Podcasty Love

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LET'S TALK PODCASTS!

I know everyone's all about the Serial right now (myself included - only 12 episodes, wha-WHAT??), but I wanted to give a shout out to some of my tried and true faves over the years (as any comicker will tell you, we go through a LOT of podcasts and audiobooks, crammed in amongst pencilling and inking and computerizing hours). I always try out some new ones, so this isn't ALL I'm listening to just now, but these are some oldie reliables:

Stuff Mom Never Told You - A big one for me - Cristen and Caroline are not only informed and thorough when presenting a lot of women's issues, but somehow manage to keep it from succumbing to OH GOD WHY with a good blend of sassy humor. Cristen dons her fake British accent and Caroline talks about everything in relation to her mom Sally and we all learn something without feeling depressed. And - check out how awesome Cristen's youtube channels are - the muppet is strong with this one!

Mysterious Universe - Another one I've been listening to for years, this podcast run by two Australian gents about everything paranormal is a real treat. They dish about all the latest sightings, mock Time Travelling Yowie followers, and admit to ghost encounters of their own that still leave them terrified. If you LOVE paranormal stuff like me but are afraid of the crystal worshippers, check this one out.

The Guardian Tech Weekly - A newer one (to me) that I've been trying out to get my fix of tech news. It always features a panel with a variety of topics, and the panelists are knowledgeable without being boring.

The Thrilling Adventure Hour - Oh man - my obsession with live radio broadcasts began with an episode of Frasier and WILL NEVER DIE. I was so happy to find not only an old-style radio broadcast but one that blends in heaps of nerd culture and amazing storytelling altogether. WITH tons of guest stars. And incorporating the ghost of a pterodactyl who's a deputy private eye. I LOVE THIS.

Jill on Money - Money slash financial podcasts are boring and awful but Jill answers questions, listens, and makes fun of her producer while not making you feel like an idiot AND passing on good advice. She's awesome.

99% Invisible - A design podcast that points out the design in the everyday - I love its subtlety and appreciation of the minute details. Plus I love any podcast that exhibits city planning that was actually, you know, thought about a bit.

RadioLab - Beautifully crafted sounds and discussions around several stories making up one scientific topic - I've had many a walk while listening to all the little bips and beeps Jad throws in the background, which really fill each episode with surprising depth.

StarTalk - Neil DeGrasse Tyson is a hero for all of us, leading the charge to bring scientific discovery back into vogue. His podcast is super informative while being exciting and encouraging, in true NDG fashion. Plus, every now and again he has Eugene Mirman co-host or run one of his live shows, which makes my day every time.

Savage Lovecast - I go through phases where I alternate between his snarky antics and Sex Nerd Sandra's zippy, fun answers to sex questions.

Stuff you Missed In History Class - The latest host pairing has done a great job (past pairings have been UBER awkward) - Holly especially in bringing some heart and feeling (and hella knowledge about historical clothesmaking) to the show.

Stuff You Should Know - A classic, general informy podcast on a wide range of topics with a HUGE back catalog. Josh & Chuck do a good job of balancing hardcore facts with rambly tangents without being annoying. Their banter is genuine, and funny, and rare.

I also go back and forth on WTF, Welcome to Night Vale, and The Daily Show Podcast. What are YOU PEOPLE listening to? I always love trying out a new one to throw in the pile!

 

Ode to Workflowy

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I've been through a lot of various "To Do" apps because I'm a crazy person who makes lists in order to clear her mind. I need somewhere to store all the stupid things I want to do someday, the stupid things I want to do tomorrow, and oh yeah, some of my ideas for comics and things.

So far I've tried:

None of them have really given me what I've been looking for. Evernote was difficult to add things to quickly and find later, Remember the Milk was ridiculous in that it would only sync with your phone ONCE a day, etc. Usually if I noticed I didn't bother opening the app several times a day, then there was something about it's UX that didn't mesh with my crazy brain.

So, enter .... WORKFLOWY! Even the name is fun! And their slogan is "Make Lists. Not War." which makes TOTAL SENSE.

So if you're a comicker who has a zillion projects you're always creating and planning and having ideas for, there you go! Map 'em out, categorize 'em, but (my favorite) look at them all at once too! Oh and hey those of you going through the asinine process of planning a wedding like me? Here's a post on using Workflowy for that! (It also actually just goes through the basics of how to use it there really quickly, too)

**Note: I didn't get paid to drone on about Workflowy, I just like to give some shoutouts to apps and things that harbor KILLER design from time to time. :)

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There Comes A Time in the Life of Every Lipstick

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I am a STAUNCH supporter of Nars's Cruella velvet matte lip pencil. It's creamy, it's matte, it doesn't get stuck to my hair and then spread strands of red all over my face like I was caught in a paper cut windstorm. It's my best friend, and we've been together for a long time.

But. FROWNY FACE.

I know that Cruella's time will come, and like all products I've loved and loyally supported, it will become discontinued. I'm still crying for Revlon's Candied Apple, circa 1998. And now every third time I try to order Cruella I get an "out of stock". Or, even more horrifying, I'll see a missing swatch of color where all the other Velvet Matte Lip Pencils reside - where Cruella had happily bridged the gap between blazingly red Dragon Girl and oh lord another shade of pink Never Say Never.

The hunt for a good red lipstick is tough, people, and it only gets tougher when colors like Coral come screaming on to the shelves, wiping out all the decent reds and promising you they won't look like fluorescent tangerine bubblegum on your face. Oh, but they will. They will.

So, this holiday season, armed with a generous Sephora gift card, I dipped my toe in another pool of reds - and found a new standby. I bring you Smashbox's BE LEGENDARY (which makes me say that, aloud, every time I use is a la Barney Stinson) lipstick in Infrared:

I'll admit it is a touch ligther than Cruella, and of course since it's a lipSTICK, you run into some of the usual stick problems. But because it's a matte, it has some staying power and doesn't want to bleed outside of my lips or leak onto my teeth.

It's not Cruella, but it'll do. And that's saying a lot!

Anyone else found any worthy reds out there?

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Gods Sighting

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One of the nerdiest things I love to do is scrutinize appearances of Greek Gods in pop culture (like this post about Disney's Hercules). Here we go on another one, yay!

LATEST POP-UP SIGHTING: Supernatural, Season 8, Episode 16!

So in this episode, Prometheus (aka the Titan who gave fire to mortals and royally pissed off Zeus) is embodied in a drifter Sam & Dean discover, who dies every day. The cause of his death is random, anywhere from cars hitting him to sudden heart attacks. This is an homage to the nature of Zeus's punishment for Prometheus in the myths, which was to strap Prometheus to a mountainside and let an eagle carve out his liver every day for a tasty snack. Every night, he would die. Every morning, he'd get resurrected just for the fun of it.

Apparently, Zeus had lost track of Prometheus and he'd fallen to earth, hence him dying by random means and not the daily eagle attack. So Zeus sent out his best assassin, a.k.a. daughter Artemis, goddess of the hunt, to go after him.

Things I liked about this portrayal of Artemis/Zeus:

  • Artemis was badass and impossible to beat in a fight
  • Sam & Dean acknowledged the fact that Artemis was THEIR goddess, since they're hunters and she's the mack daddy of ALL hunters
  • Artemis was a thinking goddess, not a one-track killing machine
  • Artemis was strong enough to take down Zeus
  • Zeus wore a classy suit and looked steely
  • Zeus respected his daughter's power

Things I didn't like:

  • The inexplicable black leather pantsuit Artemis was wearing
  • Zeus as mindless revenge seeker - I could see him going after Prometheus, but his son too? Just for the fun of it?

All in all I was happy to see them represented, as always. And props to making Artemis strong but also a thinking, feeling goddess (albeit still in a leather pantsuit). Yay!

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True Blood is True-ly Awful and I Love It

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Lately a lot of people I've been trying to gossip about True Blood with are all "ugh, that show's gotten so bad" and "I just can't bear to watch anymore it's so awful"... "I hate myself just watching it" ....

WHAT.

It's ALWAYS been awful, that's why I LOVE it! I didn't know we could have a whole season of shirtless werewolves and people making out, but they've proved it possible again and again! And now this season, they only take 2 episodes to turn the Big Bad from being the worst dude ever for murdering Sookie's parents TO ... Sookie's new sex partner? Amazing.

Plus, how can you not love this guy --

Rutger Hauer materializing as a cross between Einstein and Betty White?? Even better than Kristy Swanson and Corey Feldman AND Andrew from Buffy on the vampire episode of Psych.

Also, Jessica bingeing on tween fairy blood - PERFECT. And it goes without saying, but -- PAM??

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You Guys, Once Upon a Time Has Gotten So Much Better

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Even though my 13-year-old cousin thinks that lately OUAT has fallen off the wagon and isn't "doing enough fairy tale stuff", I for one am impressed/relieved that the show seems to have gotten its mojo back.

I admit, I initially approached the show with a lot of suspicion. I watched the first season, mildly amused and confused at all the weird relatives from other dimensions and wondering when these little insecure weirdos would get their memory back and realize they really were *gasp* princes and princesses. I tolerated the Snow White/Prince Charming storyline mainly because I loved the juxtaposition of the romantic past of the perfect couple compared to the desperate school teacher / philandering husband stealing glances in the present. Unfortunately, though, that and other ironic storylines were cut short when the curse that left everyone in Storybrooke without memory of their previous glory (and cricketness) vanished and suddenly all of us viewers were hit with exactly how drab and boring fairy tale characters would be IF they WERE really in the modern world. Suddenly everything was dramatic and overacted and Snow/Charming made my skin crawl just by looking at eachother. Making out in a room adjacent to their daughter/grandson who are just trying to make a decent meal? NO!! Not cute!

For a while I kept watching just so my friend and I could discuss how ridiculous the outfits were that Belle had to wear to go hunting.

Or wish that one of the few decent actors on the show, i.e. the Mad Hatter, wouldn't have left.

I wasn't sure how long I was going to last. I started lagging a couple episodes behind. I avoided broaching the topic of the show with my friend, just to hear her sigh heavily and say "it's going okay, I guess". I had kind of given up. But then, one afternoon in desperation while prepping for a comic show, I needed episodes to put on the background while I stapled and put together book after book. So I turned on some good old cheese-a-riffic Once Upon A Time.

I have to say it was the moment when Captain Hook punched out Prince Charming that won me back. And now all of a sudden there are surprises and real consequences! Buffy-esque moments of surprise when characters get shot and lose their memory! People who are pure of heart realizing how lame that is! I'm not sure if I'm completely sold yet, but with the last episode featuring Queen Regina in an especially creepy new light (reminding me of nightmares I'd have as a kid of witches craving children to steal) I'm delightfully intrigued enough to keep watching. Now, if they just brought back Graham and his impossibly tight vests, I'd be all in.

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Am I a Douchebag for Liking the Avocado App?

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I know the last thing anyone wants/needs is another tool to do something they already can. But hey, where would stores like Target be now if they couldn't keep selling you the same crap, repackaged differently? That's kind of how I feel about apps in general. On my phone I have Evernote, Simplenote, Real Simple and Weave, each one for the purpose of taking down my ideas and lists. Instead of using any of them, I default to the Notes app that comes standard with the iPhone. Each one is just a little lacking in what I want to do, therefore I hang onto ALL of them. So you can understand my reluctance to embrace the Avocado app, which is essentially just another checklist-making app to throw in my Never Use pile. avocado BUT WAIT. For some reason this one is actually packaged and designed well with enough things in one spot that I actually use it. On the regular! I make lists, calendar invites, send messages, take pictures, and it doesn't bother me a hoot that I already have a million other apps that can do those very things. Unfortunately the thing that makes me like it is also the thing that makes me cringe. It's an APP FOR COUPLES. *barf* I know, I'm rolling my eyes really hard right now too. But as much as my boyfriend and I shun cutesy couple things altogether, it IS kind of convenient to be able to send him messages and requests to pick up wine on the way home without having to navigate the various other apps. It's all in one place, and it makes sense for it to be so. Sure, we could also send photos to one another of hearts and "I wuv you" notes but WE AREN'T THOSE PEOPLE. One app doesn't make a nauseating couple, does it? Oh and did I mention the app says supportive things to you when you cross off items on your lists? Oh god. I'm off to Lowe's. It's all downhill from here. You'll tell me if I've gone too far, right?

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Am I a Douchebag for Liking the Avocado App?

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I know the last thing anyone wants/needs is another tool to do something they already can. But hey, where would stores like Target be now if they couldn't keep selling you the same crap, repackaged differently? That's kind of how I feel about apps in general. On my phone I have Evernote, Simplenote, Real Simple and Weave, each one for the purpose of taking down my ideas and lists. Instead of using any of them, I default to the Notes app that comes standard with the iPhone. Each one is just a little lacking in what I want to do, therefore I hang onto ALL of them. So you can understand my reluctance to embrace the Avocado app, which is essentially just another checklist-making app to throw in my Never Use pile. avocado BUT WAIT. For some reason this one is actually packaged and designed well with enough things in one spot that I actually use it. On the regular! I make lists, calendar invites, send messages, take pictures, and it doesn't bother me a hoot that I already have a million other apps that can do those very things. Unfortunately the thing that makes me like it is also the thing that makes me cringe. It's an APP FOR COUPLES. *barf* I know, I'm rolling my eyes really hard right now too. But as much as my boyfriend and I shun cutesy couple things altogether, it IS kind of convenient to be able to send him messages and requests to pick up wine on the way home without having to navigate the various other apps. It's all in one place, and it makes sense for it to be so. Sure, we could also send photos to one another of hearts and "I wuv you" notes but WE AREN'T THOSE PEOPLE. One app doesn't make a nauseating couple, does it? Oh and did I mention the app says supportive things to you when you cross off items on your lists? Oh god. I'm off to Lowe's. It's all downhill from here. You'll tell me if I've gone too far, right?

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Continuing Bond

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I'm a bit of a James Bond fan.

For my 30th birthday party I made it a mandatory theme - everyone had to come dressed as a character from a James Bond film. Villian, Bond Girl, Henchman #7, the sky was the limit! I chose to dress as a member of the Pussy Galore Flying Squad. It was pretty awesome.

The peak of my 007 Fandom was when I was sixteen, and my best friend and I would stay up late laughing at Goldfinger, cheesing out on Live and Let Die, or slogging through the endless underwater scuba sequences of Thunderball. Even though I grew up accustomed to Roger Moore as James Bond, Sean Connery became the only Bond for me. No substitutions accepted. Timothy Dalton was fun, and George Lazenby - well, aww, that poor guy.

When Goldeneye came around I was pretty excited that Pierce Brosnan might become the new 007 Hotness (my mom, for one, had been praying for YEARS that Remington Steele would lead him to Bond). But with each passing Brosnan Bond movie I became less and less impressed. As far as I was concerned, his legacy only provided the world with two worthwhile things: Famke Janssen and Michelle Yeoh. I didn't bother watching most of them. Halle Berry trying to redo Ursula Andress's combat bikini? Oh no they don't.

Modernizing Bond just seemed to be a problem. I mean, he's a cocky a-hole who treats women like Mrs. White treats her husbands. But Brosnan just seemed to look pained and guilty about it all the time and it was kind of a downer. Even though it's not cool that Connery went through like five women in Goldfinger - one ending up being painted to death and one decapitated -  I still wanted the free-wheeling, hard-hitting Connery days back again. Go away, sensitive 90's Brosnan.

So when Casino Royale came out, (and by that, I mean of course when Daniel Craig came out of the water in a mankini), amidst all the OH MY GOD CAN YOU BELIEVE JAMES BOND IS A BLONDE controversy, I think we all knew that Bond was back. And that Daniel Craig was gonna do this shit right. Casino Royale managed to peg Craig both as a brute who could crash through walls AND as a trained killer willing to throw in the towel for love. Which was exactly what we all were waiting for.

The Craig Bond Legacy has also done something else amazing - made the movies connect to one another. Bond movies used to be individual occurrences, each floating through the void. Every now and then they'd throw in a 006 or Felix the CIA agent would reappear, but they were basically all separate. Any attempts to make things sequential in Bond World resulted in On Her Majesty's Secret Service (and we all saw what happened to Lazenby). So the fact that Casino Royale can contain characters that still connect through to Quantum of Solace was amazing. You mean we don't have to wipe our memories for each Bond film? Priceless!

And after seeing Skyfall, it's clear that this generation of Bond is going to continue kicking ass and breaking boundaries (omg Javier Bardem and Judi Dench!), all while remaining true to the Bond Legacy. Really, how hard is it? You take one part suave, muscular man + women in dresses with secrets + martinis + female agents + car crashes = Bond magic.

So here's to Daniel Craig and this era of Blonde Bond. I can't wait to see what else they do before moving on to the inevitable next breakthrough ... Idris Elba Bond!!

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Feel-Good Movie of the Month: The Shining

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Nothing puts me in a better mood than getting my annual fix of The Shining.

When it comes to movies meant to scare me, I much prefer the creepy, slow burns. The suggested incident one room over. The noise you may or may not have heard on the stairs. Wait - did I just see something in the mirror? These are all infinitely better to me than the IN YOUR FACE AXE MURDERING GORE OBSESSED TORTURE PORN trend of most horror movies these days.

I'm not sure how long ago it was that I stopped being terrified of The Shining and started loving it. For one, I think it was something in the beginning of the movie reminding me of my childhood. No, not the violent dad or the Skeletor mom or the little boy that lived in my mouth - more the bowl cut and Mister Rogers on the television. And I still fantasize about riding my (Strawberry Shortcake) Big Wheel down those big patterned hallways in the Overlook.

I think a lot of it has to do with Kubrick's sense of space and design. The huge, cavernous hotel and its endless maze of hallways IS scary, but it's also kind of ... peaceful. You could spend hours by yourself wandering around in a million different rooms, pretending to be a million different people. So what if there's a woman hogging one of the bathtubs, and a dude and his bear boyfriend in one of the suites? The rest is yours, all yours! And you get to ride your bike and go hiking with your mom in the snow all day.

All you might have to be careful of is those obnoxious little girls who won't get it into their almost-twin heads that you DON'T WANT TO BE FRIENDS WITH THEM. Or the elevators being a little bloody. Or your dad going batshit crazy (but honestly, from the very beginning of the movie Jack is already crazy, so it's really nothing new).

The rest of it is pure, relaxing vacation and all the giant cans of ice cream you could ever want to eat. It's almost good enough for me to forget the time when someone wrote "REDRUM" on my car visor mirror and I almost had a heart attack at 16.

And I was just kidding about Wendy Torrance. I love her so hard.

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Londonness - Comic Shops

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One of my favorite things I like to do in a new city is find the local comic book shops. Even way back in my wee younger years, while visiting family at my grandmother's summer cottage in Michigan, when I was wrapped in a blanket of lake swimming and adventuring. Even then, in that summer paradise (and if you read this blog regularly you know I use "summer" and "paradise" in the same sentence never) ... I would drag out the yellow pages and point out two types of places I wanted my dad to drive me.  Thrift shops and comic book stores. Good man that he is, he'd always comply. One year, when I had a dilemma about how to spend the $20 I had on me - on a book of the complete works of William Shakespeare or a lifesize cut-out of Han Solo (Sophie's Choice, am I right??) he graciously told me I was allowed to get both.

Good times!

But anyway, back to London! When I asked for recommendations on comic shops I should visit while I was there, I was given these names:

I did some looking around and drew up this sweet map to help my friend Heather and I on our journey:

What could possibly go wrong as we used this sharp tool to navigate the streets of busy West End? Actually, we IMMEDIATELY found Orbital and spent a good while browsing their rows and rooms. I picked up a couple of lovely things:

Brian K. Vaughan's latest series, Saga, illustrated by the incredible Fiona Staples. (Haven't read it yet, but picked up issues 2 and 3! Sadly they didn't have #1)

Marc Ellerby's Chloe Noonan, Monster Hunter.  I thought this one was fitting, since we were in London and all. I love that she takes the bus and has zero powers, but she's cocky and she gets the job done. Also, she has other priorities like band gigs. And appreciates a good grenade.

Bucko by Jeff Parker and Erika Moen. I had NOOO idea what to expect from this going in, only that I've been a fan of Erika's work for ages. But then I also saw that it was about quirky Portland antics and I was intrigued. I'm also a big fan of Portland, and have been telling everyone for years that I'll be moving there soon. Those overcast skies, those powerful mountains, that dreary weather, that publisher of mine in the 'hood, those hippies with their progressive ways ... they all be callin' to me. But ANYWAY. Bucko ended up being a hilarious, unpredictable ride that kept me laughing/afraid to laugh and eager to turn the page. What started off with a scene reminiscent of Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (and who DOESN'T love a Robert Downey Jr. / Val Kilmer flick) and turned into a fun celebration of everything that's right and so wrong about the world. The writer/artist comments on every page are a fun bonus since I never read it online. I think more comics definitely need commentary tracks.

Orbital had a great location, super helpful staff, and decent selection of indies. Even though I was too chicken to give them any of MY work, I was happy to have found it.

Finding Gosh was a little bit more of a challenge (see map above for reasons why). Yeahh when I set out to create little handy maps for us to use, I sometimes neglected to put in all those pesky side streets. Who needs 'em? So Heather and I spent a good while wandering down the streets of Soho, which is not a bad place to be, but still wasn't our primary purpose. Eventually we'd run out of time and had to meet up with my friend Katrina at the most glorious store on the planet - Paperchase!! No, not a comic book store but a glorious store filled with all your pencilling and papering needs. It took a lot of willpower to only walk out of there with a few purchases.

Luckily Katrina knew her way around town better than we did, so she successfully led us to Gosh. It was a cute, well-designed and well-lit store. I loved the central table piled with a selection of books, surrounded by shelves lit with track lighting. It reminded me of a boutique art gallery. Again, the staff was super helpful and I walked away with something I've been meaning to pick up for a long time ...

Faith Erin Hicks's Friends With Boys! I've been a huge fan of hers since way back in her Demonology 101 days. Along with Derek Kirk Kim, Scott McCloud, and Jason Little, she was one of my earliest webcomic inspirations. Faith's style has only gotten more powerful and expressive over the years, and I was blown away by how her work is able to be detailed and meticulous while still appearing sketchy and free-flowing. I tore through half of the story online but had decided to wait for the print version to finish it.  The characters have an ease about them that makes them instantly identifiable - there aren't any forced personality "types". The story is moody, funny, and intriguing, and her large, expansive panels give plenty of room for your imagination to run around in. Selfishly I wanted the story to keep going, but at least I can add this to my collection of books to re-read. Thank goodness Faith is so prolific, so I won't have long to wait for a new book from her!

Thus ends my London Comic Shop Adventure. Sadly, I never made it to Forbidden Planet, but having gone to the one in New York City, I can say I've been, right? Oh well, I'll save it for the return journey. Because there WILL be a return journey to London. Oh yes, there will.

P.S. Can someone invite me to the Leeds Comic Arts Festival at some point??

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Londonness - Comic Shops

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One of my favorite things I like to do in a new city is find the local comic book shops. Even way back in my wee younger years, while visiting family at my grandmother's summer cottage in Michigan, when I was wrapped in a blanket of lake swimming and adventuring. Even then, in that summer paradise (and if you read this blog regularly you know I use "summer" and "paradise" in the same sentence never) ... I would drag out the yellow pages and point out two types of places I wanted my dad to drive me.  Thrift shops and comic book stores. Good man that he is, he'd always comply. One year, when I had a dilemma about how to spend the $20 I had on me - on a book of the complete works of William Shakespeare or a lifesize cut-out of Han Solo (Sophie's Choice, am I right??) he graciously told me I was allowed to get both.

Good times!

But anyway, back to London! When I asked for recommendations on comic shops I should visit while I was there, I was given these names:

I did some looking around and drew up this sweet map to help my friend Heather and I on our journey:

What could possibly go wrong as we used this sharp tool to navigate the streets of busy West End? Actually, we IMMEDIATELY found Orbital and spent a good while browsing their rows and rooms. I picked up a couple of lovely things:

Brian K. Vaughan's latest series, Saga, illustrated by the incredible Fiona Staples. (Haven't read it yet, but picked up issues 2 and 3! Sadly they didn't have #1)

Marc Ellerby's Chloe Noonan, Monster Hunter.  I thought this one was fitting, since we were in London and all. I love that she takes the bus and has zero powers, but she's cocky and she gets the job done. Also, she has other priorities like band gigs. And appreciates a good grenade.

Bucko by Jeff Parker and Erika Moen. I had NOOO idea what to expect from this going in, only that I've been a fan of Erika's work for ages. But then I also saw that it was about quirky Portland antics and I was intrigued. I'm also a big fan of Portland, and have been telling everyone for years that I'll be moving there soon. Those overcast skies, those powerful mountains, that dreary weather, that publisher of mine in the 'hood, those hippies with their progressive ways ... they all be callin' to me. But ANYWAY. Bucko ended up being a hilarious, unpredictable ride that kept me laughing/afraid to laugh and eager to turn the page. What started off with a scene reminiscent of Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (and who DOESN'T love a Robert Downey Jr. / Val Kilmer flick) and turned into a fun celebration of everything that's right and so wrong about the world. The writer/artist comments on every page are a fun bonus since I never read it online. I think more comics definitely need commentary tracks.

Orbital had a great location, super helpful staff, and decent selection of indies. Even though I was too chicken to give them any of MY work, I was happy to have found it.

Finding Gosh was a little bit more of a challenge (see map above for reasons why). Yeahh when I set out to create little handy maps for us to use, I sometimes neglected to put in all those pesky side streets. Who needs 'em? So Heather and I spent a good while wandering down the streets of Soho, which is not a bad place to be, but still wasn't our primary purpose. Eventually we'd run out of time and had to meet up with my friend Katrina at the most glorious store on the planet - Paperchase!! No, not a comic book store but a glorious store filled with all your pencilling and papering needs. It took a lot of willpower to only walk out of there with a few purchases.

Luckily Katrina knew her way around town better than we did, so she successfully led us to Gosh. It was a cute, well-designed and well-lit store. I loved the central table piled with a selection of books, surrounded by shelves lit with track lighting. It reminded me of a boutique art gallery. Again, the staff was super helpful and I walked away with something I've been meaning to pick up for a long time ...

Faith Erin Hicks's Friends With Boys! I've been a huge fan of hers since way back in her Demonology 101 days. Along with Derek Kirk Kim, Scott McCloud, and Jason Little, she was one of my earliest webcomic inspirations. Faith's style has only gotten more powerful and expressive over the years, and I was blown away by how her work is able to be detailed and meticulous while still appearing sketchy and free-flowing. I tore through half of the story online but had decided to wait for the print version to finish it.  The characters have an ease about them that makes them instantly identifiable - there aren't any forced personality "types". The story is moody, funny, and intriguing, and her large, expansive panels give plenty of room for your imagination to run around in. Selfishly I wanted the story to keep going, but at least I can add this to my collection of books to re-read. Thank goodness Faith is so prolific, so I won't have long to wait for a new book from her!

Thus ends my London Comic Shop Adventure. Sadly, I never made it to Forbidden Planet, but having gone to the one in New York City, I can say I've been, right? Oh well, I'll save it for the return journey. Because there WILL be a return journey to London. Oh yes, there will.

P.S. Can someone invite me to the Leeds Comic Arts Festival at some point??

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Londonness - Traveling on a Crazy Pants Diet

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Ah yes. The joys of traveling on a restricted diet.

I knew going into my London trip that this would be an issue, despite all the cool U.K. blogs I'd discovered dealing with my particular food issues (aka the FODMAPs way of life). And then, mere days before taking off, I threw caution to the wind and started taking a daily multi vitamin, which INSTANTLY made me sick until the day of the trip itself. Ah yes, to be at such a wonderful point where a vitamin will make me sick! Luckily my nutritionist came to the rescue at the very last minute and enabled me to get my hands on some of these sweet babies:

Ultimate Aloe powder packets. I'd already been hooked on the Aloe Juice, which was insanely amazing at getting rid of heartburn, nausea, the regular cocktail of stomach maladies I was used to dealing with. But thanks to this travel convenient form, I could safely take it along WITH me on my trip, leading to a much better stomach-on-the-go. Whew.

So since I mentioned yesterday some of the amazing restaurants we discovered right in our hometown for the week of Brixton, I was amazed to find out that several of them just happened to also be gluten-free. Woot! Okay, so one was a happy accident, and one I searched for.

Here's my list of some FODMAPs-friendly, gluten-free places we managed to find:

  • WAGfree - featuring breakfast sandwiches, baked goods, and sandwiches. I had a bacon-egg-toast thingie one day, and grabbed a giant loaf of bread with toasted pumpkin seeds on top another. Yum-MY. And even though I went to the one in Brixton, they popped up all over the place during our travels.
  • Brick Box- the first time I typed this as Brick Top...

    Such a wuvable gangster. Brick BOX was where I managed to find some gluten-free crepes that came in all varieties of sweet and savory. Also located in Brixton Village, and the staff was so friendly they let us squish in for seats next to a couple trying to have a private dinner. Ha HA, take that suckers! Romance can't compete with my gluten-free appetite! Looks like they have multiple venues as well.

  • The last place we hit up in Brixton was a vegan cupcake place called Ms. Cupcake. I didn't realize it also had gluten-free offerings until I wandered in and hit the motherload - bars, gummy bears, cookies, and a fine selection of gluten-free cupcakes. SCORE. I loaded up on snacks for the flight back but couldn't help but hork down a GF cupcake while I was at it.
  • While visiting the West End Theatre District, we turned the corner from the Leicester Square Underground Station and stumbled upon TONS of restaurants and eateries. Seeing Italian food, though, I figured to hell with it and surrendered. It wasn't until my traveling companion Heather shouted "GLUTEN FREE PIZZA AND PASTA!" before I realized my good fortune. We'd happened upon Bella Italia, and it was mighty tasty.
  • Also in/around the West End (or maybe not, I was a tourist after all), and further up near Convent Garden on our way to the British Museum, I'd scouted out a little out of the way place called Da Mario (SURPRISE! Also Italian. Which is part of why I love traveling with Heather - the girl will eat pizza with me anywhere.) It was super cute, the servers were really attentive and fast, and it was clearly THE place to go for lunch during the work week. We got a table before a regular patron could - who's in the know?? They also had a dumb waiter that brought food up from the kitchen to the dining room. Fantastic.
  • Last but certainly least was the Ebury Wine Bar, which took only about 2 hours on foot to find. It just so happens in some parts we were wandering through in London that there'd be 12 streets with the same first name of the street but with Avenue, Street, Square, Place, arbitrarily tacked onto the end. So since these were my fabulously detailed directions to the restaurant (the lower portion): So yeah ... me writing down "Ebury" sent us on a wild pub chase for quite some time. BUT! Here's the reason that Heather didn't kill me: on our way to the Ebury Wine Bar we passed many a fine establishment, one of which was called The Orange and full of hoppin' people enjoying great food and drink. So when we finally dragged our feet up to the Wine Bar and the host snubbed us, it wasn't too hard to decide where to go. I made sure to repeatedly remind Heather that if it wasn't for MY directions, we never would've stumbled upon The Orange (okay, and a zillion other places) in the first place. After enough wine she agreed with me. And The Orange, though not particularly gluten-free, was amazing and full of hot, happening people. (I'll dish more about that in the Pub Post!) So ... I'm not saying don't go to the Ebury Wine Bar. But if you do go and they're kind of rude ... there's a kick-ass pub right down the street.

And thus ends my discussion of the gluten-free eats I found that helped me keep to my diet for at least part of the time on my trip. What also helped? CHIPS! The savior of vegans and weirdo dieters alike.

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Londonness - Traveling on a Crazy Pants Diet

/

Ah yes. The joys of traveling on a restricted diet.

I knew going into my London trip that this would be an issue, despite all the cool U.K. blogs I'd discovered dealing with my particular food issues (aka the FODMAPs way of life). And then, mere days before taking off, I threw caution to the wind and started taking a daily multi vitamin, which INSTANTLY made me sick until the day of the trip itself. Ah yes, to be at such a wonderful point where a vitamin will make me sick! Luckily my nutritionist came to the rescue at the very last minute and enabled me to get my hands on some of these sweet babies:

Ultimate Aloe powder packets. I'd already been hooked on the Aloe Juice, which was insanely amazing at getting rid of heartburn, nausea, the regular cocktail of stomach maladies I was used to dealing with. But thanks to this travel convenient form, I could safely take it along WITH me on my trip, leading to a much better stomach-on-the-go. Whew.

So since I mentioned yesterday some of the amazing restaurants we discovered right in our hometown for the week of Brixton, I was amazed to find out that several of them just happened to also be gluten-free. Woot! Okay, so one was a happy accident, and one I searched for.

Here's my list of some FODMAPs-friendly, gluten-free places we managed to find:

  • WAGfree - featuring breakfast sandwiches, baked goods, and sandwiches. I had a bacon-egg-toast thingie one day, and grabbed a giant loaf of bread with toasted pumpkin seeds on top another. Yum-MY. And even though I went to the one in Brixton, they popped up all over the place during our travels.
  • Brick Box- the first time I typed this as Brick Top...

    Such a wuvable gangster. Brick BOX was where I managed to find some gluten-free crepes that came in all varieties of sweet and savory. Also located in Brixton Village, and the staff was so friendly they let us squish in for seats next to a couple trying to have a private dinner. Ha HA, take that suckers! Romance can't compete with my gluten-free appetite! Looks like they have multiple venues as well.

  • The last place we hit up in Brixton was a vegan cupcake place called Ms. Cupcake. I didn't realize it also had gluten-free offerings until I wandered in and hit the motherload - bars, gummy bears, cookies, and a fine selection of gluten-free cupcakes. SCORE. I loaded up on snacks for the flight back but couldn't help but hork down a GF cupcake while I was at it.
  • While visiting the West End Theatre District, we turned the corner from the Leicester Square Underground Station and stumbled upon TONS of restaurants and eateries. Seeing Italian food, though, I figured to hell with it and surrendered. It wasn't until my traveling companion Heather shouted "GLUTEN FREE PIZZA AND PASTA!" before I realized my good fortune. We'd happened upon Bella Italia, and it was mighty tasty.
  • Also in/around the West End (or maybe not, I was a tourist after all), and further up near Convent Garden on our way to the British Museum, I'd scouted out a little out of the way place called Da Mario (SURPRISE! Also Italian. Which is part of why I love traveling with Heather - the girl will eat pizza with me anywhere.) It was super cute, the servers were really attentive and fast, and it was clearly THE place to go for lunch during the work week. We got a table before a regular patron could - who's in the know?? They also had a dumb waiter that brought food up from the kitchen to the dining room. Fantastic.
  • Last but certainly least was the Ebury Wine Bar, which took only about 2 hours on foot to find. It just so happens in some parts we were wandering through in London that there'd be 12 streets with the same first name of the street but with Avenue, Street, Square, Place, arbitrarily tacked onto the end. So since these were my fabulously detailed directions to the restaurant (the lower portion): So yeah ... me writing down "Ebury" sent us on a wild pub chase for quite some time. BUT! Here's the reason that Heather didn't kill me: on our way to the Ebury Wine Bar we passed many a fine establishment, one of which was called The Orange and full of hoppin' people enjoying great food and drink. So when we finally dragged our feet up to the Wine Bar and the host snubbed us, it wasn't too hard to decide where to go. I made sure to repeatedly remind Heather that if it wasn't for MY directions, we never would've stumbled upon The Orange (okay, and a zillion other places) in the first place. After enough wine she agreed with me. And The Orange, though not particularly gluten-free, was amazing and full of hot, happening people. (I'll dish more about that in the Pub Post!) So ... I'm not saying don't go to the Ebury Wine Bar. But if you do go and they're kind of rude ... there's a kick-ass pub right down the street.

And thus ends my discussion of the gluten-free eats I found that helped me keep to my diet for at least part of the time on my trip. What also helped? CHIPS! The savior of vegans and weirdo dieters alike.

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Londonness - The Accidental Awesomeness of Brixton

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This week I'm going to ramble on a bit about my recent trip to London. Since I'd never been before (and neither had my travel partner), and we didn't do too much researching beforehand, it was an exciting land full of adventure to be had. Or, you could say I was just being lazy by not learning that much about it before embarking on our trip. ANYWAY.

One of the first things we did before leaving was check out cheap places to stay. Sure, we could've jumped around from place to place, in and around London, but we both agreed we'd prefer to be in one place for the entire stay and venture out from there. Our home base ended up being in Brixton, based on a super awesome place we found on AirBNB.

All I knew about Brixton going in was entirely based on Attack the Block, a fun movie about aliens attacking a neighborhood band of hoodlums. So, y'know, I was ready. When we arrived on a pleasantly overcast Friday morning, fresh from over 24 hours without sleep, we were thrilled to discover the Brixton Underground station to be just right around the corner from our new flat. Unfortunately, it was about 11:00am London time and we couldn't check in until 3:00pm. So we picked a street and dragged our luggage until we found a quaint coffee shop called Opus to plunk ourselves down in and siphon off some of their free wifi. We stayed long enough to discover there was a pub right across the street, and swapped our coffee cups for wine glasses.

The next day we decided to experience the Brixton Market, a large winding string of outdoor vendors of everything you could imagine. Lots of fish, lots of scarves, suitcases, even VHS tapes. More fish. We lingered under the false promises that a fashion show was about to happen, but when it was over an hour overdue we instead chose to go further into the thick of Brixton Market. We went through a secret passageway (okay, it was an archway called "Brixton Village") which took us into enclosed section. At first we assumed it was just an extension of the market but oh no, it included so much more! Tons of tiny boutiques and restaurants boasting local, gourmet meals, all tucked away into a winding series of aisles.

As soon as we knew it was there, it became a regular stop throughout our entire stay. Although I never got to the magical upper level of this one wine shop called "The Cheese Room" (WHAT COULD BE MORE MAGICAL??), we did nab breakfast at a charming gluten-free bakery called WAGfree, snag a much desired seat at the Brick Box restaurant (which had gluten-free crepes), and on our last night managed to get into the uber-popular sourdough pizza restaurant Franco Manca. All places had fast, friendly service and yummy food. Since our typical style of travelling was to wander down the wrong street and miss out on all cool things that happened to be one block over, we couldn't believe our luck at finding this happening area.

Across from Brixton Village, another restaurant that boasted a good mixture of happy hour cocktails and french-inspired food was the Market House. Unfortunately we only went here on our last day, but we did make sure to do it twice. A little up the street from there was The Prince pub, which had a great cheese plate and enough tables/chairs that on the jampacked weekend nights we could still be sure to find a seat. Our closest pub, which had 2 cats and boardgames (and therefore became our favorite) was Trinity Arms. It was small, cozy, and neighborhood-y enough to make us Yankee tourists feel welcome.

I just realized that I'm already mentioning a LOT of the pubs we went to, and this isn't even my pubs post! That's later in the week. Clearly, a lot of our "London Activities" involved just sitting around drinking in various places. Don't judge.

So if you want a friendly, hip, up-and-coming city in south London to visit, I couldn't recommend Brixton enough. Its citizens seem to care a lot about making Brixton better and better, and they've clearly already done a bang-up job.

Tune in tomorrow, when I go more into detail of trying to travel on a ridiculous diet, like the Low FODMAPs one I have!

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Vampire Saturation

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I've held off on watching True Blood for a while. At first I heard things like "this show is amazing! You gotta watch!" and then it quickly turned to "that show is crap" or "it's just a big dumb soap opera" to eventually "omg you have to watch because the men are so hot". So obviously, I became intrigued. As someone who's been too inundated with images of naked women romping about (Game of Thrones, even though I love you, give it a rest already), I figured it was fine time to get to see a show that celebrated the male form. The NUDE male form. Hence, True Blood.

But even though my initial impulse to watch wasn't necessarily noble, I quickly became interested in the story and fell in love with (most) of the characters. Lafayette, Tara, Sam, Jason, Alcide, Jessica, Eric, Andy, Pam .... just a few who are never predictable and every time you see them they add another notch of complexity. Much like Friday Night Lights, it's easy to pigeonhole these "types" before you get to know them, and then watch as they unfold into ever changing, unpredictable people.

Except for Sookie. Ugh. Can they do something with her, please?

Sure, I could tell on the series when they were throwing in obligatory Maenad sex parties or romps with fairies in the forest in order to boost ratings. Luckily the strength of the actors was enough to keep things interesting and flowing and not cringeworthy when the script suddenly made someone a little TOO over-the-top.

So I just want to thank you, True Blood, for all the seasons I recently binge-watched. As I mention in this post on my other blog, summer is not my favorite time and these cold-cheeked vamps have helped me get through another one.

Oh, and does Pam remind anyone else of Janice?

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I Prefer Awkward

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Recently my boyfriend and I celebrated our 5 year anniversary awkward-style: by going to a B&B.

For those of you not in the know, B&B's stand for Bed and Breakfast, and are the perfect culmination of everything you could find terrifying about going on a vacation. That, instead of going to a nice, private, secluded hotel where no one bothers you unless you ask them to, you go to stay with one of your relatives. A relative so distant that you don't know them at all, and you pad around their house and sleep in one of their beds and have them wait on you and serve you breakfast. Any small talk you manage to make is extremely forced, and you can't help but notice that each night they are sleeping under the same roof as you. Shoes must be worn at all times, especially when venturing out of your room (terrifying) in the middle of the night to get a glass of water or (horrors!) use the bathroom. Yes, you are paying to feel uncomfortable in someone else's home.

I've managed to survive many years of B&B's with just this simple mantra: Bring on the awkward. My parents introduced my brother and I to B&B's by throwing us headfirst into a series of them while we were vacationing in Scotland. I was 19, my brother was 22. We were completely foreign to the concept of inviting ourselves over to another family's house and forcing them to make room for us. In Scotland we experienced the full range - from a big B&B complete with unlimited, hotel-esque breakfast ... to the one place you could stay on a tiny island where "my mother's ancestors came from" and based on the icy welcome we received, my brother and I stayed up the whole night waiting to be stabbed. Luckily all the B&B's in between (we were there for a while and my parents liked to jump to a new place every night) were amazing, and the Scots proved to be incredibly warm, generous hosts.

But I digress. Here's why I've come to love B&B's:

  • It's just fun to get away. Yes, even if sometimes it's weird sneaking around someone else's house, it's fun to be a part of that house's history for a blip in time. Most B&B's I prefer are older and creekier, which adds to the fun.
  • I like thinking of them as haunted, as long as they're not actually being haunted. If there are more than a specific number of dolls around (i.e. one) you should probably rethink your stay. Just saying. Wood carved cherubs are okay though.
  • Some of them are suprisingly gorgeous, and worth any amount of time you feel obligated to hang out in the hallway and make small talk with your host. We once stayed at the 1890 Caroline House in Fredericksburg, VA and got our own private suite - complete with a HUGE tub, a fireplace spanning two rooms, and a comfy sitting room. Although, I have to admit, my favorite part was each morning when the hostess brought out a series of elaborate, lovely meals full of food my boyfriend didn't eat. Every time she left the room he'd hiss "TAKE THESE STRAWBERRIES!!", all panicky. Good times.
  • Embracing the local history of the place you're in, even if it's just up the road, is part of the point. And you get to be as cheesy exploring that place as you want - strap on the fanny pack, attach a cell phone to your belt.
  • Chatting with other couples/not making new friends. Remember when you're B&B'ing it, you have permission to not be yourself, and to say things you'd never normally say. "This crepe is divine!" "I can honestly say I love this wicker!" "Where did you find that statue of a boy peeing?" And by all means, be pleasant with the locals/hosts/other guests. Just ... y'know, remember when you get back home you might realize you really don't like talking about golf, and that was the one thing you had in common with that couple.

If I had to stress out about whether or not I'd feel comfortable at a particular B&B or naturally click with the host/ess, I'd never go! And I would've missed out on waking up one fine autumn morning, in the attic bedroom of a large old house, heading downstairs expecting breakfast and encountering instead ... PILES OF DOLLS.

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The Gilmore Void

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I LOVED Gilmore Girls.

Ever since my friend Amanda turned me on to it a few years ago, about 4 seasons into it already being on, I was hooked. Sure, at first I was put off by all the fast-talkin' (only because it reminded me of Dawson's Creek era teen dramas). And I was still holding a grudge from when a woman I worked with at my college's art office told me I looked like Lorelei Senior ("I look like a MOM??" I had no idea she was a really hot mom). But I was soon overcome with admiration for the cleverness of the script, the individuality of the characters, and above all an engrossing tv show that didn't have to center around nonstop drama. I mean, there was drama. But there was also lots of storylines involving junk food and movie marathons.

After Gilmore Girls slogged through it's last season (I say slogged because the network kicked off its chief writer and creator, Amy Sherman-Palladino for the last one and BOY could you tell the difference), I wondered what, if anything, could fill the GG void. Then I heard rumors of The Return of Jezebel James and got excited -- Parker Posey AND Claire from Six Feet Under AND the creator of Gilmore Girls?? Match made in amazeville! . . . So of course, Fox cancelled it.

In the meantime, it's been a bit depressing watching Lauren Graham on Parenthood, trying to pretend her character Sarah could ever be as powerful and independent as Lorelei. Of course she can't. She has to be weak and indecisive. Ho hum. Not to mention Rory being all shades of crazy on Mad Men. Ugh.

But now this week - exciting news that a NEW Amy S-P show had landed - Bunheads!

It premiered Monday night on ABC Family, but even though I don't have cable anymore ($200/month bills are not my bag), there's a free preview up at the ABC Fam site. I had one friend tell me they loved it, and one hated it, so I felt I had the right attitude going into it. Sutton Foster plays the lead character Michelle - a Vegas showgirl who, tired after having her latest dream crushed, decides on a whim to run off with the sweet man who's had a crush on her and brought her flowers on a consistent basis. She winds up in a quiet small town and discovers the town's only attraction, and a place where she might make a new life - a tiny dance studio.

I was warned going in that it could be considered Gilmore Girls Lite, featuring a lot of holdovers - small cute town, strong witty female lead, Kelly Bishop, Gypsy from the repair shop ... but honestly none of those similarities to GG bothered me. For one, this isn't a mother-daughter thing. Michelle is very much on her own and not looking to be a mother to any of the dance studio girls. Also, Kelly Bishop's role in this is far from Emily Gilmore, the wealthy WASPish Grandmother - in this she's probably truer to her real self - a boozy, sassy older woman who used to be a killer dancer. The only thing that I found repellant in the GG comparisons was ... the MUSIC. The "la la la" theme worked fine with GG, I got used to it. But for it to be in this too? Uh-uh, that's where I draw the line.

So anyway, I loved the pilot. I super loved Sutton Foster (and the fact that I recognized her from Flight of the Conchords) and I'm so thrilled Amy S-P is back on the scene, we need more media creators like her out there.

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