so you wannabee a Domestik Goddess? » Various Other Stuff

Mason-Dixon Knitting Book Chicks Sing Country, Too

Domestik Goddess — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 21:14:17 +0000

This just in from Crafters News (Crown):

You’ve knitted their colorful blankets, sassy nightgowns, adorable baby bibs, dishtowels, and more, but did you know that Kay Gardiner and Ann Shayne of Mason-Dixon Knitting fame are actually country singers in disguise?

Give a listen to Kay and Ann on the Nashville Bandwagon Show, performing their side-splitting-funny country song “Pardon Me (I Didn’t Knit that For You)”.

This musical gem was part of the whoop-up launch of the new (affordable!) paperback edition of Mason-Dixon Knitting: The Curious Knitter’s Guide: Stories, Patterns, Advice, Opinions, Questions, Answers, Jokes, and Pictures.

Now, doesn’t that make you want to rush right out and… knit up something cosy for the one you love?

Greater Love Hath No Fan

Domestik Goddess — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 15:48:24 +0000

Crafter whateverjames loves Star Wars. Loooooves it. He’s got the Star Wars requisite tattooes, sure — but we’re talking, like, name-your-kid-after-a-movie-character level of fandom.

Yet, so great and earth-shaking is his love for his fiancee — James actually sold off most of his Star Wars action figures to buy her an engagement ring.

That be T.R.U.E. L.O.V.E., right there, people!

Now, as you might suppose, True Love (geek style) calls for a truly awesome, hands-on personal, knock-her-socks-off Valentine, not just some mass-produced store-bought card or last-minute long-stem bouquet.

“I decided to make her a valentine that would be simple, with the most powerful and honest statement I could give her,” James told the admiring crowd over at Craftster, showing his heart-felt orginal cross-stitch pattern: I love you more than Star Wars says it all.

“Plus,” he says, “once I came up with the idea for little lightsabers bent into hearts there was no going back!”

Wookie of Your Dreams

Domestik Goddess — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 12:08:28 +0000

Lookee here…
It’s a heart-hefting Chewbacca, Bringer of the LOVE!

This polymer-shaped, Sharpie-enhanced tribute to the Wookie of your dreams is available as a magnet or a pin, and evokes the spirit of Valentine’s Day with handcrafted humour.

And much like love itself…
this wookie is flexible, but fragile.

By BicycleOcean (Naomi) of West Palm Beach, Florida.

Cash for Your Broken Gadgets

Domestik Goddess — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 03:30:55 +0000

You know how at the start of each year we all seem to resolve to be better? (For some reason — although some of us really don’t like resolutions! — it just happens!) We’re going to be greener, more frugal, more efficient, free of clutter and confusion, and just generally a better human being?

Yeah.
Well.

I’ve got something like a Museum of Home Computing up in the back bedroom, and still haven’t found a solution. What do you do with an old 386 Acer, anyway? And that monitor that’s got a weird green glow. Oh, and the dot-matrix printer… In these parts, there’s no recycling depot for such stuff, and there’s no way I’m dumping them in the local landfill… so I’m still working on that issue.

But I did just come across a solution for all those smaller dead electronics that drift in odd corners of our lives. Sell them!

BuyMyTronics (I found it listed recently as one of the perky new business startups in trend-spotting Springwise’s newsletter) will buy a whole bunch of your broken, used, and otherwise unwanted gadgets.

Anyone in the world can send ‘em in, gadgets in any condition, and get cold hard cash. Doesn’t that sound appealing?

I know, I know what you’re wondering:

What do you do with the broken electronics I send you?
Many wonderful things. We are actually building a utopian society and sanctuary for electronics from around the globe. Actually, if you must know, we take your broken electronics and swap out parts to fix others, then resell your gadgets…

And by gadgets they mean most kinds of cell phones, and every kind of iPods, iPhones, and Game Consoles. And did I mention, they’ll buy electronics in any condition? Drop your cell off a 6th floor balcony and watch your neighbour’s SUV drive over it? Well, it probably won’t be worth a mint, but these guys say they want to buy it anyway.

You get rid of crap. You get a bit of cash — or you can have it donated to the charity of your choice. The landfill gets to live a little longer. And the useful electronic thingummies get recycled and reused to make spiffy refurbished gadgets, bringing pleasure and convenience to others.

Perfect.

Well, maybe not quite perfect.

I have a GPS device, Laptop, digital camera and/or other electronic device. Do you take those too?
Soon, very soon. Keep checking out our site. We plan a steady and continued expansion into everything, then world domination. We will probably be adding a new gadget every month or so. So check back soon, and often.

So a lot of those wired retirees up in my back bedroom may have to wait a while before they’re back in demand — but I’ve got hope!

Ahem…

Domestik Goddess — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 15:24:30 +0000

Please be kind and forgiving, if weird things are happening with Domestik Goddess over the next few days. Well, I mean, more weird than usual… I’m moving the site to another server that’s faster and sleeker and generally a very happy place. You know, it’s like when you go into a mall and half the shops are boarded up, half the concourse is blocked by men with low-hanging tool belts and mysterious machines, and there are signs up all over the place:

We’re changing to serve you better!

Hang in there!
We shouldn’t have more than a hiccup or two (hopefully!) as DG gets settled into its new home…
(And let’s just hope that’s not a case of “famous last words”!)

Irish Dried Cat

Domestik Goddess — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 19:09:35 +0000

First, let me give you a little background on “Lucky” — the mummified cat that one Domestik Goddess reader discovered (most unexpectedly!) in the roof of an old thatched cottage in Ireland…

Note to the squeamish: You didn’t honestly think I was going to spring a grisly photo on you, did you? This tiny little thumbnail picture is here for you. If you’re all prepared to study “Lucky” in more detail, however, you can click on the small picture to see a larger version — or read on to see another thumbnail photo that gives just a tiny bit closer look).

A while back, you might recall, I wrote about the fascinating old tradition of hiding ritual objects in houses as protection against evil spirits and witchcraft. And I mentioned the old boot — a tiny child’s riding boot, well worn, and just the one — found many years ago in the chimney wall of my grandfather’s old farmhouse in New Brunswick, Canada. That tiny old boot was an object of great fascination all through my own childhood, and I longed to know the story behind it. That’s why, when I learned of this old superstition that led people to hide strange objects in their houses, I was (and remain) quite fascinated — which is why I wrote about Dried Cats and Witch Bottles in the first place.

Strange Things Found in Old Houses

It turns out that this sort of thing is much more common than one would think — at least in northern Europe and the United Kingdom, and in countries like Canada and Australia, which were largely settled by colonists from that part of the world. No doubt other cultures had their own versions of the superstition…

Boots and shoes were common choices for protective objects, in the UK tradition, it seems; and I’ve learned that other bits of clothing are sometimes found in old houses as well.

My theory:
It may have something to do with keeping close a very personal piece of gear that once belonged to a loved one who died — something about a loving spirit offering its protection to those left behind. And it makes sense to me, learning that many of these objects had clearly belonged to children, that the purity of an innocent young child would have been seen as having extra power to protect the family in the home where these objects were hidden away.

A Carpenter’s Tale

If you’ve been following DomestikGoddess.com for a while, you may be aware that we’re always bashing away at This Old Farmhouse — and this summer was no exception. Tearing off the old back porch, we found the name of the man who built the house, a century ago, written on the back of a piece of moulding. That led to talk of things found in old houses, and our carpenter, Alvin, told us to look out for money.

Questioned about this, he told us that he’s found a great many objects hidden in the walls and ceilings of old houses where he’s worked on renovations. A shoe or two, for sure. And some strange hieroglyphics, marked onto old beams with chalk or charcoal. Bottles of various sorts. And a lot of old newspapers — but that’s a different thing, I think: old newspapers were often used as a feeble attempt at insulation between clapboards and plaster.

But mostly what Alvin has found is coins — some of them quite rare and collectible, too! Almost every old house where he’s had to rip out old plaster walls has produced a coin or two, he says, tucked away on top of a cross-member or roof truss; one had been hidden on a projecting brick inside an old fireplace chimney. It pleased me, somehow, when Alvin told us that all but one of the homeowners asked him to put those coins back where they were — or at least as close as possible, given whatever changes had been made during renovations, to where they had been hidden away a century ago.

Clothing, footwear, money… all that’s well and good. But other traditional ritual objects are a bit less pleasant to contemplate. Bottles of urine, for example — “witch bottles” as they are known. And the corpses of cats. Which brings us to the subject of this photograph.

“Lucky” the Irish Dried Cat

A couple weeks ago, Jules, in England, came across Dried Cats and Witch Bottles, my little write-up about the mysterious tradition of hiding protective objects in old houses:

I have only just found out about dried cats. Foolishly I brought the one that dropped out of the roof in my old cottage in Ireland back to England. Now I really think I should take it back – what on earth will Ryanair make of it?

How wonderful is that?

Naturally, I asked whether there was a photograph… and received this picture of “Lucky” within the day!

(Imagine, if you will, the great delight it gave me to shout out to He Who Hogs The Power Tools, “Someone just emailed me a picture of a dead cat!”)

Jules said that they all “ran screaming” from the house, when the mummified cat dropped out of the thatch, then went back in (”very slowly”) to see what it was that had descended so abruptly.

In the same house they also found two shoes — a small child’s dancing shoe, up in the roof space, and another that had been boarded in at the side of the fireplace. And in another house — a timber frame cottage in Kent, England — a large shell under one of the foundation timbers, under the stairs. It must have been placed there carefully, deliberately, or else it surely would have been crushed. (I like to think that it might have been a treasured souvenir of some sea-faring son, lost at sea; the shell kept in memory of him, and hidden in the house so his spirit could keep the family safe from harm.)

Jules checked in with Sam, the brave friend who appears on the other end of the pitchfork, and they’ve both given kind permission for me to publish this rare photograph here — because you know it’s just too interesting not to share with other social-history buffs!

As for “Lucky,” he is currently residing in Jules’ barn and awaiting his return trip to Ireland — where he rightfully belongs.

Old superstitions and domestic rituals don’t easily die out, even when the meaning of the ritual becomes obscured by the passage of time. I’m starting to suspect that there may be many more of these ritual objects hidden in old houses across Europe and “the colonies” than we, steeped in the 21st Century, might realize. And when we do find these strange objects, odds are that we fail to recognize them as having a special significance in cultural history. Perhaps you’ve found something peculiar, too, in the midst of an old-house renovation?

Geek Chic

Domestik Goddess — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 14:10:35 +0000

One battered old-faithful dictionary on my shelves, published circa 1975, defines a geek as “a carnival performer who performs sensationally morbid or disgusting acts, as biting off the head of a live chicken. ” You may be deeply relieved to know that I’ve upgraded to a squeaky-new Canadian Oxford, although I can’t claim it’s a whole lot more flattering:

geek noun esp. N. Amer. informal 1. An uninteresting, ineffectual, socially inept person; a nerd. 2. A person thoroughly devoted to one usu. technical interest, study, etc., often at the expense of social interaction (computer geek).

Whatever.

Point is, the 1970s chicken-beheading freak is not at all what I have in mind here (try wikipedia, maybe) when I say that 80% of the most fabulous men I’ve ever known were geeks.

Other top contenders leaned towards the arts or construction trades, but that’s a shaggy-dog story for another place and time.

Geeks? You may well ask, O-mouthed with shock and doubt — geeks are sexy?

Absolutely.

Consider the facts.

To begin with, and on the most facile level, all those years of hunkering down with twelve-sided dice or closeted with computers, far from the damaging sun, means that adult geeks — those mercifully past the curse of teen acne — have the softest, most touchable skin any woman would envy. (If our own complexions are showing the effect of too much quality time at the beach, second-best is to be able to enjoy someone else’s baby-smooth skin, am I right? Tactile enjoyment. It goes a long way to explain why you can still find clothing made of velour.)

Secondly, as oodles of experts on women’s mating preferences will attest, intelligence is pretty darned sexy. And the defining characteristic of the geek is, of course, intelligence.

True, as my dictionary points out, the geeks among us are often behind-hand in developing the social savoire-faire of other types of men — but is that necessarily a bad thing? Many have evolved over time to compensate with a quick wit (sexy), attentive listening skills (very sexy), and a keen if transient interest in absolutely everything (also sexy) including what the woman he’s with is thinking (devastatingly sexy)!

To all their other fine attributes, add the fact that many high-functioning adult geeks have a significant potential for long-term rewarding employment. Let’s be practical: a steady income is not a bad attribute.

Fashion sense? — Ah, that’s nothing. That can be bought — or learned. Geeks love to learn new things and problem-solve, of course. It just all depends on what they consider the most urgent (or intriguing) topic to get their undivided attention at any given moment…

And if you’re lucky, sister, that undivided attention could be on you!

Fact is, geeks are fairly unlikely to have spent their teen years mingling with perky cheerleaders and sinful intent. As a result, the young geek reaches his maturity without an inflated BMOC ego — in fact, without too much at all in the way of annoying habits trained into him by Barbie and Tiffany girlfriends in his formative years.

Moving out into the working world, where his skills and qualities are more widely appreciated, the geek gains a quiet confidence. He begins to come into his own — yet retains a deep appreciation of his female companions that is seldom seen in other subgroups of the modern male.

Geeks don’t take women for granted: they pay attention.
And that, my friends, is the bottom line for any relationship.

I rest my case.

Rebuttal, anyone?
Comments?
David Krumholtz’s private phone number?

President Bartlet on the Butterball Hotline

Domestik Goddess — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 03:22:27 +0000

In hono(u)r of American Thanksgiving, coming up next week, let’s all enjoy a classic episode from West Wing, in which President Bartlet gets on the phone to the Butterball Hotline:

If they ever bring West Wing back on the air, which you know isn’t going to happen — but I’m just saying, IF… it’ll need a bit of an update. According to Mary Clingman, director of the Butterball Turkey Talk-Line, the virtual turkey guru is spreading its greasy little wings to help even more poultry-challenged holiday cooks:

This holiday season, the advice Americans have trusted for years is even more accessible with turkey tips, reminders and alerts sent straight to your mobile phone, a new mobile Web site, Web chats on Butterball.com, or live expert advice at 1-800-BUTTERBALL…

The next Butterball Web chat goes live on November 25 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Central. I’m almost tempted to pull a President Bartlet…

Make Money Online By Drinking The Green

guest — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 03:15:52 +0000

You know how you be get chatting with a friend, and suddenly you both just get silly? That’s what happened with Sue Clark and me, the other day. Not face to face, over a cold one after work — because Sue lives in Maine, where she reigns over Lighthouse News — but online, over at Twitter.com. The upshot was that Sue came up with a new way to “get rich quick”… well, she explains it all here. Enjoy! ~Jen

How To Get Rich With Twitter

There are hundreds of blogs that start up every day with the dream of making money online by kicking back on a beach and letting the green roll in. They are inspired by such success stories as Chris Garrett, Darren Rowse and Jeremy Shoemaker, all of whom make a comfortable online living from their blogs. Of course, it’s only a dream for those hundreds of hopefuls, as it really is hard work to get to the level of earning more than a pittance from your blog. And they are laden with Google adsense ads, have no original content, and are really spammy blogs.

And then there’s Jen, our very own Domestik Goddess.

Online Betting Moves To Twitter

One day, Jen (aka @rjleaman on Twitter) tweets about an interesting post she found on Squawkfox entitled Recipe: Strawberry and Banana Green Smoothie. I think I will just switch to our conversation from that point. I’m @lighthousenews in this conversation.

@rjleaman: Reading: http://tinyurl.com/6s7t9e Spinach in fruit smoothie – who’s up to try it?
@lighthousenews: Ewwwwwww. Sorry, but my taste buds say no to this one!
@rjleaman: what’ll you offer for me to try green smoothie for you? (I get to add cup o’ honey, right?)
@lighthousenews: I will bet $10 (virtual) that you won’t do it. But NO honey. As is only. Yuk.
@rjleaman: You’re on!
@lighthousenews: I want video proof. And at least 3 handfuls of spinach! And don’t forget the kale. NO honey!!!
@rjleaman: no video camera, but I’ve taken a pic – knew you’d demand proof! Greens no honey, check: had to snag last banana from HWHTPT
@lighthousenews: Pic of you sipping it. Facial expression included. Then I need your paypal address to pay up (willingly).
@lighthousenews: P.S. Did you at least get a strawberry in it? *G*
@rjleaman: Fortunately, yes, did have the 3 frozen strawberries called for in the recipe. Followed it faithfully (but not bonus stuff)
@rjleaman: http://twitpic.com/iy89 – @squawkfox calls this “Green Smoothie” but I’m calling it “Frog in a Blender” – and may drink one again sometime!
@lighthousenews: DM me your paypal address. I guess I lost. You are one brave woman! LOL!

Getting Healthy and Getting Rich

Multiply this by all your followers on Twitter and you can make a healthy living from this very creative online money making scheme. And a side benefit to it is the health benefits for your body. That is, unless you end up looking like Popeye®. On second thought, that might not be a bad idea:

@rjleaman: I had to hold the camera at arm’s length in my *left* hand, and try to aim by looking at the little LED screen’s reflection in the bathroom mirror… and drink down the frog smoothie at the same time. (The first twenty tries at a snapshot got deleted PDQ, believe it!)

Sue Clark has been interested in lighthouses since she was a little girl living on the Great Lakes of Michigan, and even more so after moving to Maine. She is a charter member of the Maine Lighthouse Museum, a docent and former secretary of the Friends of Pemaquid Point Lighthouse — where she was married in 2000 — and a member of the American Lighthouse Foundation. Sue blogs about her passion at Haunted Lighthouses and Lighthouse News.

Stone Jewellery Jackpot

Domestik Goddess — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 09:06:04 +0000

Jackie is a medical technologist in Upstate New York. Her full-time day job is working in a hospital lab, but that’s not where her heart is — she’s hiking in the Adirondacks.

And she’s turning the inspirations of nature into jewellery, twisting wire around beautiful stones and pearls and beads to create striking bracelets, necklaces, earrings.

You can find them for sale on Etsy and get a peek at projects in progress at Jackie’s blog, A Keeper’s Jackpot.

Like most beaders — like most craftspeople, in fact — once Jackie started creating her own jewellery and found that others love the pieces too, she starting exploring new ideas and new materials. From basic beads, she went to wire and stone, then branched out into working with polymer clay, and now she exploring decoupage techniques on some of her pendants…

But you know what? It’s the stone necklaces that really get me.

And I’m not even going to try to explain the emotion effect, the thought process, the “how come” of why I was so immediately taken with Jackie’s work, when her mother-in-law told me about her — I’ll just let the jewellery speak for itself:

Come Home, Febreze: All is Forgiven

Domestik Goddess — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 11:08:56 +0000

Okay, you remember my mildly snarky remarks about the oddly named (and oddly scented) fabric refresher I was playing with last month?

I take it all back — or, well, no, not that.
But I do give a hearty two thumbs up to another item of the same family.

Febreze To Go is a purse-sized (or car glove compartment sized) spritzer of extra-strength Febreze that has no particular fragrance — and no scent at all after a minute or two — but works like a little miracle potion.

Better living through chemistry!

Ideal for when an old dog passes gas in an enclosed space.

Or when your sneakers become just too offensive.

Or when you are about to walk into a meeting and realize that a strong whiff of fried onions still hangs about your jacket from lunchtime…

Conveniently totable, and it works.
Thanks, guys.

Smells Like Comfort

Domestik Goddess — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 04:01:44 +0000

A little quick word-association for you… I’ll name a scent.
What images come to your mind?

Vanilla: fresh, sweet, warm, cheesecake, breeze-dried cotton pillowcases, candles, summer evenings?
Lavender: flowery, herbal, guest soaps you’re not allowed to use, antique shops, gardens, grandmother’s linen closet?
Comfort: huh?

Exactly!

And that’s why I’ve got a little bone to pick with the marketing whiz who named the new line of fabric refresher sprays from Febreze. C’mon, now — “Vanilla Lavender & Comfort” scent? Puh-leeze!

Since when is comfort a fragrance?

Now, don’t get me wrong here — I’m not dissing Febreze, not by a long shot. I live with at least one dog at any given time, and put in a lot of quality mop-and-scooper time down at our local kennels. I love to cook with garlic, and it’s an article of faith around here that you can’t have too many onions…. So I know about odours, and I’m telling you now, Febreze is a total genius product at whisking bad smells away before your company comes.

But what’s with this Comfort foolishness?

Okay, I know what comfort smells like to me — if comfort is going to have a fragrance. For me, it’s a lot to do with citrus peels and fresh-baked bread and rich old leather and cinnamon, with just a hint of sea air… none of which appear to have been considered in the creation of “Vanilla Lavender & Comfort” Febreze.

I’m still trying to figure out what the spray does smell like, exactly.

It’s pleasant enough — which is great because, dear knows, the fabric refresher and air freshener industry has put out some real doozies in their time! — and vanilla and lavender are indeed discernible in it. But there’s something else there…

Hmm, reminds me of a hint of baby spit-up and warm milk, mixed in there with the florals. It reminds HWHTPT of “old lady’s parlour” (And wouldn’t you have loved to sit in on the focus group that gave this product a big thumbs-up?)

Now, while the nice people at Febreze kick themselves for sending me a sample to review, poor dears, let’s have a cosy talk about scent memories… What does comfort smell like to you?

Folding Obama

Domestik Goddess — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 23:41:33 +0000

This free printable paper craft is for our American friends, but with a federal election looming north of the border, here, too, you’ve got to wonder how long it can be before a Canadian version hits the ink jets…

You know how the old curmudgeons down at the coffee shop have been known to call the issue-dodging politician a mere puppet of this or that?

Well… Fold US Candidate is a clever little site with a fresh trendy design, happy video demonstrations, and — here’s the whole point — free printable so you can make your own finger-puppets of the American contenders (and their stylish spouses).

Just imagine! No more ranting helplessly at the television, my friends — now you can hold your own political debates in a homemade puppet theatre (cleverly crafted from a cereal box?), put your own words in the mouth of each candidate, and declare your own winner.

Heck, while you’re at it, why not hold your own “on paper” election?
(Sycophants and dangling chads not included.)

Roadkill or Haggis?

Domestik Goddess — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 03:44:55 +0000

Photo: Daquella manera

I’m not a picky eater. But no, I’ve never eaten roadkill — nor do I plan to start.

I don’t care how freshly mown-down-by-passing-car the flattened pheasant or rabbit or deer might be, the plain fact is that (country girl, yes, but) I’m just not enough of a redneck to want to eat it.

Or that hungry.

And why do I bring this up?
Hey, hey, it’s the Food Tasting Meme!

As you can see from my list of “ate that” and “won’t eat that” — below — my tastebuds appear to have led a fairly sheltered life as far as the foods of other cultures are sampled. Part of that is lack of opportunity; and part of that is from not asking the names of what’s on the buffet table. Sometimes it’s just best not to know…

Photo: Alaskan Dude

On the other hand, at least I have no fear of strange meats (as long as its not been scraped up off the highway), and tend to be willing to try almost anything… once.

I think the only thing that I’ve already eaten and won’t eat again is a Big Mac meal. And that’s mostly because (a) I’m not keen to be super-sized, and (b) why bother? Just sayin’.

So, where do you stand on food adventures?
Which have you tried, or would you try, of the 100 taste sensations on the omnivore’s list?

The Omnivore’s Hundred

Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
Bold all the items you.ve eaten.
Cross out any items that you would never consider eating (or eating again)
Optional extra: Post a comment at http://www.verygoodtaste.co.uk linking to your results.

To make the filling out of this form and generating the HTML for it a bit easier, reddywhp has played around with some PHP. Go to http://reddywhip.org/lj/foods/ and fill it out there. After filling it out, you will be given the code to copy and paste into your blog.

Venison
Nettle tea
Huevos rancheros
Steak tartare
Crocodile
Black pudding
Cheese fondue
Carp
Borscht
Baba ghanoush
Calamari
Pho
PB&J sandwich
Aloo gobi
~~Hot dog from a street cart~~
Epoisses
Black truffle
Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
Steamed pork buns
Pistachio ice cream
Heirloom tomatoes
Fresh wild berries
Foie gras
Rice and beans
Brawn, or head cheese
~~Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper~~
Dulce de leche
Oysters
Baklava
Bagna cauda
Wasabi peas
Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
Salted lassi
Sauerkraut
Root beer float
~~Cognac with a fat cigar~~
Clotted cream tea
Vodka jelly
Gumbo
Oxtail
Curried goat
Whole insects
Phaal
Goat’s milk
Malt whisky from a bottle worth $120 or more
~~Fugu~~
Chicken tikka masala
Eel
Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
Sea urchin
Prickly pear
Umeboshi
Abalone
Paneer
~~McDonald’s Big Mac Meal~~
Spaetzle
Dirty gin martini
Beer above 8% ABV
Poutine
Carob chips
S’mores
Sweetbreads
~~Kaolin~~
Currywurst
Durian
Frog’s Legs
Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
Haggis
Fried plantain
~~Chitterlings or andouillette~~
Gazpacho
Caviar and blini
~~Louche absinthe~~
Gjetost or brunost
~~Roadkill~~
Baijiu
Hostess Fruit Pie
Snail
Lapsang souchong
Bellini
Tom yum
Eggs Benedict
Pocky
Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant
Kobe beef
Hare
Goulash
Flowers
Horse
Criollo chocolate
Spam
Soft shell crab
Rose harissa
Catfish
Mole poblano
Bagel and lox
Lobster Thermidor
Polenta
Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
Snake

[via Cygnoir]

BBQ Recipe Contest

Domestik Goddess — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 16:23:03 +0000

Here’s a little contest for my American friends who are into the great traditional art of applying fire to meat:

Just post your favourite knock-their-socks-off barbeque recipe, with a link to the iBuyBarbeques website, for a chance to win $400.

That could buy enough burgers to see you through the end of grilling season, I’m thinking! And if you’re one of the first 50 to submit your entry, my buddy Dan will send you $10 as a little thank-you gift. The price of your condiments, or a few cold bevvies for your BBQ enjoyment?

The contest runs from September 1, 2008 at 12:01 AM and ends at 12:01 on November 1, 2008, with the winning entry judged on quality and originality of recipe as well as the creativity and presentation of the entry. You can find the full contest rules here.

Back to School

Domestik Goddess — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 10:07:36 +0000

Cartoon: Barbara Smaller

I love this cartoon:

One woman says to another, “My favorite part of being a stay-at-home mom is when they’re at school.”

Oh, c’mon, Mum, are you trying to tell us the thought never crossed your mind?

Not even once at the end of a long summer with three kids who don’t wanna do tennis lessons, Daddy away at work, and that new not-house-trained-yet puppy? (I was there, remember. Kids know these things!)

Originally published in The New Yorker October 14, 2002 — I think it should have hit the magazine in September, though — the cartoon’s shared here by kind permission.

Voki Yourself

Domestik Goddess — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 14:11:34 +0000

I always wanted to be more animated…

You’ve probably seen a lot of these Voki animations around… more frivolous stuff, driven by advertising, right?

Get a Voki now!

Well… yes.

But in defence of the 15 minutes I just blew away by making my own talking cartoon self… let us not forget that a clever educator can find all sorts of ways to make a teaching experience out of this sort of thing.

Anyway, the animated characters also come in dog, cat, celebrity, alien, and anime styles, as well as the “classic” bland cartoon face style I’ve used here. (And believe me, I was sooo tempted to go all talking poodle on this!)

You can pick the clothing, hairstyle, background, etc., of course. Sliders and a color-picker let you refine the appearance of your Voki in some fairly entertaining ways, more than I’d expected would be possible, so there’s fun to be had in that.

The service does give you the option to upload an actual sound file, or to record your voice by phone or microphone… but the text-to-speech thing is good enough for this talking avatar, thank you very much.

So, there you have it — that’s Voki.

Have at it, if you’ve got a few minutes to spare or maybe an 11-year-old visitor to entertain on a rainy afternoon!

If You Ain’t Got Elegance

Domestik Goddess — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 03:01:02 +0000

You know how the other day I went on quite a bit about personal taste in decorating? And about how some people manage to pour all kinds of money into making their home look… well, quite hideous, really?

Cartoon: Robert Weber
The New Yorker, April 3, 1989
by permission

That whole discussion of “good taste” in the home has reminded me of this favourite cartoon from The New Yorker…

And who doesn’t like to poke a bit of fun at pretentious rich folks?

Well, other gaudy rich folks, maybe…

Afterthought #1:

Here’s a little travel tip for my fellow femmes:

If you’re travelling alone in North America, and you don’t want to be hassled by optimistic convention-going salesmen in hotel lounges or on long flights… I’d strongly recommend picking up a copy of The New Yorker and letting ‘em see you enjoying it.

Don’t ask me why — perhaps it’s the implication that you might be too intelligent and refined to look twice at any man who tries to get dates in an airport? — but it works like a charm!

Afterthought #2:

My uncle always used to say, of pretentious people who were rude to him, There ain’t no couth like uncouth!: I’m pretty sure that wasn’t original to him, so feel free to make it your own. In fact, I’d love to know who came up with that quip, if anyone happens to know…

… okay, that’s all I’ve got here.

7 Ways to Optimize To-Do Lists

guest — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 07:04:20 +0000

Let’s give a warm domestik welcome to the lovely-and-talented Corey Freeman: Not only a freelance graphic/web designer, mind you, but a trumpet player with dreams of getting into New York’s Julliard School — and of some day soloing on the musical score for a film! In the meantime, she’s stopped by to help us get more organized.
Enjoy! ~Jen

7 Ways to Make Your To-Do List Work for You

1) Use Check Boxes

A lot of people use the “strikethrough” method when dealing with to-do lists. While this is easier (marginally) to sit down and write, it also looks horrifically unmanageable. Consider now: the checkbox. No, I’m not talking about going to the computer and getting a to-do list program with features that defeat the entire purpose. I’m talking about drawing a box (in my case, a quadrilateral of unknown origin) and then writing your list item.

A check box adds simulated order to something as simple as your list and can actually motivate a tiny part of you to do the tasks, just because when you do get to check it, it looks cool. Having a way to easily, neatly monitor whether or not you’re getting anything done will let you keep track of tasks you need to focus on next and let you see your progress more clearly.

2) Be Colorful

Plenty of people go out and get a white notepad, some loose leaf paper, or even an index card and scribble down their to-do lists on it in gray pencil. Have you ever stopped to think about how incredibly boring that is to look at? Or even better, how much more easily the paper is lost. A great way to overcome the drab of most to-do lists is simple: get colored paper. Colored papers are more easily noticed in the sea of white, and your to-do list will stand out.

Another thing you might want to consider – put it on a color you hate. For example, my to-do list is on pink loose leaf paper. I absolutely hate the color pink, and to that effect, the list is the only pink item I have lying around. It’s extremely easy to notice, and I never lose it.

3) Think Long-Term

Tons and tons of people make lengthy to-do lists and then say, “this is what I’m going to do today.” Unless you’re a marine, no, no it’s not. Instead of making a list for each day, make one for the week. Giving yourself more time to do tasks not only allows you to breathe easy about getting them done, but also to better prioritize what should be done first. Thinking ‘long-term’ will relieve some of the stress of a long to-do list.

Photo: manu contreras

Be sure not to add items because of the longer time period. Stick with your original list, and just space out the time for each item more. Giving yourself more time isn’t so you can add more tasks, it’s so you can do the tasks you have correctly, and without burning yourself out.

4) Add “Chill Time”

On my to-do lists, amongst “clean room” and “do laundry” you’ll see “nap” and “Play Xbox.” Adding ‘chill’ or relaxation time and meals to your list not only makes you feel kind of like you’re getting things done, but also forces you to take a break. If you have a schedule, then add lunch to it sometime around noon and before 3pm. (when it starts to shift to thinking of dinner) If you’re like me, then add an hour to whip out the DS or the Xbox and annihilate some mythical creatures. (it’s stress relieving!)

5) Set Time Limits

A great way to make sure you get your list items done is to set yourself time limits or time frames to complete certain tasks in. I allow myself about an hour and 30 minutes to eat lunch, use the bathroom, and watch television before getting back to work. Conversely, I may work on a logo design for an hour and then move onto emailing for another hour before taking a 15 minute break. Structure your day, and you’ll find things getting done.

Don’t let this compete with the ‘long-term’ thinking. These two aspects can work in direct conflict if you give yourself long-term assignments to complete within small amounts of time.

6) Categorize

A great way to optimize your items is to categorize. I sometimes group items in sevens (I like the number seven) and pick a random grouping to complete for the day/ hours I have free. Then once I’ve done everything in that group, I move on. This is great for people like me who get easily distracted. I can do an organized group of tasks (not necessarily related, but generally in the same work area) and once I’ve finished those, I can divert my attention. This will help some people focus more. How you categorize your lists is entirely up to you. I usually put mine in with three housework chores, three work chores, and one ‘chill time’ item.

7) If All Else Fails, Be a Kid Again

I have a tendency to fold papers handed to me. I have no idea why. As a result, I often lose things in a sea of dog ears and frayed squares. If you are unorganized, or if you just don’t want to carry out a piece of paper, get a good ball-point pen (an artist’s inking pen works great, but ball point is just as good) and write the list on the inside of your forearm, like a high schooler.

Photo: Steve Keys

For most people, it’s highly unlikely you’re going to lose your arm, and you’ll probably end up glancing at it randomly through out the day. By writing a small list of tasks on your arm (probably the most important ones!) you’ll have a reminder you can’t lose unless you shower.

Please note: don’t use Sharpie. Not only does it bleed through your skin, the scrubbing involved in getting it off is probably going to take more time than the actual task you were writing down! True story.

So there you have it: 7 ways to make your to-do list work for you. Obviously, finding a system that’s personal is a big part of productivity and time management, but these are some tips to get you started.

Corey Freeman (a.k.a. Sneakyheathen) is a freelance web and graphic designer currently blogging at Diligent Design, and the owner of Deadly Clever Designs, which is currently undergoing a clever re-design of its own! Corey is at work on her first eBook, Web Design for the Absolute Newbie (working title).

Wild Hippie Woman

Domestik Goddess — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 09:00:40 +0000

If you haven’t already met Claudia through her crystal-wit comments scattered about on Domestik Goddess, you might want to do yourself the favour of going to Dragonfly Dreaming to meet her now.

Why?
Here’s why:

I am a wild hippie woman. Natural, loving, instinctual, endangered, untamed, playful, fierce, inquisitive, artistic, intellectual, spirited, nurturing, unconquerable, melodramatic, universal and just a little bit insane. ~ Claudia

The proof is in the writing.

Baby Steps:
My need for love is devastatingly honest and utterly ugly in its completeness. My inability to accept it once given, harrowing. I have spent my life outsourcing and squeezing love from every nook, every shadow, every person. Demanding more, even when more was not available. Rejecting it once received.

Who among us would have the sheer gumption to put this kind of vullnerability right out there for our nearest-and-dearest, let along for all the world to see?

But then, on an entirely different note:

Field Day for Freud:
In my dream, I went to the library (god, am I REALLY such a book nerd that I’m even checking them out in my dreams??!) where I found… Gary [Dourdan] behind the desk. Apparently, as punishment for his crime, he was relegated to local librarian duties. His loss, my gain.

And in a moment of true civic duty, I found out what time he was getting off work and then slept with him in the backseat of his BMW.

If you’re offended by flagellant personal honesty, the occasional string of epithets, and art photography not suitable for schoolyard display, our Claudia’s blog may not be your cup of tea. But if you take an occasional splash of gin in your ladylike china cup — then by all means, wade on in!

Indiscriminate Sobriquet:
And while we are on the subject of aging, WTF is up with the Morticia like band of white that is growing out from my skull? If you’re over 5′10, skinny and a dark beauty who wears long flowing black velvet gowns 24-7 you can pull it off. When you’re me, you can’t. The End.