Thursday, January 31

Beautiful Blogs :: Weetzie Lovers

Weetzie Lovers
a collection of weetzie pages


I suddenly had the urge to find other pages and posts about Weetzie Bat. When I first started this blog, these were few and far between, but a quick google search shows how the fandom has oh-so grown!
So here's a random smattering of posts that I've found in a quick search, highlighting Weetzie Bat, her style, and FLB's beautiful imagery.

Rookie :: Secret Style Icon Weetzie Bat -- a quick bio and info about WB, with fashion inspiration :)
Parfait Doll :: Style Diary: Shagri-L.A. -- an adorable little piece about Weetzie style and fashion, with quotes from the book. Very cute!
xoJANE :: How to Look Like a LA Wild Child! -- This is a neat post (with pictures!) about how the writer pulls off some Weetzie looks on a budget.
Tumblr :: Weetzie Bat tags -- I know; not a blog. But still. scroll through this and you'll find beautiful images related to Weetzie Bat, quotes to inspire you, or people's wonderful stories about their experiences with the book or characters.
Jezebel :: The Book For Girls Who Ended Up Taking A Gay Dude To Prom -- This is actually an older one (2008, the rest are 2012), and I remember reading it in the past. No pictures and about being Weetzie-like, but is a great description of the book, as well as its flaws and successes.
Pinterest :: Weetzie Bat tags -- again, not a blog. But more visual than tumblr, pinterest has a vast assortment of photos, art, fashion ideas, and just plain Weetzie-based inspiration! Great place to browse and be inspired.
 
 
 
Have a Weetzie post? Let me know and I'll add it to this list! 

Wednesday, January 30

Quiet Days Waiting for the Storm.


It's one of those days where I don't even want the tv on.
I think about love and loss and just sit in the quiet.

I watched Incendiary today, because it was on netflix and had a cast trio that could break my heart. And it kind of did.
The plot is mostly about a woman whose child dies, but with dramatic, romantic, sad side plots. I don't even want/like kids, but it was so emotional that I still fell into it, and it was the quiet loneliness of the movie that really got to me, plus the lovely heartache that is Ewan McGregor in love.
It has left me in a mood to sit outside and read and sip cinnamon tea and wait for the coming storms.



On a side, slightly related note; the fact that I don't want children is a silent, gaping hole in my relationship, because He does, so it probably wasn't tactful of me to, offhand, mention that I'd definitely have Ewan McGregor's babies.

Thursday, January 24

Beautiful Books :: A Certain Slant of Light

Beautiful Books :: A Certain Slant of Light

by Laura Whitcomb


I'm going to be lazy, here, and use my GoodReads review from this, with some lovely quotes added in.

I was really surprised by this book. I came in with no expectations whatsoever. I knew (assumed) it was teen fiction and about ghosts...it seemed. But I'm a sucker for pretty covers and I'd seen some buzz about this one, so I snatched it up when I saw it at the library.


"I was too fascinated to be afraid now. Everything was astounding. Being touched. Smelling people, their sweat, and perfume, and even the soap they used to wash their clothes as they gave me hugs goodbye. The power of all those eyes, shining right into mine. The weight of things, like punch in the cup. The weight of me as I stood and moved. I was lightheaded with curiosity. I wanted to run and sing and walk down a street where people would turn a shoulder to pass without colliding into me." [120]
I kind of loved it. It's not actually about teenagers, since the "ghosts" involved were in their late twenties when they died, which I think gives it some extra depth, but it also deals with some very normal, realistic teen problems that were pretty believable.

"I couldn't take my eyes off him. Like a dessert wanderer afraid of mirages, I gazed at my oasis, but he was real." [21]

The writing was very pretty, and I love overly descriptive prose, so that was perfect. Plus it had a nice blend of times that was also pretty believable, melding old and new.

"As light dappled across the forest of faces, I could watch them create inside their hearts each a different story from the same images. It was a shame the way modern movies smothered their stories with songs and loaded every moment with noises and words. Little was left to the imagination." [91]
I was very surprised by how much the story pulled me in, keeping me up late night after night to finish. It wasn't so intensely emotional that I cried at any point (I usually on cry when there's an epic scale involved, sorry), but I was definitely invested.

Another point that I liked was that although this does deal with a concept of heaven and hell, I was delighted by the idea that **SPOILER, sort of** escaping hell had little to do with forgiveness from "God", and pretty much everything to do with forgiveness from yourself, which was lovely.

Definitely enjoyed it, although some of that might be from my "no expectations" beginning. Still, very nice, very pretty. Worth reading.

Wednesday, January 23

Muffins to the Rescue

I don't like to bake, it's just not my thing. It requires too much precision, makes a mess, and you can't just dive in without knowing what your doing.

The overall exception to this, however, is muffins. Once you have a basic idea of what you need, you can kind of add anything you want and it mostly works out. The worst outcome I've had while adapting a muffin recipe is that they came out too dense. But they still tasted fine and that's what matters.

So here is my overall recipe for Super Muffins, which I think Weetzie Bat would have loved as she got older, because they are healthy and packed full of good things, and can be as delicious or sweet as you want to make them.

I've only made these once, and the recipe is completely adjustable and customizable, but here's my basic idea, using a muffin base I found online. Once again, this is during my Juicing kick, so of course I'm using the fruit and veggie pulp that is leftover after I've juiced. This is mostly apple, carrot, beet, and orange, and sometimes kale that got mixed in. The obvious substitute for this would just be the same fruits and veggies chopped fine or (better yet) thrown in the food processor until ground nicely.
Again, I basically stole a Harvest Muffin style recipe as a base, and customized it. This is not vegan or vegetarian, obviously (older Weetzie is a vegetarian), but if you prefer either of these, I'm sure you know how to adapt it.

The Basics: Use your favorite muffin recipe (the one below is a little complicated, I think, but I'm goin for it) and add pie spices, nuts, oats, fruit pulp, and chopped dried fruit! So good and full of flavor!

Super Spiced Muffins

 
It has a lot of ingredients, but the wonderful simplicity that is muffins means that you pretty much throw all of this stuff into a bowl, then pour into tins and bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes. This is a big recipe, so you'll get a lot out of it.
I haven't tested out this exact recipe yet, but I'm doing it tonight or tomorrow, so I'll update when I do.

Monday, January 21

Weetzie Drinks

So, since I've been on a Juicing kick this week, my mind has been on that a lot. Of course, my mind is often also on Weetzie Bat (it's an obsession, I know), so, naturally, the two came together.

As of this moment, I'm post-lunch-juice, considering a lunch-dessert juice of just apples and carrots. I'm not hungry, I'm just craving extras, like I would normally do with regular food.

Anyway, I haven't tried these out, but if Weetzie Bat and her family had their favorite drinks, these are what I think they'd be:


Weetzie Bat
Sweet and pretty!
Weetzie would want something that was delicious, crazy-nuclear-colorful, and just happened to also be wonderfully healthy.
So, for flavor, we'd go with apples and either grapes or pineapple, or other sweet fruit. For color, some strips of beets. For health, a handful of something packed with nutrients, like kale or spinach. So, I give you...

The Weetzie:
2 sweet apples
1 bunch of grapes
2 sticks of sliced pineapple
1 slice ripe beet
1 handful kale, spinach, or collards
optional: 1/2 Asian pear, large chunk of watermelon, or


 My Secret Agent Lover Man
Powerful and Practical- with a kick!
My Secret Agent Lover Man would want something that would give him energy and a boost of nutrients. I imagine a sort of Mean Green Machine drink, with lots of leafy, vitamin-rich greens, and a knob of ginger for a tasty zing. When Weetzie made if for him, she'd probably use apples as a base, to make sure it tasted good for him.

The Secret Agent:
1 apple
1 bunch spinach
1 bunch kale
1/2 cup broccoli
1 stick celery
1/2 bunch watercress
1/2 cucumber
1 knob of ginger
optional: 1/2 lemon and a few sprigs of parsley or some wheatgrass


 Cherokee Bat
I think Cherokee would love something that tasted good, like her mother, but was also a little practical, like her father. I see her wanting something very simple and classic, and very natural and earthy. Of course, I see the ultimate classic for her, then: apples and carrots. Perhaps with a zing of ginger like her dad, too?

The Cherokee:
2 sweet apples
2-3 carrots
1 knob of ginger
optional: 1 orange, tangerine, or 1/2 pear

Witch Baby
Lily would want something that represented her and the way she feels/likes to represent herself. Something sweet, but also bitter. Something dark, probably super dark purple, because she likes to feel intimidating and different. I don't think she'd care much as tall about health benefits, so it'd be all about the color-- beets and carrots for that-- and flavor-- sweet apples and pineapple, with spinach and watercress for a bitter bite.

The Witch:
1 green apple
1 carrot
1 bunch grapes
2 slices pineapple
1 big bunch spinach
1 bunch watercress
1/4 grapefruit
2 slices beets
optional: 1 kiwi or 1/2 pear



Anyone have any ideas for Duck and Dirk?
I suppose if I went back and reread Baby BeBop, it'd probably come to me. Dirk would probably be a mix of Weetzie and My Secret Agent Lover Man, and Duck might be more like Cherokees and Weetzies... hm....

Sunday, January 20

Testing a Diet


Day Two of my Juice (half)fast.
So far, so good.
Day 1 was definitely a little weird. I spent the day drinking apple, carrot, and beet juice most of the time, particularly for breakfast, with some kale usually, with a Salad Juice for lunch today and yesterday (leafy greens, tomato, cucumber, lime, garlic, dash of salt). For snacks I drank small cups of apple, carrot, orange, & beet.

If you don't care at all about my "diet" attempts, feel free to skip this post. I'm making new labels/tags-- Dear Diary & Diet-- for all of these personal things, which I don't think is interesting to anyone but I'd like to keep track of it.

Rest of my so-far-success after the break.

Friday, January 18

Drink Me


Current Obsession
: Korean Cinnamon Punch  (i have loved this stuff since it was served at my first korean restaurant, but recently found int in canned form. can NOT get enough of it)
Watching: Wallanger


This week has been a giant pool of "I hate my life" even though I haven't been having any actual problems. Arguing at home, not getting enough work done, being bored.
But still. There's this anger and sadness like murky lake water, soaking my insides and making my skin crawl. Nothing makes it go away and everything He does just makes it worse.

But after a crying spell I do feel better, though I wish I had something to munch on.
On that note, however, is the tiny little issue that I actually can work on: I'm gaining weight.

Don't take this the wrong way, I'm not complaining about my weight. But I come from a family of overweight people, and I've always stayed thin without trying. But I'm terrified that once I gain too much, even just an extra 15 pounds, it'll be too late to go back. That's pretty much the way it was for everyone else. So the five or ten pounds I've gained in the past six months scares the crap out of me.

So I just got back from the store with $12 worth of fruits and veggies.
Wow, that doesn't sound like a lot when I write it down.
At the international store here, that's a lot. I got about a pound of different apples, two pounds of carrots, a beet, some tomatoes, pound or so of kale, some cucumber, some oranges and grapefruit, and some mangoes (that turned out to be bad).
See, $12 = awesome.
 Next trip will include grapes, pineapple, not-rotten mangoes, spinach, and whatever other veggies I think will go with those.

I'm thinking of a two-week-long juice (half)fast. Drinking juice for the first half of the day, and making my regular meals for dinner. Then, ideally, juice as a snack afterward, though that will start tomorrow since I'm eying the popcorn box.

I've had a juicer for a while, and tend to go on kicks with it, mostly for health or cheapness, but this time I'm doing it for weight, and to try to get my poor digestive system to calm the fuck down after a full two weeks of constant discomfort all over the place.
My favorite juice is apple-carrot, though I like adding Kale now for healthiness.

Check out these really wonderful looking recipes:

HuffPost
All About Juicing
Native Juicer


They're good, try it!

Sunday, January 13

When I Can't Hold It In


Excitement like starbursts in my soul. Like smiles that can't be stifled and high wild screams of joy into the night. Fireworks in my blood that make me want to dance and sing and kiss and run. Adrenaline rushing to my brain like a roaring river flooding me with thoughts full of YES and Never Stop and Just Keep Going! A world full of life that I always forget was there and suddenly I can see it and I can feel it all. I can love it all and take it all and nothing can stop me. These moments I am endless and unafraid and invincible. I want crisp air and endless nights and joy that lasts forever with music and light and love and hearts bursting with all of the potential of every single moment.



See Also:  Depression

Thursday, January 10

Potential, I said

But somehow it feels like it's become a hole.
Of potential?
As if that could make sense somehow.

As if I have this promise. This depth of undeveloped-ness. And I keep trying to feed it with thoughts. With ideas. To make it grow. To give the potential its substance. But I don't know how. And it aches and yearns and hungers.
And the longer I go without giving it what it needs, the longer I let this void of maybe possibilty sit and gnaw and fester, the more it shifts.

Potential, I said.

I felt a sense of potential.

That was only days ago.

If My Novels Were Relationships.



A Study in Steel
would be my love-child. I'm always caring for it, nurturing it, working to improve it, defending it from others, and preparing it for the real world.

Night Terrors
would be a bad ex-boyfriend. I keep coming back to it, thinking this time we can make things work. But ultimately we hit the same roadblocks, and in the end we disappoint each other.

Persephone
would be the one that got away. Always wishing it would work out, always imagining, with deep melancholy and wistfulness, how great it could be (if only...), but always inevitably seeing that it's just out of reach.


Thursday, January 3

Depression


Depression hurts like bruises trapped in your heart like clouds behind your eyes and scars wrapped around your skin. Anxiety like electricity blazing through your head and worms slithering in your veins. Fear like hands gripping your wrists, tying you down and clamping your mouth shut, but if it opened all you could do is scream because the world is crashing down on you even when nothing is wrong. Mean Reds like noise in your head, driving you away from your life and under the covers. Hide. Run. Don't smile. Don't talk. Cry. Just cry and hide and let the lonely in as the world goes on around you like a ride that's just too high. Just too fast. You weren't invited and wouldn't have any fun anyway. It's your life and it's always just out of reach.

Tuesday, January 1

2013.

My first note of the new year is to never again drink "Red Velvet" flavored anything unless you like to have your cake and drink it too.
We couldn't even finish the bottle, every sip left my mouth feeling like it'd been bathed in super-sweet cherry chocolate. I should have just gotten the cheap plain bubbly.
Oh well, we'll find something to celebrate for and drink champagne so I can get my yearly fix.

My NYE was uneventful, but happily highlighted by a small plate of sushi and a bottle of Hana Awaka (to myself). The sweet, sparkly sake is something I've turned into my own NYE tradition. Not cheap, but worth it once a year. Then the two of us played a quick practice game of Munchkin Bites on the floor and watched tv.

This week my focus has to be on editing and getting as much of my current assignment done before the school year starts back up. I want to have a paycheck on the way before I go back to the awkward, stressful mediocrity that is substituting.

My new years resolutions are mediocre as well, with just the same things that are pretty much on the list every single year. Not hard things, necessarily, but not simple, specific ones, either.

The two things I really want to do this year are to be more of myself-- which first requires me to really find out what that means, which is the hard part --  and to create more. I read recently that one of the problems today is that we are consumers, not creators. We consume what others have made; food, tv, games, music, books, art, etc., without creating enough of our own. I'd like to create something every day this year, even if it's as simple as a drawing or a blog entry or a story or a meal. Every single day; something created.

So go out and live and love and smile and create in the New Year.