4 On The Floor - I'm Drunk On Tuesdays.flv

these guys were cool and great live at Codfish Hollow Barnstormer (basement)!

Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie, Beethoven 5 - Part 3 (4th mov)

I don't think I've ever seen a conductor so expressive and animated.

Portrait Painting step four - George

Had not touched the painting in awhile, so everything was dry. After mixing up a new batch of black, I took some on the side and thinned it with mineral spirits. This was brushed over all the dark areas and more depth happened as a happy accident. Mars Black was then used for the darkest areas to create more definition. For fur "highlights" mixed white, black mixture, and burnt umber.
Ultimately, just a lot of tiny brush strokes and readjustment of shapes.

 

 Now today, everything else gets finished!

It's all about LOVE

I like this song a lot and one of very very few that I can actually remember most of the lyrics to (besides baby got back).

Portrait Painting step three - George

Now this is a "rough" step where I'm attempting to block in the correct values and mainly trying to get the forms accurate. As you can see it can be a tedious process of layering and reworking.

Going over the (pointless) acrylic underpainting with oil, painting the darkest values first.

Thinning the paint causing it to be slightly translucent and going over the highlighted dark areas. I do not want to hide my previously established shapes, conversely I want to keep building upon each layer.

Much give-take is involved.

Brushes gradually get smaller as I keep working down to smaller and finer blocks. And this is the final step in the rough stage.

Now it goes to fourth step, which is the finishing details on the portrait; the fifth step is completing the background. All of this equals a finished portrait!

Getting Saucy

Red Sauce

Cook assorted vegetables in 1/4 cup water or broth, 1/4 - 1/3 cup lemon juice, 1-2 tablespoon Mrs. Renfro's habanero salsa, 1/2 teaspoon cumin, 1/4 teaspoon marjoram, sea salt and vegetable pepper. Set vegetables aside, drain juice off, add 1-2 teaspoons sugar, 1/4 teaspoon cumin, 1/8 teaspoon majoram, dash of oregano leaves, 4 oz. can tomato sauce, salt and pepper, reduce to nice thickness.

...Pretty tasty

Optional, coat vegetables in sauce and top with grated smoked cheddar cheese.

Up there accidentally typed "nasty" instead of "tasty" which made laugh and consider what if on a cooking show the host shows for half an hour how to make the whole meal and then taste testers eagerly come up and after one bit spit it out because it tastes terrible. Oh, only happens in my personal mental musings, wish it would come true in real life though.

Portrait Painting - step 2

Acrylic paint, think I might skip this step in the future because I don't like acrylic paint...yet...and it seems like a pointless step. Oils are my favorite medium after pencils and charcoal. Cannot help it, been drawing since I was little so it will probably remain fondest in my heart.

Song today is Paper Aeroplane by Julia & Angus Stone BUT the featured video will be by Hey Ocean!

Portrait Painting step one - George

I'm using Anthony Ryder's approach - give or take - that observed on the Ryder Studio blog. Typically, I would not "draw-in" the foundational drawing so much, but did so this time to ensure an accurate portrayal of George. Erroneously, the first attempt a this portrait several months ago I just dove in and started painting, by which I learned the valuable lesson to always set a good foundation, otherwise frustration and waste of time and paint ensue.

REmix

Hello Again,

Berry salad dressing delicious remix:

1/8 raspberry juice
1/8 grape juice
splash balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp whole mustard seeds
plus other ingredients
+
Romaine lettuce
red leaf lettuce
broccoli
cucumber
baby portabella mushrooms
green bell pepper
smoked cheddar cheese shavings
bacon bits
=
One amazing salad that causes you to make satisfied noises while you're eating it.

Wanting what you shouldn't have

Big proponent of butter? I am ... butter makes everything better. Except for when you're lactose intolerant.

About a year ago I was informed that since being born I've very likely been lactose intolerant. Cheese and milk weren't too much of a problem to avoid - am not that strict though. A lot of soups that called for cheese I have found are actually better without it. When it comes to eating cereal or making crepes Rice milk has been the answer; it is slightly sweeter. Or if you're out of that or don't like it, fruit juices are an excellent substitute.

I ran out of rice milk and didn't have my normal cereal, there only was rice krispies. Yesterday I used homemade raspberry juice and today I used orange juice and cut up pieces of pear - delish.

RaspyBerry Red

I love berries, especially raspberries.

My Oma has a long row of raspberry bushes and a couple years ago she gave me some which have spread and produced sweet little treats here at my home too. Very exciting.
One thing she does that is a fond childhood memory is her raspberry juice concentrate. Dilute it with a little water and add sugar - tastes great over creme of wheat or oatmeal mmm.
Recently she gave me a couple jars :D. Now I am on a mission of finding ways of putting it to proper use.

Here is a delicious Raspberry Vinaigrette:

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup raspberry juice concentrate
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp Dijon mustard (optional)
1/4 tsp ground oregano
1/8 tsp vegetable pepper (1/4 tsp black pepper)
1/8 tsp ground marjoram
1/8 tsp ground thyme

Pursuit of what?

Finished The Richest Man of Babylon the other day and feel as if I have drawn the key concepts from the stories and feel rather invigorated by them.
With every pay check, save for yourself first 10%, live strictly on 70%, and repay 20% divided equally among debts (If you have no debts, adjust percentages)

LOVE this song, Pursuit of Happiness, by Kid Cudi. Also like Day 'N' Nite.


Often I have to remind myself to be thankful for my body and not to covet more desirable features. It is a pointless desire. As Confucius said "Everything has its beauty but not everyone sees it." I must make an attempt to see the beauty in all things. Meanwhile, improve the daily menu, exercise, et cetera and reap the rewards of improved health.

Motivation for this week: Doo Little

This group is rightfully named, Spelbound, it is a phenomenal gymnastic act. The final act is amazing as well. Reminds me of during the credits of the really good French film La Belle Verte (The Green Beautiful)


Made a broccoli cauliflower recipe with creamy vinaigrette dressing...not sure what to call it yet, any suggestions?

Have a hard time apply the KISS method, thus my recipes are typically complicated (involve lots of ingredients without accurate measurements) Here's a try anyway...

head of broccoli cut up into small florets
half a head of cauliflower broken into small pieces
3-4 strips of bacon minced
small to medium red onion minced
1/4 green bell pepper diced
*dressing:
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup fine sugar
1/8 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp tarragon vinegar
tablespoon red wine vinegar
tablespoon horseradish sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons dijon mustard
1 1/2 teaspoons mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon tabasco sauce
clove (1/2 tsp) minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon tarragon leaves
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
2 drops Young Living lemon oil (substitute for 1/8 cup lemon juice)
dash of sea salt and vegetable pepper
*amounts are estimates, may be more or less since I dump stuff in as I perceive right.

Music of the moment is by beautiful "ELIZA DOOLITTLE"


For some reason I like those high waisted shorts and want to wear them with knee high boots. Not sure how to achieve this look and simultaneously avoid appearing like a prostitute. Fashion is full of puzzles.

Bon Iver - Skinny Love

I sure do like this song quite a bit, some might say I love it.

Studio Apartment

MY FIRST VERY OWN APARTMENT. It doesn't cost me a thing ...but is approximately only fifty feet away from my original dwelling. Whatever, it is a start.
Furnishing compliments of Keinah and partly myself.

 

 

 

Buddy Guy-Can't Be Satisfied

Give me the Green

Hemp and pot should be legalized. I don't smoke it, but have read about the plants numerous purposes - really a miracle plant. 

Life pressure reveals our true nature. Love and Respect by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs is a profound and interesting series. Listened to tidbits of the dvd series today and it was very good. I agreed with what I heard. 

Sometime dreams, day dreams, and deja vu are so vivid it makes me wonder. 

Song for the moment ~ ~ What I Wouldn't Do (and Electric Twist)~ ~ A Fine Frenzy

Here's pictures from my Garden 2010: 

I didn't manage it too well so my harvest was not that great. I arranged the garden according to companion planting. It was a very wet year though and brought disease problems. Last year I sprayed the Colorado potato bugs religiously with rhubarb homemade spray and sprinkled the baby bugs with diatomaceous earth and moved my potato patch to the other side of the garden and had virtually no potato beetles and had healthy plants!  Crops that did do well were: peppers, pole and bush beans, cucumbers, sweet potatoes, greens, peas, and beets; everything else did okay. Tomatoes, corn, and squash did poorly. Squash were attacked by wilt, vine borers, and squash bugs. Tomatoes wilt. The sweet corn ears did not develop fully but many half ears. All the herbs and flowers I interplanted attracted humming birds, golden finches, a green parrot (was surprising and fun, probably escaped from somewhere), bees and butterflies.