Household Blog

My second year participating in the pumpkin carving tradition. This year, we opted for a theme—the weirdly amorous duo, Gomez and Tish. I did Morticia. MrPikes did Gomez. Apt, methinks.

Even super pup Rowan thought they were pretty keen. Any ideas for next year?

If you know me, you know I’m a fan of music and dance and all things FABulous. Well, there’s a lovely new short that I just had to share with you all - a funny and highly capitalist interpretation of Proposition 8. Trust me on this one: Prop 8: The Musical

I carved a pumpkin this year (for the first time since my pre-pubescent hack jobs, which left gourds throughout Bon Air orange with terror). Inspired by the example of my friend Mr Pikes who does an incredible pumpkin every year—be sure to check out his gallery—and by the irrepressible awesomeness that is Dr. Horrible’s Sing-a-long Blog, my pumpkin has a PhD in horribleness. Already throwing around ideas for next year. Anyone else have a pumpkin you’d like to share?

My gal pal KittyKat joined me for a trip to the Big Apple this past weekend. A business research trip. But no, for really - we had to see burlesque!

The sixth annual New York Burlesque Festival was this past weekend, and our fabulous duo did it up right, filled up with inspirational bumps and grinds to the point of overflowing. This was our first year in attendance. It will not be our last.

It’s so thrilling to see such a diverse bevy of buxom broads (and boys). Styles ranged from Ziegfeld-inspired, classic 1930s and 1940s, 1950s pinup cheesecake, bizarre, comedic, contortionist, hip-hop, acrobatic, fetish, balloons, and one helluva Prince impersonation striptease, all emceed by the hilarious Murray Hill. Many of our favorite performers were on the bill, but our award for most hilarious and downright amazing was unanimous – Maryland’s own Trixie Little and the Evil Hate Monkey. If you’ve never had the opportunity to see these two, make a point of it. You won’t be sorry.

In addition to a nigh-overdose of burlesque, Kat and I enjoyed possibly the most beautiful weather as we walked everywhere, shopping, eating, laying on the rocks in Central Park, eating more, eyeing the beautiful Italian boys, marveling at the rhythm of everything in this rumbling place.

As an aside, for you GFers in our readership, Risotteria is my new favorite joint – a full gluten free menu of risotto, pizzas, paninis, and much more. So so good. Makes me all tingly just to think of it. Om nom nom nom.

So back the hometown. I love Richmond. I love my home and my people and my critters. Sometimes I think the best thing about little adventures is being reminded of everything you love about your mundane everyday. Life is good. We have beautiful weather today in the old dominion, and the trees, slightly-singed, are breathing a collective sigh of relief after a summer of dry dry soil. Me too.

As unfocused as my blissful brain. Le sigh.

No better place in the heat of August than on a mountaintop in West By-God (that’s West Virginia, perchance you didn’t know). Last weekend, I had the incredible opportunity to visit Snowshoe for their annual Symphony Weekend.

Allow me first to say that that not only is a mountaintop the best place to chill out in August, but August is likewise the best time to visit an erstwhile ski resort. Winter sports never agreed with me—I’m all knees and elbows and on my one attempt to learn to ski, my instructor actually requested that I never endanger their slopes again. I happily took his advice.

But the mountains! Oh! And the music! Oh oh!

Two full-length performances featuring the West Virginia Symphony, an incredible ensemble, a wonderful selection of music, I was beside myself. And when we weren’t being bowled over by the sounds of Elgar and Byron Adams and the lot, we were riding the chair lifts down wildflower bespeckled mountainsides, picnicking by the lake, and enjoying some well-deserved rest.

To top it all, an encounter with a black bear in the parking area, and deer everywhere! Now yes, I’m admittedly a treehugging dirtworshipper, and I have a ridiculous love for all dem critters great and small. These two species in particular have always held a place of magic and reverence in me. So I find myself out on the back porch of our little cottage, a doe and two fawns grazing far down the lawn. The doe makes her way in our direction, stopping to graze occasionally, and though I originally thought she just hadn’t seen us, she is clearly looking right at us as she approaches. She ended up about three feet from where I sat on the steps, so close I could see her breathe and smell the forest musk on her hide, hear her munching the lawn. Eventually her fawns came bounding over and they all moved on (mothers seem to think I’ll be a bad influence on their chilluns, in general), but I was breathless and dazzled with the encounter.

I’ve always gotten stupid around animals. There’s a great xkcd cartoon about it, actually. When I was a wee lass (still all knees and elbows, just on a smaller scale), I used to listen to the Disney recordings of various and sundry children’s stories, and somewhere along the way I conflated that Snow White’s secret in winning over her forest friends was in whistling sweetly and holding a finger out for the birdies to sit upon. Perhaps I felt a sympathy with our common complexion. Regardless, here am I, in full oversized dress-up regalia at age 5, attempting to whistle something vaguely reminiscent of a ditty, and chasing birds in the yard, thrusting my demurely-extended finger at them in frustrated crescendo. Poor traumatized birdies.

I like to think that my understanding of human/animal interaction has evolved. But the enthusiasm remains.

I am a fan. I’ll try to keep this brief.

Rising out of the stalemate of last year’s writers’ strike, Joss Whedon (creator of such pieces as Serenity, Firefly, Buffy, and the upcoming Dollhouse) brings something new to viewers. Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog was created during the lapse in studio work in Hollywood, essentially a bunch of Whedon’s friends and family getting together to produce and perform in a mini-musical about love, villains, heroes, and other important stuff. Consisting of three acts, the piece was released exclusively on the internet to be viewed for free initially and is now available for download through iTunes—at only $2 an act.

I’ve been a big fan of Whedon since I lost a bet in college and was forced by my roommate to watch three episodes of Buffy. Life’s rough. Whedon’s characteristic wit and quirky dialogue return in full force, along with surprisingly skillful musical arrangements (as many will remember from Once More, With Feeling) and an ensemble, led by Neil Patrick Harris, that is unselfconsciously and delightfully goofy. Click on the image above to check it out. I promise you won’t regret it…