Adagio

After yesterday being errand-running day and then classes, I'd declared today to be a "total productivity day." No errands, no laofing... just sewing garb interspersed with cleaning parts of the house that kind of need it. So far I've made myself another gomlek, done my first round of fabric dyeing, and I've done a basic cleaning of the bathroom... not a scouring, but a "wipe it down so it looks better than the gas station" sort of once-over.

Ma nature, of course has reared her ugly head, determined to throw off my groove in the most abdominally painful way. Happily I have Midol on hand. Sadly, I'm down to two doses so I must use it wisely until it's time for me to teach classes and I can score some more on the way to class. ow ow ow.

I'm still determined to dye at least one more batch of fabric, finish the laundry that was started last night, wash the dishes in the sink, change the cat litter, and cut and sew 4-5 pairs of pants for Alex. We'll see how it all goes.

As M and I got ready to put the tent up in the back yard, we discovered that the ropes had gotten wet at some point and are therefore moldy. It's okay... we'll just wait it out until this bike race is over and we can leave our house (seriously... BOTH ends of our block are barricaded because of the race route) to go to the hardware store and get new rope. Hmmm... it's 1 in the afternoon and the race started at 9. Surely they're going to be done soon! Let's see if we can find a schedule online.

8pm. The barricades will be removed at 8pm. It's 7:45 now and the races are still going on. Yes, races--plural. They decided it would be a GREAT idea to trap half the neighborhood while they run ELEVEN HOURS OF BIKE RACES!! ugh!

Feeling like getting something done though, we sanded off the camp table, my camp cosmetics box (a nifty little thing with a nice big mirror inside), and another box I'd decorated as a kid that I'm going to repurpose as my "stuff that burns" box for Pennsic... incense, tea lights, and hookah fixins. The boxes have been primed and are half painted and the table is ready for staining. M cut some of my tent poles down to a better size and brought out the center structure to reinforce its brackets. He also did some other handyman stuffs around the yard that needed doing. All in all not a lost day, but I REALLY wanted to see my tent in action!!

Friday night I headed down to Bloomington/Normal to visit my SCA house sister who makes tents. The evening was lovely and we sat on her balcony drinking wine and chatting. She made a nummy breakfast Saturday morning and then we got to work!! She and I (okay, mostly she, but it went a lot faster with my help) put together the roof for my new Pennsic Bedouin tent. It's pretty snazzy. We added pockets for the poles to rest in to minimize pole slippage and a rope all the way around from which to hang my walls. It's going to be nice and big and have a front porch for hanging out in the shade in front. Squee!! Halfway through the day she introduced me to Biaggi's restaurant for lunch which was divine!! Must remember where we have one of those here! After the roof was done we worked on fixing our camp's kitchen bumpout which I now have in my possession so it can be set up at the beginning of war when I arrive instead of the middle, when she arrives.

Drove home last night blaring Jesus Christ, Superstar and signing along to every song. Almost forgot how much I love that music!! It truly was a lovely way to spend my Saturday.

Today I have to put the tent up in the back yard and measure for the walls, which I'll be making. Right now I'm trapped on my block though because there's a bike race that goes one way at one end of my block and the other way on the other end, so my block is completely blocked off until the race is over. If I time it right I'll have it all measured and figured out when they remove the road blocks and then I can get my wall fabric.... yay!!

I don't go to parties very often but like to throw them... usually Boxing Day is my big party of the year.

Even though what it looks like was going on in this pic has been debunked by ABC (see video http://www.tmz.com/2009/07/10/obama-tail-of-the-tape/ ), I don't care. There are about a dozen different reasons why I think this shot is just awesome. ;-)

Going out to eat (or calling out for delivery, etc).

Garb I have and garb I have about two weeks to make. It's damn long .

What I have:
Italian Ren chemise, dress, overdress, and hair hat
11th century English dress, and underdress. Must make head covering
Ottoman entari, gomlek, and salwar
Two Turkish pillbox hats... might make more
Ottoman outer Kaftan
Egyptian tunic, under tunic, and salwar
Black galabaya used as a "camp robe"

What I have to alter:
Household Middle-Eastern coat--needs adjusting and lining
Alex's household tunic--needs slits for more running room
Alex's blue plaid tunic--need to be shortened to hide a torn piece
Alex's salwar/kameez set--he wants them dyed red plus I have to fix a tear in the cuff
possibly a coin bra, depending on what the troupe decides to perform in

What I have to make:
at least two more gomleks
at least three more entari (have fabric for all, but only lining fabric for one)
at least four more pairs of salwar
at least five pair of pants for Alex (but have fabric for all)
possibly a black dance vest and a modified ghawazee coat, depending on what the troupe decides to perform in

oh yeah.. WALLS FOR MY TENT!!

Gonna be a fun two weeks!

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31547070/ns/politics/

( Read more... )

Awesome doom metal show you do not want to miss.

To hear the bands playing that night go here:
http://www.myspace.com/todesbonden
http://www.myspace.com/shroudofbereavement
http://www.myspace.com/gwynbleidd
http://www.myspace.com/dreadedsilence



Thanks to everyone who commented on the pictures in the last post. Sorry haven't responded individually. Just busy.

Awesome doom metal show you do not want to miss.

To hear the bands playing that night go here:
http://www.myspace.com/todesbonden
http://www.myspace.com/shroudofbereavement
http://www.myspace.com/gwynbleidd
http://www.myspace.com/dreadedsilence



Thanks to everyone who commented on the pictures in the last post. Sorry haven't responded individually. Just busy.

4th of July weekend was fun, busy, and strangely refreshing. On Friday the 3rd, the fam boarded the train and headed into the city for an afternoon of cookouts and fireworks. We have friends who get there at 8:00 every year and rope off an area on Lake Shore Drive. They grill pretty much all day and everyone brings stuff to contribute. Good people, good people-watching, and front row seats for the Chicago fireworks. The only downside is the corralling of everyone out of the park afterwards, but we've done this for a few years, so we're never surprised by it. All in all, the day went smoothly and we had a good time.

I'd been tapped on the 4th to march in 3 different parades for 3 different reasons.... as a bellydancer, as a SCAdian, and as a community member. Since my son was invited to march with the neighborhood too, we elected to go that route (plus the parade start is in my 'hood, not a 30-60 min drive away!). I guess the previous evening wiped him out good though, because he didn't get up until well after the parade started... and I wasn't about to get him up (we all got to bed around 1:00). We'd been invited to a neighborhood cookout and headed over there in the afternoon. It poured rain and those of us who do Pennsic stayed outside under the tent remarking how like Pennsic it was to do so ;-) . We had to take off early though in order to get Alex's meds from the pharmacy though, after which, Alex and I headed up to Wheeling for their fireworks. Since we used to live there, we knew it was a good show and where the sweet parking was. You can also get right under the fireworks there... up close and personal!! We stopped at Oberweiss for ice cream afterwards and crashed out as soon as we got home.

Sunday was pretty normal.. SCA meeting and then BLT rehearsal. We're putting together some new saiidi inspired ITS combos for our Pennsic performance and had a really fun time creating them. Can't wait!!

Pinky & the Brain

Dear Chris Siuty.
Chicks dig Tension Generation.






Really, I'm a tough chick! Here's my serious face.



On a humorous note I look ridiculous in giant bug eye sun glasses.

( or, two lunar months )

We finally captured a smile on camera!

This is where I tally up all the stuff that I'm working on and not done with yet. Behind a cut because I dunno if anyone actually cares! :)

If anyone does care, comments/encouragement are super appreciated, because almost all of these are giving me Trouble.

( I've got my work cut out for me.. )

My new hard rock band -- Blue Hotel -- will be performing on Saturday, August 8 at the Emmy award-winning Signature Theater, in Arlington VA. We go on 5:30 and will be playing two sets of music (second set starts at 6:45). But you wont want to miss either set... come to the show to find out why.

This is a FREE performance, bring the whole family!

http://www.sig-online.org/sizzlin_summer.htm#target



Visit us at http://www.myspace.com/bluehotelrocks

Google Reader

I say Part I because I have soooo many WIPs and I am still telling myself every day that today is the day I'm going to fix them. :D

These are all links to my DW, where everything has its own header with rating, warnings and author's notes, etc.

"Whistle While You Work," tiny, cutesy Chekov/Sulu ficlet from Spock's POV, maybe PG or PG-13

"Logical Arrangements," The one where (almost) everyone in the cast is polyamorous. Romance, fluff and (hetero!) sex, multiple pairings, hard R or NC-17 for sex

"Detonate For Me," Kirk/Spock kinky porn without plot, NC-17

"Maybe In Another Lifetime: Five AUs Where Kirk and McCoy Loved Each Other, And The One Where The Finally Admitted It," a series of AU (alternate universe) snippets where Kirk and McCoy are cops, college students, Dungeons and Dragons characters, Steampunk airship pilots, etc, etc. PG-13 for silly sexual humor. With fan art by knightemplar.

"Where Many Have Gone Before," True drabble (100 word fic) poking fun at a variety of fandom cliches. R for sex comedy.

"Extreeeeeme!" Fluffly ficlet where Sulu and Kirk are BFFs in search of fun on leave. PG, language.

"There To Catch You," Schmoopy fic where McCoy has a panic attack and Kirk and Spock help him through it. Probably R for threesome implications, sexual imagery, and scary stuff

"Got Your Back," Just a fight scene between Sulu and Chekov and a bunch of Klingons. Could be slash with more context, or just friendship. I'd love more feedback on this one, because I don't have a ton of experience writing action.

I'll be back later with status reports on my WIPs and whatnot. Right now, I may go back to sleep. :D