The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley is one of my favorite books. It recounts Arthurian legend from the point of view of the women involved. It is a truly unique, detailed version of a tale steeped in myth. I highly recommend it for fantasy lovers, feminists, faery folk, Goddess worshippers, and everyone in between.
Friday, November 6, 2009
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Herbal Concoction: Brain Tonic Tincture
Among the many gorgeous, incredibly fresh herbs I received from Mountain Rose Herbs I got the ingredients I needed to make a Brain Tonic Tincture. This tincture is excellent for calming and strengthening the nervous system and increasing memory. You won't wake up overnight feeling like Einstein, but after consistent use (daily for anywhere between one to three months) there will be a subtle but noticeable increase in memory and mental alertness. I figured since I'm studying herbalism, this would be a great introductory tincture for me!
Herbs included in this tincture include: Gota Kola, Gingko Leaf, Peppermint, Sage, and Rosemary. The herbs are being extracted in vodka for six to eight weeks. You can see in the picture above how the herbs settle to the bottom of the jar: a simple shake daily keeps the herbs and vodka mixed.
People say that I must be very patient for making chain maille. Making maille doesn't need patience, but working with herbs does! It takes time for them to work their magic.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Simple Joy Sunday
Finding the simple joys that keep me going each week...
I was so excited to find out that three of the guys that I toured with years ago (in what feels like a previous life) are in town this week. I love these guys and was so happy to see them! Scott and I went out for drinks with them and had such a good time.
My Chain Maille Dice Bag was included in a maille treasury by jsanderso at Sartorial Steel.
I had an amazing time on Monday night. I had a severe case of the Mondays and needed a pick me up. I got some supplies on the way home and made my first concoction with some of the new herbs I have on hand. You can read more about it here. Beyond that, I ate sushi and a brownie, watched Eastwick (a new guilty pleasure), read some of my book, and had a glorious night's sleep.
Because I worked a really long day on Wednesday, I got to be off on Friday. We all know how happy that makes me! I made a tincture that I'll have to tell you about in a future post.
Halloween wasn't too terribly eventful here. I wound up re-organizing my closet to make room for all of my herbs and doing some of my herbal homework in the afternoon. When Scott got home from work, we threw a pizza in and watched The Crow in the dark. We made some spiked apple cider for dessert. It may not have been exciting, but it was nice.
As always, check out more Simple Joy Sundays over at Cool Zebras. What were some of your joys this week?
I was so excited to find out that three of the guys that I toured with years ago (in what feels like a previous life) are in town this week. I love these guys and was so happy to see them! Scott and I went out for drinks with them and had such a good time.
My Chain Maille Dice Bag was included in a maille treasury by jsanderso at Sartorial Steel.
I had an amazing time on Monday night. I had a severe case of the Mondays and needed a pick me up. I got some supplies on the way home and made my first concoction with some of the new herbs I have on hand. You can read more about it here. Beyond that, I ate sushi and a brownie, watched Eastwick (a new guilty pleasure), read some of my book, and had a glorious night's sleep.
Because I worked a really long day on Wednesday, I got to be off on Friday. We all know how happy that makes me! I made a tincture that I'll have to tell you about in a future post.
Halloween wasn't too terribly eventful here. I wound up re-organizing my closet to make room for all of my herbs and doing some of my herbal homework in the afternoon. When Scott got home from work, we threw a pizza in and watched The Crow in the dark. We made some spiked apple cider for dessert. It may not have been exciting, but it was nice.
As always, check out more Simple Joy Sundays over at Cool Zebras. What were some of your joys this week?
Friday, October 30, 2009
Friday Finds - An Ode To My City
I may currently live in FL and admit that I love the beach, but in my heart and soul I am a city girl. My city is New York. I was brought up first in Queens and then on Long Island, but escaped to the city as often as I could and went to school in the city. I love the electricity, I love the grittiness, I love that there is always something going on and something to do, I love the culture, I love everything about it. It's my heart. It's my home.
One of my most favorite places in the city is The Cloisters. The Cloisters is a branch of the Metropolitan Museum of Art that specializes in the medieval. The place is like stepping back in time to a different world. Part of the art is the architecture itself.
I went to school in the city and the campus was basically the village: Greenwich Village. The village is alive with history and culture. Between amazing thrift stores and all of the designers having boutiques, the shopping was amazing (even if it was usually just window shopping for a poor college student!). The bars are literally historic from having operated during prohibition, had been men only, and yet another one in particular being the birthplace of punk.
I went to school for theatre. Yes, I love the spectacle of Broadway and the grand musicals that it's known for, but what I studied and love is experimental work that is more commonly found off Broadway. Actually, more specifically it's found off off off off Broadway. Amazing places like Todo Con Nada, The Wooster Group, and PS 122 among others.
I hope you enjoyed visiting some of my favorite places in my city.
One of my most favorite places in the city is The Cloisters. The Cloisters is a branch of the Metropolitan Museum of Art that specializes in the medieval. The place is like stepping back in time to a different world. Part of the art is the architecture itself.
I went to school in the city and the campus was basically the village: Greenwich Village. The village is alive with history and culture. Between amazing thrift stores and all of the designers having boutiques, the shopping was amazing (even if it was usually just window shopping for a poor college student!). The bars are literally historic from having operated during prohibition, had been men only, and yet another one in particular being the birthplace of punk.
I went to school for theatre. Yes, I love the spectacle of Broadway and the grand musicals that it's known for, but what I studied and love is experimental work that is more commonly found off Broadway. Actually, more specifically it's found off off off off Broadway. Amazing places like Todo Con Nada, The Wooster Group, and PS 122 among others.
I hope you enjoyed visiting some of my favorite places in my city.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
A Subversive Halloween Costume
I work in theatre. Theatre is typically a very creative environment. Unless it's being run by corporate bean counters. Like here.
The people in the Ivory Tower have declared that we are not allowed to dress up for Halloween. Of all of the work environments around, I can't think of another better suited to celebrate Halloween than in theatre.
That said, I typically do not wear anything special to work for the holiday and, sadly, can't remember the last time I was able to get dressed in costume to go anywhere.
For some strange reason (I wonder why...), I really would love to be something fun at work this year. But it has to be subtle and subversive.
My ideas so far:
-Wear a track suit and be The Bride from Kill Bill.
-Jeans, T-shirt, leather jacket, motorcycle boots, and my maille gauntlet to be Sara Pezzini from Witchblade.
-Shorts, boots, tank top, sunglasses, & guns (?) to be Lara Croft.
I think Witchblade would probably be the easiest to pull off and not get noticed.
So, my creative friends, any ideas? What do you think I should be that the bean counters wouldn't notice?
The people in the Ivory Tower have declared that we are not allowed to dress up for Halloween. Of all of the work environments around, I can't think of another better suited to celebrate Halloween than in theatre.
That said, I typically do not wear anything special to work for the holiday and, sadly, can't remember the last time I was able to get dressed in costume to go anywhere.
For some strange reason (I wonder why...), I really would love to be something fun at work this year. But it has to be subtle and subversive.
My ideas so far:
-Wear a track suit and be The Bride from Kill Bill.
-Jeans, T-shirt, leather jacket, motorcycle boots, and my maille gauntlet to be Sara Pezzini from Witchblade.
-Shorts, boots, tank top, sunglasses, & guns (?) to be Lara Croft.
I think Witchblade would probably be the easiest to pull off and not get noticed.
So, my creative friends, any ideas? What do you think I should be that the bean counters wouldn't notice?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
