I like to rock.

I didn't do a top album list, but i did do a list of top concerts.

I don't understand all the love on end-of-year lists on the internets for The National, Beirut, Panda Bear, or Animal Collective at all. Boooooring and highly forgettable. I'd much rather rock out.

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2007 was a great concert year. My favorites from it (not in any type of favoritism order):

*77 Boadrum in the park (perfect in every way possible. )
*PJ Harvey at Beacon (she is the best. the end.)
*Bjork at United Palace Theatre (heart. burst.)
*Marnie Stern at Knitting Factory with Zach Hill (talk about charismatic insanity)
*Mt. Eerie, Woelv at that church in greenpoint (peaceful, quiet, and beautiful)
*Singer/Battles/Noisettes at Studio B (although Battles was much tighter at the Bowery show, I enjoyed this as a whole better. Singer was the highlight.)
*Feist/Kevin Drew's Spirit If at the pool (perfect outside concert.)
*Wilco at Warsaw (breaking into sold-out shows is fun. best setlist.)
*Hella at Europa (face. rocked. off.)
*Explosions in the Sky (no broken tambourines this time around, but still great)
*Arcade Fire at Judson Church (third night. so so so heart-squeezing. David Byrne was 3 feet from me. Acoustic Wake Up in the middle of the audience was fantasmic. I broke into this show too.)
*Parts and Labor/Girl Talk at Studio B (I think my jaw was dropped 3/4 of the time at the pure pandemonium that was taking place. Also, broke in.)
*Scout Niblett at Union Pool (too short, but shivers down my spine.)
*and of course, Bonnaroo (Damien Rice, Lily Allen, Tortoise were my favorite. Girl Talk pandemonium, Tool, and The Flaming Lips soundchecking War Pigs were also pretty damn great.

The cat's Meoooow

some updates to my doodles section of my website, The Cat's Meow.
Detail (click picture for better view):

Happy belated

Smlove Pie from Veganomicon:

Fudgy Wudgy Brownies with the Raspberry variation, from Veganomicon:

Gocco!

Oh man. I want one of these!!

also, that site with the tutorial has wicked cute crafts...

Three Things

1. On Saturday, i went to the Dr. Sketchy's anti-art school at the Lucky Cat. This "captured the spirit of christmas," haha.

2. Best present ever today!!!! I had to fight the post office for it all week, but I win!


3. Leftover Pumpkin-ziti with Carmelized Onion and Sage topping (from Veganomican). Pretty good last night, but realllly good tonight.

Store!

My Zoetrope Store is up!! Also, you can now find some of my items for sale at Treehouse, a cute store in Brooklyn.

and everyone rejoiced

Phew.

Craftacular is over. A great time was had. So many people! I heard reports of the line going waaaay out the door all day long. So awesome. I only briefly got to wander around and a few booths in particular caught my eye:

my favorite mirror and art star

Such great things everywhere really. There was also a really cool headband booth with all sorts of neat embellishments, but I didn't catch their name in my sleep-deprived daze.

This is the finishing touches of preparation and finally the booth itself. I promise that I'll shutup about this now!


Miles gives me a stern look, as if to ask when the hell i'm gonna clean up the disaster of my living room.




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and now for some food pornage:

Eggplant wingzz and green beans
Roasted Chestnuts from Nik's parents!

ALMOST

Reminder!! Bust Magazine's Craftacular is this Saturday at the Metropolitan Pavillion in Manhattan! 10am-8pm. $1. First 300 people in the door get a goody bag (i want a goody bag!) Oh, and Amy Sedaris will be there!! *swoon* I'm at booth D5, which, i don't know if that really tells you anything. Along the outside, in a little alcove? EXCITED.

Click picture to read it or go to BUST to read more. LOTS of vendors with really cool things. I hope I get a chance to shop too. Hope to see you there!!



and the onion stands alone...

so much to cut still...

These are my business cards. I decided no one really keeps business cards anyways. They sit in wallets or on desks or go straight for the trash. I mean, really, 90% useless! So bookmarks. I'm going with bookmarks. Who knows though, maybe people don't read either.

I used a semi-bad screen to print these (only half of the image prints...) on both sides of the heavy paper, and then I chopchopchopped them up. I printed stickers with my url on them, because there was no way in hell I was going to write it out 250 times like i originally planned.



Sometimes funny things happen:

Some magnets and Miles!

Magnets!





Black cats are IMPOSSIBLE to photograph. Miles wasn't interested in posing at all. A minute before this shot, he was being all cute rubbing all over the half-decorated-mini-tree. Oh, he's still cute. <3

It Snowed, so I made soup and cookies.

Pomegranates are so so so pretty. Rubies.




First snow of the year!

Roasted Garlic and Yukon Potato Soup with Carmelized Onions

Sunbathin' Asparagus

pre-oven. They totally look like they are gossiping while catching some rays right??



Red Cabbage is so pretty and purple. Why do they call it "red" again? Is that the proper name anyways? I'm too tired to look it up. I've been eating a lot of raw foods lately (brain food!); mostly in the name of giant concoctions of salads with various, eclectic ingredients, but tonight I was really sick of eating raw broccoli (oh! it tickles my throat!). I decided to make a half-cooked/half-raw dinner. I sauteed garlic, onion, red pepper, chard with some olive oil, shoyu, and basil/pepper spices, and then mixed that with steamed snow peas and broccoli. All this was put over raw red cabbage and sprinkled with a granny smith apple, avocado, cashews, and sunflower seeds. Lots of ingredients, but hello leftovers. Yum.

They think of everything

whoa! check out this bearded hat!


I have listened to about 24 hours of This American Life episodes over the last three days, no joke, as I crafted away. It's really, really great to listen to while doing work that doesn't take a lot of brain processes. I can't even begin to say what has been my favorite one, since it seems to change with every one that I hear. Such a great program. I'm going to go through withdrawal symptoms monday morning if the web-blocker program at work denies me...

I made lots of banana and mushroom ornaments today. Now I have to go give them arms and legs. I sound like i'm crazy.

Thanksgiving spread

The whole shebang:

Cranberries made with apple-raspberry cider and walnuts:

Candied-lime Sweet potatoes: (from Vegan Yum Yum)

Bryanna's Soy and Seitan Roast with Mushroom Gravy: (recipe)

Mom's stuffing is the best stuffing ever:

Heart-shaped Apple Galette from Veganomicon

Fields of color

productive thanksgiving