December Dancin' (part 2)

Bringing Ravenboy and Asrai into our home for a week was a great part of our holiday break. We all decorated the Yule Tree that took up a large portion of our living room. It was special this year sharing stories of some of the ornaments with Asrai as we put them on the tree.

Although most of the holiday music we have is specifically Christmas music, we have fond memories of it from over the years. One album by the Ray Charles Singers is our favorite and is all songs about Winter. We listened to good old songs like "Button up your Overcoat", "June in January", and our all time favorite "When Winter Comes a Calling."

The tree was completely decorated by the time RGBisMe pulled out the brand new CD with my special song on it. As I wrote in December Dancin' (part 1), I had altered the digital recording by singing over the part of the song where I am expected to dance. The quality of the recording of the beginning of the CD was very poor because the 6 minutes leading up to my dance were also recorded with Audacity but were supposed to sound like the original album. Ravenboy picked up on it right away.

"What was that noise?" he asked when there was a big thud in the middle of the recording. RGBisMe was a little shocked too but he attributed it to perhaps being one of the cats bumping the turn table as he had made the recording. Unfortunately it was not the only noise and as I prepared to dance all three spectators became increasingly curious and confused as to what was going on. Ravenboy picked out every little additional noise and even skipped back on the CD to listen to the noises again and again. I assured them this I was pretty sure that this was the song even though RGBisMe thought that he remembered my dance at the beginning of the song. It is curious what we remember and forget from year to year and my noisy recording was making us all confused.

Finally, the music that was right before my entrance assured me that I better get to my place in the wing. I am not in as good shape these past couple of years and had tried to warm up just a little to prepare. I braced myself for the change in song and switch over to my bizarre singing version.

My dance was the same as every other year (with the usual tiny variations in style and energy level) but the music was replaced with my "lalalas", "dododos", and "rumpa-pum-papums". Pops, raspberries, grunts and squeals took the place of the well know holiday song; my voice tried to singularly take on the whole orchestra. The clever orchestration of "Jingle Bells" would have been pretty much unrecognized if it hadn't been heard by us many times before.

My family received this year's variation first with scepticism then with pleasure to see the dance was intact and finally they joined in the singing where my limited vocal version needed gaps filled in. From my goofy bouree entrance to my final breathless fall to the floor, my good audience was all smiles and cheers.

There was even an encore performance because, it was rationalized, I hadn't really done it to the real song at all this year. Even with the smaller stage and twisted ankle, it too was well received.

There is a inverse correlation between the technology to record this annual display and the quality of the performance itself. Thus, I will direct you to The true indigo Trust to remind all that no bootleg movies should make it on to Youtube this year.

Entr'acte

A lot happened in the short time between my burning the bogus CD and the point where I was confronted with dancing my Holiday Shindy. RGBisMe and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary first (the evening before) with Angrist & feralgyrl with a lovely evening catching up, being abundantly gifted and a nice meal at a local restaurant.

We then spent the next day with Asrai and Ravenboy. Asrai and Ravenboy opened their home to us. They showered us with love, gifts and an amazing meal. They made an amazing Shepherd's Pie (vegetarian of course) and a British Pudding. Both were so amazing and yummy. It was a perfect visit on a day that was very special to us.

One of the most exciting gifts they shared with us was a package of Miracle Fruit Tablets. The miracle fruit, Synsepalum dulcificum, produces berries that, when eaten, cause sour foods (such as lemons and limes) to taste uncharacteristically sweet.

We put a whole feast of sour and bitter foods together to try out these crazy tablets. We prepped lemons, grapefruit, cranberries, and limes. We poured a very tart wine to go with our mustard, sauerkraut, pickled beets, pickled dill beans, pickled hot cauliflower and pickled garlic.

The effect that dissolving these little tablets on your tongue has to be experienced to be believed. Having a spread of very sour things to sample was a great idea. I think each person might have their own personal favorites but the four of us all agreed that the limes were incredible! I also loved cranberries dipped in mustard.

Our anniversary and winter solstice celebrations were so much fun and I am glad to share them.

December Dancin' (part 1)

The end of our holiday vacation is winding down. I realize that I don't post as much detail as I used. I was thinking that anybody who has cared to read about my personal life has pretty much been directly involved in what has been going on. Conversely, I see that this blog still gets hits from outside of my family. If you comment that you enjoy a certain topic I have touched on, I can certainly elaborate.

Seeing that my annual shenanigans of trying to avoid performing my holiday shindy has been a popular mid-workday reading, I will share my demi-success this year. RGBisMe was able to make some awesome gifts for our family this year by taking the old holiday LPs and making digital recordings of them. This complicated exactly how I was going to avoid my dance.

The song itself is the last song in a medley of holiday songs. It is an 8 minute track that, when it was on a tape, I could easily tape over. I have not mastered the application of Garage Band yet and found myself with less that 4 hours to come up with something. I Googled something like how to cut into part of an MP3 and someone had thrown out the idea of the application of Audacity.

I was familiar with Audacity, I had used it to make a little recording of some Morse Code for a one of the From Where I Stand letterboxes if I am remembering correctly. I then got the idea to not just cut off the end of the song but to plug the headphones in and sing over it.

I was resigned to the fact that I would end up doing my dance but knew it would be delayed. Not only would it not matter what tape the song was on (there are not tapes any longer) but I had a good feeling that only RGBisMe knew what actual album it was on. I was counting on this distraction to make them believe that nothing else would get in the way.

The most humorous aspect was that while I was recording the medley that preceded my frenetic snippet of Jingle Bells our one cat decided that something particularly interesting was outside the window near the computer. His ramming around, up and down off of the desk was being picked up on the recording. There was little I could do. I had taken advantage of RGBisMe running out for a frozen pizza and was hoping it might take him about the 10 minutes I would need to get the altered recording. It was the only window of time I had and the cat jumps and bumps would have to stay.

As I got to the moment when I plugged the earphones in, cutting off the music that was being recorded, I had an odd thought. What if RGBisMe can home as I was singing my goofy, Spike Jones inspired, new version of the song? I had but a second to just inhale and go with it. If I was caught in the act, I would just have to explain.

I made it to the end, clicked the button to stop the recording and checked to see if RGBisMe had pulled in. All was clear. I gave a quick listen to the recording and exported it as an MP3 before he got home. I knew I had to make a full playlist of the album and burn it to a CD but he came home before I had the chance.

Angrist & feralgyrl came over to help us celebrate our anniversary and the holidays. It got dark so early that the four of us said our goodbyes just as many night loving folks were probably just getting started. I was glad RGBisMe went straight to bed and I told him that I would join him very shortly.

I quickly burnt a replacement CD and swapped it with the one everyone would be expecting to find. I was excited for how the rest of the plan might unfold but first we had a trip to New York City and back.

Bring It!

It's that time of year when all family expectations of my certain holiday dance hang on if they can remember what tape the song is on. For those of you that don't know, RGBisMe received a wonderful gift on his last birthday that has allowed him to make digital copies of ALL of our old holiday music from their LPs.

This being said... THERE ARE NO TAPES! They are now sorted by ALBUM! There are about 12 albums! I wish you more luck than in 2007 and 2008, you'll need it! :D

Saturnalia Cactus

Many modern holiday cactus cultivars are hybrids between Schlumbergera truncata and S. russelliana, first bred about 150 years ago in England. Ours is well over 100 years old and bloomed on Saturnalia this year.

Another Bear Raid

I just love living in an area where the damage done to my property is from wildlife. I much prefer it to the idea of druggies wandering through my yard.

I woke to a bag of garbage from who knows where being left near the edge of my yard and the field. It was someone's garbage who eats more expensive name brand food items. I think it may have been a neighbor's. Why shoot a photo of that, yuck. It was not too bad to clean up though.

The metal can of peanuts had been tipped over and the lid wedged off. The bungee was still holding it onto the can so I know it took a lot of effort. Must be a bear again! It was raining a bit when I found it. There were still plenty of peanuts dry in the can so I put it back right away. All I have a photo of are the peanuts that are left and the crunched up shells left behind from the raid.

Black Swan

Ravenboy had caught wind of a casting call that was held yesterday for Darren Aronofsky's upcoming movie, Black Swan. His one coworker is to be Natalie Portman's body double in the dance scenes and he has worked closely with the choreographer, Ben Millipied.

From what he could tell, it was pretty much just a formality to show up and show his interest in being cast. It's a given that anyone with his resumé can dance so what he figured was it was pretty much a decision based on if he fit the type. He was encouraged that they might be casting his type since an earlier casting call had turned down some of the taller male dancers he worked with. He was surprised when a few days prior, he was told to show up in dance clothes and be prepared to dance. Ravenboy was excited to perhaps have a chance to meet the writer and director, Aronofsky because he has a lot of respect for his other films like The Fountain, Requiem for a Dream, Pi.

He and another male coworker showed up a little early to warm up and what they found was a surreal scene. They were to show up in the garment district and found that they were directed to a ballroom. On there way to it there were literally hundreds of other dancers. Ravenboy recognized dancers from when he was as young as 10 years old from his school here in town, guys he met at summer dance camps on the west coast, from the two years he trained at School of American Ballet and Tim Lacetena who had the great dancing role of "Andrew" in Step Up. He had met Tim on the west coast in a summer camp years ago too. The were all smack in the middle of a real live cattle call! When he told us about it all, we agreed it sounded like a scene out of a cool movie called The Game.

They were pretty amused at it all and although his name was on a list of dancers they expected he was still asked to fill out an application (they had run out and he was handed a blank sheet of paper) and to pin a number to his chest. He and his coworker were good sports about it, said "hey" to the people they recognized and got ready to proceed to audition for the first time in years. He says he got the general feeling that they were all a little nervous to see him there.

He was cool enough to share a couple of photos they took for this blog. Apparently he was #310 and after the last group of women were finished auditioning they called in the first group of men that included he and his coworker. He nodded to Milipied as he came into the ballroom and took off his warm ups in preparation to dance. He saw Aronofsky and he was excited to dance for him.

I think it was about that time he said that he overheard Millipied tell someone that he didn't need to see #310 & #312 dance because they were, "...already in his troupe." They were asked to leave and confirmed that they didn't even need to stay for any dancing later. Ravenboy's coworker joked they they should have acted like they were crying as they left.

They were both a little disappointed not to dance at all. Less than 15 minutes after they time they were told to be present, they were calling Natalie Portman's dance double to say they were done and ready to go. I think it's the fastest he has ever been let go from an audition and it wasn't because he was being rejected. A funny story indeed and I look forward to hearing what his filming schedule is like.

Miles Helps Out

He is all about lending a paw with any tool.

The Reception

No garters thrown, one random nosegay toss and a cake with a Steampunk flare made this reception a unique and memorable one.

Held in the upstairs dining area of The Waterfront Tavern along the choppy wind blown waters of Lewistown's Juniata River, guests arrived at 1PM. Light appetizers were the menu with the thought that the day after Thanksgiving might be best suited to nibbling rather than a sit down meal served in a static fashion.

I owe my dear sis'er, Tracdc, and her hubzband, Satan, a huge debt of gratitude for putting some final beautiful touches on the day. Tracdc did all of the amazing silk floral decorations, including the ones on the two tiered dark chocolate fondant cake. Satan took photos of every moment and captured the day in images. Thanks to them I can know look back and see moments of the day I missed.

The upper floor of The Waterfront Tavern was just the right size for our party. They said it was suitable for 45 but the 30 folks that came made it just right. I think 45 would have been too many. We broke apart the banquet type seating into groups of tables. This made it much more inviting to move around some.

It was great to see everyone come and share their love with the newly weds. There were people we hadn't seen in years and we all got along fine. The couple of hours of visiting and nibbling with a cd of a piano jazz trio led up to the toast and cake cutting. We then switched to a digitally remastered cd of an old family favorite winter holiday album of music.

The cake was made by Nicole who works out of the Original Italian Pizza in downtown Lewistown. The chocolate fondant hid layers of vanilla cake and butter cream frosting that were flavored and textured just right. Not too sweet nor too rich, one big slice of this cake went down very nicely even the day after Thanksgiving.

The couple did NOT smash cake into each others' faces, it had been agreed in advance. It did keep the groom from wiping a delicate little smudge of frosting onto his wife's nose. The effect was absolutely charming. I didn't get to see the cake sharing but these photos from Satan and Toolman Luke let me enjoy what I missed from across the room.

Important people that made this event possible include Maga11 and Toolman Luke. The provided emotional, physical and financial support. Their last duties included picking up the cake and driving the newly weds to the reception. This allowed me to focus on setting up and final coordinating with the folks at the Waterfront. Thank you for being more than just happy grandparents on the exciting day.

A shout out of love goes to my hubby RGBisMe for petting my back and listening to me every time I irrationally started to worry about things that were out of my control during the weeks leading up to the big date(s). Standing by my side, we were able to create a perfect little party to the two most important people in our lives.

Ravenboy & Asrai were great sports, graciously social and glowing with real happiness all week during our time with them. I miss them both very much and wish them some peace now that the big day is over. I can't wait until we see them over the winter holidays.

Found Ampersands

RGBisMe and I are hosting a new blog called Found Ampersands. It will highlight ampersands we find on our travels. We will share photos, list where they were found and do our best to identify what font they are.

Found Ampersands is for entertainment purposes only. This also goes for our other blogs. We wouldn't want to misrepresent our blogs as educational resources so don't be surfing them from your workplace if it's taboo.

Morning in the City

Some photos from Monday morning as we wandered around New York City.The new Apple Store Upper West Side is a temple...

...at which RGBisMe worships.

A break in Central Park.

Strawberry Fields.

Imagine.

Flash Mob Wedding!

November 22, 2009 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. We are to meet in Astor Court at 11:11 AM and the ceromy should be completed at 11:22 AM.

Groom and Bride bought the group rate and handed out passes before we casually made our way to Astor Court.

We trickle into Astor Court from different angles.

The ceremony begins.

Note the guard in the back. He was more concerned that no flash photography was being used. We were all very careful to keep our flashes off.

Vows and rings quietly and reverently exchanged.

A quick but emotional kiss.

We retired to another room for the witnesses to sign the papers and for some group photos.

A successful flash mob wedding! Congratulations Arron & Amy!!

More Faerie Doors

I have made some more faerie doors. I will post the photos when I can because many have been made as gifts and I don't want to spoil the surprise.



This one has not only a marble arch but sand stone bricks and mortar. The keystone even has a possum imprint on it. It is a bit much but looks good from a distance. The metal represented is a copper, much more faerie friendly than iron. I know it's all clay but I wanted to try a different metal look. The flowers are more of a glittery myrtle that is on a climbing vine and the centers glow in the dark.


Two with wrought iron and red bricks. The one one the left was my first attempt at mortar and the one on the right was my first super mini.

This one has granite and no flowers, just vines.

A Wedding at the Metropolitan Museum of Art

What a cool idea!! ;) Check it out here. Now if I could just "Jib Jab" our family's faces onto theirs, I could share what it might be like on Sunday!

Gender Bias

When I experience perceived gender bias in conversations my first reaction is that I must have misunderstood the intent of the speaker. I do try to get clarification if I can. When I hold a speaker accountable for the gender bias, the most frequent response I have gotten has been, "Oh, I'm just kidding." I have also been ignored after standing firm on the issue of fair treatment by pointing out the bias. Forgive me if I do not have limitless time and energy to waste on people whose brick wall and righteous attitudes are that women are to be inherently mistrusted and put down.

I found a great set of exercises for those of us who think we are pretty well boned up on the issue. Although gender bias is a serious topic with professionally damaging consequences, WorkLife Law’s gender bias training website offers a zany, brainy approach that allows you to learn what you need to know, share your experiences, and have fun in the process.

Giving Thanks

“When we are grateful for the good we already have, we attract more good into our life. On the other hand, when we are ungrateful, we tend to shut ourselves off from the good we might otherwise experience.” - Margaret Stortz

Ravenboy in China

At the Great Wall.
Second to last row, five in from the right (standing above Kevin McKenzie).

Early November Vignettes

This will be mostly photos since I don't have a lot of time to spare and it hurts my back to sit at the computer for too long.

I just love living where a hot air balloon will just skim by my roof and off into the field. This morning a crow sat on a craggy old branch of a dead tree in our yard and called, "Hello, hello" to me until I went out and took it some peanuts. No, really, it said "hello." It is who we call the Hello Crow, someone must have taught it to speak and it has been around for years. Fortunate happenings like that are plentiful here.

Just a couple of hours drive can take us into some of the most beautiful and remote parts of the state. Leave your cell phones behind but get ready to enjoy the opportunity to see so many starts in the night sky that you have a hard time picking out the main constellations.

I don't live in the city thus have not taken on the useless habit of venting at the traffic that gets in our way as RGBisMe drives. He is pretty zen about it too come to think of it. This attitude helps when we have to travel in and out of New York City to visit Asrai and Ravenboy. We leave a little extra time and thermostats stay cool in the car and in our personal core. Why fret? We will get there.

On the topic of dearest Asrai and Ravenboy I feel I may share the news of their upcoming wedding. Many will be shocked and feel the event in a couple of weeks has been a quick decision. I can assure everyone that their friendship that started many years ago when they met in Chicago and has blossomed into the most beautiful partnership. Well over a year ago, they started planning their wedding. They are very private individuals and have only shared the information with just their closest friends and family recently. Our next trip into NYC will be for that joyous occasion and we will return with them for a local reception for family that was unable to make the trip.

As we have been personally planning the local festivities it has been a very exciting and busy time. RGBisMe and I have happily been putting our heads together over supper in the evenings putting our special touches on anything we can help with and trying not to overstep our bounds. The wedding announcements were just sent out, the caterer is set with the menu, the baker has the cake specifications and the venue is booked.

A lot of the hustle and bustle of planning finally let up a bit after beginning of the month. I foresaw the upcoming little window of rest so earlier in October we accepted a generous invitation to camp with Jbzfarm! This past weekend was the date and we had such a good time catching up with them.

No iPod was needed to listen to, we sang tv show tunes. No computer was needed to surf the Internet, we filled our evening with lively chatter. No stars on tv to gawk at and poke fun at, we enjoyed star gazing in the Perry County skies. Not a chance of boredom, we enjoyed multiple board games, traded stamp carving secrets and sipped secret stuff from Sevoflorane bottles. All of that was our DOWN TIME at night!

Days were filled with local trails and tales. We walked to a pond which it is rumored will be dredged for a 15 year old cold case that is being reopened. A woman had disappeared nearby. We hiked to check on a couple of lonely letterboxes. The long standing Old Growth boxes were in fine shape and the hitch hikers that had been long waiting with their thumbs outstretched were finally moved on. We visited the ghost town of Pandemonium and another cemetery of local forestry folks.

We didn't even make a dent in all the trails that this area of Perry County has to offer. Most tempting were the remote camp sites outside of Fowlers Hollow SP that were near overlooks. The star gazing would be premium and no one around for miles to walk through the area.

We really must return. I know I slowed everyone down because I had hurt my back just hours before leaving. I feel badly for being the bent old lady and want to go back to hike every stretch of trail with freedom of movement. Thank you Jbzarm for being gracious and never acting like my snails pace was a bother to you. You were the consummate hosts, giving everything and expecting nothing in return.

Even though we are probably at opposite ends of the political spectrum, it was great to share a weekend with a family that appreciates the lands of central PA. We were all patting the ancient hemlocks and wondering what their fate would be with the woolly adelgid killing so many. Hunters and vegetarians hiking together and enjoying their commonalities rather than picking battles and trying to convince each other that they must be mistaken. Friendships fostered from nurtured common ground are very satisfying.