The Mentalist: Losing Interest

So, The Mentalist has started a new chapter. Patrick Jane now works for the FBI, based in Austin. Why Austin? For us here in Texas, at least for me and Ross, setting the show in Texas makes the show ridiculous. Why? Because for the show to happen as shown, it would require time travel. On the last episode we watched a guy declare "I'll have a chopper there in an hour."  He was talking about some place near Santa Fe. An hour from where? Anywhere in Texas? No. Not even the New Mexico/Texas Border. So to say an hour from Austin is just silly.

Unlike Llanview, Pennsylvania, Austin, Texas is a real place. In the MIDDLE of Texas--and Texas is Big, in case you didn't know. Watching a show where the characters go back and forth between Austin and Corpus Christie like it's the next town over is enough to make me stop watching the show.

Simon Baker as Jane is sexier than ever, but the writers need to get a clue.

Flashback Friday: Asleep with Baby Bailey

This is my all-time favorite photo of Bailey with her Papi. We had just gotten Bailey. Her ears were so big, her eyes were still grey, she had a fat belly that barely had any fur on it, and she was the cutest thing on Earth.

Sewing Project: 1950s Shirt

I've always loved 1950s fashion--specifically 1953-1954. Years ago I bought some vintage sewing patterns from ebay. I decided to finally dive in and sew a shirt.

Women were decidedly smaller in the 1950s. It seems they had 32 inch busts and 24 inch waists. I bought a pattern with a 36 inch bust--and had to enlarge it. First I traced the pattern using my trusty light box.

Then I added the appropriate amount to the side seams.

Then I laid out the pattern pieces on the material.

I then cut out the pieces and marked the darts. I followed the instructions, step by step, sewing first the darts, then the side seams, and finally the collar and cuffs.

The last bit was the button holes and buttons. I put that off for a while because I had never made button holes before. I sewed the shirt on my old machine, but I used my new machine--and the button hole maker it has to make the button holes. The button holes turned out looking very professional. I cut them open using a seam ripper.

I sewed on some covered buttons. All done. It doesn't fit me perfectly. The chest area above the bust is a bit loose, but I'm not sure how to fix that. I'm now working on sewing a dress using a 1930s pattern. I have cut it out, but I haven't started actually sewing.

New Tea Cup

Since my Beloved Dragon Cup broke last Fall I have been searching for a new tea cup. Inspired by these tea cups I decided to create my own tea cup. I bought two standard white mugs at Goodwill: one for experimenting on, and one that would be my final mug--because I loved the shape and size. I experimented using some etching cream that I bought at Hobby Lobby. It seemed to work, but I had to leave it on a long time, and the stencil I bought didn't work/stick very well. I came up with the idea of using some kind of stickers. What sticks really well? Duck tape. They sell it in sheets at the craft stores, so I picked up a sheet.

I have been hemming and hawing for months about what to etch into the cup. A spiral? My initials? A cat? All those things are a little hard to cut out. I was planning on just etching a design at the bottom of the cup and leaving the rest of the cup intact. Today I decided I want a cup! I decided to etch ginkgo leaves into the cup. Then Ross suggested doing the negative--instead of the way I had been thinking before. Brilliant! One of the reasons I hadn't etched the cup was because I was trying to figure out how I was going to stick a flat piece of sticker on the rounded inside of the cup without distorting the shape I had cut out. Placing just stickers and etching the rest of the cup solves that problem.

I traced and cut out two of Gingie's leaves. I peeled off the backing and stuck them in the cup. Then I placed a straight line of tape along the inside of the cup. I carefully rubbed all the stickers down to make sure they were stuck on really well. I slapped on the etching cream--very thickly. Then I took a nap. You see, I always want to take the cream off right away, and I needed to give it time to work. The etching cream was on for about 2 hours. I washed it off--and I could tell that the surface was different. It seemed to have worked so I peeled off the stickers and washed the cup really well.

You can see the shininess of the ginkgo in the second photo. The inside of the cup is very smooth, kind of velvety. I'm going to make a cup of tea now--and start the staining process. I'm so excited!

Baby Elephant Video

Here is a short video of Duncan scratching his back and bumbling around.

Bluebonnets 2014

Houston Zoo

Rain prevented our visit to the Houston Zoo during year of the zoo. Yesterday's weather was perfect for a zoo visit.

Ross's favorite was Duncan, the baby elephant. He just kind of bumbled around, exuding cuteness that triggered everyone's oxytocins to flow.

You know me, I love the big cats. People kept commenting that this clouded snow leopard looked dead because of the way he was asleep on the log.

We paid to feed the Neema, the giraffe. Boy, giraffes have long tongues.

This is a Swift Fox. Totally adorable. I don't think I've ever seen one before.

Overall the Houston Zoo was great. It had the best bat exhibit I've ever seen. They had a blue light instead of a red light, so it was easier to see the bats. It was also feeding time, so we saw the bats get food (fruit) and eat it while hanging upside down. They had a children's area, with a petting zoo. The children's area also has Liberty, a bald eagle. She is in an open enclosure (no glass or fence between us and her) because she can't fly. Why can't she fly? 'Cause some jerk shot her.

I'm glad we got to go to the zoo without extreme heat or rain. We had a good time.

D-D-D-Dita!!!!!!!

So on Friday night we drove like bats outa hell to Houston to Dita Von Teese perform in her show Strip Strip Hooray! She expertly seduced and removed clothing in four different numbers.  In between other burlesque performers teased us and Mel Zetz (as Ross called him) kept the show rolling.

Dita's cowgirl number was my favorite. Everything was pink and sparkly. Her boots were covered in pink rhinestones. Everything was. Her boots even had tiny pink sparkly spurs. She even had pink star-shaped pasties. Dita rode that bull like an expert.

Ross liked Lada Nikolska, who did her routine to a French song. She had mesmerizing eyes.

Pearl Noir was fantastic. Her performance wasn't so much a strip tease as it was a high-energy dance, and it rocked. The male performer was okay. I'd much rather see Dita and Pearl any day.

At one point Mel (who looked like Delphina, the psychic on One Life to Live) held a three person dance contest. One of the contestants was a tiny little lesbian with suspenders. The crowd went wild when they found out she was in the Navy and wouldn't stop cheering and clapping. She won the dance contest--and her prize was one of Dita's stockings. Ross said that was useless. What do you do with one stocking? No imagination....

As Ross noticed, and Mel Zetz commented on--the crowd was very diverse, and everyone got along. I guess that's the power of Boobies!

Photos were not allowed, so I did not take any. These photos are from the Strip Strip Hooray! website.

Flashback Friday Photo

August 1992: I'm (Coca-Cola) bottle feeding a goat. My hair is so big! Check out that backwards hat and Where's Waldo T-shirt.