Pumpkin Whoopie Pies!

I hope everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving!  We had lunch with John's family then went to my cousin's house to visit with my family. Being vegetarians we had to bypass the tryptophan-laden main courses and instead opted for all the yummy side dishes John's mom made for us such as mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, and biscuits.

I've been on a bit of a baking spree this week, and for Thanksgiving I decided to make pumpkin whoopie pies.  I had never tasted these delectable treats before, but I have seen pictures and they always look delicious!  Again with the help of my mother's KitchenAid stand mixer I made this recipe from scratch.
The recipe supposedly made 12 pies, so I made a double batch thinking I would need enough for at least 20 people. Turns out everyone else had made a dessert as well, and not many people had room for these dense little pieces of heaven. They were good, but very filling! I think if I make them again I will stick to a single batch and use more frosting in the middle. They were fun to make, and they turned out so pretty! What did you make for your Thanksgiving feast?

Homemade Sugar Cookies

I received a set of 100 cookie cutters as a gift a while ago, and I am happy to say that I finally got around to using them for the first time tonight.  I made pumpkin-shaped sugar cookies from scratch!









I used a recipe I found on a blog called The Crafty Penguin.  My mom is letting me borrow her KitchenAid stand mixer until Christmas, which made the process soooo much easier than mixing the dough and the icing (also made from scratch) by hand.

I haven't tasted them yet as the icing has to dry first, so I have no idea if they will be any good.  I have never made iced sugar cookies before so I'm excited to try them!  I don't have much experience with food coloring, so the icing isn't quite the orange color I was hoping for, but I'm not worried about it as John and I will probably be the only ones to eat them.

I think for my next challenge I would like to try making vegan sugar cookies.  I found a recipe which sounds pretty yummy, but I'll have to learn how to work with vegan cream cheese and egg replacer.  I'll be sure to post pictures when I try it!

The Aposematics - Hands On - Stop Motion

After 5 long months and more than 1,200 still photos, we finally finished our first stop motion video for our new song Hands On. Both the song and the video were experiments in new styles, and we're really happy about both! Without further ado...

Funny Things John Said Recently

1. The name of the guy who invented the snooze button is Bob Snooze and he should be punished.

2. Any TV character whose name he can't remember is apparently called Arthur.

3. The Ink Spots album we bought makes him want to watch Three Amigos.

The Aposematics T-Shirt Giveaway!

 If you have a request for us, find us on Facebook and leave a comment on the video post!

Poetry that won't bore you to death (at least not immediately)

I really like the work of E.E. Cummings , or ee cummings as it is sometimes written.  It doesn't give me that tongue-tied, brain lock feeling like some poems do when I read them.  There are so many important works that I can never get through because my mind freezes up like a rusty lock after the first line and I'm never able to fully appreciate the beauty of it.  The poem below has always been one of my favorites; my eyes race through the lines like it can't get to the end fast enough and the words just roll away...

anyone lived in a pretty how town
(with up so floating many bells down)
spring summer autumn winter
he sang his didn't he danced his did.


Women and men (both little and small)
cared for anyone not at all
they sowed their isn't they reaped their same
sun moon stars rain


children guessed (but only a few
and down they forgot as up they grew
autumn winter spring summer)
that noone loved him more by more


when by now and tree by leaf
she laughed his joy she cried his grief
bird by snow and stir by still
anyone's any was all to her


someones married their everyones
laughed their cryings and did their dance
(sleep wake hope and then)they
said their nevers they slept their dream


stars rain sun moon
(and only the snow can begin to explain
how children are apt to forget to remember
with up so floating many bells down)


one day anyone died i guess
(and noone stooped to kiss his face)
busy folk buried them side by side
little by little and was by was


all by all and deep by deep
and more by more they dream their sleep
noone and anyone earth by april
with by spirit and if by yes.


Women and men (both dong and ding)
summer autumn winter spring
reaped their sowing and went their came
sun moon stars rain

Any other poems you love that you'd like to tell me about?

To Swim With Ten Million Moons

There's a place in Palau called Jellyfish Lake where you can swim with more than 10 million jellyfish, one of which is called the moon jelly.  It looks amazing!  Apparently their stings are not powerful enough to harm humans.

There are tons of fantastic pictures out there, but here's just a few I found on Flickr and in this article.

Scientist Kakani Young of Caltech uses a new particle image system in Jellyfish Lake in Palau

 A view of Jellyfish Lake, with golden jellyfish following the sun across a wind-rippled surface. Credit: Michael Dawson, UC-Merced

By aSIMULAtor

Any amazing places you'd like to tell me about?

Don't read too much into it- I just can't draw pants

I drew this with Microsoft Paint when I was really bored one day. Like John's hat? Yeah, I'm pretty much awesome.

I'm not a comic book person, but this is pretty cool

 

Action Figures Cake

Cannonball!

We went camping this summer with family. This is John making the most of the lake :)

I just had an aroma flashback.

Does anyone else have those?  I remember walking near the cafeteria in grade school right before lunch on the days they would serve chicken nuggets and mashed potatoes.  Not sure why I suddenly remembered that smell, but it made me hungry!  I’m a vegetarian now (and supposedly a grown-up) but I still love mashed potatoes and chocolate milk :)

The Aposematics - Tonight You Belong To Me (Cover)

Balloons At The Park

We decided to check out the Balloons At The Park yesterday at Three Sisters Park in Chillicothe.  We arrived at sunset, just in time for the evening balloon glow, where all the inflated balloons are fired up to glow after dark.  The pilots seemed to have a bit of trouble synchronizing, but it was still pretty cool.  I think next year we might go earlier in the day and attempt to get a tethered ride since John has never had the pleasure.  I've been lucky enough to have lots of close encounters with hot air balloons, but this was John's first time at a festival.  I was hoping it would be a bit more eventful for him, but it sure beat sitting home on a Saturday night.

They were giving tethered balloon rides, but the line was dreadfully long, so we didn't even attempt it.

We always like going to fairs and outdoor festivals but most of the time we just end up walking around enjoying the colors, lights and wonderful smells of frying funnel cakes and various meats on sticks.  The balloon festival had an awesome booth of sparkly, light-up glowy things that made me smile even though I didn't buy anything.  

After the balloons were deflated we watched the fireworks display (which to be honest left a little to be desired).

We ended the evening with a couple of Uplifting Lemonades and listened to the classic rock stylings of Ready, Steady, Go.  I felt a little bad because there was a mass exodus after the fireworks and there really weren't many people left to watch the band.

I was happy to get a nice picture of the moon too!

I posted all these pics and a few others on Flickr if you'd like to see more.  Oh, and on a completely unrelated note, here's me kicking butt at Beatles Rock Band :)

Yes, this is actually how I spent my afternoon.

My friend Ken occasionally posts a “word of the day” on Facebook, and being a closet logophile I always enjoy it.  Sometimes I’m familiar with the words, but my favorites are the strange ones that are about as likely to come up in every day conversation as the Cubs winning the World Series (sorry guys, it had to be said).  Our band name is actually one of those strange words that came from a Yahoo word of the day I saw several years ago.

I just can’t commit to a daily word post, so here is a good sampling of some words that will probably never come up in your next dinner discussion, but are still pretty fun to have in your back pocket.  I dare you to start using some of these!  

absquatulate abscond: run away; usually includes taking something or somebody along

bibliobibuli those who read too much

crapulous given to, characterized by, or suffering from gross excess in eating and drinking

donnybrook a brawl or heated public dispute

eesome pleasing to the eye

floccinaucinihilipilification the categorizing of something as worthless

gallimaufry jumble or medley; hodgepodge

hornswoggle bamboozle, deceive

izzat honor, prestige, reputation

jugulate to slit the throat

katzenjammer a loud, discordant noise; also, a hangover; also, a state of depression or bewilderment

latrinalia graffiti found in restrooms

moonglade the bright reflection of the moon on a body of water

nothosonomia the act of calling someone a bastard

omphaloskepsis contemplation of one's navel

puckeroo useless, broken

quisquilious like rubbish; trashy, worthless

raconteur one skilled in telling stories

snollygoster a shrewd, unprincipled person

tintinnabulous of or relating to bells or the ringing of bells

ultra-crepidarian giving opinions or criticism beyond one's own range of experience

vicissitude a change of circumstances affecting one's life

widdershins counterclockwise; also, in a contrary direction

If you just can’t get enough of these, you can find more here and here.

New Review: Funny People

As a change of pace from the usual zombie-vampire-criminally insane-serial killer bloodbath of a movie John tends to talk me into watching, last night we watched the 2009 Adam Sandler dramedy Funny People.  I had heard good things about the flick, but I wasn’t sure what to expect.

In movies past Sandler has at times walked a fine line between amusing and puerile and this one is no exception.  At least for the first few minutes.  The opening scenes are actual footage from Adam Sandler and director Judd Apatow’s early days as roommates trying to get a foothold in show business.  Using the signature voices that Sandler ultimately became famous for in the 1990s, he and Apatow honed their comedic skills by making crank calls to customer service hotlines.  (I must say I have never really had much appreciation for this type of prank comedy.   I feel so bad for the victim that I can never fully appreciate the humor.  Seriously; I can’t even watch Punk’d without cringing and changing the channel before the jig is up.)

Thankfully, the movie takes a turn I wasn’t expecting.  George Simmons (Sandler) is a famous standup comedian and film star who discovers he is terminally ill.  The rest of the movie is about how he deals with his own mortality and his attempts at reestablishing relationships with all the people he has alienated in his journey to stardom.

While Sandler did a good job playing the aloof malcontent, I’m pretty sure the best parts are the scenes with Ira Weiner (Seth Rogan) and his roommates, played by Jason Schwartzman and Jonah Hill.  I found it particularly funny that Schwartzman’s character is so smug about having the lead role in a fictional cheesy sitcom called Yo Teach.

All in all it was a pretty good movie.  It was nice to see Adam Sandler in a role where the frat boy goofball quotient isn’t quite so high.  

New Aposematics Logo

Thanks to the handiwork of the uber-talented Kevin Robinson, we have a brand spanking new logo!  We love it and have already created some new T-shirts that are available for purchase here.

What fun is a birthday without presents?

My 32nd birthday is approaching with the speed of a state trooper on the highway after you’ve accidentally winked out a contact and misread your speedometer.  While I’m not terribly excited about the ever-increasing number of gray hairs that I keep finding, the last few years have been pretty good so I suppose I should be willing to accept the fact that with all good experiences comes the inevitable passage of time.

Some folks will say that age and wisdom are gifts in themselves.  Call me foolish, but I think I prefer gifts of a more tangible nature :)  So without further ado, the following are some of the drool-worthy goodies I've had my eye on lately.  Enjoy!

Ukulele

John actually received a Lanikai LU-21C for Christmas last year, and we’ve had so much fun with it that I would love to have another ukulele so we can actually play together.  I’ve been learning a lot lately about playing a uke and I think it would be great fun to incorporate it into some of our live Aposematic performances.  While I really like the Lanikai LU-21C, I’m concerned with how quickly it goes out of tune (although this may just be a common occurrence among ukuleles.)  I’m also curious to try some different models to figure out which one would suit me best.   I’m still looking, but I’m currently interested in this Oscar Schmidt OU5. 

 

Microphone Stand Gooseneck Adapter

When I was singing at a show with Warpharin a couple of years ago I had the pleasure of using a gooseneck mic stand adapter and I absolutely loved it.  I felt like I had more control over my performance and it allowed me to get more involved with the music.  I have tried to purchase one on numerous occasions, but the local music supply chain store (to remain nameless) is always out of them- along with everything else we are ever there to buy.

Cupcake Stuff
I have recently become enthralled with all things cupcake oriented.  I can't explain it, nor do I condone the massive consumption of such unhealthy treats, but how can I be expected to ignore the charm of such adorable accoutrements like cupcake beanie hats, cupcake bandages, and cupcake banks?  It's almost like this trend knew I was coming.

Camera

Don't get me wrong, I love my Nikon D40, but I've seen some film cameras lately that I would love to experiment with.  Most of them are fairly cheap and plastic, but seem to take pictures with a lot of character.  And the cameras themselves look awesome! Here are a few that I really like:

Flickr Pro Account

Speaking of pictures, my Flickr Pro account that John gifted me last year is about to expire.  I would love to have that renewed...(wink wink, nudge nudge, say no more.)

Goodness, it sure seems like I want a lot of stuff, doesn't it?  Well I guess while I'm at it I'll throw in a few random items that I have absolutely no use for but would still love to have.