Renaissance Festival

Posted on May 24, 2011 by HappyGoth

I learned a valuable lesson this weekend: go to the Renaissance Festival on a cooler day. You will feel better and also save money on bottled water. (Did you know the RenFest has a monopoly on water? They do. If you’re seen with a cup of water, they can shut down whoever gave it to you. That’s not cool.)

Anyway. Jennie had gone in April, but since she’s so awesome she agreed to go again with me this past weekend, Obby in tow.

Renfest!

It was pirate weekend, and we were suitably pirated-out. I had an umbrella covered with skulls and crossbones, and what I thought was a piratey outfit, but in actuality I looked more like a gypsy with a kooky umbrella. Oh, well.

Jennie wore the pirate hat. She made a better pirate than I.

In true piratical fashion, she attempted to deal with some fairies.

There was an epic fan battle.

The fairies fled.

We happened upon them later.

Then there was a long walk, some frozen lemonade, a pickle, potato chips, and a nice long lie-down under a tree while hydrating, so that I didn’t pass out (it was a real threat). The tree was so pretty. I got to look at it for a while.

Pretty. Some guy asked if I was meditating, and took my photo. So weird.

After recovering from the heat a bit, we actually did stuff.

Saw the Barely Balanced folks (they are so cool).

Drank some tea at the teahouse, noodled around a bit.

Observed the pirate auction (yes, there were pirates).

Sadly, the heat kept most folks away. Normally, I don’t mind small crowds, but I could’ve done without the heat.

Before leaving, Obby indulged in some beef jerky.

Mmmmmmmeat.

Yep. Going way earlier in the year next time. It’s less fun when it’s all hot outside.

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Oh, Wonder Husband

Posted on May 20, 2011 by HappyGoth

I do not know that you realized the risk associated with training the cat to sit on your shoulder. Yes, he is an adorable, fuzzy pirate accessory. And yes, he does seem to like it. However, there is this:

“AH LUV YUR HEAD. IT R MY BEST FRENDS.”

(No, seriously. He was purring and making biscuits.)

“I CANNOT SEEM TO BE ABLE TO GET DOWN FROM HERE.”

“WHATEVER. THINGS ARE FINE. I’LL JUST STAY HERE A WHILE.”

Johnny Cat doesn’t know what’s going on, but he’s certain that he doesn’t like it.

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FREEEEEEE

Posted on May 18, 2011 by HappyGoth

This will be short and sweet.

1. I am a designer. Designers are beginning to need to design things for iPads (even me, actually).

2. I am not made of money.

3. This is a perfect solution.

Provided I’m that lucky person, of course.

Anyway, even if you’re totally weirded out by contest things on blogs, you should check out Design for Mankind, because it’s a really fantastic design inspiration blog, and it’s also the home of an extensive collection of really beautiful triangles (I’m serious), plus a source for lovely fashion accessories. Go! Look at things! Be inspired!

(I’m posting this to enter a contest offered by MeridaHome at Design For Mankind! I want to win the iPad 2! And I love Erin’s shoes! .http://www.meridahome.com/ & http://www.designformankind.com/)

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S&W shopping

Posted on May 17, 2011 by HappyGoth

Do not fear, gentle reader! I did do the requisite S&W shopping. And here are my purchases:

Silk, merino and cashmere blend roving from Creatively Dyed Yarns. We hit this booth up first every year. I brought some yarn from last year to knit, but totally forgot to wind it into a ball. Since it takes me so long to knit with this stuff (it’s so awesome that I need a really really good project for it), I decided roving was a better route to go this year. It’s luscious and soft. I have completely spaced on the colorway. It’s either Mela or Castagna.

As I did last year, I spent far too long deliberating what to purchase from the Spanish Peacock. I clutched a rosewood lucet for a while, and then spotted this beauty. Since I really don’t need to work on multiple lucet project simultaneously and I desperately need to work on multiple spinning projects simultaneously, this was the obvious choice. I have forgotten the woods. There was another that was a caramel-colored knurled wood whorl with an ebony shaft. It was beautiful. Next year perhaps I’ll be brave enough to try a Russian supported spindle.

I found this lovely, soft baby camel roving and it was a steal, so I bought four ounces for myself and two more four-ounce packages for friends.  I also bought some tiny clay chickens for my mother-in-law and the CG, but did not photograph them. Trust me when I tell you they were adorable.

Lastly, there was a frenzy of shopping at the end of the day, when Baobh informed me that the Sanguine Gryphon was, in fact, at S&W this year. It’s funny – when I look online and I see what other people buy, I’m amazed by the bright jewel colors of Bugga. Then when I buy for myself, I end up getting really non-bright, non-jewel colors. This skein is Skinny Bugga in the Fig Eater colorway, and I think it looks delicious. I bought a skein of Autumn Tiger Beetle a while back as part of a Christmas present binge (I gave the rest of the binge yarn away, except for one in Horseshoe Crab that will become something for Wonder Husband), and confirmed the wisdom of that purchase; I picked up that same yarn four or five times while browsing, before realizing that I already owned it.

All in all, it was a pretty sedate shopping spree. Not pictured are the crazy bindis I forced on people, a book on mehendi patterns, a little bag of madder root powder for dyeing fabric and a small gift for my niece (I don’t know if she’s gotten it yet, so I will have to be secretive about that for now).

And finally, here is my handsome cat.

(I am so unused to having a camera with a flash. I became frustrated with the results of my flash-less photos until Jennie reminded me that I actually had a flash. Crazy!)

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S&W, day three!

Posted on May 16, 2011 by HappyGoth

Day the last.

OKAY. So. Sunday was Mother’s Day and while my own mother lives rather far away, I was rather near to WH’s mom and his grandmother, so we woke up bright and early and went out with them and his dad to Bob Evans. Did you know that Bob Evans gives roses out to moms on Mother’s Day? Well, you do now.

They asked if I was a mother and I was tempted to say, “yes!” but I only have cats and there were four people there who would’ve called me on it.

So I made WH wear a crazy scarf from the kinetic sculpture race the day before (which I did not attend but saw photos of).

Doesn’t he look happy?

He’s such a good sport.

Then we went for a walk at Patapsco Park, which is my favorite park ever. We had planned on going to a little spot nobody really walks on, but I spotted a bridge and we changed plans.

The bridge in question:

It’s a suspension bridge, and rolls like a ship at sea when you walk across it.

A dude was kayaking, and I admit that I was more than a little jealous.

So then we did a little urban exploration, which usually freaks me out, but this time there were loads of other people exploring as well. So it was okay.

So cool! Next time I’ll be wearing better shoes. Then we hung out in the sun for a bit.

(WH’s coat is this crazy Austrian coat he got at a thrift store. He wears it everywhere. It makes him look rather German.)

On the way back to the car I scampered up these stairs:

They, plus a few little stacks of cinderblocks and bricks, are all that remains of Hell House.  I chickened out a few years ago when WH went to explore in advance of its demolition.

That evening, we headed back to H’s house and I got H into a sari.

Yay, saris! We headed into downtown D.C. to Marrakech, which is this crazy over-the-top Moroccan restaurant, hidden away behind a little tiny wooden door (seriously; you have to duck to get through). There was more silliness:

Some sugary chicken pastry:

And then a bellydancer.

(That’s E dancing with the bellydancer.)

I drank a lot of house-made kir. Afterward we made our way home and sort of crashed after a long, sleepy conversation.

Monday was a drive with Baobh for a while before heading to Jennie’s mom’s house again. There were horse farms:

And the trees were amazing:

We made it back to the ATL around 1am (with a brief stopover in an out-of-the-way Mexican restaurant). It was totally worth it.

Just so you know, I did end up with fiber-type purchases, but that’s tomorrow’s post.

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Sheep and Wool, Part 2

Posted on May 13, 2011 by HappyGoth

In which we actually go to the Sheep and Wool festival.

We got up all bright and early and, eschewing a wholesome breakfast in favor of delicious bagels (vacation is carte blanche for that). The first year we went, it rained. A lot. It was wet, but uncrowded. Surprise win! The next year, it was very, very hot. I discovered how many ounces of lemonade I could drink without needing to use the restroom, and had fun anyway.

This year was pretty perfect. 70 degrees, sunny, amazing. Unfortunately, everyone else thought so, too. This is the parking lot, before it even filled up all the way:

The crowd bravely marched onwards, undeterred.

Onward!

And yet still quite silly. (That never changes.)

Loads of people, presumably from those cars. Or else they were spontaneously generated, which seems unlikely.

One of the few photos of me from the weekend (I like being behing the camera).

Wow! That sounds fun! And a little creepy! And I don’t eat lamb!

I wanted this rug, but it was waaaaaaay outside of my budget. I have plans to replicate it.

This was a silly frenzy of photographing. Yes, each other. With cameras. I started it!

Yay, Alpaca! He was all sort of head-bobby and forward, and I was all like, “oh, how nice, he wants to be friends,” and then was told that this is what alpacas do when they’re upset and about to spit. I walked away.

He was like a muppet! An angry, spitting muppet.

I wandered around in the very crowded main barn, and bought some bindis on a whim. Meanwhile, everyone else had assembled for lunch. D and B were gracious enough to wear them (D was the only guy! Brave D!).

A very creative landscaping solution outside the pit beef/turkey/ham booth.

And then there were the eclairs:

Yum. This happens every year.

We did actually look at some sheep, too.

A ewe.

A ram.

Rams and ewes, being all flirty through the fence. It was really cute.

I tried on a silly hat:

(Jennie took the camera for this one.)

Then we took a break and watched the sheepdogs.

Run, sheep, run!

The dog was very intense.

In the meantime, Jennie got bored.

Which meant that H got a really swell tattoo. And then Jennie took a nap.

So blah blah blah stuff happened, we made a beeline to the Sanguine Gryphon booth, having searched in vain for it the previous two years, and bought some Bugga, direct from the source. YES. And then my friend Aamba (who I had only ever communicated with online previously) came to meet me, and we wandered about for a little while before I had to leave. I attempted to help her buy yarn, but her self-control is far better than mine. I also forgot to take her photo, so that will have to wait for later.

So then we left and had dinner at our usual place, the bottomless, mix-it-yourself Mongolian barbecue. I suddenly recalled how dehydrated I had been the last time, and was very grateful for the nice weather this year. As it was, we ate a lot, mine being doctored quite generously with this:

Sriracha! Yum.

At H’s house that evening, D played his concertina for us. He isn’t… terrible, although his wife would probably argue with that (she’s had to listen to him a lot more than we have).

Jennie and I drove to Baltimore to stay with family, and I saw these guys:

Wonder Husband in his oh-so-stylish eagle shirt.

Uncle Pirate! Hi, Uncle Pirate. Goodnight, Uncle Pirate.

Part 3 to come soon…

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Epic post is epic.

Posted on May 12, 2011 by HappyGoth

Which is why you get it in installments!

Lo, here is day one of the yearly fiber adventure! In which we misestimate how long it takes to get from Atlanta to Maryland, and have some lady-type adventures on the way.

Day one was actually the travel day, but we got in very early Friday morning and then got back on the road with only three hours of sleep, to buy supportive undergarments. It is very silly to be buying bras on three hours of sleep. Veeeeeery silly. I don’t have many pictures of this part of the trip. Did get to meet some new friends, though! That was cool.

After I got off work on Thursday, Jennie picked me up and we waded into the Atlanta traffic, which looked like this:

Honestly? Not as bad as it could be. Also things like this:

I got prematurely excited and then remembered that we were still in the Atlanta metro area. Thankfully, we realized that we were going to pass by Umaido, and being hungry, we decided to stop. Umaido is delicious, but quite the drive for us in-town folks. I had a lovely beer:

some rice (not pictured) and ramen

which didn’t last terribly long.

Slurp.

We stayed over at Jennie’s mom’s house. Somehow I still managed to be artistic on 3 hours of sleep, but I think it was because the scenery was so inspiring.

See? Lens flares and crap.

We bought some bagels (so good) and then met up with Baobh and Heather for the ladies’ supportive undergarment buying. Jennie was happy to see Baobh:

The supportive undergarment crew:

After the bras there was Mexican food and delicious chocolate.

And some silliness, even with more sleep than Jennie and I got:

And then after that, there was a Jonathan Coulton concert at the Birchmere, a great little music venue. Paul and Storm opened, and I’d never seen them before, but I’m an instant fan. They are hilarious. I liked this venue better than the first time I’d seen JoCo, mostly because I could actually see him this time. I’m fairly convinced that he’s Xylo’s alternate-reality twin, in a universe where Xylo is a hipster nerd musician guy with curly short hair instead of straight long hair, and a different wife.

I left my camera at Heather‘s house, because I wasn’t sure I could take photos, later finding out that I could take photos. So instead I offer you this rockin’ origami from Heather’s living room:

The concert was just like this, only completely different!

That was pretty much that day. Tomorrow comes SHEEP AND WOOL. It will be epic-er-er-er.

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Take that, mediocre photos!

Posted on May 3, 2011 by HappyGoth

I do a lot of complaining about my iPhone’s photo quality. Now, I recognize that the iPhone is a wonderful piece of technology, and I am thrilled at being able to tweet the random things I see on the road from the road (though not while driving, obviously).

However (and a big however), the iPhone is not intended to be a fine photography tool. Its photos are small, grainy and blurry, qualities only marginally improved by the use of the Hipstamatic app (though never when photographing food, because Hipstamatic filters will inevitably make your food look either a. alien, b. ancient, or maybe c. ancient and alien). It has been mostly decent. It has served its purpose. I will likely use it again for tweeting on the fly. I mean, obviously my thoughts on the service at my local coffeeshop cannot wait until later, right?

Anyway. I have remedied this situation. Today, I became the proud owner of a shiny new camera! Finally! Amazing new photos! Detail! Color! No greenish tint!

Observe:

Yay! Eventually I’ll have more interesting things to take photos of. I have been learning many new skills. Tomorrow morning, when the light is better, I’ll photograph some of my new skills. Like blackwork and bobbin lace and supported drop spindle.

But for now, here are the cats, photographed in the only manner I know that ensures they hold still:

Johnny Cat looks as though he’s involved in something horrific, which to his little cat brain may actually be the case.

WH is totally unapologetic, as he should be.

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Giganto embroidery project

Posted on May 2, 2011 by HappyGoth

I am slowly making some progress, but it is so slow. Mostly because I’m attempting to embroider all the diamond shapes on a three-yard piece of fabric, using my tambour hook, and also a cheapo embroidery hoop. I had championed tambour, but with my setup, boring old chain stitch is what I’m going to switch to. It’s much less fiddly.

So here’s the project:

It will be gorgeous when completed, but I have a long way to go.

(Thanks to Blake for the use of the camera, like, months ago. I am so tardy with my thanks.)

And that sari? The one that’s different colors in different light? Voila, la preuve:

Same sari! Crazy!

And then I took a bunch more photos:

This is the awesome sari of awesome. I have no idea where I’m going to wear it.

These shoes are awesome, but they pinch.

Yarrr. We own two pirates. This is the smaller of the two.

Sometimes I even decorate! This glass vase came from the same person as the small pirate, and sort of unexpectedly coordinates with my Ikea Halloween candle from three years ago. The vase has a little hole in the bottom, but I can easily plug that up.

Mmm. It’s nice to have access to a nice camera, even if I’m just taking photos of tchotchkes.

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Paneeeeeeeer

Posted on April 26, 2011 by HappyGoth

AAAAARGH. CANNOT USE VISUAL MODE IN WORDPRESS. INTERNET FAIL. Good thing I know some HTML, right? ANYWAY. I got all ambitious over the weekend, and tackled the SabjiMata palak paneer recipe. I know, I know, I could’ve made some great palak paneer with panner somebody else made already. Why make it myself? Well, two reasons. One, her recipe includes the whey from the cheesemaking process to be used in the spinach portion of the dish, and since I rarely cook with whey, I had no idea what leaving it out would do. Two, I tried making it once before with store-bought paneer, and it was a total disaster. I’m willing to try something different. So, armed with a gallon of whole milk (did I mention that I’m lactose intolerant?) I set about to cook. I started at 7, which I’ll do differently next time. I had no idea how crazily long it takes to bring a gallon of milk to a boil. See? Lots and lots of milk:

Notice that the clock now says 7:56. Thirty minutes after that, the milk boiled, mostly because I turned it up. I don’t think I burned it too much. I am impatient.

So then, you take some lemon juice and mix it in, and it turns into a really unappetizing-looking sort of cheesy mush, like a curdly porridge. And then you let it sit for a bit.

Ew:

Once you’ve let it sit and congeal a bit (trust me, the end product totally makes up for all this), you drain it into a cheesecloth-lined colander, collect the whey, and press out all the extra whey. I used a kitchen towel, a cutting board, and some really heavy books:

Actually, that’s a pot full of water under three generic art books, on top of a cutting board.

Once you’ve pressed out all the liquid, you can unwrap the cheese:

A lot more appetizing than the uniformly rectangular blocks you get wrapped in plastic at the grocery. Less tooth-squeaky, too.

It cut into cubes beautifully:

Mmmmm. Cubes.

And then from there it was pretty easy. Fry up spices, cut up too many hot peppers, rub some in your nostril (you know, like you do), cook spinach, add whey and a little yogurt, grill up the delicious fresh paneer and mix in. Then, take the most unappetizing photographs using your iPhone and the Hipstamatic app:

I suppose if I was on the Starship Enterprise, and Guinan were serving me some crazy food in Ten Forward, it would look like this and it would be delicious.

The actual food was delicious but looked like real palak paneer. And it tasted like real palak paneer. Or “real” palak paneer, like we’re all accustomed to getting in restaurants.

Yum.

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