Butterfly Caught

Weightless falls
Honeysuckle
Strangers - strange this
Lights from pages
Paper thin thing

Protected by the naked eye
Pearly sunrise

Nearly worn
Kneeling like a supplicant
Darkened skin
Afraid to see
Radiate
Open lips
Keep smiling for me
Darkened skin
Afraid to see
Radiate
Open lips
Keep smiling for me

Weightless cool
Honeysuckle
Fair skin - freckles
Uncut teeth
Tranquill eyes
Bite my lips - bite my lips
Under your feet

"Mr. Gorbachev, Tear Down This Wall"

According to Wikipedia, the demolition of the Berlin Wall began on November 9, 1989. Anywho, I actually got the chance to visit Berlin in April of 2007 and video recorded myself walking along the East side of it (yes, I made this video and yes, it belongs to me). The entire wall is not torn down, there are parts of it still up which people have done murals on and it's pretty amazing to see it in person.

National Dessert Day

No joke, it really is National Dessert Day. And cause I feel like being a dork, ya know, it's what I do .. here's the dude I've been drooling over.

Mateus Verdelho ... Brazilian model .. pushing 30 .. 6'1". But I think he's married :( Bummerrrr. Interferes with his mystique and all.

Hi.

You can click on the image for a better view :)

Natacha Marro

It was hard to find any info on Natacha Marro except for her client list (David Bowie, Goldfrapp, etc.).

Daphne Guinness in Vogue Italia. Don't know the photographer or year :(I read something like there are only 10 or 20 pairs made of this particular pair of red glitter heel-less mary janes. It takes two weeks to make a pair and will set you back about 600 British pounds. Or approximately $937. Rad.Just strolling. Daphne Guinness: Thank you for giving me something interesting to look at!

As you can already tell, I spend my free time on the internets looking at endless pictures of whatever.

Noritaka Tatehana

Noritaka Tatehana is a 25 year old Japanese designer likened to the late Alexander McQueen.

I saw a fantastic pair of his shoes on my girlcrush/favorite fashion icon, Daphne Guinness.

Some of Tatehana's shoes are already on exhibition in Paris and one pair can cost up to $15,000.

I need these. That is all.

Daphne Guinness photographed by David LaChapelle for German Vogue June 2011.

http://noritakatatehana.com/

Meh!

Well. I'm really irritated. Yeah. But now, a silly little quiz to take my mind off of being made miffed so easily:

One. What is your middle name? If I told you, I would have to kill you.
Two. What are you passionate about? Reading, eating, old movies, listening to music.
Three. Would you rather? Would I rather what?
Four. Do you have any fears? Hypodermic needles/getting blood drawn. Underwater creatures.
Five. Silver or gold? Silver.
Six. Top three places to visit. Stockholm, Amsterdam, Belgium.
Seven. How many siblings do you have? One.
Eight. Where are you from? Another planet.
Nine. First career you wanted as a child. Combination children's book author and illustrator.
Ten. What’s your sign? Aquarius.
Eleven. Future names of your children. Lucien, Vincenzo, or Aleister (I plan on having a beautiful cat like a Devon Rex or hairless).
Twelve. Do you have any pets? Not at the moment :(
Thirteen. What are you listening to right now? In Praise of Bacchus by Type O Negative.
Fourteen. Do you believe in fate/destiny? Don't know.
Fifteen. What are your career goals? Whatever allows me to be creative, makes me happy, allows me to be financially independent and live comfortably. No cardboard boxes or 234723 roommates.
Sixteen. What is your favorite color? Tron blue. Or black.
Seventeen. What is your favorite flower? Black tulip.
Eighteen. What was the first concert/show you attended? Tina Turner haha!
Nineteen. Something you are working on right now. Self image.
Twenty. Have you ever had a near-death experience? No.
Twenty-one. Are you a procrastinator or do you get things done early? Neither. I just take forever to do something and work on 239472035 projects at once. It may seem like I am procrastinating, but then at the last minute, everything comes together.
Twenty-two. Left or right handed? I'm ambidextrous so it depends on what I'm doing. I prefer using a fork with my left hand while I eat. I can write with both hands.
Twenty-three. TV Shows you watch regularly. Any time I can catch The Munsters or The Addams Family, I'm in heaven.
Twenty-four. Where do you work? I will be working at an attorney's office.
Twenty-five. Halloween costume idea for this year? I always wanted to be either Morticia or the bride of Frankenstein.
Twenty-six. What is your relationship status? Single. I can't even get felt up by a TSA agent.
Twenty-seven. Last movie you just watched. Wallace and Gromit Curse of the Were-Rabbit, HA!
Twenty-eight. Your best friend’s name. I would rather protect their privacy.
Twenty-nine. A song that’s been stuck in your head. In Praise of Bacchus by Type O Negative. That's why I'm listening to it on repeat.
Thirty. A book you want to read/have recently read. I want to read The Master and Margarita. I am currently reading Homework for Grown-ups.

Photography By David Bailey

Purdy Pictures

What with Halloween just around the corner and all, I figure I could post some pictures that always get me in the mood for my favorite holiday.

Dave Vanian.

Bebe Neuwirth.

Random but creepy.

Carole Lombard.Edward Scissorhands.

Tokyo Milk

While exploring downtown, I discovered an awesome little hole-in-the-wall boutique that sells Tokyo Milk brand. I'd never heard of it before but the packaging really attracted me -- I love pretty, gothic things! This is the Dark line, or Femme Fatale Parfums, that comes in scents (left to right) with names like: Everything & Nothing, Arsenic, Excess, Crushed, La Vie La Mort, Bittersweet, and Tainted Love. I love them already! La Vie La Mort was my favorite scent and at $36 for 2 oz., it's definitely in my budget.
This is the Roller Parfum de Cigarro and it comes in six scents: Truth, Wisdom, Yesterday, Tomorrow, Destiny, and Chance. The roller parfum is stored in the glass tube and is only $24 for 5.5 fluid oz. The Roller Parfum de Cigarro is most likely going to be my choice just for the fact that the cost is lower and comes with more scent. Hopefully one of them smells good on me because I'm such a sucker for gorgeous packaging. So pretty!
These are the Lip Elixirs in: Salted Caramel, Absinthe (it really smells like it!), Coco Noir, Cherry Bourbon, La Vie En Rose (smells kinda like Smith's Rosebud Salve, which happens to be my all time favorite), Smoked Salt, Clove Cigarette (soooo yummy), and Dead Sexy. These are only $7 for .70 oz. I would probably buy Absinthe and Clove Cigarette, perfect for the Autumn weather. Musky scents on lips sound kinda sexy in my book.

So! As I'm trying to cut back on spending, I'm going to use up an almost-empty solid perfume stick and at least one lip thingie. This is something I've been working on, using up at least one item in my make-up bag before buying another. Quality over quantity, people.

And here's the website for Tokyo Milk. Such cute stuff!

http://www.tokyo-milk.com/

I Have Arrived

The move is complete! Since my room is so small, I've been sorting through things to get tidy. A lot of it I plan on selling for some extra cash since I don't need a bunch of unused stuff laying around. And good news on a job/regular paycheck: I just need to call on Monday to set up my work schedule and find out my pay rate -- I'll be a file clerk at an attorney's office.

Also, I'm having a fun time finding where everything is. About 5 minutes away is a great nightlife area complete with a variety of restaurants (Asian-themed bistro, Brazilian steakhouse, etc.) and interesting drink menus, I'm sure ;) Just need to get out and make some friends!

And since the year is winding down a little, feeling like I need a change and starting anew, I'm planning on a new dye job and hair trim. Not exactly sure when, but sometime before the end of the year and after I've pawned some belongings.

What has inspired the motivation? New surroundings, new beginnings. To be honest, I'm really upset about this move but I can make the best of it by diving in and doing things I've been putting off forever, like: learning to use my scanner/printer, doing a major cleaning job in my new room, getting through my reading list slowly but surely. Which reminds me, I need to get a library card (The Master and Margarita is next on my list).

Me In A Nutshell

The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand should now be number 1 on your reading list.

P.S. I went to a delicious Korean restaurant last night for dinner and had bibimbap (pronounced pee-beam-bap, just say it really fast) which is a bowl of rice with beef, shredded carrots, bean sprouts, seaweed, zucchini, and an egg over easy on top. It also came with kimchi, spicy cucumber salad, egg omelet slices with onion, and spicy squash. Anyways, after my meal, I had a fortune cookie with one of thee greatest fortunes I have ever received: "You will gain new insight and inspiration within the month by reading a good book."

Helmut Newton

I spent my afternoon at the library today reading and admiring a coffee table book that included the works of Helmut Newton, a favorite photographer of mine. Probably why I like him so much is that he looks like the cutest old man yet he takes such bold, formidable photographs of women. While I have many, many favorites of his work, I found that it was very hard to post appropriate pieces! The majority is mainly nude women so I'll leave that up to you to research.


His life is also extremely interesting to read about. He was born in Berlin in the 20s, experienced firsthand the discrimination of Jews during WWII, and visited many exotic places (Australia, Monte Carlo, etc.). Unfortunately, he passed away in 2004 from a car accident and was interred next to Marlene Dietrich (another reason why I like him)! His autobiography is a really great read as his personality is quite frank, pleasant, and insightful.

And if you're curious, my favorite photograph out of the four is the last one (remember to click on a photo to enlarge if you want a better peek).

Dope

Photograph taken c. 1990s by Helmut Newton for Yves Saint Laurent

I'm really drawn to this particular photo because I love the whole androgynous look. Yes, this is a woman, and yes, she is oozing swagger.

I'm Moving

Just to let you all know, I'm moving October 3rd and may be busy after that settling in to the new place. And looking for a job. In the mean time, I'll try to post a bit in order to make up for any lost reading.

Fred Gwynne's Secret Identity

If you've ever watched Pet Sematary, you're familiar with the cute old man played by Fred Gwynne.

He also played Herman Munster in the 60s TV show, The Munsters. He even wrote a few children's books .. who knew?

Baking Soda Tips

I really loathe cleaning and housework in general, specifically the smell of cleansing chemicals like bleach and disinfectant sprays. In no way am I one of those 'go green' nazis that yell at you if you use chemicals. For me, I just wish to avoid that disgusting stench. Plus, my apartment has horrible ventilation and having your place reek all day and sear your lungs is awful. So I decided to search for cleaning (and any other useful) tips that involve baking soda, one of the cheapest multi-use items around.

One of my goals this summer was to make some headway on my reading list which just happened to include a book I found at my local library .. Baking Soda: Over 500 Fabulous, Fun and Frugal Uses You've Probably Never Thought Of by Vicki Lansky. While I won't type out the whole book, I'm posting a few tips that I plan on using personally:

- Give cutting boards regular, deep cleaning to keep them free from contamination. Spread baking soda over the surface, then sprinkle liberally with vinegar. Let the bubbles do their thing, then rinse with hot water.

- Remove odors from plastic refrigerator food storage containers. Fill them with very hot water, add 1 tablespoon baking soda, a few drops liquid detergent and 1 tablespoon vinegar. Let set for 5 to 15 minutes-maybe even overnight-before rinsing clean.

- Neutralize odors in a kitchen garbage can by sprinkling baking soda in the bottom of the can before you insert a plastic liner.

- Add 2 tablespoons baking soda to your bath water and you won't have to worry about ring-around-the-tub! Your bath water will be soft, too.

- Soak dirty mops and rags in a solution of 4 tablespoons baking soda to 1 quart water after washing dirt out, to get rid of residue smells. Rinse and let dry.

- Place more than one open box of baking soda in an area where you want to remove the smell of mothballs.

- Help remove stale mothball odors from clothes by adding 1/2 cup baking soda to the rinse water.

- Rinse pool chlorine out of bathing suits in a sink full of water to which you've added 1 tablespoon baking soda

- Drop combs and brushes in the sink to soak in a solution of hot water and 1/4 cup baking soda. Watch the dirt fizz away.

- Avoid allergic reactions to bubble baths and still pamper yourself at bath time by mixing 1 cup baking soda and 1 1/4 cup baby oil in the bath water. It softens skin and helps avoid winter dry-skin itchies.

- Be aware that a sunburn can be soothed by soaking in lukewarm bath water to which you've added a generous amount-from a half to a whole box of baking soda.

- Sprinkle about 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, in a cup of water and rinse your mouth as you would with any mouthwash. It will remove onion or garlic scents as well as morning mouth, and leave you with a fresh-as opposed to artificial-taste in your mouth. By changing the pH balance in your mouth, it makes it a less friendly environment for many bacteria.

For Chris

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A blog post that has the potential to be wrong on so many levels. I'll just leave it at that. Happy Birthday, Chris :)

Baking Brownies

I made these brownies from scratch on Friday. I decided to try this new thing where instead of buying candy to add to the gigantic stash in my night table drawer, I would just bake something once a week in order to save on the grocery bill.

This recipe comes from Amy Sedaris' I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence, which has got to be the greatest cookbook in existence. Her recipes are easy to follow and so delicious. I did a previous entry on her Yogurt Spa-Ghetti which is so yummy!

Here is the brownie recipe verbatim:

Aunt Joyce's Brownies

4 eggs, beaten until fluffy

1 cup sugar

1 cup flour, sifted

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 12-oz. package chocolate chips

2/3 cup unsalted butter

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Melt together chips and butter. Beat eggs and add in everything else.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

Optional: Press pecans on top, down into dough.

Delicious goop! This is after I melted the butter and chocolate chips in the microwave. If I had a double boiler, you bet your sweet bippy I'd be using that! The chocolate I used was Guittard, which is the only chocolate I use in baking (I'm not a snob, it's the only cheap chocolate at the grocery store).
I ended up sifting all the dry ingredients because after beating those eggs, I just wanted to be finished with these brownies. When you beat the eggs, it's comparable to making merengue, be sure to spend plenty of time (this would have been great to use a KitchenAid mixer if I actually owned one). Notice how my sifter is KitchenAid? A girl can dream.
When I poured everything into this 8-inch pan, it had the consistency of pulled taffy. Like my floral apron?
When this fab thing comes out of the oven it is super fluffy but after it cools, the middle falls. Kind of like a souffle.
After this has cooled for an hour or two, I drape a thin kitchen towel over the top to help keep it extra soft and fluffy. I ended up refrigerating this after I ate my first piece (it ends up yielding 9 pieces) because the middle is so fudgy and oozy, I wanted it to stay in place. I'm sure it would taste good heated and served with a scoop of ice cream. Yum!

Sushi Dinner

Finally, finally! I've been waiting to ingest this eel roll for a little over a month and a half now. It was so worth it too, I savored every delicious, sweet bite.

Eel is actually quite mild and I advise you sushi-eaters to try it if you haven't already. And this is coming from someone who ate sushi once or twice in her entire life and is now converted.
Left to right: tempura shrimp roll, California roll, eel roll (sorry, we ate most of this before I could get a decent picture). My favorite tip I've heard for California roll is to mix wasabi and soy sauce together (I go heavy on the soy sauce because wasabi is too hot for me) and dip the roll in it.

To be honest, I wasn't too fond of the tempura shrimp roll. I just don't want tempura on my sushi is all. Ah well, now I've only got to try the inari roll, which is fried tofu, and the California masago, which is basically a California roll but with masago (fish) added.

Kitchen Junk

I'm obsessed with kitchen stuff so .. just thought I would share the things that I feel is my right to own (yet don't. Le sigh).
These are corncob-shaped cornbread molds. I just need them. Not sure why because I don't even like cornbread. The kitsch factor increases my lusty-ness over them. I feel it necessary to display them prominently in my future kitchen even though they will probably never be used.
Baking is one of my favorite hobbies and I tend to stare these KitchenAid mixers down whenever I pass them in a department store. Notice the blue color and take note. Turquoise or aqua cookware is kind of my thing. And by kind of my thing, I mean constantly going over in my head on how to decorate my future kitchen and stock it with so many turquoise items that it's just, I don't know, ridiculous? It's a sickness. But a delightful, delirious sickness that sends me into a cheery fit.
This is turquoise cookware by Le Creuset. It's expensive-ish. It's turquoise. Therefore, I need it.
This is a turquoise colander by Paula Deen. It is most likely not very expensive yet it's more upscale than your average grocery store emergency aisle fixture. It is turquoise. So it's floating somewhere in my imaginary kitchen near the imaginary white porcelain sink.
And of course, a cake stand. I felt the pink would be a nice contrast. And it's so dainty! I've always had this idea of a perfect dining room, fabulous dark wood sideboard/table/chairs, beautiful hand polished silverware and serving accoutrements, and a cake stand.

It's always bothered me that dining rooms are now combined with the living/sitting room into one big room .. that opens into the kitchen. STOP IT! A separate dining room should be brought back to regular use, along with a separate room for a kitchen and a butler's pantry, and those darned disappearing mantelpieces! Seriously, I'm just going to have to buy a house that is a 1930s original to get what I want. But I feel that me making such a statement is, well, a given.

Creepy Meat

Seriously. Gross. It's disgusting enough that they used the word "wiener". BUT, wieners in a tin can .. surrounding a packet of barbecue sauce? Ugh.
What are meat crosses?
Perv. Don't steal my bacon or I'll stab you with my meat prong.
??
*Heave* Most disturbing image of all. Are those corn dogs .. stuck in a head of lettuce? It looks slightly phallic to me.