Browsing Tag

cooking

books, crafting, miscellany, music

Admired, Inspired 06.20.12

Admired, Inspired is a roundup of a bunch of my favorite links. Enjoy!

  • Anyone who listens to music needs to read David Lowery’s Letter to Emily White at NPR All Songs Considered. It’s far more than just a response; Lowery has crafted an incredibly informative treatise on the music industry as it stands today. Emphasis is my own:

    The fundamental shift in principals and morality is about who gets to control and exploit the work of an artist. The accepted norm for hudreds of years of western civilization is the artist exclusively has the right to exploit and control his/her work for a period of time… By allowing the artist to treat his/her work as actual property, the artist can decide how to monetize his or her work. This system has worked very well for fans and artists. Now we are being asked to undo this not because we think this is a bad or unfair way to compensate artists but simply because it is technologically possible for corporations or individuals to exploit artists work without their permission on a massive scale and globally. We are being asked to continue to let these companies violate the law without being punished or prosecuted. We are being asked to change our morality and principals to match what I think are immoral and unethical business models.

  • From the always fantastic Seth Godin, who constantly helps navigate through changing tides of creation and consumerism: Amplify the positive outliers.
  • Not just for creatives, but for anyone who wants to just try something new, Leo Babauta answers the inevitable question: “Where in the world do I start?
  • I’m hesitant to add on another knitting project to my plate, but the items in the Knit Red: Stitching for Women’s Heart Health are not only beautiful, but also for an important cause.
  • Jillian Tamaki’s embroidered book covers are amazing. (via Design Love Fest)
  • New favorite blog discovery! I came across The House Vintage after Catherine linked to her interview with them. I’m so enamored! I love that their features and interviews dig into personal choices and philosophies beyond the visual aesthetics of fashion and style.
  • While I’m ashamed to admit that I haven’t been keeping up with the show for quite some time, this interview with Maurice LaMarche, voice actor extraordinaire (Orson Welles! The Brain! Mr. Freeze! Kif!), makes me excited for tonight’s Futurama season premiere!

    Our writing gets richer. As our writers come into a more mature age, they’re exploring deeper themes, because that’s what happens to us when we get old. When we started, all our writers were in their 30s. Now, they’re in their late 40s. Some of them are in their early 50s. This show was a little more joke-driven, gag-driven. Now, we’re exploring things like father-son relationships, what it means to love, what is God. You know, comedy.

  • Over the weekend, I tried to make these Chocolate Swirl Buns from Smitten Kitchen… “tried” being the operative word. Long story short, I need to stop making major substitutions on my first attempt at a recipe. Note to self: baking is a science. Measurements exist for a reason. The end result was still quite delicious though!
miscellany

Sense Memory

I wish my brain was more photographically inclined. While I do have visual tendencies, those are more geared towards graphic design and photo manipulation; when it comes to real life I don’t usually frame my field of vision into something aesthetically pleasing. But I’m trying.

You may notice that these are definitely not instagram photos; I don’t have an iPhone (which I don’t mind!) so these are shot with the Retro Camera app. I love the “hipsteroku” camera filter!

No 'Haven' on my TV leads to making pancakes.

Cocoa choco-chip cookie cake. So tasty!

Started last weekend cooking and baking. As mentioned, I’ve been missing Haven and to make up for it I made pancakes, which one of my favorite characters loves. My love for television and characters knows no bounds, as this is certainly not the first time I’ve done this. ;) In any case, this recipe is the only one I use, with no modifications, save for a dash of cinnamon.

The alliterative dish on the other hand is modified from the Original Nestlé Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe. Substituting the all-purpose flour for wheat flour and using 1/4 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder to coat the chocolate chips will create a denser consistency and a richer flavor as well. Recommend using a stand mixer for the most part and then a really (really really!) sturdy wooden spoon and a strong arm to stir everything together. I stopped using the mixer because I didn’t want to break the attachments!

Outdoor seating areas on my campus can be pretty.

Same can apply to the shrubbery.

Domesticity aside, the weather this week went from rainy to windy with less than two days of sun and then back to gloom. When it’s not cold and/or damp, this is a nice quiet spot on campus to get some reading done. Hmm… I must have not been reading something terribly engaging, as I took a long enough break to shoot these. ;)

Northstar's "Pollyanna" on vinyl is just an fantastic as I could have ever dreamt.

The lyric sheet is beautiful and the paper feels so nice too! lol

While I was writing last week’s Sunday Sounds I found out that the album was on vinyl and promptly ordered it right away. Though my ears aren’t as acutely attuned to consider myself a true audiophile, conceptual placebo or not, there’s something about hearing this on vinyl that makes me so happy. I also want to mention that the lyric sheet is a lot less orange than the camera filter has made it.

Radiant Moisturizing Lipstick in Poppy.

Radiant Moisturizing Lipstick in Park Avenue.

Finally, I took advantage of the 2-for-1 discount Radiant Cosmetics had for Valentine’s Day and my order arrived yesterday! I don’t really wear much makeup to begin with, but I’ve been itching to get more grown up and girly. Ever since I read Elsie and Emma’s post about this brand I fell in love with the fact that Radiant makes an effort to bring social awareness to their business. Not only do they provide information and links to resources on the issue of human trafficking but they also donate a portion of their proceeds to a non-profit. The lipsticks themselves are really well pigmented and indeed moisturizing! My pictures don’t really do the colors justice, but the ‘Poppy’ is beautifully bright and while I was worried ‘Park Avenue’ might be too dark, it’s really gorgeous and rich; it’s my favorite amongst the two. And no, it’s not just because it almost-sorta matches my nails, which, if you’re wondering, is Essie’s “Size Matters”.

What have been your favorite memories of the week? I hope everyone had a great Valentine’s Day!