I gotta say, this is the coolest thing I have run across in quite some time: www.formerlyhot.com/

If you are not of a certain age, it may puzzle or, worse, offend you. To which I say, come back and talk to me when you've got crow's feet to call your own. This author is on to something critical.

My metal-casting class has been canceled due to low enrollment. I have opted for a refund, but am still irked.

 The Nova Albion Steampunk Exhibition, while hampered by an inexperienced concom and a heavily unionized hotel, was pretty much a success from my perspective. The Burning Man/Goth community/scifi fandom/Dickens Fair overlaps were unsurprising, and even enjoyable at times; I got to dance the waltz and do some shopping. The pros were gracious, the ( Read more... )

Holy cats but the weather's gotten weird all of a sudden! It's hailing. Coarse-salt-sized chunks of ice falling from the sky, even though it's about 50 degrees out. Didn't think it did that here....

 I just received some fabric I bought online (from a source I have done business with before, with satisfactory results), and the minute I touched it, I realized it didn't feel quite right. So I did a burn test, and it is definitely not 100% wool, as the site claimed. A sheep may have been involved somewhere along the line, but the last time I ( Read more... )

One summer, when I was nineteen or twenty, I mastered bearnaise sauce. Now, needless to say, this was all a long time ago; but I still sleep better at night knowing that, for one brief, shining moment, I kicked its tarragon-inflected ass.

OMG, I have found the most perfect pair of boots EVER!
 They are made by Double H, and therefore have a vaguely Western thing going, but they have the right toe for Victorian and the right hardware for steampunk, and they are comfortable, which is an astonishing achievement on my (admittedly weirdly shaped) feet. And they lace -- no damned zipper! ( Read more... )

Back from BayCon. It was like visiting another planet -- Santa Clara, that is, not the convention itself. I have attended science fiction conventions in many flavors, for something like twenty years, in many states and two countries, and I gotta say that this one was pretty weak. The spouse and I spent most of it shopping, sleeping, eating, ( Read more... )

A little goat just told me that it's Chinese New Year, apparently early this year. Gong hay fat choy, y'all.

So this is how I know my eyes are going:
 I got an email this morning which read (I thought) "Save 50% on fall's hottest books!". Oooo! Clicky! Hey wait, what's up with all of this clothing? I went back and reread the header: "hottest looks", with an L, not a B. Sigh.