A Life Lesson from E.T.

I may have found one of the ugliest fabric prints ever.   ET is a beloved movie icon.  He is also one of the ugliest aliens there ever was.  And now there is a cotton print with his misshapen potato like body and wrinkled face with giant bug eyes all over it. 

It is a terrible print.  I want to make underwear out of it.  My friend, Faye has an Etsy shop and despite my best efforts, she has declined on carrying ET underwear. It is sad that she doesn't see the potential in this item.  I am tempted to buy a couple of yards just to make uncomfortable gifts for other people.  I guarantee that it would  be a Christmas to be remembered. 

There is a life lesson to be learned here. I think that this is proof, that you can take something that can be considered ugly and turn it into something to smile about. I know I am smiling when I think about the looks on my friends faces when they receive matching pairs of ET panties.  It might be the most memorable gift they have ever received. It is all about perspective. 

Tarantula

Tarantula by Alexis Ziritt, Fabian Rangel Jr. and Evelyn Rangel  is probably one of the weirdest graphic novels I have read in a long time.  I feel like I am acid trip episode of Lucha Libre.  The art is trippy and with each page I turn, I can practically hear the dramatic music that accompanies Mexican soap operas. 

You brief story line, with limited spoilers is that you are following the main character, Tarantula though her detective case.  The case she is on is bigger than anticipated and allies herself with capable individuals to solve the case.  Lots of twist and turns happen before the conclusion and in the end the day is saved. 

This comic is not going to everyone's cup of tea. I am not saying that this comic is terrible.  It isn't.  If you are looking for something that takes itself super serious, this is not going to flip any switches for you.  Tarantula has all the fun of an Adam West Batman episode with just enough Spanish to make me feel good about the three years high school Spanish I don't use. I would recommend this if you are looking for something fun to read that doesn't take itself too seriously.

My Cats are Jerks

My cats are jerks.  

The other day I decided to start making a quilt. The down stairs is set up like a giant square. All of the rooms can be opened into the next room through thanks to a couple of clear pocket doors. The sewing machine is set up on the dining room table next to the air conditioner and I kept the rooms mostly closed up to keep it cool. I find it very important to be comfortable when working with fabric.  I am getting side tracked. This story isn’t about the quilt. It is about my cats being jerks. Let’s talk about the cats. 

The Dib Cat was relaxing as a giant ball of fur in the cat tree next to me as the sewing machine hummed.  From where I was sitting I could see that Iggins was sprawled out like a giant orange star fish belly up on the living room rug.  For the most part everything is peaceful.  

Suddenly both cats go from maximum relaxing mode to predator in the night mode. They are crouched down and intently staring in to the hallway.  I can see nothing but a darkened hall way from where I am sitting.  My attempts to get their attention fail.  Their attention is on the hallway. 

I should probably mention that I am alone in the house.  This is where in every horror movie cliché you have ever seen where the lone female is in the house and a serial killer shows up.  Just as I am beginning to let my imagination run away from me, my husband texts me from the airport as he is waiting on his connecting flight. 

My cats are jerks.  There was nothing upstairs, and thankfully no bat or serial killer in the kitchen.  The rain was hitting the window and the cats were fascinated by the sound.  

Cat Hat or Pot Holder?

It is July.  It is time to start the Christmas shopping.  Call me crazy, but I like to get a head start of the holidays and piecemeal things together at the end.  It doesn't hurt my wallet as much and when it comes time to wrap, I am just as surprised as everyone else as to what I have acquired. 

I am developing a love for Etsy.  I like to support artists, and I love to give unique gifts.  Esty is for the most part a marriage between the two.  (Please remember that art takes very many forms.) 

On Etsy I found something absolutely perfect for one of my nieces.  I don't normally brag about the gifts before I give them, but the attention span of a 10 year old means, I can spill the beans and she will completely forget by the time she gets through the duck tape and ribbon. 

It is hard to impress the Dib.

I am going to turn my niece into a cat.  TheGeekyKnot has a decent number of items that are easily customizable.  I was leaning towards the unicorn hat, but then I realized the kitty ears on the hat was color customizable, I was sold.  My niece has probably seen every single episode of FairyTail, and Happy is one of her favorite characters.  It was my duty as her aunt to turn her into a blue cat.

The proprietor of TheGeekyKnot was prompt and courteous when I messaged her about my request. They even sent me a color sample of the yarn, to make sure it was the color that I wanted. I went with a variegated blue cat hat, since I feel it has more wearability and match ability to other clothing.  TheGeekyKnot had the hat out to me with in a week, which was pretty amazing to me.  

The one thing that I worry about when buying any sort of craft/ art, is if it is as advertised.  When I opened the package and looked at it for the first time, I worried that I had received a hot pad/ pot holder in error.  It looked like a blue square and not at all what I thought it would look like.   I think in my  head I thought it would look like a semi circle with obvious well define triangle points.  With a little bit of trepidation, I put the blue pot holder on my head and hopped for the best. 

It was magic. It went from pot holder to magic cat in a moment. It is a well stitched hat, that is comfortable and has cat ears.  If you customized it in black, it would almost look like Batman ears.  It is one of those cases that, looks can be deceiving and it totally worth the prize.  I think that my niece is going to love it, and now I have to decide if I want to get the lace fingerless gloves for my other niece.  

If you are looking for something uniquely customizable for a friend or family member, I would recommend checking out TheGeekyKnot for some customizable gift ideas. 

Cast Role Call

Turning books into movies is a thing that happens all the time.  Books are used as original source material and it has spawned cinematic classics, family favorite and a ton of bad adaptations.  One of my favorite books, American Gods by Neil Gaiman was just adapted into a mini series.  I think the casting is spot on.  The actor that plays Mr. Wednesday makes me want to go reread the book.

Austin the cat is all cats. 

When a book you love is turned into a mini series, it can spark conversation of what other books would be fun movie adaptations or at the very least a mini series. One of favorite just for fun, need a good laugh books I like to reread in the bathtub is Summon the Keeper by Tanya Huff. This has been a book that I have bought for friends to share the love and the chuckles and is one of my frequently gifted books.   I think Summon the Keeper would be a fun 8 part mini series that would be one of those fun summer specials.  

My friend, Faye and I were having a discussion on who we would think would be awesome casting if we could cast whom ever we wanted in Summon the Keeper.  I challenged her for her cast list, since we were having a difference of opinion.  Here is my cast for Summon the Keeper.   

Cast List:

Claire -  Anna Hathaway

Dean - Steven Amell

Augustus Smythe - Martin Short

Austin (voice) -  Benedict Cumberbatch (If he can play a dragon, then a cat is a piece of cake.)

Jacques - Nathan Fillion

Voices of Hell - Bret McKenzie & Jermaine Clement

Mrs. Abrams - Carol Kane

Sara- Annie Potts

Diana - Ellen Page

Martha- Kate Winslet

Sasha- Helena Bonham Carter

Ron & Reg (twins)- Chris Pine & Chris Pratt*

Hermes- Simon Pegg

Zeus- Chevy Chase

Hera- Andrea Martin

Hades-  Ian McKellan

Persephone-  Una Stubbs

Amphitrite-  Wanda Ventham

Poseidon- Michael Gambon

Dytie - Lainie Kazan

Hephaestus - Brian Doyle Murray

Professor Jackson- Rhys Darby

Now that I have completed my cast list, I have to chuckle.  I feel like this is one of those trivia lists and Faye is going to pull her hair out trying to remember where she has seen some of these names before.  I can't wait to see what she comes up with as a cast list.   If you have a favorite book, or even a book that you would loved to see made into a movie or mini series, what would it be?  

*Yes, I know that Chris Pine and Chris Pratt are not twins and not interchanageable.