight. We were in stitches during the gloriously explosive blowout finale. We decided that noodles andf gore will definitely be called for again next Christmas Eve.
*Christmas earrings. I hope to pass this gag gift back and forth for years to come.
*Going to the movie theater on Christmas Day. I can't believe I've never done this before! I feel like a bad Asian! We thorougly enjoyed ourselves today. There's nothing wrong with a little Sherlock Holmes on Christmas.
*I kind of miss the old days when my sister would get up at the crack of dawn and run out and attack her stocking. Now she and my mom sleep in til freaking like ten or eleven o' clock, totally spoiling our Xmas mojo. However, our dog figured out yesterday that there are presents under the tree for him, presents of the treat variety, and he could not wait for Christmas to arrive.
Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!
Mid Week Mini Music Mix
I've made a concerted effort to keep this holiday season as stress-free as possible, so I'll keep this brief. A cup of tea and a comfy chair are waiting for me after I pack my bag for an almost two week stay in L.A.
I just wanted to share some wonderful and not so traditional Christmas songs with you and send a little cheer your way as you make your final holiday preparations. I hope we can also take a little time out to think of those less fortunate than us and how we can make this season a little warmer for them. I am very much looking forward to Christmas with my friends and family and I am counting every last blessing I have (including the existence of an Aqua Teen Hunger Force Christmas album).
That Was the Worst Christmas Ever! - Sufjan Stevens
25th December - Everything But The Girl
Feliz Navidad - Aqua Teen Hunger Force
Some holiday thoughts:
Okay somehow, and I really don't know exactly how, Christmas is now less than seven days away??
I don't want to jinx myself, but I really believe this will be the first year I won't be running around frantically on the 23rd, trying to finish up last minute gift shopping. This is mostly because I am working all day and then flying out at night, but hey, it still counts.
To do this weekend: bake cookies, watch Love Actually, wrap, feel Christmas-y.
I have perhaps gone a bit wild with diy holiday decorations. I am cuckoo for Christmas crafts. Paper chains, yarn wreaths, personalized glass bulb ornaments, cards and tags... the list goes on. My latest project, which I had SO much fun with, are these paper circle wreaths, made after I read a tutorial on Craftsylish:
They're bright, festive and adorable and, hello, they are cheap as hizzell, especially if you already own some circle punches. The tutorial calls for a store bought styrofoam wreath base, but to make this craft even more wallet-friendly, (okay, truth: I was too lazy to go to the craft store) I cut my own flat bases.
You can use any thick paper, like a cardboard box. Just pick out one large circular item (I used a dinner plate) and trace it on the paper. This will form the diameter of your wreath. Then choose one proportionate smaller circular item (I used a cereal bowl), trace it in the center of the larger circle. That will form the hole in the center of the wreath. Use scissors to cut around your traced circles. I made mine out of an old shirt box which isn't as sturdy, but was really easy to cut through.
Once you've got your base, it's time to punch out your circles. This is the fun part to me. I live for kickass paper and love to pick out patterns that go together.
I hate to just throw out big chunks of the pretty sheets,so I punched little circles from the sections in between the large ones. See,hardly anything wasted:
Then, following the instructions on the original tutorial, I just glued the circles down overlapping each other along the edges of the wreath. I only needed to glue two layers to cover my bases, as opposed to the four called for in the tutorial. Double woot. Things went so well that I cut some more wreath bases in different sizes. I ended up with one green wreath, one red one and two multi-colored lovelies. I also grouped little trios of extra small circles to make little berry bunches:
And I have been very much enjoying the fruits of my labor at work and at home. Seriously, this is an ideal craft. As the tutorial claims, it is simple, thrifty and fun. Don't worry about putting them on in perfect curves. Gather the kids or the not so crafty friends and slap them on. They'll still look cute, I promise.
Raising the roof for Xmas!!!
Well, I finally started my Christmas shopping today. Gifts will consist mostly of online goods due to the fact that there is a nice heavy rain falling outside and also because there is a large, fresh gash in my lower right leg, courtesy of some broken picture frame glass and my inability to function in the early morning light.
After a couple of hours of serious browsing, my festive glass of Glenlivet on the rocks and I have decided that the ultimate holiday present is, without a doubt a Best Made Axe.
They're sturdy and practical, they kick extreme ass and, really, they're just lovely. Each individual axe is made to order, painted and polished by hand. Best Made Axes are works of art which have an almost family heirloom-type quality which I find very dignified. Also, it's a fucking AXE. It is beyond cool to give and receive the gift of an axe.
Each of the designs, which change by season, are simply majestic, but I'm especially fond of the "Joe Mitchell" and the "Famous Green" pictured here. The only caveat is that the axes, which range from $250-$400 are a bit costly. I think you're really getting what you pay for, though, and should really think of it as a lifelong axe investment.
Alright, I'm stoked. This is exactly what I need for the Bon Iver-esque winter in the woods sojourn I've been dreaming about.
Hello, babies. Just wanted to wish you a safe and spectacular All Hallows Eve, Samhain, Dia de los Muertos, or whatever it is you might celebrate.
A couple of years ago, a small piece in the Sanrio Newsletter (yes, I subscribed to the Sanrio newsletter. Shut up.) inspired me to carve my first Hello Kitty jack o' lantern, and now it has become a tradition. I highly recommend relief carving, which my friend taught me to do last year. The results aren't as visible in the nighttime, but I love the overall effect.
It's a lot of work, but a lot of fun. Pumpkin carving should always be a group activity. That way you can commiserate over mistakes and shoot the breeze to make it go by faster.
Every year while I'm carving I get so annoyed that I always swear it will be my last pumpkin EVER. But then you start eating the fresh toasted pumpkin seeds and slowly the carved image starts to come together and when all is said and done, you've got Hello Kitty doing her thang on your jack o' lantern, cute as all fucking get out. And it is SO worth it. Hell yes, HK pumpkin 2009.
Hope you guys are having a blast with your costumes, carving, haunted houses and whatnot, too. And do make sure you listen to this while you're having this weekend's fun. That's what I've been doing and it is awesome :)
Mid Week Mini Music Mix
In The Room Where You Sleep - Dead Man's Bones I'm not really sure why Ryan Gosling got it in his head to record songs with a children's choir, but it sure makes for an awesome Halloween album. The singing is otherworldly and marvelous.
Vampire of the West Coast - Ghost Bees A vampire song from a band with the word "ghost" in their name? What could be more apt? This is a beautiful track and I really think you'll like it.
Evil - Interpol Oh, damn. A slow, sultry stunner off of Interpol's amazing Antics. A dark and restless cunning shadows every song off this album, so while it is great listening for any day and every day, I especially love it for this time of the year.
Creature Fear - Bon Iver This song illustrates one of my favorite qualities about the Bon Iver album: the enigmatic and unsettling lyrics. It's open for so many interpretations. What tales will you spin from this gorgeous song for these darkening days?
Do you believe in ghosts?
This is a question that I find myself asking people often, especially with Halloween just around the corner. Even though I simply cannot bear to watch scary movies and am quite unwilling to suffer the weeks of sleepless nights that come after I read a horror novel, I absolutely love to hear people's real life encounters with the supernatural. I get the chills when I hear these tales, but there is something in their stark simplicity, in the very telling of them, that I find powerfully compelling. So I will often ask, "do you believe"? More often than not the answer is "I don't know." But every once in a while someone will quietly reply, "Well, I have seen a ghost." All my senses move into high alert mode and I focus every molecule of my attention on them and let me tell you, I have heard some stories.
For instance, the girl who would repeatedly hear someone calling her name in what she knew was an empty house and would often feel some unseen thing brush up against her in the shower. And someone once told me of how for months their sister would have her bed covers forcibly yanked away from her and onto the ground by some unseen presence. She would sometimes wake with scratches all over her arms. And recently a friend described a night just a couple of weeks back when her young son refused to go to sleep because "the man in the corner" of his room wouldn't go away. She found out the next morning that a good friend of theirs had died in a car accident moments before the incident. Okay, I am seriously creeping myself out right now.
And yet I am fascinated. So, do you believe? Do you have your own stories to tell? Leave a comment or email me. I want to hear them all.
Update: How timely! I woke up to a link from one of my Twitter contacts to a story in the Washington Post about some of today's best horror writers and their favorite scary stories.
Dang it, you guys. I was totally going to dress as an astronaut for Halloween this year, but it looks like my kitchen sponge beat me to it. His space suit is so rad, there's no way I could top it. Plus, I'm pretty sure we'll be at the same Halloween party, so I definitely have to look for something else. Here's a quick sampling of some fantastic alternatives I found:
There is something so disarmingly creepy about this Hamburglar costume. Maybe it's the combination of the Zorro mask, hideously enormous ears and dress shoes, but I will never see Hamburglar the same way again. I never noticed before that he is basically wearing a prison jumpsuit. The website's description also states, much to my alarm: "Pair with the Grimace™ for a fun couple's costume!"
Gee, I'm glad I live in a country where people are willing to pay actual money to walk around with the words "She's A Hot Mess" printed next to their heads. International readers, I am sorry that we continuously try to drag humanity down in such a stubborn manner.
Travelocity Roamin Gnome. Why?
And let's not forget our four-legged friends (which I obviously wouldn't since even my cleaning supplies have costumes.) I am desperate to dress Jamie as a hard shell taco for Halloween. Let's just hope he doesn't try to eat it off.
All costumes are from the awesome and very comprehensive buycostumes.com
but if a living dance upon dead minds
why,it is love;but at the earliest spear
of sun perfectly should disappear
moon's utmost magic,or stones speak or one
name control more incredible splendor than
our merely universe, love's also there:
and being here imprisoned,tortured here
love everywhere exploding maims and blinds
(but surely does not forget,perish, sleep
cannot be photographed,measured;disdains
the trivial labelling of punctual brains...
-Who wields a poem huger than the grave?
from only Whom shall time no refuge keep
though all the weird worlds must be opened?
)Love
by: e.e. cummings
My family always celebrates Chinese New Year in Los Angeles by going to a Buddhist temple. On New Year's Day, the temple is packed with families in their bright, brand new clothes and shoes. Children wear traditional costumes, friends greet each other happily. People wait in lines to get their fortune told and to receive plates of hot vegetarian lunch.
I've missed this tradition so much in the past few years and was excited that New Year's Day falls on my Monday day off for 2009. I seized the opportunity to visit a local Vietnamese place called the Duc Vien Buddhist Pagoda, a place I'd never even driven by before.
The grounds were packed. Hundreds of people walked from altar to golden altar in the courtyard in front of the pagoda, incense sticks billowing smoke from their hands. Little boys in silk brocade jackets threw cracker snaps on the asphalt with glee. Family groups clustered around a large square of picnic tables chatting and eating steaming bowls of pho and sharing paper bags of cha gio (the to-die-for fried Vietnamese spring rolls.)
I picked my way through this sea of revelers, camera in hand, taking everything in. I made my rounds to the altars, walked in the gardens, had a small lunch. I was in a distinctly strange state of surrender to the place, as if I could palpably touch the spirit of this day. At the same time I felt utterly isolated, with no family nearby and all my friends at work. I was trying to step into the cultural rhythms of the country where I was born, but don't have a single memory of. It was hours of listening to, and mostly understanding, conversations in a language that I can barely speak a dozen frustrating words of.
And at last I ended up in the pagoda itself. It was cool and calm inside, a vaulted ceiling over a room filled with stiff wooden chairs facing an altar with three enormous statues. Only about twenty people were ever in there at a time, each one stopping for about five minutes to pray. Only a couple of people sat in the chairs. Most paid their respects kneeling on the bamboo mats near the back of the room.
I, who grew up never attending any Buddhist services, found myself on my knees as well, my palms pressed together, the tips of my index fingers resting lightly against my lower lip. My head swam. I was high and low all at once, thinking of grievances decades past, intensely grateful for the chances I'll have this year, smarting from pains fresh as the chrysanthemum blooms clustered all over the altar, missing my grandather with a fierce lonesomeness. The heavy sweet cloud of incense smoke pressed and drew back continuously from the the doorways. I was surrounded by people and hadn't made a sound for hours. And all of a sudden tears were streaming down my face, fast and silent. I was stunningly overwhelmed and had no power to stop them. I was not praying, I was not thinking. I was neither happy nor sad, just crying. It was New Year's afternoon and I was kneeling on a woven mat in a room in San Jose, strangers beside me, feeling as if I could almost palpably touch the spirit of my life. Someone came up beside me and put their hand on my shoulder. I didn't turn to look at them.
Okay, I was pretty certain that this would take the prize for my favorite Christmas gift wrapping of 2008:
Come on. Two mismatched bows. An acorn card. Cutest holiday robots ever. What's not to love?
Then, a couple of days after Christmas, my dog Jamie gets a present from Kerry and John's dog Leonidas. And it came in this:
Words fail me. I am not fit to be in the holy presence of Christmas Otter. That is all.
Merry Christmas, y'all!
It is 9:45 on Christmas morning and I have been up and at 'em for the last two hours. The rest of the family? Not a creature is stirring, not even a fricking mouse. The Tran Clan has a tradition of celebrating on Christmas night, so the morning of the 25th means nothing to us now that my sister is a belligerent teenager. No stockings, no presents, no Christmas breakfast. Just the deep and dreamless sleep of heathens.
I've been sitting out by the faux fire taking some photos of the holiday decor and am very pleased to have the time to report why my family kicks ass:
1) My dad proudly displays this big crazy nativity scene, which he purchased at an estate sale, even though we are not, nor have we ever been, Christian.
2) Joseph is a heck of a lot older looking than Mary and I'm wondering if maybe Dad mistakenly put the disapproving inkeeper in his place.
3) Dad has inexplicably formed a wall o' pine cones around the blessed family.
Okay, that's not even the good shit, though. My sister pointed out to me that Dad must've gotten some sort of 2 Holidays in 1 deal at the estate sale. If you take a closer look:
4) Behind the sheperd boy, who is nearly in awed tears inspired by the presence of the Baby Jesus, there is a burly one-eyed pilgrim holding a pumpkin and a ginormous ear of corn. Oh my god why.
And on the other end of the scene:
5) A procession bearing gifts for the newborn king. You know, gold, frankincense, myyrh. A cornucopia.
I am delighted and amazed. And that, my dears, is the true spirit of Christmas.
When I was little I thought that the ultimate Christmas gift that one adult could give another, besides those big ass tins with the three different flavors of popcorn, was a Hickory Farms gift box. Meat, cheese, nuts, mustard, crackers and, if you were lucky, those jelly-filled strawberry hard candies. Really, was there anything else you could ask for in life?
I was secretly crushed when, over the years, I never once received a Hickory Farms gift set for any occasion. This year the prospect of someone thinking that a cardboard box of cheese product would be perfect for me seemed slimmer than ever, so I finally broke down and got a little pack for myself.
And it was disgusting. I broke it open at work this past week and we agreed that, without a generous slathering of the Hickory Farms Sweet-Hot mustard, the contents are pretty vile. Let's just say there is a good reason why you don't see those HF stores at the mall anymore. First of all, any time you have blocks of hybrid cheese with names like "Chedam", that is not good. And if those same cheese blocks can sit around unrefrigerated for four months, that's an even bigger problem. Also, it came with only three thin crackers, which is outrageous, because the meat is basically a sausage-shaped salt lick. The only good thing about the Hickory Farms snack box is that the two main items are called Beef Stick and Chub, which means your day is just one endless "that's what she said" joke.
Holiday Specials I Have Watched This Year:
Charlie Brown, Santa Claus is Coming To Town, How The Grinch Stole Christmas (the bad one, the one with Jim Carrey), Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer, Rudolph and the Island of Misfit Toys (terrible follow up to the original Claymation masterpiece),
Holiday Specials I Am Wanting To Watch:
That original Claymation Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, A Muppet Christmas Carol, A Garfield Christmas Special, Fat Albert Christmas Special, How The Grinch Stole Christmas (the good one), Pee-Wee's Playhouse Christmas, Year Without A Santa Claus,
Word.
Okay, so all when I was growing up I was terrified of Halloween, just filled with an outrageous amount of almost comical terror. Until I was about 9 I couldn't go trick or treating because being out of doors on Halloween night would render me completely immobile with fright. I was also freaked out of my mind when trick or treaters came to our house, so the entire event was basically a bust.
The only thing I actually liked was wearing a costume myself. So indecisive was I as a child that I often had to buy two costumes. This exasperated my parents to no end. What kid needs two costumes for Halloween, especially a kid who spent the entire evening of the 31st holed up in their room reading Clifford The Big Red Dog books and trying not to shriek each time the doorbell rang.
But I somehow wrangled it for several years running. The best part is that I insisted on wearing a startling melange of the different costume elements together. One Halloween I paired a Strawberry Shortcake hat and shoes with a ballerina's dress, which was a vast improvement on my previous year's combination of Indian chief headdress topping a white sheet that would be (depending on what mood I was in) either a ghost or a toga.
I'd have to say that my crowning achievement in Halloween amalgamation occurred the year I turned four and found myself in possession of both a Minnie Mouse costume and a pint size astronaut uniform. I ignored every opproborium heaped upon me by my family and all through October you could find me placidly stretched out on the couch watching Sesame Street, snug in my astronaut jumpsuit and breathing quietly through the noseholes in the Minnie Mouse mask. "You're supposed to be saving that polka dot dress for Halloween!" my grandma would lament whenever she saw me. "And don't wear that space helmet to the dinner table again."
I'll usually jump at any excuse to give out cookies and candy, but my co-workers have been so very heath conscious lately that this year I set out to make valentines that weren't entirely dessert-based.
Inspired by the hearts in bloom on the cards I designed, I decided to give out small plants. A flat of organic strawberries transplanted into these little striped planters were just the thing. I even went all out and replanted them with organic potting soil. We're still at least a couple months out from strawberry season so just a few of the plants have the small, white delicate blossoms already. I made some simple heart plant picks to give them a cheery pop of color.
Hopefully they'll flourish and come summertime we'll be picking little berries that we grew ourselves.
I can't really explain it, even to myself, but I am obsessed with Chinese New Year 2008. I never knew how spoiled I was by my family's New Year celebrations growing up. The house was decorated and we had lots of fresh flowers for weeks. Gifts were given, gifts were received. Visitors were entertained and return visits were made. Right around the time of New Year's Eve we'd have tons of the traditional foods on hand: bao, dumplings, the sweet fried glutinous rice cake that I adore (niangao), that round dish of eight different little treats and so on. On New Year's Day we always had a vegetarian meal at the temple and my favorite part was seeing what stick I'd get out of the fortune shaker.
Well, things have been really different for the whole lot of us who defected from Southern California to Santa Clara. Without guidance we're uncertain about which days are meant for what celebrations. Should we be cooking together on New Year's Eve or going out on New Year's Day? How quickly we forgot everything.
But slowly we've reaffirmed and readjusted traditions and found what is meaningful for us. Everything is tidied up and organized. I made some mouse-printed New Year's paper lanterns (it is the Year of the Rat). We've all got our new shoes and outfits ready (it rocks so hard that we have to wear new things). There will be no cooking and cleaning in our households tomorrow. New Year's is a day of reflection and peace. You don't start fires at home; you don't sweep and wash your goodness for the year away. Nearer to the full moon at the end of the month I'm also gonna try to go to the big New Year's parade up in San Francisco. It's supposed to be a huge event and it's been years since I've seen a good lion dance. I can't wait!
I received my first Christmas present last night. A little early, but not unreasonably so. And it scared me to bits.
The actual gift wasn't scary (it was a certificate for Watercourse Way, yay!). But it reminded me that I have yet to buy a single Christmas present, even though the 25th is less than a week and a half away. I am still sitting here twiddling my thumbs, making my list and checking it twice and then losing the list in a pile of magazines and having to start a new one thinking, damn, what was it that I wanted to get the Pod again?
Well, luckily, I discovered a great online store a few days ago called Supermarket which offers a nice collection of decently priced items from mostly independent designers. They've got a bunch of things I've seen and admired on the design sites this year: ferm LIVING wall stickers, CMYK socks, the most kickass accessories from KidViskous, and the Furni clocks which stoke my timepiece fetish. Delightful gift ideas abound!
Not the least of which is this magnificent ring from designer VeraMeat that I would love to get for everybody; a paragon of design:
It is a DINOSAUR eating a FRIED CHICKEN DRUMSTICK ring. Which I think might be the greatest piece of jewelry I have ever heard of, ever. I would like to open a museum that is one room with a single display case showing off this ring. Because it is a dinosaur. Eating fried chicken.
UPDATE: I've carved even more Hello Kitty pumpkins in the past few years! See the all on my Hello Kitty Halloween post.
You guys, check out the sweet Hello Kitty jack o' lantern I carved last night!
I wasn't planning on carving a pumpkin this year, but once I got wind of this idea over on Hello Kitty Hell I knew I couldn't pass it up. It turned out a lot better than I expected, seeing as the directions given on the Sanrio newsletter were pretty spartan. I had to guess as to where I wanted the face to stay connected. I chose the bottom as one contact area, not realizing it would look like her neck. That's why she's got a huge head perched on a spaghetti neck.
My only concern now is this mild Indian Summer we've got going in the Bay Area. I hope she doesn't mold or collapse before Halloween. Or maybe I do--Zombie Kitty!
More pictures of Kitty pumpkin madness over on my Flickr stream.
I'm quite blessed to have a group of best friends who have stayed extremely close since high school. We're all scattered about doing our thing now, so this year I decided to reinstate one of the old traditions which cemented our relationship: holiday card/gift exchanges. First up is Valentine's Day. The assignment was to tell our designated friend three reasons why you love her. Ah, so easy:
1) Caroline introduced herself to me on the first day of high school. I was new to a district where 99% of the people knew each other and I was frightened out of my mind. Needless to say, Caroline's sweet and frank friendliness was a life preserver to me that day, and every day since. I love her kindness.
2) "Red Light Special" by TLC was played at her wedding reception. I'm not even sure she's aware of this because what seems like a million people attended the event, and she was busy the whole night greeting them. But let it stand for the record that we did sing along to this during, I believe, one of the seafood courses. And I know that Caroline was probably equal parts alarmed and amused. I love her wry sense of humor.
3) Caroline takes the cutest pictures of Alyssa and adds the most fun captions and I am endlessly proud of and moved by what a beautiful life she has made for herself, Skorn and her daughter. I love her capacity for love.
Last week Judy asked me if I had bought my new outfit for Chinese New Year yet. That's why Chinese New Year rocks. I love holidays where you have to buy new clothes and shoes. Especially when there's no hard and fast rules so you can get HoTTT copper stilletos as your New Year's shoes.
As I was shopping for my new outfit, I came across some new accessories that I had to have, including the bird necklace I'm wearing here. Now, I'm not really a jewelry girl. I've never been one to look at jewelry store displays or notice other people's bling. So what I do buy has to really capture my attention; and I'm a sucker for novelty jewelry. If it's plastic and looks like a 4th grader made it, then it's coming home with me.
During the same trip this flowery, pincushiony thing was also pointed out to me. I'm not sure whether it's a neclace or a flotation device. I'm also not sure whether it's wonderful or horrifying that someone saw some crazy poufs glued to a shoelace and thought immediately of me. Of course I had to have it (I had already bypassed a rubber deer's head necklace.)
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Song: "Young Pilgrims"
The Shins: Chutes Too Narrow
This rather simple epitaph can save your hide your falling mind.
Fate isn't what we're up against.
There's no design no flaws to find.
But I learned fast how to keep my head up 'cause I
Know I got this side of me that
Wants to grab the yoke from the pilot and just
Fly the whole mess into the sea.
