Update for Public Consumption
Feb. 2nd, 2012 02:33 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sihayadesignsWork: I estimate that the next update will be sometime around the end of next week. January was custom orders galore, lots of repair orders (for local people; I've been getting a lot of referrals through Terra Firma & Pikesville Jewelers for tricky repairs on vintage jewelry. Some true head-scratchers in the bunch, but I think of it like a puzzle), and then sporadically fighting insane burnout and fatigue in order to work on my own collection. While shoe-horning trunk show prep in there in my spare time. So while you might assume I was taking a break because there was no January update, I have actually been quite busy. I have done 30 wings in the last 2 days!
Dancing: Verve will be performing at the Serenity Speakeasy event in DC on Feb 24th. Very exciting. While the theme is a bit challenging to translate into our flavor of bellydance (even for a Browncoat like me!), Flissy & I are working on something fun and elegant. We plan to make Inara proud. Transcendence is getting together our performance for Art of the Belly in March, and then we launch into Spoutwood Faerie Fest prep. After a very warm reception last year, we will be reprising "The Fairy Ring Dance Collective" and doing two stage shows and one 'wandering' show. It sounds very much like the Spoutwood folk are very happy to have us back. Makes me all glowy inside.
Makeup: I went ahead and picked up the Stila Convertible Color in Gerbera after my last post. It's love! It's the perfect sheer coral for my cheeks, sans sparkle or glimmer. It gives a nice, buildable flush without looking too 'done.' I also shelled out for NARS Tzigane & Christina lipsticks, but they have not yet arrived. The Transcendence ladies have also been raving about Lipstick Queen, so 2012 may in fact be the year in which I embrace lipstick for occurrences other than photoshoots.
Books & Reading: I have been trying to eke out a little time for reading lately. Mostly silly, light reading because right now does not seem to be the right time for me to take on heavy, complicated things. My two most recent were The White Cat by Holly Black, & Nine Rules To Break When Romancing A Rake by Sarah McLean.
The White Cat was interesting as far as world-building goes-- loved the sort of alternate-history that the story springs from. In the novel, Curse Workers are basically people with psychic gifts who can work magic. Society knows about them and has banned them-- everyone wears gloves to prevent being worked-- but a black market of Curse Working still thrives. Black's definition of "heebiejeebies" is nothing short of brilliant. I was less than enthralled with the story itself, though. I guessed the 'twist' about two chapters in, so it felt like a chore to wait for all the rest of the characters to get with it. That and... well, I didn't really like any of the characters all that much. Cassel is clever, and that is fun to read, but while no character is a stock character, few others sparked any interest in me. And the ending was way overcomplicated and lacked a real emotional connection to the rest of the story, IMO. Am contemplating reading the other two books in the trilogy for the worldbuilding stuff, but haven't felt terribly compelled.
Nine Rules... is a fairly well-written romance novel set in Jane Austenland. The characters are funny and well-realized for romance novel characters, the history is pretty decent despite a few anachronisms, and overall the book doesn't take itself seriously, but it also cares about being a good read. It centers on Callie Hartwell, a spinster at 28, who decides one day that having a spotless reputation isn't really all that it's cracked up to be, so she writes a bucket list of naughty things Regency ladies should not do, and decides to have some fun for a change. Naturally, after trying one item on the list (drinking scotch), she ends up on the doorstep of the dude she's been crushing on for ten years. Zaniness ensues. I have a couple of chapters left-- towards the middle of the book, it becomes increasingly clear that many of the items on the list just serve to bring the two main characters together for sexytimes, but considering it's hitting a lot of my ravishment fantasy buttons, I'm not complaining. Terrible euphemisms score: 5/10. Super cheesy nickname alert. Also, there's a lot of "her sex" instead of more explicit terms for genitalia, and I actually laughed aloud at "sweet rain," but overall, it could be so, so much worse. There are two more books in this series and unless there's a big downshift in the writing, I'll probably read them. I have a tendency to consume words wantonly.
Movies: So I saw the Guillermo Del Toro written & produced movie, Don't Be Afraid of the Dark last night. GENUINELY CREEPY, OMG. I can't believe it got such low ratings. The sets are full of little easter-eggs-- "Be Afraid" written over creepy grates in runic code, tons of Pan's Labyrinth artistic touches. It's Del Toro's dark fairytale aesthetic, through and through. As you might expect, all quickly turns to horror. It's not nearly as disturbing as Pan's Labyrinth (Thank god! That movie scared the bejeesus outta me!), but was very effective nonetheless.
Stuff & Things: It has been a tough week. In the last month, most of my posts have been either under lock or filter. Things have been heavy with regards to birthfamily goings-on. I'm okay and things are going to be okay, but it's been a lot of anxiety and processing nonetheless. Thank you, f-list/filter people for your comments on my most recent locked entries. I know I've been bad about commenting back, but I have a finite & limited amount of emotional energy right now. I just wanted to say thank you, very, very much for listening.
Dancing: Verve will be performing at the Serenity Speakeasy event in DC on Feb 24th. Very exciting. While the theme is a bit challenging to translate into our flavor of bellydance (even for a Browncoat like me!), Flissy & I are working on something fun and elegant. We plan to make Inara proud. Transcendence is getting together our performance for Art of the Belly in March, and then we launch into Spoutwood Faerie Fest prep. After a very warm reception last year, we will be reprising "The Fairy Ring Dance Collective" and doing two stage shows and one 'wandering' show. It sounds very much like the Spoutwood folk are very happy to have us back. Makes me all glowy inside.
Makeup: I went ahead and picked up the Stila Convertible Color in Gerbera after my last post. It's love! It's the perfect sheer coral for my cheeks, sans sparkle or glimmer. It gives a nice, buildable flush without looking too 'done.' I also shelled out for NARS Tzigane & Christina lipsticks, but they have not yet arrived. The Transcendence ladies have also been raving about Lipstick Queen, so 2012 may in fact be the year in which I embrace lipstick for occurrences other than photoshoots.
Books & Reading: I have been trying to eke out a little time for reading lately. Mostly silly, light reading because right now does not seem to be the right time for me to take on heavy, complicated things. My two most recent were The White Cat by Holly Black, & Nine Rules To Break When Romancing A Rake by Sarah McLean.
The White Cat was interesting as far as world-building goes-- loved the sort of alternate-history that the story springs from. In the novel, Curse Workers are basically people with psychic gifts who can work magic. Society knows about them and has banned them-- everyone wears gloves to prevent being worked-- but a black market of Curse Working still thrives. Black's definition of "heebiejeebies" is nothing short of brilliant. I was less than enthralled with the story itself, though. I guessed the 'twist' about two chapters in, so it felt like a chore to wait for all the rest of the characters to get with it. That and... well, I didn't really like any of the characters all that much. Cassel is clever, and that is fun to read, but while no character is a stock character, few others sparked any interest in me. And the ending was way overcomplicated and lacked a real emotional connection to the rest of the story, IMO. Am contemplating reading the other two books in the trilogy for the worldbuilding stuff, but haven't felt terribly compelled.
Nine Rules... is a fairly well-written romance novel set in Jane Austenland. The characters are funny and well-realized for romance novel characters, the history is pretty decent despite a few anachronisms, and overall the book doesn't take itself seriously, but it also cares about being a good read. It centers on Callie Hartwell, a spinster at 28, who decides one day that having a spotless reputation isn't really all that it's cracked up to be, so she writes a bucket list of naughty things Regency ladies should not do, and decides to have some fun for a change. Naturally, after trying one item on the list (drinking scotch), she ends up on the doorstep of the dude she's been crushing on for ten years. Zaniness ensues. I have a couple of chapters left-- towards the middle of the book, it becomes increasingly clear that many of the items on the list just serve to bring the two main characters together for sexytimes, but considering it's hitting a lot of my ravishment fantasy buttons, I'm not complaining. Terrible euphemisms score: 5/10. Super cheesy nickname alert. Also, there's a lot of "her sex" instead of more explicit terms for genitalia, and I actually laughed aloud at "sweet rain," but overall, it could be so, so much worse. There are two more books in this series and unless there's a big downshift in the writing, I'll probably read them. I have a tendency to consume words wantonly.
Movies: So I saw the Guillermo Del Toro written & produced movie, Don't Be Afraid of the Dark last night. GENUINELY CREEPY, OMG. I can't believe it got such low ratings. The sets are full of little easter-eggs-- "Be Afraid" written over creepy grates in runic code, tons of Pan's Labyrinth artistic touches. It's Del Toro's dark fairytale aesthetic, through and through. As you might expect, all quickly turns to horror. It's not nearly as disturbing as Pan's Labyrinth (Thank god! That movie scared the bejeesus outta me!), but was very effective nonetheless.
Stuff & Things: It has been a tough week. In the last month, most of my posts have been either under lock or filter. Things have been heavy with regards to birthfamily goings-on. I'm okay and things are going to be okay, but it's been a lot of anxiety and processing nonetheless. Thank you, f-list/filter people for your comments on my most recent locked entries. I know I've been bad about commenting back, but I have a finite & limited amount of emotional energy right now. I just wanted to say thank you, very, very much for listening.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2012-02-03 05:59 am (UTC)I'm so iffy on Holly Black. I know so many people who love her work, but I find it fairly generic. (And annoyingly romanticized, but that's a different quibble.) I like the worlds she builds, but the characters usually annoy or bore me.
no subject
Date: 2012-02-03 06:06 am (UTC)Yeah, in general, I prefer her worldbuilding to her characters. There have been characters that I really liked, but in general, I tend to prefer optimistic characters, and her work tends to the specific type of dystopian where it's hard for me to find someone to really embrace.
no subject
Date: 2012-02-03 03:59 pm (UTC)The only Lipstick Queen lipstick that I've truly liked and used a lot is Medieval. Otherwise, I prefer the consistency and color payoff of other brands for the money.
no subject
Date: 2012-02-03 07:33 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-02-04 12:06 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-02-04 12:17 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-02-05 09:04 pm (UTC)Also, you now have me incredibly curious about Lipstick Queen (Medieval). I cannot find it anywhere, it's sold out online.
no subject
Date: 2012-02-04 03:34 pm (UTC)I just read this book of short stories I think you might like (got it at the Balt Co Library):
Sarah Monette: Somewhere Beneath Those Waves
Extra bonus is that a lot of the pieces were inspired by pieces of jewelry created by a friend of hers. I want to check out more of her work.