All I want for Christmas

Holiday gift guides are angering me this year. Maybe it's just not my year, but giving gifts to people with plenty has never struck me as more absurd. Give to a local or international charity. Plan and do an activity together, like a hike or craft project. But give people future crap? This must be avoided.

That being said, we all know I am an arbiter of style. Therefore allow me to share with you what would not at all be future crap in my home. Behold, the Dots 2015 gift guide. The theme is simply Things I Want (but don't need, really truly, but would love).

1. Art supplies

Brilliant ideas from two brilliant anonymous artists.

I'm an artist. We all should practice saying that because it's true. It's hard to say out loud, of course, because I don't produce anything of note outside of wonky ceramics and this blog. Friends and family wouldn't even word match "Eve" with "Artist", but who cares! What's my medium? Umm... 

If there's an undersupplied artist in your life, here's what you do. Assess what art they like and want to make. It's likely they have a few artists that they follow in some way. For me this boils down to illustrators, painters, pattern-makers, and ceramic artists. Then get the materials that those established artists are using. This information is in every blog FAQ known to man. Here's one I have bookmarked from illustrator, Lisa Congdon. I still don't know what gouache is. I would love anything on her list or in the image above from Dangerdust.

2. Continuing education

If you want to spend a lot of money on me, buy me Photoshop. If any of my artistic dreams were to come true, I'd need to learn how to use it. My resume is blank without it. I also want to learn how to speak Spanish, both because I live in California and because it would make my resume glow, so tools in that direction would be great. All this resume talk is not what Santa ordered, I know, but expensive things don't buy themselves!

What new things would be useful for your loved ones to learn? (Who said compassion and listening? I heard that!) I'm speaking in a professional sense, but this applies rather broadly. The hazard is that you give people too much pressure to carry through with it. Sometimes looking at that unopened Rosetta Stone box is worse for your psyche than not having it at all. Tread carefully.

3. Hair combs (AKA hair forks)

For some reason I'm very drawn to these. I think I could pull off a simple one. Is there some throw-back, formerly common but now unique thing your loved one has mentioned being drawn to? Someone I know said he was drawn to suspenders. He has no suspenders. If I get him a pair, guess who's now a good listener? Yep. Me. Wins all around.

4. Subscription services

Happy Mail stationary subscription from A Beautiful Mess.

Whether online or physical, subscription services give and give all year long. I would love the Happy Mail stationary subscription that A Beautiful Mess offers. Surely I wouldn't love every card and item received, but the value still seems good. And it would encourage me to reach out to friends more. 

Another one is the Tattly subscription. I've fangirled over Tattly enough already, but hot damn I really do love them. I don't have a current subscription, if anyone asks.

And lastly, I would love a subscription to Creative Bug. It's a place to learn how to do crafty things without surfing YouTube. I've enjoyed the free classes I've watched. 

One caveat - I love to get things in my mailbox. Packages, however, I'm never home to receive. They can't be left outside where I live, which means a personal trip to the post office is required each time I get one. The moral of the story is that I don't want a monthly wine subscription, even though I really do.

5. Gourmet edibles

All from Mouth.

I have these wonderful friends who let me stay in their guest room many nights this year, saving me at least $800 in hotel fare. Inspired by a 20% discount, I'm getting them a collection of edible treats as a thank you gift. The holidays, I feel, are the perfect time to catch up on thank you gifts. This couple wouldn't normally be on my gift list, but this year, owing to this belated thank you, I'm sending them a collection of "boozy goodies" from Mouth. Who doesn't love (prohibitively expensive for every day) gourmet edibles? (edited to add.. If your parents are like mine, you may see this stuff two years from now in the back of their fridge or in cupboards. Don't buy this for those people.)

6. Your favorite children's book

If we're friends, I probably like you. I probably like something in your core - something forged long long ago, like from the fire of bedtime reading. At my core you'll find The Big Orange Splot and But No Elephants. I find myself giving these books to the kids I love, but I'm really giving these to the whole family. I don't have kids, but I still think it'd be so tender and sweet if anyone gifted me their favorite children's book. Reading a children's book at the end of a tough day is centering. It only takes a few minutes and I don't need my reading glasses. Just seeing mine makes me feel good. Sadly, this is probably not a good gift for anyone struggling to get pregnant.

7. Houseplants

NASA says these are tops.

Again, not for everyone. Plants stress some people out. But anyone who owns many plants probably wants more, and you doing the dirty work of buying one, carefully getting it home, repotting it, delivering it... well that there is the gift of love (and air purity). Just make sure whatever you choose is not going to harm their pets.

8. This sweatshirt

And with that, I shall hibernate.

Happy holidays to you and yours!

(Past gift guides:  2014, 2013, 2012)

Dressing like a kid

One of my favorite ways to pass time as a kid was flipping through store catalogs. I'd pretend I could have, oh, let's say one thing from every two pages. I'd study the pages carefully, imagining my wardrobe, jewelry box, or toy chest vastly improved by the new additions. I'd declare, this one, and that dress, bathing suit, engagement ring, or rock tumbler would magically be mine.

Nowadays I dream shop by filling online carts with sale items at Madewell, Anthropologie, and Tattly (and never buying them). But sometimes, due to the rare online order, I will be mailed a slew of catalogs.

Damn you, organic cotton sleep shirt purchase! Look what you have wrought!

The catalogs aimed at me these days don't showcase enough merchandise to get my mind dancing. Picking just one thing is too easy.

Cape up top. Red vest below.

I'm also mailed catalogs for kid clothing. Flipping through one I finally realized, I want to dress like a kid forever! Kids get the fun stuff.

Dog raincoat!

Finally an array of clothing I can dream about! 

I choose the striped leggings with the pink knee-pads.

Dressing like our inner 5-year old reminds me of dressing myself at Burningman. 

Houndstooth skirt, striped leggings, striped socks, faux fur vest, and fanny pack. Legit style right here.

What I love most about Burningman, this crazy yearly festival in the desert, is that people are silently encouraged to dress as outrageously as they want to. No rules. No judgement. It can be intimidating at first, but you get the hang of it. Every day, twice a day (morning and night, because they are two totally different temperatures), you pick out all your own clothes from amongst all the dress-up bins you have access to. And no one says, NO, you're not leaving the house like that. Go back and change!

I don't recall having the luxury of picking out weird outfits for myself as a kid. Then I had a school uniform, followed by years and years of (not) figuring out my style.

Now I know. I want to always dress like a happy, carefree kid. Social pressure and norms aside, why the hell not? Maybe I'll also mix in a few art teacher vibes, some preppy tomboy, and rock 'n' roll. Just imagine!

What does your inner kid want to wear today? Mine has called for purple sneakers, two slightly different shades of red nail polish (one on each hand), and otherwise head-to-toe blue. Tomorrow, polka dots.

A peak inside

Oh so much has happened and not happened since I last blogged.

I went to Fairbanks, St. Louis, Phoenix, Chicago, and best of all, Portland, Oregon.

It was beautiful.

Regular blogging will continue shortly...

One good thing about Donald Trump and other ramblings

I’ve been taking a break from weekly blogging because, well, I can’t get my act together and formalize my thoughts. Perhaps it's computer avoidance. Perhaps I’m just setting higher standards for myself. Most definitely I’m lazy.

But damn if there isn’t a ton to talk about, eh? Can you believe this GOP field of “presidential candidates”? I mean.

The political shit show does wear me down. I weep that my country can contain, foster, protect and reward such stupidity. I wail that it's dangerous to call out said stupidity. I try to be compassionate and tolerant but lies are lies, wrong is wrong, and physics is real. 

The one thing that brings me solace about having Donald Trump in the ring for president of the United States is that when I run for president circa 2040 I will absolutely appear qualified.

In other news, I’m really furious with the Duggar men and fundie assholes around the world who subjugate women to men in the name of anything. Like those fuckers in ISIS. I’m mad as hell at child abusers, and am simply stunned by the amount of child abuse that goes on in the world. Since the dawn of time this shit has happened, and now we have the twisted luxury of learning about much of it. How do people cope with horrifying knowledge?

I've been quiet because these aren’t really topics for Dots.

You know what is?

This:

Samantha-fucking-Jones. Wearer of not one but TWO brooches in this here power suit (above).  A cat on top and a bird on the bottom. You go, Samantha Jones.

One thing Sam and I always had in common was the love of saying, "Fuck Off". I also share her thing for brooches, but my teeny collection rarely sees the light of day. Note to self - wear your brooches!

Check out this dog brooch from season six:

Bravo, Samantha Jones.

Shine on.

P.S. Pins are so hot right now. Exhibit 1. Exhibit 2.

Batteries are magic, part 2

I've spotted a Li-ion battery powered motorcycle.

Welcome back for part 2 (of 2) of how Li-ion batteries work, and thus their magic. (Rest assured that this educational material is a quick departure for Dots.) We left off discussing the importance of the two electrodes, named the anode and the cathode. Li-ions are stored in the anode when the batteries are charged, but much prefer life in the cathode.

Continuing...

Batteries are magic

There’s one thing in this world that I know more about than 99.999% of the earth’s population, and that thing is the lithium-ion battery.

A tech-savvy friend of mine recently told me that to him, batteries are “magic”. He waved his fingers a little when he said that. This made me smile. And then it made me think. Do people want to believe in magic? Are some curious about the underlying truths? Can I explain it to them in a way they can easily understand and never forget?

This post is for those of you who are curious.

Purchase panic of the relatively anxious

Plus three boards of drink menu over to the right

I try to be an even-keeled person. I try to think before I speak. I try to listen. I try to observe widely. I try to make informed decisions.

Until I'm at a register.

I can't tell you how many times I've had tiny panic attacks just confronted with ordering coffee. It goes like this. I'm in a short line at a coffee shop. Maybe one person in front of me, one person behind. I'm new to this coffee shop and today, I also want a small breakfast. I don't have time to thoroughly scan the menu, deciding what is best for me from this particular establishment. My eyes glaze over as I skim the bagel menu. Open-face California bagel? Yes, I'll take that. I like California after all. Can't be bad. And I need a latte! No time to see if they have different sizes, I order a large. A large surely has two shots in it, and that's all that matters. I pay, tip, and step aside. The person behind me is on his phone, arrogantly ignoring the silent plea from the employee at the register to get the fuck on with it. I rushed for this asshole?

I sit down to wait for my bagel and latte and use this time to actually read the menu. There are the drinks. They do have medium! Why didn't I just ask? My overly-milky latte comes and there's no one to blame but myself. Reading the bagel menu I see I might have liked the veggie melt bagel. I note this for next time, when my tunnel-vision is sure to return. The California bagel is good though. I consider myself one for two.

------

I resist getting a bicycle because I know I'll hate the experience in the shop. Sadly I'm not "just looking" today. I need a bike! This one over here looks good. It's $200. I practically throw my money at the register. JUST TAKE MY MONEY AND GIVE ME THE BIKE. Do I want a lock? Well yeah. Do you want to know the best way to use the lock? Of course, but please take my money, look, here's my money, just take it, and GET ME THE HELL OUT OF HERE. Leaving the shop I'm reminded I also need lights. Yeah sure, I'll get them later, no problem... later... (a dumb move because lights were RIGHT THERE and this is a mom and pop shop that gives you good deals on things when you buy a friggin bike!).

I think this is all bred from being overly concerned about not wasting other peoples' time, being seen as dim, or being seen as inconsiderate. I want to be the ideal customer. I want to know what I want, order it adeptly, receive it without confusion, go about my business, and let the shop go about theirs.

But when I don't know what I want, I want to have the patience to figure it out. Step aside, read the fucking menu, kindly smile and say I'm not ready if I'm not, and then, efficiently conduct business. Instead of purchasing panic, bring on some purchasing peace.

Now I'm curious if this is a normal experience for everyone, or just for the relatively anxious.

Hello, my name is Eve, and I'm relatively anxious.

The well-structured backpack

The only thing more ubiquitous than arm tattoos in the Bay Area right now is the well-structured backpack.

You, sir, with the arm tattoos, facial hair, and well-structured backpack, welcome to Oakland.

Green, Blue, Coral

The more rectangular the better!

Black, Light Gray, Dark Gray

I, personally, have no reason to upgrade backpacks. I bought this Dakine 'Garden' in black houndstooth back in 2011 and it's held up remarkably well:

Through a lot! So thank you, Dakine. I've got my eye on you for my next one...

From the dotty collection, where I may have just bought this.

Report from Aunthood, Part 2

Vacationing with your family when you're a childless aunt to cute little kiddos is hard. You love every second with your nieces and nephews, yet you also want to spend time with their parents. But their parents really want to relax and not hover over the kids all vacation. They want to talk to you! It's great being in demand, but sometimes I just want to color.

One thing I've learned to bring with me are pads of blank paper for each kid and myself. No one should feel limited in their canvas on vacation. Draw and color to your heart's extent! The kids seem to love them and randomly start drawing all day long.

This year I brought these:

Next year, I'm also bringing these:

How about you? What's in your auntie satchel?

Better said

Tattly obsession continues. Pic also seen here.

Wabi-sabi is something I learned about from an ancient Body + Soul magazine. That periodical is now called Whole Living and has been for some time. But back then I read it religiously.

The one article that sticks with me, the one I thought I saved and of course can't find, is the article introducing me to wabi-sabi. 

I've searched for ways of explaining wabi-sabi but honestly, it seems too big a responsibility. I don't want to get it wrong. But Wikipedia puts it so well (as long as they are right, I'm no expert), so let's let them introduce it to you:

Thank you Wikipedia.

There. Doesn't that sound nice?

And now, two other things better said:

Found here

Found here

Farmers' market flowers

I go to farmers' markets to buy fresh produce. I try not to have a shopping list. Instead I buy what calls out to me, like those ruby red strawberries did last week. Damn those were good.

One thing that consistently calls out to me, but which I seldom purchase, are the flowers. Gosh are the flowers amazing. It's not the prices that turn me away. No no. The flower prices are always unbelievably reasonable. My excuse usually has to do with not "needing" flowers, and how cumbersome they can be to get all the way home. 

So lame!

A varied bunch from Chicagoland farmers' market, circa 2014

Let's not forget to add flowers to our mental farmers' market shopping lists. Go for the bunch that sings your name. They nourish us every bit as much as those sun-filled, juicy-as-beating-hearts heirloom tomatoes, just in a different way. 

Wouldn't you agree? 

Prescription for anything

We all have these ailments that we don't think are serious, but may need medical attention. Come to Dr. Francis with your problem, mental or physical, and this is what you may hear:

And don't forget to floss!

Homey hooks

As a kid I'd read this story about a bear who wore overalls. Was it Corduroy? No, I don't think so. This was a more independent animal. Did Corduroy have a sequel? I think the bear lived in a tree, like Pooh. But this wasn't Pooh.

Basically I have no idea what I'm talking about. In fact, this could have been a dream I concocted after blending many children's stories. Was he even a bear? Or a he?

What I remember most, and all that really matters, was that he hung up his clothes on hooks in his bedroom. He only had one outfit, which I'm not even sure were overalls now. It could have been a rain jacket. Or trousers. Whatever it was I never stopped to consider that after he did this, he was naked. Not once. Little me was fixated on the hooks. Hating to put away my own clothes, I dreamt of having hooks all over my bedroom. A hook for this. A hook for that. No more drawers or hangers. Just hooks for everything. It made complete sense to me at the time. 

For my last apartment I bought dozens of 3M hooks and plastered them all over the place. My hook dreams were coming true. In my bedroom they were to be used for "in process" clothes. You know, the ones you wore once or twice but they aren't dirty or smelly yet, like jeans and hoodies and work button-ups. Putting them back with the clean clothes always seemed off. Piling them on a chair is unsightly (and the waste of a chair). What is one to do?

Hooks to the rescue!

I always see Anthropologie getting nods for hooks and knobs and such. They do have a beautiful (rather expensive) collection.

Etsy has some handmade and lots of vintage/refurbished hooks to choose from.
birch / green / wire loops / colorful / moose and trees / gear

In my current bedroom, on all the walls that allow it, I plan on adding hooks. Heck, I plan on hookin-up my whole apartment! I've learned to keep the hooks (for in-process clothing) about 4 feet off the ground (higher if you have longer legs) so that arresting art can go above them and distract from the blobs of fabric. Hanging clothing at eye-level is not très chic. I have some pine panels that I can paint and then affix onto those a few sturdy metal hooks (like the wire loop hooks above). I like this idea because the pine panels can be screwed into the studs, wherever they may be, very easily. Also, my dirty-ish clothes will be a little more off the wall, less prone to sullying the underlying paint.

I sure do hope no one is keeping track of the DIYs I talk about rather than do. You know the phrase - put your money where your mouth is? I am strongly feeling a new phrase - put your hands where your mouth is. Wait, could that mean shut my mouth? Ok then!

Slipping

There's this phenomenon happening in my life right now that I have begun to summarize as 'slipping'. It starts with not yet scheduling your 6-month teeth-cleaning almost a year from your last one, and morphs until you cannot frikkin believe you have been putting-off living your best life and merely wading through the days.

You might say that one pillar of my belief system is The Four Agreements. One of the agreements is to always do your best, rain or shine - just knowing that your best is multidimensional and fluctuates from time to time.

I have not been doing my best lately. I used to be more on top of things. Wasn't I? Why am I not doing yoga? Unbelievable! Why didn't I make myself lunches for work last night? Did I just stare at a wall for 30 minutes? Where did the time go! What have I been doing?

Not my best. Not my worst....

I've decided I need to reframe what doing my best means in various contexts. I will be breaking down big tasks, like performing the duties of my paying job, into things I can get behind doing - such as creative thinking, scientific thinking, effective communication, and education.

Onward to defining what I aim to do, and doing my best in each moment. One tiny moment at a time...

Recipe art

As my "kitchen" comes along, I daydream of having prominent recipe reminders. Why not remind myself that I like fritters and that I can jazz up carrots? Why not be reminded of what I can do with that jar of anchovies and the transformative power of roasting?

To this end, I'm collecting screenshots from my Instagram feed. Just imagine something like this blown up, printed (how? hmmm...), and framed:

If done right the recipes can be rotated when you're inspired by new things. Don't worry - it's most certainly fair use!

Featured chef-style Instagrammers:

Phyllis Grant, queen of anchovies and kindred CA curser

Amanda Waddell, cookbook editor, breakfast champion, Indian food integrator

Ashley Rodriguez, creator of these particular salted chocolate chunk cookies I kept reading about, and then made, and now, full trust

Deb Perelman, she who prances around NYC and cooks her famous food

Sarah Britton, my shining north star in Copenhagen

When in doubt, do the dishes

There's this saying I use when overwhelmed with the amount a cleaning it takes to live as an adult American human:

I want this cross-stitched onto a throw pillow somehow. My quick search for custom cross-stitch pillow cases turned up rather fruitless. Who's got an embroidery machine and wants to make some good Etsy money?

Does this mantra speak to you? Perhaps you're more of a "when in doubt, do the laundry" kinda person, or "when in doubt, make coffee". Or perhaps you'd rather have pictures of roadkill on your pillows before reminders of chores.

I get that.

Ode to Southwest

Photo taken on Mother's day. Not-so-subtle, see!

Recently I had the luxury of flying Southwest on both Mother's day and Memorial day. Weeks before Mother's day I was on another Southwest flight and saw this not-so-subtle advertisement for free drinks on these upcoming holidays. I was psyched!

I was also nervous. When the flight attendants did their spiel, they didn't change it for the holidays. They pretended drinks were still all $5. They reminded us that they don't take cash. I began to sweat.

Each time my flight attendant gets to me and asks for my drink order, I order a Bloody Mary with gin (also known as a Red Snapper, a Ruddy Mary, or as one bitchy male bartender once told me and I can't confirm, a British Mary). She/he silently nods, takes down my order, and carries on. No asking for my coupon or my credit card. Just... acceptance. And delivery.

I felt like shouting from the wingtips, DON'T BE FOOLED, EVERYONE - THE DRINKS ARE FREE!!!!

You can't fool me, Southwest.

As I flew on Delta recently and the flight attendants were snooty and disengaged, and as I wait for this flight on Frontier which charges extra for coffee, carry-on luggage, and cc's of oxygen, I miss you my sweet, sweet Southwest.

Fair finds - Part 2

Remember when I reported that I would diligently follow the amazing crafters I ogle at craft fairs by utilizing a folder in my bookmarks bar? Yeah. Well. That was like two whole laptops and fresh starts ago. Perhaps a better system will be to chat about them here and tag appropriately as "gifts". Yes. Let's try that.

And now, jewels to remember from Maker Faire, Bay Area, 2015:

"Be still my heart"-pottery. Such beautiful platters, mugs, and bowls, oh my.

Hand-painted laser-cut wooden jewelry. Kicking myself for not buying a constellation brooch.

One of a kind marbling effect from scraped-off graffiti. 

The tailored fashions of my Lois Lane alter ego. Dots to boot.

Free color consultations

I hereby offer the world my free color consulting services. If you present to me a problem in which you need to make a color-based decision and need a second opinion, you are free to email me (this was always true, of course). Tell me what's going on. Which way are you leaning? What other colors are at play and can't be changed?

I like thinking about colors and will happily ponder your dilemma. I especially like picking wall paint colors, but I'm up for anything. 

Recently I helped my sister pick a wall color for her newly renovated kitchen-dining room situation. Here's what I knew - she has cherry cabinets and stainless appliances. There is a white door in the dining room and white trim. The floors are on the light side of medium brown.

What she wanted - she was thinking warm. Very tan. A bit orange. Some brown. Very neutral and warm. She was leaning light in tone under the common assumption that it lessens the pain of regret.

What I suggested - I suggested she not go warm, and instead go cool to balance the cherry cabinets. If she was going to stay neutral, I was trying to get it as far from beige as possible. When I learned she really wanted a tan color for the adjacent living room, I was sure cool (or as white as possible) was best.

Light blue-green/sage was my first impulse because red and green are complements and blue would keep it more to this family's tastes. I stayed with Behr colors because that's where she started and it was easiest. When pressed for top choices for THIS situation, I suggested mainly light colors for the same reason as my sister. I later went back and told her that if she embraced the blue-green idea and thought she could go deeper, Recycled Glass was my new top choice.

She ended up going with my first top choice (for her), Whitened Sage. It's quite white, she reports. I'm told you can only really tell it's green when you look at it near the white trim. This doesn't please me, but total satisfaction and non-regret is reported. Go team!

Temp tat tizzy

Temporary tattoos have got me in a tizzy. Three months ago I purchased a Tattly subscription and sadly, those splendid deliveries have ended.

Here are a few of my favorites from the website:

One great thing about the subscription service is that they'll send you some that you can't buy solo - ones that only come in sets. I got "stop and smell the roses" from the floral set and love love loved it.

the floral set

I'd really like to buy the floral set and the lovely set and mix a bunch together for a "half sleeve" look. Then I'd waltz around town, go about my business (but not to work - not that brave) and see what it's like. When I have just one tat showing I feel different. A little badass, edgy. A little cooler (or wannabe cooler). And I wonder if I'm judged in any way. I'm wondering if I judge people this way. Kinda like donning a fat suit, I'll don a tat suit and see the world through that skin. Stay tuned!

Today I'm sporting a funny bunny on my forearm. I'm at a hotel in Utah and I found a bunch of Tattly's in their gift shop! I couldn't resist.

Funny bunny and my favorite scar

I'm sad my subscription is over and I'm seriously considering signing up again once my stash runs low. I don't love ALL the designs I get, but the majority speak to me or grow on me. And if something I get is super not my bag, I give it away. Non-problem, solved.

Last but not least, here's a bonus (related) link combining my love of fake tats and tasty food.

DIY Space Ghost costume

Image from here. Although how did they get it? I must learn these things.

For the longest time I didn't really get costumes. Some people seemed to put a lot of work into them. Costume parties and even the annual arrival of Halloween would cause me anxiety instead of excitement. What would be interesting, easy, fun, and not over-done? What can I put together kinda quickly using what I already have while not spending too much money on the things I'd need? 

The "easy" and "kinda quickly" in that thought process are the problem. With good planning, the execution of a decent costume isn't that hard. I should know! I've currently outfitted Space Ghost, The Queen of Hearts, and two other characters with back-slapping success.

Here I present to you my DIY Space Ghost:

The plan - I planned on wearing a white t-shirt, white jeans, white shoes, a basic black eye mask, and everything you see above. I was skipping the black hood. I'd have to buy a lot, but the items didn't seem tricky and the DIY accessories seemed easily doable.

The purchases - I bought the yellow kid's superhero cape and the long white gloves at a party store. Once I found the yellow cape, the Space Ghost costume was a full-on GO. At Michael's I bought red and black felt, a basic black eye mask, yellow foam paper, and sticking Velcro tape. At Target I bought a white V-neck T-shirt and white jeans. I looked around for white Converse-like high-top sneakers but when I stumbled upon gold sparkly platform slip-on sneakers on clearance, I stopped looking (this is called costume personalization).

What I had at home - white felt for the eyes, black vinyl fabric for belt, safety pins, scissors, hot glue gun, two space-related fake tattoos (the inspiration for my Space Ghost costume in the first place)

DIY entailed - (belt) hot gluing red rectangle to black rectangle and using sticky Velcro when it's time to secure it around your waist; (power bands) cutting red felt into arm bands, cutting yellow foam into rectangles, gluing yellow to the red, drawing lines on yellow with a marker, and using sticky Velcro when time to secure them around your arms; (chest piece) cutting red felt triangle for the chest piece, cutting black felt for the chest piece, hot gluing black to red, cutting white shapes from sticky-backed white felt, sticking white eyes onto black felt, securing chest piece to cape with safety pins

Deviations from the plan - I hated the white jeans so I wore my black skinny jeans. Gold sneakers instead of white shoes. Didn't wear the black face mask cause didn't feel like it.

The outcome - Excellent! People all around recognized me as Space Ghost. When probed, they said the colors and details gave it away very clearly. The new shoes gave me lots of extra kick. Space Ghost was channeled. Fuck yeah.

What I'd do differently - Not rely on sticky Velcro closures. The sticky kind will work for one event, so it was good enough for this day. But a simple upgrade for my future Space Ghost outings will be to secure the Velcro with some needle and thread. Also, fabric glue might be preferred to hot glue for a lot of this sticking, but I have yet to try.

So there you have it. I think this Space Ghost will serve me well for years to come. 

...

What's my next DIY costume you (don't) ask? Inspired by recent news articles, reading The Lacuna, and my desire for new red boots, I'm thinking Frida Kahlo:

Frida Kahlo's personal wardrobe, red boots

Streaming zen

The other day, wistfully dreaming I had a sea plant aquarium to stare at, I thought that maybe a video of a sea plant aquarium would be nice. That search failed, but it did inspire me to think that the Monterey Bay Aquarium, or any good aquarium, might have a webcam or two trained on hypnotic things. And they do! Care to watch the jellyfish? Look out on the bay or perhaps the open sea? Watch sea otters swim by? Say hello to birdies? 

Not a terrible way to zone out for a minute or two. 

They also have a beautiful array of desktop wallpapers, images for Facebook covers, and animated gifs on their site. Thank you, Monterey Bay Aquarium. You are a resource. You offer a free field trip to zen, along with regularly scheduled feeding times. I mean, just look at these...

I yearn to communicate in gifs proficiently. These will certainly help:

Keep up the great work, aquarium website departments!