Makes me HaPpY!

This was sent to me by a friend. I LOVE the STUPID MUSIC....oh and the cake is pretty darn cool too.
From the site Cake Wrecks, which is a super blog that documents bad cake making.

If you don't have time to watch this video at work, then check out this little project using crayons:

One of the many things you can do with a heat gun.
Better than plastic-ing windows. See the project here.

Dye oh My!

Check out this dye job on How about Orange! I once took a class in cyanotype and this is basically the same dye: light sensitive, solid colour.

The product is called Inkodye. Hmm. Wonder if it is only available
in the States...can't imagine what duty would be on chemicals....

Reading....Walking the Dog by David Hughes

When I went to art school, I studied drawing. I still have a great soft spot for drawing.

I purchased this book in Brighton, England at a bookstore on the main road. It was a great store and I am sorry I can't remember the name because I would recommend it to you. As soon as I saw it, I recognized the great style of David Hughes and had to purchase it. "There is no damn way I can get this in Canada and it would be three times the price," I said to my friend.

(Later I would be overweight on my luggage for all the books I lugged back. Not including my cast iron penny bank either. Funny, I forgot you can order books online. Usually art books cost more, ignoring the fact I did pay in sterling. Christ I don't know why I bought it. Maybe cause I loved the drawings? It weighed a ton in my luggage.)

The story of "Walking the Dog" is very simple. Hughes is told to exercise, drink less, and eat less red meat. His family tells him to get a dog and they buy him one for his birthday, a wired hair fox terrier. He walks the dog, contemplates his mortality. Everyone he comes across says, "My _________ used to have a fox terrier but it died...." The poor dude is constantly reminded about death.

He begins to think of all the people he has known who have died. From his brother and father, to Marilyn Monroe and Elvis.

Can I mention the book is funny? Funny in a morbid way. And all his characters are so quintessentially British. Bad teeth, rosacea from drinking, tweed. And the poop bag! He captures the doggie poop walk perfectly. If you have a dog, you know this walk.

My Darling Dog Penny
(she hates this picture and this tiara)

I have a personal connection to this book. I started reading this book in Brighton and there is a moment where he visits Brighton in the book and draws the pier...

The Brighton Pier, roller-coasters and games galore.

And I missed my dog....

Dogs outside of my friend's flat...

And my Dad has been told to start exercising because of his own heart. Yes, this book speaks to me on so many levels. It's deep, man.

Check out the copyright page. This page alone is a reason to get this book. Oh and the portrait of his Mom when she is ironing.

If you want to read an actual review of this book, following this link. She says the book lacks a story however she also mentions she read the book drunk. As a book reviewer, should you mention you are reviewing a book in an alcohol haze? She says you can read this book in one sitting. I don't believe it. There is too much writing and detail. I have issues with the review as you can tell, but not with the book.

Crafty Birds

This little story is rather apropos as my close friend is setting up a jewelry making business at the moment...

On the weekend, I went to a family BBQ. A common site at any family gathering of my boyfriend's are his parents who often bring their bird, a red feathered macaw named Luna. They raise all sorts of birds, but it is Luna, naturally, who gets the most attention. They will bring her and her stand along, have her crawl all over them, rip off their buttons, tear their shirts. It's quite the site. (Sorry I forgot the camera.)

This is what Luna looks like a la Wikipedia.

I discovered Luna has a neat trick. She takes the centers out of Toonies! She grabs the toonie, moves it around with her weird black tongue, where she sort of twirls it, almost as though her tongue is reading braille or the writing on coin. Honestly, its all over in less than 2 minutes. You hear a click, and the center falls to the ground!

Luna's Mom takes the broken coins to the bank, but as she says, "I don't tell them a bird did it." Can you imagine? I am sure the Canadian Mint would LOVE Luna!

I'm going to take these coins and turn them into earrings! I think my friend should employ this bird... (her cat wouldn't like that though.) Do you remember when toonies came out and they said the centers 'may' pop out and all us crafters tried and tried and tried. Try Luna!

Bee Keeper's Quilt.

Some people are very, very involved in their projects. I like to knit. I'm not good at it. I try.

Check out this fun pattern and watch this video (I'm certain you won't get through it all, I didn't).

I'm happy some people are happy with their knitting.

Tiny Owl Knit's Bee Keeper's Quilt

Sometimes We Overdo It

....Mr. B whispers in my ear, "I don't like it - do I have to eat it?".....

Honestly, it is a good salad(!) Yet, I overdid it.

The 4 B Salad.

There are no measurements for this recipe. It is just a combination of 4 "B's": Beets, Blueberries, Blue Cheese and Balsamic Vinegar. And trust me, it is a delicious salad. I quickly learned that too much Blue Cheese makes everything taste like Blue Cheese. The delicate flavour of the blueberries gets lost fast.

I am going to blame how much Blue Cheese they put into a package - I couldn't put in half of the cheese I had available, because what would I possibly do with my leftover cheese. It's their fault!

Damn I ruined the whole salad. And you know it isn't a success when you bring it to a gathering and you keep looking at peoples plates and see it untouched. #@%&!!!!!!!

....so I say to Mr. B: "It's okay, you don't have to finish it."

"I don't think I like blue cheese," says Mr. B.

I don't think many people like the salad, I think to myself.

Finally Vietnamese Coffee!

Ever since my first experience at a Vietnamese restaurant, I have wanted a vietnamese coffee filter. I can't tell you how many Chinese restaurant stores I have looked in trying to find this little guy. Where did I get it? My Mom and Dad found it in Tin Tin Alley in Vancouver's Chinatown. Tin Tin Market, actually. For only $4.99!

Today I tried it out.

The instructions.

One trick when you are making iced coffee is to use BIG ice cubes
otherwise they melt with the hot coffee dripping on them.
Duh.

Now for those who have never experienced the joy of a yummy Vietnamese Coffee, let me explain what it is and how you can make it without the filter. The white of the glass is Condensed Milk - the sweet stuff like Eaglebrand. You don't need much. Add some ice cubes and make some expresso. Stir and ZIP ZIP ZIPPY DO DAH YOU WILL BE WIRED LIKE I AM NOW! Woot! Woot!

Riding the Wave to HD

As of September 1 in Canada, televisions are going digital. Last year I bemoaned the change of the US stations to digital. First it was Fox...."that's okay," I thought. "I still can see all those shows on Global." But then PBS disappeared and I was quite upset. Not upset enough to buy cable, mind. If TVO is gone, or CBC, I am really screwed - damn, I better get to work.

With the clock a tickin',  I have found myself doing research and asking myself a million questions I have never even dreamt of before.  Do I want a new tv or should I just buy an adapter? Should I get a new antenna? Do I want a big one or small one, outdoors or in? How much do I want to spend. Blah, blah, blah.

The Zinwell Converter. $89.99 at The Source.
Read the user comments and you can buy them for $50 in the States.
Typical.

Unlike the States, there is not a lot of selection in regards to digital converters in Canada. Through my internet searches (i.e. the big guys: Future Shop, Best Buy, The Source, Walmart), there are only about 5 or 6 digital converters to choose from. And I am including those that are over $100 too! With one model there are some scary, scary reviews about it overheating. Eek! Let's just say there is very little choice. I have also decided not to buy from the States as I just don't want to pay hidden duty or shipping costs.

Out of all of the big guy retailers, The Source offers a special guide about the conversion from analog to digital, directing you to check out on this really cool website called tvfool to help your purchasing decision. (Makes me question why other retailers didn't do this, but it is their loss!)

Type in your home address and it tells you what channels you should be able to receive and basically the strength of antenna you should invest in depending on how many of these available channels you want. It is neat to try out, even if you do subscribe to cable.

The Terk Indoor HDTV Antenna. What I ordered...
what may work....what may not work.

In the end I settled on this fish bone thing cause it was on-sale, has great reviews and should work at my location. Despite it's design flaw - it is tippy- there is quite a strong demand for this contraption and it is on back order. Now I have to wait. Whatever.

Apparently I am not the only one thinking about those invisible signals. Over at lycfyi, Jenny is questioning the choices available south-of-the-border.

Catching Up

Time flies lately and I am busy catching up. Maybe watch this video and by the time you are finished, I will have posted something new LOL!

http://vimeo.com/groups/pomopensub/videos/26185505

My Hearse

About a month ago, my boyfriend Mr. B, offered to buy me a bike. I'd talked about getting a bike for a few years and something suddenly possessed him to make the offer (perhaps impending birthday?!?!?).

I neglected to tell Mr. B that I hadn't ridden a bike in over 15 years. I also didn't tell him until after I had gotten the bike. Ooooops. As a result, I ride on side streets, building my confidence.

When looking at bikes, my choice was based on my childhood bike: a cruiser. I don't know how to use a handbrake! The process was fairly easy because cruisers are so popular at the mo'. We looked on the internet and we both got really excited when we found it - yes, it was love at first site.

This is a Trek Classic Men's Cruiser. I call it "My Hearse" cause it looks like one -
I just need some purple flags.

We chose to go with the company Trek because of their price point. The classy black was timeless and retro. While I would have liked to have a woman's bike frame, the woman's bikes were covered with flowers or designs. Boo!

This lovely bike had the white wall tires I craved. I dreamed of white walled tires! White walls on old cars are so classy. Why we have boring ol' tires on our modern cars I don't understand. An interesting fact: I was told that white walls, at the time, were considered cheap and ugly. People would reverse the position of the tires on their cars so the white would be facing the inside to avoid sneers.

I love my bike. It is gorgeous and the details are fab. There is gold pin-striping on the body and it is mirrored with gold spokes on the wheels. And the old logo on the chain plate is sweeeeet.

Natch, I had to get gear for my hearse. I got an old fashioned bell. But for the helmet I was stuck between choosing a red helmet or the one below. I let a little girl in the store choose for me. Thinking back on it, it would have been silly to choose the red.

Paul Frank "Skurvy Skull" Helmet by Bell.
The only thing I don't like about this helmet is the straps are white! I imagine
they will get dirty. Black would have been so much better.

Now I want some bitchin' reflectors. I do have reflectors on the bike but they are so booooring. I need funky! Let you know how the search goes - definitely have to look online.