We just came back from the movie.  Saw it in a big theater.  We thought we'd be the only people there.  We were when we walked in.  I think there were a total of 10 people as the lights went down.

I liked it.  Mr. Spazzygirl loved it.  As some other LJers had noted ... there was some watch glancing.  That was me.  And yeah, the music (obviously indie stuff) did bother me.   However, Mr. Spazzygirl was surprised when it was over.  I think if a kid was 5 or under -- I wouldn't bring her. 

I do have to say I was surprised I liked it.  And that the Wild Things weren't as scary looking as I thought they'd be (which some of the Henson Shop characters have a way of being).

Tags: movie
Current Mood: satisfied

I even got there early today & it was *still* a bit of a zoo!

Not only was it the Canned Food Drive (of course I totally forgot to bring a donation - it would've just got me more sample imps -- I already have many, many); but as we were warned E! Television was there.  They were still busy interviewing Beth, so the doors didn't open until nearly 7:30 pm.  Some people actually wore their Halloween costumes.  Someone brought their 5-year old son -- dressed as Edward Scissorhands.  Adorable.

Of course with the screwy 'warm' weather we've still been having -- I decided to wear sandals, but wore my cord jacket & a light scarf too.  That was a good call for outside, though, yes, my feet were getting cold.  Then with the normal hordes in the tiny showroom *and* the TV lights ... I was overly warm.  And the problem with wearing the sandals inside the showroom was one of the many munchkins running around stomped on my foot.

I did not get to try everything I wanted to.  Already 15 minutes of the doors opening ... some of the sample bottles had already gone 'missing'.

-- EL DIA DE LOS REYES 2009 (Yule 2009):  Hot cocoa with cinnamon, coffee, and brown sugar.

Smelled quite chocolately in the bottle.  I do not know what the previous incarnation smelled like since I was not attuned to the world of perfume oils then.  On me ... chocolate at first ... then within 10 minutes ... cinnamon!  Lots of cinnamon!  Eh ... will have to stick with either Gelt (2008) or Velvet.

-- THE FIRST SOFT SNOW (Yule 2009):  Heavy drifts of snow blanketing winter's narcissus.

Didn't like.  Aquatic like + floral?

-- THE SMILIN' SERVITORS' HYPERDIMENSIONAL HOLIDAY HITS (Miskatonic Valley Yuletide Faire 2009):  A discordant scent, silvery and strange like a lunatic's tinsel garland: freesia, eucalyptus, and yuzu, with sicilian lemon, massoia, opoponax, night-blooming jasmine, white bergamot, and copaiba oleoresin.

Could not find.  Missing.  Will have to test next month.

-- PET MAGAH BIRD (Yule 2009):  A prism of scent, an explosion of multi-colored feathers: blood orange, black plum, sugar cane, guava, frangipani, coconut, pimento berry, violet, caramel, and pear.

Could not find.  Missing.  Will have to test next month.

-- COUNTESS WILLIE (The District):  Chocolate plum musk, red musk, amaretto, candied fruits, and red ginger.

Could not find.  Missing.  Will have to test next month.

-- JOSIE (The District):  Heady magnolia and honeyed peaches.

Oh dear ... smelled very heavily funereal floral.  Not for me.

-- PEACH MOON (Peach Moon 2009):  Dew-covered peach blossom, white tea, moonlit musk, night-blooming jasmine, ho wood, and chrysanthemum.

Could not find.  Missing.  Will have to test next month.

Purchases:
-- Miskatonic University (Picnic in Arkham): The scent of Irish coffee, dusty tomes and polished oakwood halls.
-- Zephyr (Bewitching Brews):   A gentle white scent, breezes laced with the scent of springtime blooms and citrus. Lemon, lemon verbena, neroli, white musk, white florals, white sandalwood, China musk, bergamot and a drop of vanilla.

I'm STILL really kicking myself for not getting extra bottles of Antique Lace last month before it was discontinued.

Tags: bpal
Current Mood: sleepy

I had gone to the mall to check out the Clinique gift/giveaway at Macy's -- I really like the 'apple bag' that's part of the gift/giveaway, but I didn't need enough stuff to qualify for the amount to get the gift, so I didn't end up getting anything.

It's an early weekday afternoon & I saw for once that there wasn't a zillion people at the M.A.C. counter -- so I cruised over for a look.  I have been down to my last tube of lipstick for awhile - Aura, a discontinued M.A.C. color.   When I had heard Aura was discontinued, I basically went around town & bought out whatever any M.A.C. counter had.

I didn't see anything resembling Aura in the plethora of M.A.C. lipsticks.  There was a very helpful salesgirl & I asked her, "You guys don't have anything like, this, do you?"  Handing her my tube of Aura.  She smiled & said, "Funny you should ask.  We just got our new fall colors in & I think there's something very similar."   She went and grabbed a tube called 'Our Pick'.  Hot damn.  Close enough.  Got 2 tubes.

She told me that once they sell out, that'll be it.  Hmmm ... once I get paid again ... it'll be M.A.C. shopping time to stock up! 

Tags: lipstick
Current Mood: ecstatic

There's a pretty damn good rainstorm.  It's been a looooong time since I remember it being cold (for SoCal) in *October* ... much less heavy rain.

I always think when looking at the September fashion magazines that if I choose to buy any of the 'new' fall looks -- it doesn't usually get remotely 'cold' enough to wear stuff like that until November ... sometimes ... December.

And as usual, with the first storm in *ages* here -- the storm drains are *already* becoming clogged & thus overflowing.  I haven't had to personally jump (or try to) over any flooded streets.  I did end up driving thru one -- turns out not too flooded ... this is the only time I ever wish I had some sort of 4-wheel drive.

Tags: rain
Current Mood: cold

A friend & I went to Pizzeria Mozza on Saturday (the pizza joint next door to the more swank restaurant -- both run by Nancy Silverton, Mario Batali and Joseph Bastinich).  As on my first visit, I ordered the funghi misti pizza.  Yum yum!!  And for my starter I decided I was in the mood for eggplant caponata.  That was *the best* I've ever had!!

Yesterday at the farmer's market, I bought a gorgeous eggplant from the 'root vegetable' stand.  Then beautiful onions from my fave organic farmer.  I started to go thru my recipes & cookbooks to see if I could find a caponata recipe that was similar, and wouldn't be too hard.  Then I decided to Goggle "eggplant caponata mozza".  Took me to the Food Network page & a recipe from Mario Batali -- that certainly looked like it (as the restaurant version had pinenuts -- normally I'm not a huge fan of pinenuts -- but the ones in the caponata were actually quite good).  Well, I seemed to have all the ingredients necessary (except the pinenuts).  Took me about 20 minutes (well, maybe a bit more -- that eggplant was bigger than I had thought & I do not move quickly with sharp objects).  Now I'm waiting for it to cool.

Tags: cooking
Current Mood: happy

Description on Blooddrop:  Imported Jamaican coffee beans, Madagascar vanilla, chai teas, Irish cream whiskey, frothy milk, chocolate syrup, Antilles spiced rum, and imported American oatmeal cream cookies for dunking.

Smells like coffee in the bottle.  After I put it on, it smelled very flowery & sorta medicinal along with the coffee.  As it's faded, it smells like a cross between Frau von Schinkelstein and this 'medicinal' scent.  I think the 'medicinal' smell I get might be from the spiced rum and the chai teas.

Oh boo ...  I guess it's back to Cafe Zazou.

Tags: blooddrop
Current Mood: tired

I went to BPAL's Little Lunacy earlier this afternoon.  There really wasn't anything new that I was interested in trying.  However, I was curious enough from other people's posts & comments to at least take a whiff of 'The Witch's Repast'.  The description of that is:  Kvass, honey-drizzled bread, roasted meat, and wine.

At first sniff -- I got the 'sweet' smell that many of BPAL's foody scents start with -- then on the second whiff I *totally* got the roasted meat, then a boozy marinade note.    If this was a real meal, it might have smelled appetizing.  However, as a 'perfume scent' -- I was a bit put off.  I only smelled from the bottle.  I had to be somewhere else afterwards & did not want a 'strange' scent wafting after me without being able to scrub it off.  

I vaguely remember at the last trunk show someone mentioned one of the old prototypes smelled like bacon or something ... but I didn't get a sniff.  And maybe that was for the best.  I find the idea intriguing, but I prefer my foody scents to smell 'sweet'.

Today's purchases:  Detestable Putrescence (melty vanilla ice cream!) and a bottle of Pumpkin V (Pumpkin, chocolate, coffee bean, vanilla bean and hazelnut).

Tags: bpal

Technically, fall is next Tuesday -- a week from tomorrow.  Obviously in SoCal, we don't get 'fall' like elsewhere in the country.  However, the last few days *have* cooled off enough for me to attempt to make soup today.  Needed to use up veggies before they went bad.  Then also while out grocery shopping for other stuff at Trader Joe's, grabbed a bag of cabbage on a whim.  So I ended up making cabbage soup.  Never made it before.   I am so proud of myself.

It was quite yummy.  Too bad you can't eat a ton of it in one sitting.

Tags: cooking, veggies
Current Mood: satisfied

I was invited as a guest (+1) to the Yelp Elite 'Sweet September' party today.    Desserts/chocolate provided by Essential Chocolate Desserts   www.essentialchocolate.com   and savories provided by Kitchen 12000    www.kitchen12000.com

OH MY ....

I tried to eat a hearty, plain breakfast -- oatmeal & some bread -- to 'prep' for all the sweets/ chocolate.    The *first* thing we ate after being let in -- the gourmet Ding Dongs.  I thought I had died and went to heaven.  My pal said my eyes were absolutely sparkling as I indulged.  We then spied savories & thought we should eat some of that before eating more sugar/chocolate -- everything was constantly replenished -- even towards the end when all attendees were sated -- they were *still* refilling all the desserts and savories.

What did we eat?
-- pastry cup with sesame encrusted seared (lightly) tuna and some sort of 'green' on top (which we were never able to figure out)
-- pastry cup with potato salad topped with carmelized maui onions
-- pork belly skewer
-- tri-tip skewer
-- pulled pork appetizer
-- pizza 'shooter'
-- fresh plaintain chips with sweet mango chutney
-- aforementioned gourmet Ding Dongs (let's just say I had more than one)
-- dipped Rice Krispie treats on a skewer
-- cupcakes (chocolate or blue velvet -- they were the size of niece, Princess K's head)
-- XL dark chocolate -- bon bon filled with strawberry flavor, whipped cream & mushed up chocolate cake
-- choice of tall glass of 2% milk or chocolate milk

What didn't we eat/have (because we were too damn full)?     Hummus (various flavors), bean dips (various), steak skewer, white chocolate & milk chocolate candies, brownies, cheesecake desserts, various 'candy' alcoholic drinks (I passed because I no longer drink; anyway *I* was driving).

All attendees left with a package of Essential Chocolate cookies (2 large).  However I gave these to hubby since I couldn't tell if they had nuts in them.  My pal, as the Elite guest, got a goody bag.  Yelp actually made up custom metal lunchboxes, which had a thermos inside!  I ended up with this as my friend is moving in a few months & is trying to get rid of stuff, not collect more.  I also ended up with a bag of Jelly Bellys and 2 bags of 'something' from Kitchen 12000 -- there's part of a dried chanterelle mushroom, dried oregano, a smaller bag of salt and a *syringe* of I'm not sure what -- olive oil?   She kept the small reusable bag (good lunch sack size) that all the stuff (except for the lunchbox) came in; and a Goji berry/pomegranate bar.

Afterwards we went to my favorite food/kitchen supply store -- Surfas for a minor field trip.   A fun day was had by all...

Tags: chocolate, dessert, food, party
Current Mood: ecstatic

The Space Shuttle just landed.

Good thing I was already home & was watching the news & was *warned* of the impending sonic boom.  They said there would be 2 booms, but they followed one another very closely.  My heart skipped a bit -- but I was o.k. since I knew what it was.  Phone immediately rang afterwards -- hubby was checking to make sure I was o.k. & knew what it was.

The loudness of the sonic boom is amazing -- since Edwards Air Force Base is 86 miles away.