Graduation

I graduated on Friday. Holy cow the epic era of art school is over.

Mom flew out and we had a really good time. We toured Chinatown and my lovely sweet handsome gentleman friend took us to the academy of sciences night life. It was amazing. I'll post pictures soon.

I've been freaking out a bit lately, well, a lot. I'm afraid. Now I just have to grow up right?

Today was the homebrew club picnic and I took mom to the airport then got caught in the worlds worst traffic.. Uuugghhh... But my handsome man was waiting with mountains of food and beer :3 I'm a lucky girl!!

Moto G and Birthdays

Ok, so as you may remember from other ranting, I had to upgrade from my old trusty iPhone 4, and decided to get a Moto G from motorola. I like it, quite a bit actually, except for one thing, the screen goes BATSHIT CRAZY sometimes. Its like a ghost is tapping on the right side of my screen blindly, and it opens apps, dials my mother and Handsome Gentleman Friend and sends one letter texts and basically tries to kill itself. Lucky for me I keep the boxes for everything because Im a hoarder and so its getting mailed back and i get a new one under warranty. Until then Im sorry if I accidentally call you and or text you gibberish.

This weekend was my handsome sexy amazing man's birthday! (happy birthday Handsome). Saturday we had a great party, with a small but amazing group who brought more food and drinks then we could have ever asked for. We talked and laughed and had a good time, and Handsome drank 4 Liters of beer (a liter less then last year mind you). We had a great time. Also I made Scotch Eggs and Brownies, and if you never have made either of those then I recommend you do that. now.

Yesterday was his actual birthday but his girlfriend is a broke bitch so she couldn't do anything spectacular. We did go over to Berkeley to a new brewery Field Work, which is a cool little place who happened to be having a donut and beer pairing. Their New Orleans coffee stout is delightful!! After that we had some fast Chinese at Chef's then headed back to his place to hang out in our underpants and watch movies. One of the great movies we watched was for my italian class, called Demons. Its a 1980's horror movie, so if your into that sort of thing, make sure this is on your list!! Its about a group of people who go to a free movie, get locked in the theater and get killed and possessed by demons. the special effects are pretty awesome, and while there is some gore its 1980's gore... so i only covered my eyes like 4 times.

I feel guilty because Handsome is really amazing and so good to me, and Im not in a position to do the same. I mean, i am damned good to him sure, lol but he whisks me away on trips and pays my phone bill and all i can do is make him some art and some lunch with stuff he bought. soon. soon i wanna make enough to help out the people  love. 

Wildebeest Go!

Allow me to convolute and confuse this story. I bought a Wildebeest. Not a real Wildebeest, but a plastic one. Im having a naming contest now, so if you have any ideas post below! Anywho, why did I buy a Wildebeest? Well, as people should know by now, San Francisco is firkin expensive. it is currently the most expensive place to live in the US. Downtown here in SF, there is (for now) a FANTASTIC toy store on market street called Jeffry's. Jeffry's Toys is like the toy stow you see in the movies, plashes and puzzles and stacks of dinosaurs, the best. But sadly all good things must end. After 40 years of being an SF institution, their rent has been raised to $40k a month. Thats right, FOURTY THOUSAND DOLLARS. Monthly. So they have decided its just not worth it and will be closing their doors at the end of the month. 

This is devastating for me. Sadly i didn't have the opportunity to grow up with them, but since moving to the city this is a place i bring out of town friends, go when I'm down, and play with the dinosaurs and plashes and read comics and generally be a nuisance to the poor sales people. and this little oasis in a sea of hipster beards, $6 coffee and artesianal toast bars is leaving. The only ray of sunshine in this typhoon is.. every things 30% off. 

So I went by to see how things were. As of now the store is pretty well stocked, it will be weird watching it till its end of days become empty as its such a full store, every shelf packed. I walked by the plastic animal rack, looking honestly for dinosaurs and things like that when i saw a row of Wildebeest. Most of the 4 inch plastic animals are about $6-10 depending but all of these guys were marked $2.50, which means their under the $2 mark with the 30% off. Perfect time to pick up a new travel companion. So i bought a wildebeest! He (actually I just looked up the toy, its a female apparently!) so SHE has her own blog:

Wildebeest Go!

Be sure to add it to your insane tumblr feed. Im trying to get the hang of tumblr but its so fast paced and add and I just don't have the patience or the time to check every 45 minutes to keep up with the insane tumbling... but maybe Wildebeest will. 

I missed blogging, and Im glad Im back to it. Lets see if I can keep it up  more then once a month... Also on that note, one of my favorite bloggers is back, Rachele of the late Near Sighted Owl has a new blog Lady Bits And I'm so happy because i love her writing. Also for a more realistic update schedule of my happenings check out Handsome Gentleman Friends Blog. He's way better at updates then I am, plus he takes care of the brew blog Terrible Lizard.  

Adults and Stuffed Animals

Anyone who knows me at all find out quickly, I LOVE TOYS. Like will be in my house alone playing with my ponies. I have almost all of my childhood stuffed animals, because the thought of them ending up unloved in a thrift shop kills me. Mostly Im a functional adult, who pays her bills (unless im outta money? who hasnt been there...) Is finishing an intensive BFA program and trying to launch a small business. But at night, when Im not with Handsome Gentleman Friend, I sleep with my bear. His name is Binky. I have had Bink since I was 2, when my old bear, Buddy, went missing on a shopping trip. I have a memory of a kid running up and ripping him out of my hands, but no one can corroborate so I could be one of those made up memories... At any rate my poor mother tried everything to get him back, even took out a want add. A carbon copy of Buddy was purchased which I rejected, he was an impostor! He lives with my mom currently, his name is Theodore and we have come to terms that he isnt an actual impostor, but I digress. Binky I pick out myself, and I remember, some large department store, rows of plushies and bins, and I found Binky. We were meant to be.He came with his name, a little tag on his ear my parents read to me. After that we were inseparable.

Bink has gone just about everywhere with me.As a kid he came on sleep overs and to my grandparents and Aunts houses, to school sometimes even. I remember when I had a sleep over and realized I would be the only one with a security bear and had to hide him in the toy box and was miserable the whole night, and felt so guilty. He was the leader of my toys, and had to live in the commons? But we all survived. Once I accidently left him on some train tracks for an entire night. We were at my dads indie auto shop, which had train tracks running behind it. My sister Tess and I were playing (yes on the tracks, oh the 90's) and it wasnt until we got home I realized Binky wasn't with me. I cried to much, and my loving father told me stories about him being hit by trains and devoured by raccoon's and coyotes. Miraculously the next day he was out on the tracks, with that smell fabric gets when toasted by the sun. Turns out the train tracks there were no longer in used, hence why we were allowed to play on them, and you thought my dad was negligent! Well, he was just not about that.

What brought all of this up? Well, I still sleep with Bink as I mentioned before. I turn 30 in 2 months and I sleep with my bear. Not every night, but sometimes I need someone to squeeze and GF is not there. This is normal but the other night GF and I crashed at my abode for the first time in a long time. My house is kind of inconvenient for alot of the stuff we do on weekends so were not there alot. Anywho, I moved Bink to the dresser where he resides when he isnt on my pillow or in my arms and my handsome man and I dozed off to sleep. The next morning I woke up, with GF wrapped around me in warm embrace. I realized I was wrapped around another man though...Binky! I had apparently reachout up and grabbed him in the night but have no recollection of this. GF smiled and didnt make fun of me when he realized his grown ass girlfriend was sleeping with her bear. (He is well aware of Bink, I brought him up early in the relationship because love me love my bear.. and my cats.. and my fish.. and..) This was weird for me though, but I chalked it up to a few beers and not feeling great the day before.

Then yesterday I fell down a rabbit hole of the internet as Im prone to doing. I found this great article by a gal named Daisy here:

http://www.xojane.com/family/Realms-of-Gold-Stuffed-Animal-Hospital

Its such a sweet story and something many of us Plushie owners have had to contend with. So I follwed the links from the articles to Realms of Gold's Website, then Dr. Beths Blog...

http://doctorbeth.tumblr.com/

After spending half a day reading stories I stumbled across some pictures of a bear that looks JUST LIKE BINKY. It came with a video, which i started watching and realized was RIDICULOUS. It had a slow version of "I would walk 5000 miles" and I paused it and started showing it to GF in hopes of some good laughs when... the tears started. I have no idea why, or where they came from. But by the end of the video I was a mess. Handsom who was laughing and joking stopped and was geniunly concerned. His girlfriend was loosing her shit over a video of a bear being reconstructed. Im tearing up now thinking about it. The idea of anything bad happening to my bear is the worst thing in the world. Literally the worst thing that could ever happen to me would be loosing my bear. He's been with me through Tough times, good times, moving and moving and moving and moving and moving out and detroit, evictions, couch stays, long trips, everything. I will cry more for his passing them many members of my own family for one simple reason, he was there when they weren't.

So this is my confession. I love my bear. No shame! Plushie owners unite!!

Pictures from Handsome return from New Orleans on Valentines Day surprising me with gifts in an arrangement with my best friend

Adventure and Life

So much has been going on my brain might explode from joy. Things are going really well here! Handsome Gentleman Friend and I have been adventuring like no ones business, including a rip to Utah, the Northern California Homebrewers Festival (of which i won the logo competition, look out!), winning a metric shitton of beer awards at the Napa Town and Country Fair, and even more... Check out the Dr. Mookie Love Jr blog and Terrible Lizard Brewing Blogs for GF's updates as he is more on top of these things then I am anymore.

School has started. If you follow my instagram (untidyvenus) you've seen some of my class projects, and the Don't Eat the Charcoal Blog Im trying to keep up with my works. Im taking 5 classes this semester, and the government revoked my Pell grant because i made to much.... I would have to double my income to hit the poverty line, but i made to much money this year? Oh well. My wonderful family is helping me out, and my goal is to not let them down. this is my crippling fear...

The pets are good. Castor and Pickles are the usual destructive dicks they usually are, and my little betta gal Goldie Hann is doing awesome. She's just soooo happy! I love betta's. The container garden is also in full production. The squirrel ate my potato plant, so i dug them up and from one baking potato i got a bucket of fingerlings. Its really exciting for me! I think its about time to harvest the sweet potato and the red potato too, as the leaves are turning yellow. The tomatoes are still going, soooo many cherry tomatoes! Its awesome. I also have been planting and harvesting radishes about monthly and their delightful. Both squash have little squash on them, but i think they need some fertilizer. and Lastly there are a bunch of Garlics going, yay for spring garlics!!

So I haven't posted this apparently, but Cooper and Hale Bop both passed over the rainbow bridge. they will both be missed, and i miss them both.

so ya! A bunch of pictures need to be processed and posted...

Cheers

How to- Chocolate Stoup Cupcakes

So... Still working on Alaska pictures.. but I have a recipe that will satiate you till they come! How about Chocolate Stout Cupcakes? I was asked by the Handsome Gentleman Friend to make these cupcakes for this work. So yesterday I spent most of the day in the kitchen. I really love baking. especially when it involves cupcakes and mini cupcakes.

So this is the recipe that was sent to me... It was SUPPOSED to be for 2 dozen.. turns out its for 4 dozen... so i made 2 dozen regular cupcakes and 4 dozen minis, because who doesn't love mini muffin tins? Also watch out for Joannes Coupons because they have the CUUUUUTEST cupcake liners, and you can get 75-100 for $1.90 out the door.

Chocolate Stout Cake

Cake

• 2 cups stout (such as Guinness, I used out Choconut Stout homebrew)
• 2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder

• 4 cups all purpose flour

• 4 cups sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 4 large eggs
• 1 1/3 cups sour cream

Icing

• 2 cups whipping cream
• 1 pound bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped

Preparation

For cake:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter three 8-inch round cake pans with 2-inch-high sides. Line with parchment paper. For Cupcakes prep tins with liners

Butter paper. Bring 2 cups stout and 2 cups butter to simmer in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add cocoa powder and whisk until mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.

Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt in large bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat eggs and sour cream in another large bowl to blend. Add stout-chocolate mixture to egg mixture and beat just to combine. Add flour mixture and beat briefly on slow speed. Using rubber spatula, fold batter until completely combined. Divide batter equally among prepared pans.

Bake cakes until tester inserted into center of cakes comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Transfer cakes to rack; cool 10 minutes. Turn cakes out onto rack and cool completely.

For full sized cupcakes bake 18-20 minutes and mini cupcakes bake 9-12

For icing:
Bring cream to simmer in heavy medium saucepan. Remove from heat. Add chopped chocolate and whisk until melted and smooth. Refrigerate until icing is spreadable, stirring frequently, about 2 hours.

Place 1 cake layer on plate. Spread 2/3 cup icing over. Top with second cake layer. Spread 2/3 cup icing over. Top with third cake layer. Spread remaining icing over top and sides of cake.

I didn't wait for it to cool completely, and ended up dipping the tops of the cakes in it. they came out looking REALLY nice, but i have a ton of frosting left

Birthday Joy and San Mateo County Fair!

So Alaska pictures are still being processed...ya Im slow.This week has been insane..I though summer was supposed to slow down, be easy and fun...So before all the joy, heres some angry rant.

Upon my return i learned my horrible job and my horrible union were locked in a pissing match of Jean Claude proportions. so first we were gunna have a vote on strike, which ment the managers ran around like idiots harrassing everyone. We got letters from the GM of both buildings saying he would fire us, and essentially kill our families and piss on our ashes (in a corporate way). then my manager made sure to max out my time off pay while i was gone so now i have none... even though i planned it so i would save some. This also ment my next paycheck was... $71. uuugghhh.... Anywho then another creepy ass manager from a lower floor took pictures of my with his phone in the LOCKER ROOM. There were like 30 people there but now their all saying they didnt see it even though we all did. I decided I was going to over react and fight this as sexual harrasment... but now i have had panic attacks at work and am thinking.. Im not over reacting, apparently this is really freaking me out. I had to leave work yesterday (not making for good paychecks...) and am job hunting as we speak. (what if your manager reads this? wont you be fired? if anyone is really reading this... HEY VANN AND TIM, GO FUCK YOURSELVES YOU PERVERTED ASS HATS.)

Can I say Handsome Gentleman Friend has been absolutly amazing through all of this. Thank you handsome :3

OK! Onto the JOY!! It was my birthday on the 8th!! I turned 29 years old.. for realsies! not a fake! a true 85 baby. Anywho, Flea and Tess and Husband and Tess' man all came down and we had an awesome time! We met at Steve's, and fun fact, Tess hadnt eaten and was grumpy and late... But oh well. We awaited Flea and Ryans arrival. eventually we headed to Cafe Avalino's, one of my favorites (but the owners sold.. Pizza's still good but Im scared!) After Avalinos we all headed to Pacifica for Tacobell. For those who dont know, Pacifica is a little seaside town just past San Francisco, and the tacobell backs up to a gorgiose white sand beach. Therefore its heaven, correct?

Tess and Chris split, so Flea Ryan Handsome and I all headed to Rogue! As a Rogue member I have been promised a TShirt, and free pint for my bday. Of course they dont do that anymore.... but they do offer a LITER of beer in exchange... (I kinda wanted a tshirt :/) but the Chocolate Porter is AMAAAAAZING. We also had Marionberry Mead, some samplers, Potato Nacho's (crisscut fries covered in yummyness), a hummus platter and all kinds of yum. We also headed to gelato after with Flea and I kiiiiinda drunk. All in all a great time

Then on Saturday, my cousin Jeff came home from the airforce!! :D just for a short leave, but yaaaay! so to have family birthday and celebrate Jess we headed to the Nantucket, which i havnt been to in yeeeaaarrss... BTW the food is AWESOME. 

Handsome, Amy, Jeff, Sue, Nan, and Janet! 

I hope everyone has a wonderful day!

My Return!

So Im back from Alaska! It was absolutly amazing. I can't thank Handsome Gentleman Friend enough for everything he does for me. :3 Thank you. Ill so a full recap soon, but i need to resize my pictures. I used my fancy new camera, and my handheld so theres like... 3k pictures? But I cant wait to go back. I love wild places, and you cant get much more wild then the far North. Just a teaser, whales were seen. And porpoises. :3

So my birthday is on Sunday. I managed to get it off, thank you Toure, and my sister and Flea are supposed to come down... We will see. Either way it will be delightful. Holy cow im going to be 29... but im on a better course then i was even 4 years ago, working through school and almost done, have some projects on the back burner, the greatest family around and a wonderful man who treats me like a princess.

So just a quick update that says nothing really, but now that im out of school updates will abound! plus i can get my laptop online at home now, even if its just a little its better then nothin!

Sisters, Zoo and Bacon Day

Hello all! So I seem to be behind all the time. So here's a Mobil update! First off my lovely sister came to visit last week, and we got to hang! She got me a lovely pair of work shoes at goodwill for a whopping $4, as well as some stuff for herself, them came with GF and I to the homebrew club meeting! For dinner we had Goat Hill Pizza, and generally it was wonderful!! 

On wed before work I headed to the zoo, and checked out some of their wildlife. I love drawing animals, and so I did for like 4 hours, would have been 6, but the busses... Uuugghhhh....

This last weekend was another lovely event, BACON DAY! In honor of Sir Francis Bacon, we cooked up soooo many treats!! 

About 15 people or so came throughout the night, and the food was enjoyed my all! But the real star was GF an I's home brew! We went through a case and a half and none was wasted! All in all super successful!!