Goth Confession: I'm sick of Tim Burton

Call me the weird one but I for one really just don't care for Tim Burton's work anymore. Aside from Beetlejuice and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, if I was told I could never watch his films ever again, I would not bat a single eyelash. I'm not under the weather and definitely of sound mind. I just can't take anymore.

Does anybody else want their head to explode EVERY TIME someone comes along and says something along the lines of "OHMYGODANIGHTMAREBEFORECHRISTMASISTHEGREATESTMOVIEOFALLTIME ILOVEITNOMOVIECOULDEVERCOMPAREITSTHEVERYBESTEVERSDASDFQWERTY!!!!"? I sure do. Not that I'm saying that it is a bad movie. It's beautiful and truly art. A Nightmare Before Christmas is a great movie but is it the greatest movie ever? No. Not by a long shot. I get that it has a lot of meaning to a lot of people and that it's the favorite of so many people out there but saying it's the greatest movie ever is practically hyperbole. Half the reason I'm so sick of Tim Burton is the exaggeration people go to when describing his work. The other half? It's the same damn thing over and over.


What do A Nightmare Before Christmas, Beetlejuice, Corpse Bride, Sweeny Todd, Edward Scissorhands, Dark Shadows and even Frankenweenie all have in common? Cartoonishly saturated colors in some places and complete lack of it in others and dark, paranormal love (keep in mind frankenweenie's love is an A Boy and His Dog kind of love unlike the others on the list). I don't think he's done anything particularly original since Batman. Always the same actors too..

I do appreciate the art of his work and admire his unique aesthetic, I'm just sick of it. Anybody else feel this way?

This time on "All My Failures"

Our dear author discovers precisely why she has such a difficult time with keeping a blog.

It's really very obvious. I SUCK AT WRITING! Not that my writing is terrible (I've actually won a scholarship with a fantastic essay), but that the act of writing doesn't come naturally. I think about ideas for blog entries but never put them into words until I finally sit down to a computer. Couple this with poor time management skills and you have me.

In between all on-goings of life, I find myself slacking off and laying about rather than finding a little time to write a blog. This past month both my mother and boyfriend have had surgery (both are mending very well) and the only one to take care of a lot of the chores in our home is me. Work also takes a bit of  toll, but it's not as if there's absolutely no time. Doing a whole bunch of extra stuff just hasn't been appealing and blogging was the last thing on my mind.

Now that dust is settling and I've treated myself to a notebook from my collection that follows me everywhere, I'm very excited to keep a regular schedule. Not just for blogging but to organize all of my daily tasks.

I joined a club! (Pizza failure)

Yeah, I know, I know. I haven't posted in a while. I'm sorry.

On the brighter side though, I joined a club! It's not a difficult club to join and YOU might already be a member and not even know it! It's called the "I DROPPED A GOD-DAMNED PIZZA ON THE MOTHER F***ING FLOOR" club.

The terms of admittance into this prestigious club of food failure are as follows: You take a pizza fresh from the oven (or fresh from delivery) and drop it ACCIDENTALLY. Dropping it on purpose doesn't count here. There are also levels of Membership.

• Basic member- You have dropped one pizza

• Bronze member- You have dropped 3 pizzas

• Silver member- You've dropped 5 pizzas! (At this point, you really should just consider not handling pizzas ever again..... ever.)

• Gold member- A whole 7 pizzas have been carelessly ruined by you.

And finally.....

• Are you a Platinum member pizza dropper? That's a whole 10 pizzas (Or more!!!)

Are you in the club too? What's your level? I'm currently between Basic and Bronze levels. I've dropped two pizzas...

Me at my least goth.

I'm not sure if you guys noticed but I don't really post pictures of myself. It's not that I mean for it to be this way, I just kinda don't get pictures taken of myself very often nor do I have a particularly good camera. It also happens that most pictures of me are just me in my lazy gear or me at a place where gothliness isn't particularly appropriate.

 It's a very quick blog post for you guys because I don't want to ignore you three weeks in a row. Most photos are within 2 years old.

No hair brush or makeup. I pretty much just rolled out of bed like this. I am at the heaviest I've ever been here.
 





Having an alternative appearance was frowned upon where I studied cosmetology





Me when I just started to dabble with the pinup look

I think I look nice with blonde hair

 

 

My friend Pa Kou Vang had me and some of our other friends model for her

 

 



On a very windy day, I met a beary good friend

 

 

 

There you have me when I'm less alternative than I'd like to be. It won't be until at least next week before I can go back to regular blogging. Thank you ALL for your patience!

Down with a sickness

I'm sure we've all had those days where a sick child sneezed or coughed right in your face and then got us sick a couple days later. Yup. So there won't be the previously intended post this week.

Local Music Part 1: How to find it

Let's talk about music! I don't mean your mainstream national, multi-national, or world-wide superstars. No, I mean the music that's taking place right under your nose in your local area.

My geographic location is very advantageous. Living near the direct middle between Milwaukee and Chicago, I hear a lot of great music and meet greater musicians. Most of it I never have to go more than 1 mile to see (I'd have to go even less than that if I were over 21. Damn you, bar shows!). I love my local scene and I want to help you discover yours so that you can love local too.

Starter Guide to finding local music:

Step 1: Approach this whole process with an open mind. Basically, don't discount a local band because they're not famous. Many people say that only famous bands are "real bands" and that mindset should get nipped in the bud right now. If they purposefully make music together, they are a band. Congratulations! You have completed all the steps. Everything else is a matter of methods.

The "just ask" method- Seriously! Just ask around. People to ask are those who are seen often with instruments, people wearing shirts for bands you haven't heard of (sometimes it works, sometimes not), and local music stores. A good generic thing to ask is "are there any good shows happening around here soon?"

The "printed word" method- Go out of your way to look for flyers and posters for bands, shows and festivals. You can find mass appealing music ads in local news papers and magazines. Flyers can often be found on electrical poles in high traffic areas, on the doors of bars and locally owned stores, and sometimes people can be found handing them out. Spending a day window shopping for flyers in a very happening place in your city is a great alternative for the shy and easily embarrassed.

Google it- If there's absolutely ANYTHING in your area at all, Google will likely have an answer. Type in your city, state and preferred genre (if you have one) at the very least, you usually get a website of a venue hosting an upcoming show. It gets easier and better if you find Facebook pages of local bands featuring their music and Youtube videos.

Once you find something, it becomes a bit like ancestry.com you get a link, and then another link and you keep collecting information and become a part of the local music scene. Eventually I'm going to post a fantastic list of all the bands I can find in the SE WI area so you can see what I'm into and check it out yourself.

Good luck!

Vegetarian Reviews: Yves Veggie Cuisine

If there's anyone out there like me, they're vegetarian. And if there's anyone out there like me who thinks like I do then they might be hesitant to try some vegetarian/vegan food because that's a very dicey area.
When veggie food is good, its very very good but when it's bad, it can feel like a complete waste of anywhere from $3- $10. A great way to know if what you're looking for is worth it is through good, comprehensive reviews. WHICH THERE ARE VERY FEW OF ON THE STINKING INTERNET!
So to hopefully help someone, somewhere out just a little, I'm doing reviews of veggie noms by brand.

Yves Veggie Cuisine

Picture from www.yvesveggie.com

Vegan friendly?: Everything is vegan accept the seafood products (which contain milk.)

Good things to say about this brand:

• The soy used in Yves is no genetically modified. If you like science messing with your food as little as possible like I do or worry about possible side effects of genetic engineering, this is a brand for you.

• Generally, this is a tasty food. Nothing is particularly unappealing. There's no awful smell or terrible after taste.

• The variety of items in this brand is incredible! From burgers to hot dogs to brats to lunch "meat" and even seafood, I doubt you'll ever get bored.

Not so good things:

• Sometimes the food is kind of bland and leave a little more to be desired for seasoning.

This is one of the better brands I have tried and it's fairly new to me. Every time I go to a store that carries Yves I am willing to try another different item. I highly recommend it!

4/5 stars

So... I am REALLY bad at this.

Yup. Again, I go months without a single blog post. So here I go! One last try to really get better at blogging and keeping promises to strangers that I will never meet over the internet.

What's to come? No idea. Not one single damned clue.

I fell off the map!

I sincerely want to apologize to all my readers. I stopped maintaining my blog for almost 2 months!!!
I've been so busy, I hadn't really had the time to do extra stuff. I've been neglecting all my favorite pastimes to focus on the work I had, so here's a list of what I've been up to.
Started a job
Took on a very large fundraising project
Pulled off a community festival with my co-workers
Fought a bear and traveled to the north pole
Started a new job and quit the old one
**some information may have been added to make me appear more badass**
I'm posting another blog entry after this one ASAP.

The Professor's Mothly Homework Assignment: April Showers

 

Spring is a very, very special time of year. The birds are singing, flowers will soon begin to bloom.. Who am I kidding? That's for other places, not at all what happens in Wisconsin. It only just FINALLY got too warm to be snowy and this past week has been downpour, downpour, downpour. We have a break of dark over cast during the weekend with more rain to follow.

I don't really have any special rain gear. Usually I go outside to play in a dark shirt and shorts. Soon after followed up by hot tomato soup and bread sticks. So I'm focusing on how rain makes me feel.

Personally, I love the rain; the way it beads down my skin and how it smells is rejuvinating. The way the earth smells because of the rain is the very best. Fun fact: there's a word for that smell.

 

source: iwantcovers.com

 

I wish I could find a beautiful rain beaded spider web because even though they're kind of cliche, they're the greatest example of beauty created with rain. I can't wait to see what nature has to offer once the rain stops and mother earth does her work. More than anything rain really gives me hope for change.

 



a gorgeous rainbow after a rainy day at the beach
source: me

At this point I'd like to remind everyone that Earth Day 2013 is April 22 (in America, anyway)

Vegetarian Food Reviews

If there's anyone out there like me, they're vegetarian. And if there's anyone out there like me who thinks like I do then they might be hesitant to try some vegetarian/vegan food because that's a very dicey area.
When veggie food is good, its very very good but when it's bad, it can feel like a complete waste of anywhere from $3- $10. A great way to know if what you're looking for is worth it is through reviews. WHICH THERE ARE VERY FEW OF ON THE STINKING INTERNET!
So to hopefully help someone, somewhere out just a little, I'm going to start doing reviews of veggie noms by brand.

First up: Light Life

Image via The Goldstein Group

Vegan friendly?: some things

Good things about this brand:

• If you're used to eating soy, this brand is decent in terms of taste. Their lunch meats (bologna and deli style turkey being the ones I've tried) are my preferred things to eat from this brand.

• The way the company spices their products is very spot on. The  soy chorizo spices are the closest I've had since I stopped eating meat in 2005. The texture is similar as well.

• Did I mention low calorie? It's a great brand to supplement a dieter's meals.

Not so good things:

I do have good things to say about Light Life, I've also got quite a few problems with it.

• While the lunch meat is good, it doesn't smell that way. I have a hard time coping with the scent and unfortunately, I've never smelled something similar to it so I can't give a comparison.

• Every product seems to have a really odd after-taste. It's something that sticks around long after your meal and even after brushing your teeth in order to get rid of it. It tastes just like the smell would from the above mentioned lunch meat. The after-taste is more prominent in the sausages/hot dogs.

• I get stomach issues when I eat more than 2 slices of the lunch meat in a day or eat more than one sausage/hot dog in a day. My stomach starts to hurt as if I were sick. It's not a particularly good brand for those who suffer from heart burn/acid reflux as the food has NEVER reacted well with my stomach acid if I ate more than the previously stated limits.

Over-all review:
I've eaten the pepperoni, deli- style turkey, chorizo, bologna and hot dogs. The products have all been decent but not many of these things would I buy again (only the bologna, turkey and pepperoni). There's a very parishable shelf life on these foods.
This is one of the brands that you might feel you wasted your money on because you either couldn't eat it fast enough or it was just unpalatable. I'm concerned about trying the other foods myself because I don't want to buy food I won't be able to eat.
2/5 stars.

Too Soon

I knew that one day I'd know the intense feels of your favorite band breaking up. I just didn't know it would be so soon in my life. It's such an incredible shock to see My Chemical Romance go.
It feels like just yesterday I got my grubby adolescent hands on a copy of Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge. literally, it's the sound track of my young adult life. To my ears, those songs were a means of support and eventually a light in the pitch black tunnel that helped me make it through the worst of the worst. I know I'm not the only one who felt this effect. There's no way to measure what they've done for people all over the world.
All of their albums are so incredibly unique in sound and concept. While death was a constant theme for them it was never portrayed in a way that they repeated or recycled. It was always new. Their elaborate costumes and incredible ideas really showed the world that rock and roll is not finished. My Chemical Romance breathed hope into the music industry.
My Chemical Romance is dead. However, their music will live and so will what they've done in the hearts of their fans. With teary eyes, I say so long and goodnight to the most incredible band I've ever known.

Make ANY shade of nail polish you want!

Recently, I was trying out nail art and how to make different nail polish colors out of eyeshadow. ( You grind up the eyeshadow and mix it with clear polish). That worked pretty well but I don't have a lot of eyeshadow so I looked for an even more thrifty way to go about it.

What you need:
Clear nail polish
Paint chips in your prefered color (get them at a paint store, walmart, hardware store. they're free)
A mixing tool

I chose Paris Green for Laura Ashley's collection at Lowes

 

 

It's really simple, easy as 1, 2 ,3.

 

1. Drop nail polish onto your paint chip. It's likely you'll need anywhere from 2-5 paint chips.

 



2. Mix your clear polish into your paint. I used a dotting tool. I recommend you using anything that isn't a brush because the brush doesn't mix everything as well.



 

 

3. Paint your nails.  The consistency will be thicker than regular nail polish, so be warned. It also takes a little practice to work with because now the consistency is more like acrylic paint.

my nail before I cleaned it up

 

Aterward: Clean your brush with dish soap and water. Regular nail polish remover won't work because of the paint from the chip. Then clean up your new manicure and follow with a top coat for best results.

 

I've had my manicure for about 4 days and it still looks good as new. Did you try it? What were your results?



Round 2

Meet Bigger in Black 2.0

My name is CJ and I started BIB quite a while ago. This is round two because my first attempt at it wasn't quite what I hoped for. I really lacked direction and commitment. So I deleted every entry, took a chill pill and decided what I wanted to do with blogging.

A few months later I can tell you exactly what to expect from this blog. I'll let you in on my alternative life, weight loss, and some DIY, fashion and beauty tips and tricks. My commitment is one post each Saturday. This week will have two posts to get the ball rolling.