radio · silence

Or something like that. Over winter break (the fruit company shuts down between Christmas & New Year's, and this year we're off until Monday – fabulous!) I've been working on this dress, which I hope to finish in time to wear to the Edwardian World's Faire (an offshoot of the Edward Gorey Ball):



Three mockups, one size change, and some pattern alterations later, I've finally started in on the real fabric, which is a gorgeous navy silk charmeuse that just might kill me.

( Cut for sewing geekout. )

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year (and given the price, happy birthday, as well as happy no-shopping-in-January) to me: I'm getting a new Viking Husqvarna Emerald 183. Hopefully early this week. *Squeee!*

Of course, I've no idea if I'll finish the dress in time. Maybe it doesn't matter anymore – if I have nothing to wear I can just stay at home and run increasingly impossible pieces of fabric through my new machine, admiring its smooth hum and consistent stitch length. God help me, I am doomed.

(From A Softer World.)

Amen.

It's the whole book, with tons of beautiful and clear illustrations.

Encyclopedia of Needlework by Therese de Dillmont, published in 1884. There are instructions for plain sewing, elaborate embroidery, drawn threadwork, lacemaking and all kinds of other beautiful and time-consuming work. Nifty!

Also, it calls material "stuff," which is funny in a word-nerd sort of way.

Stuck in my head yesterday:
"The Greatest" by Cat Power
"Cerulean" by The Ocean Blue

Stuck in my head today:
"Faking the Books" by Lali Puna
"Ceremony" by New Order

When drinking wine in the shower, don't drop the glass. You decadent bourgeoisie scum.

Ran across this today, which reminded me of wimsey70's nightmare date story.



I have no horrific date stories to share. I've dated truly horrific people – okay… person, singular – but he was horrific in a larger sense: no one evening or episode featuring said person was quite bad enough to turn into a story on its own. Come to think of it, that's probably why I dated the dipshit for as long as I did.

Sometimes I'm not very smart.

It seems that 1950's douche recipes, microwaving your own hand, and belief in the zombie theory of Easter makes LJ The Google think I need me some Jesus:

Ladies, it's time we talked. About that… you know… not-so-fresh feeling. Circa 1950.

If you're held in a web of indifference – if your formerly loving and attentive hubby has locked you out, I have just the product for you. Your doctor will agree. The best part? No greasy afteraffect!

Man Cuts Off, Microwaves Own Hand

So you're a nutjob. You think your hand bears the number of the beast. Fair enough – crazy is an international language. But when you cut it off to try to rid yourself of the beast, what do you do? Burn it? No. You put it in the microwave on high for five minutes – it's so much more convenient.

How very American.

Now where's my goddamn jet pack?

In the past two days I've had four light bulbs burn out when I turned on their fixtures. Zzzzzzap!

The same four Christmas albums on repeat, all day. The obligatory weird gift from family friends I haven't seen in years (this year: two structurally unsound candles in the form of enormous holly leaves). Champagne, cheese, and crackers for "lunch." Dad's bafflement and muttered curses at whatever technology toy he's given himself. Two sweet pickles followed in quick succession by one black olive, stolen from the relish tray before dinner. The annual Christmas Day Northern Virginia dive bar trek with darkhorse. Yup, it must be Christmas.

May your holidays be happy, healthy, and full of traditions, from the sublime to the banal.

From an article I read today on the interwebs (subject really isn't relevant, emphasis mine):

"It's certainly very concerning," said Webber.

NGGGGGGGGGGH! The use of "concerning" as an adjective is like fingernails on a chalkboard to me.

Step 1: Whilst wearing the most expensive pair of jeans you own, drop a pat of butter on one of the kitchen chairs.

Step 2: Sit on chair mentioned in Step 1.

Step 3: Sit on couch. Wiggle around a bit to ensure good coverage.

A quote from this excellent post from Marina at Objectify This:

I imagined all of the men in the audience feeling a little prouder of their genitals for knowing their origins, and I imagined this reinforcing their subconscious justifications of superiority, reinforcing cultural ideas of male agency, dominance, and power, while females dutifully took notes about their roles as the presumed ‘default’ sex - since Professor C. hadn’t seen fit to inform them that they, too, were created by the action of specific hormones, and not just the absence of the hormones that created the amazing wangs of their classmates.

Read the post – it's well-written and uplifting, despite the disheartening context.