Friday, December 28, 2012

little ones

I do not want kids. Ever. Just putting that out there. I do happen to have 2 nephews. One I am comfortable with:


The other one, is newer, and I don't really know him at all. He doesn't know me either. The only picture I have of him is from 2 years ago:


I have no excuse. They practically live down the street. I keep telling myself that I will serve a purpose to them one day. It is just not now. I don't care about their rambles of bullshit. Yet. Heartless, I am.

'Tis the season, though. I have been looking for gifts for them. Gifts that they will receive from some lady that they call Aunt but don't know who, or what, she is really. It's hard.

Plus, I don't have any $$. Rent is being paid later and later-kind of poor. Makes things like this:

not possible:( Or this even:


Seriously. $87 for a children's book? Ok. It is illustrated by the great Paul Rand (who BTW was a mentor to my high school sweetheart's mother).

Who's Paul Rand? Um...


Not a bad person to teach you graphic design, right?

During this whole shopping for nephew thing, I really just found myself asking, 'What do kids really need anyway?' They have grandparents buying them noisy toys and movies. I guess I could make them my own book that has Auntie coupons. Like lunch with Auntie Adarae. Call xxx-xxxx to redeem. I have a feeling my phone would never ring. Hmm.

My mother beat me to this one:


Amazing.

I sort of compromised and got this for the younger one:


Still Paul Rand (pushing for an artistically creative kid here) and it visually goes with what I got his parents:


Then I thought I'd be obnoxious and get something for the older one that I can predict the look on his face when he opens it. It will say, "Really Auntie? What the heck am I gonna do with this?" 


He will be a classy man someday, if he knows how to write in cursive. I mean, I know that there will come a time where pens and things will be discontinued. I'm sure my mother will save some for him. He'll be the cool dude that has all these old things that none of the other kids have!! Mission accomplished!

Happy Holidaze!

Monday, November 5, 2012

i added this little thing here------------->

It is called PAGE O' DREAMS and it is silly. It is under the right column over there-------> under the 'Find Adarae Here' list. Whenever I find something that I like, I put it here. Instead of writing a dumb post about it. So, it is my own form of lame, I'm too lazy to post anything, posts.



Monday, October 29, 2012

to keep my loved one...

...warm. So below:


is a jacket from this past Winter. Which is when I started to write this post. For reals. It was during that weird time where Spring was supposed to be happening but wasn't. There was all this warm weather. Then cold weather. So, it seemed ridiculous that I was searching for warm jackets for Ely James but the darn weather was so confusing that he tore his jacket up. Literally. He tore his jacket into pieces thinking that he didn't need it anymore. I wish I had some pictures of what it used to look like. It was worn out and covered in safety pins to fix holes. He even had the elbow patched with a bandana. Ely James loves his bandanas.

In our hood, bandanas (or handkerchiefs) can be a dangerous accessory. When Ely James first moved in with me, he got schooled by a local teenager that told him to be careful about the bandanas he wears. You know, cause of that Snoop Dog song about crips (or do I show respect? Crips, I meant) and the left side and stuff.

Ely James wears his bandanas on his right side. Ok? After getting this lesson from the kid on the block, he took to wearing an American flag bandana. As a joke. Sort of. Although, this American "pride" could get him in bigger trouble, perhaps.

I couldn't help but look into this bandana business further, of course. As most things that have become fashionable, there was once a true purpose to the item. Obvi, a bandana was for protection from the elements-during the Cowboy and Indian days. Here is the most thorough thing you will ever read about what cowboys may or may not have worn.


Apparently, during the Gold Rush there were just a bunch of men hanging around out there. Men still like to cut it loose and dance, even if there are no ladies around! I found on wikipedia that the man with the red bandana was the female role at the sqaure dances. This turned into a big gay thing, I guess.


Certain colors now mean certain things-or that you, the wearer like certain things done. So, to be honest, those Bloods and Crips are dirty kinky bastards and they're into fisting and anal sex. Wow.

This all became gang related due to the system. The prison system-back in the 70's. I read that prisoners in California were given bandanas as part of their uniform. They had no idea what they started-the system. A new prisoner was given a choice. A blue hankie or a red hankie. I can't believe there was even an option. For anything. "Do you want a red hankie or a blue hankie?" asked of the man in jail for murdering his mother. "Your friend over there picked the red one and that guy, that you hate cause he banged your sister, picked the blue. What's it gonna be?" What dolts.

Back to Ely James and his ripped up leather jacket. He took a piece of it and wears it like this:





Now, can he wipe his nose with it? Not so much but, it looks hot and no little punk shithead can give him any trouble for it!

Monday, October 22, 2012

cape maker

Speaking of capes and dreams, I saw this:


 the other day and it reminded me of this thing that I have hanging in my closet. And more of it stuffed in a box somewhere.

I have a love for capes. I can never find them the way that I want them-almost exactly like the one above. I had dreams of starting a cape business. Simple capes made from amazing vintage blankets. Now don't go stealing my idea. Oh. That has been done before? Damn it.

I had a boss who made clothes so, she asked, "Why don't you just make it?"

So, I tried. Actually, she tried. No no. It was more of a collaboration. I brought the ideas and the material: a beloved vintage blanket. A beloved, moth eaten and very stained but beautiful blanket. We talked about it and then we forgot about it. We got busy. Shit happens. Then one day, I came into work and found this:





So close to exactly everything that I wanted. I remember being bummed about how little thought seemed to have been put into where the original stains and holes were. I would have tried to hide that shit. Maybe, she did not realize that I was hoping to wear this thing and not have it just be a sample.

Then we got serious. A pattern was made. Fabric was bought-not just a vintage blanket. Real fabric. My first time at Mood alone and thinking about something I wanted to make.

The next attempt:








Reversible. Duh. Still, not right. I think the arms are too long. I'm a tall bird but even on me, my hands are hard to find under all that wool.

I should experiment with actual cape patterns instead of trying to make my own. Next time, I could maybe use this:


 Oh wait. I have to re-learn how to sew. Fuck.

Thursday, October 18, 2012

out of the ordinary


I hardly ever just take something from somewhere and repost. This just had to be done. Found via Pardon Me For Asking

Monday, October 15, 2012

stunning





An actual Patou cape. I know what I was searching this time. Capes. Stunning.

This too has a removable funnal collar. I must like these things or something.

Monday, October 1, 2012

carjacking

I don't have a car but, if I did, I'm sure I would find this ridiculous thing useful:



Weird. Where do I find this shit? I don't even know. I have saved blog posts from ages ago and there is no system of keeping track of what I was even searching for at the time of finding anything.

Oh, and just to know, if I had a car now-it would be this:


Just sayin'. Maybe it would fit Ely James' drum kit. Maybe not.

Not far off from the car I dreamed of in high school, actually:


Amazing how one's taste does not change. I guess that makes me boring? Predictable? Oh well.

Reading the wiki page about the Corrado, it says that it was conceived to be the successor of the Porsche 944.


It's all starting to make sense. I am seeing the pattern. Here is the car I ended up with in high school:


My mother gave it away right after I finished college. I can't blame her. I had moved to Queens-where I really did not need it and it just sat in her parking lot.

I do miss her though. The car. Not my mom. Well, I miss my mom but only because I'm lazy and never leave the city to see her. Her name was Sydney. Again, the car. Not my mom. Named after the red headed crazy bitch from Melrose Place. Seemed appropriate.

Wonder where she is now. The car. Not Sydney from Melrose Place.

Monday, September 24, 2012

hey, it's only 600 euros

I think I would move to Amsterdam to try and work for this company just so that I can get an employee's discount for this jacket.




That is all.

Monday, July 23, 2012

overwhelming enough on land

I remember going to see a Franz Ferdinand show in Williamsburg many many years ago. I stood in line to enter a huge space that was called Volume on North 13th Street. I went with my sister. The minute we walked in she grabbed my arm and told me we were staying right there-by the door. "There are only 2 exits!" she informed me.

I have never been comfortable at a show since. The thoughts of fires, stampedes and such consume me every time. I had never even thought about it until that fateful show with my sister. Funny thing is, that venue closed-for that very reason. Exits. Not enough of them. Damn, my sister's smart.

So this:


...is making my stomach churn. The wonders of Coachella will now be taken to the sea. You and +2500 other music revelers can be stuck on a boat in the middle of the ocean together. Well, it's not really the middle of the ocean. It is only going a day or two out from Florida.

I have never, in my entire life, ever wanted to take a cruise. For fun. So dumb. Boats are for transporting. Like trains, plains and automobiles. I would take a boat from here to Spain or something, if it were the cheaper option and I had all the time in the world.

I don't love boats. Or water. Or bridges, for that matter. Boats do this:


And this:


Plus, who could forget this:


Did you know that throwing a whole bunch of dirty people on a boat can spread sickness? No? Well, it can. The most hilarious news article title. "Sickness puts the ooze in cruise." Think about it. A whole boat full of people drinking. A lot. How much shit can a boat contain? Seriously.


Ew.

Let's just break down the potential cost of possible sickness and sinking. Mm'ok?

Total cost for 3 day cruise to Bahamas
  • Airfare from NYC to Ft. Lauderdale Jet Blue round trip (as of 7/21/12) $300 
  • Room to share with 3 other idiots (bunk beds??) $500
  • Service fee (this includes gratuity tips) $200
  • Drinks for me (if say, 12 hours a day of drinking, I drink a beer an hour and the beers are $7) $250
  • Drinks for Ely James (he says he would drink 3 beers an hour!) $756
$1250 for me. $1756 for Ely James. $3000 for us both to go together and be stuck on a boat. With drum circles and shit. Funding a right wing organization.

Our 2010 trip to Coachella
  • Round trip airfare for 2  from NYC to Palm Springs with convertible car included: $800
  • Coachella VIP passes (thank you ohmyrockness) FREE!!
  • Camping for 2 inside the Coachella campgrounds: $110
  • Two nights at the ACE hotel, newly opened: $178
  • Drinks (only had about 10 each of their $7 heinekens in the course of 3 days but drank plenty of margaritas at Las Casuelas) ???
  • Having the freedom (sort of) to come and go as we pleased: fucking priceless

Maybe $1200 total for the both of us. Plus it looked like this:











Through researching for this post-I found that there are tons of these cruises.



Rock Legends Cruise


Finally, the only cruise that I actually knew existed before delving into all this.



Just imagine it. A whole boat full of NKOTB fans. Looks something crazy eyed like this:


Ahhhhhhhh!!!!

I wonder who will guess the correct numbers, onboard the SS Coachella, for the following events:

  • falling off the boat
  • getting kicked off the boat (by authorities)
  • getting kicked off the boat (by an angry person)
  • getting gastronomial whatever
  • overdosing
  • sneaking in an under aged child
  • sneaking in a pet (snakes on a boat?!!)
  • bottle cuts (or is it a glass free zone?)
  • sexual conquests
  • cigarette butts consumed
  • etc. etc. etc.