Reviews, Recipes, and Random Slices of Life

I got the best, most wonderful gift from birdfigment in the mail yesterday!! A while back, there was that meme where one promises to make things for the first five people who commented (Yes, I'm still wavering on what I want to make--but you'll still get something. Once I decide what it is. I was thinking writing, but now I think I should find something less obvious. Or something.).

What she made for me was the cutest hat ever! It's made from fleece and super-soft, and it fits perfectly, and it has kitty-cat ears. The best part is that my shadow now has cat ears. Also, strangers smile at me a lot.

The cats find this a bit strange. The house is frequently cold, so I wore it at home, too. There was sniffing and staring at my head. I told the Mad Scientist this and so he put on the hat. This very much freaked the cats out.

Observers have decided that I now need a really long matching scarf with hand-pockets on the ends, with hand-pockets that have kitty-cat claws on them.

Picture of hat to come in a few weeks, probably (yes, I also need a digital camera).

Conclusions:
1. I have an awesome hat.
2. birdfigment is fabulous.
3. The cats see me as being more naturally feline than the Mad Scientist.

( Basic Statistics )
( Knowledge )
( Social )
( Tricky Things: )

The Important Section - Gifts
1. FREE THINGS THAT MAKE YOU HAPPY: Food made by somebody else that I can just stick in the oven or whatever. Somebody offering to edit my writing--short stories or novels (some of you have already given me this gift!). Whimsy. Help with things that I need help with, just in general. Good photographs of myself (I really don't have any recent ones at all). Random things sent in the mail (OK, it's almost free!). Pretty cards. Acceptance letters.
2. CHEAP, SMALL THINGS THAT MAKE YOU HAPPY: Scented candles (see scents section), fancy smoked or hard cheeses, flowers, fancy soap (currently craving sandalwood), film (ASA 800 or 400), movie tickets, a gift certificate to a restaurant, bath salts or fizz-balls, a jar of sauce to make something exotic, hairsticks, tiny stud earrings (the kind that Claire's et al sells), bookmarks, egg rolls (the ones that are thin and crispy, not the thicker kind), tea (not decaffeinated, and I have plenty of green for now), and gourmet hot chocolate!
2 1/2. MEDIUM-SIZE THINGS THAT YOU WANT: living plants, wine, punch-cards for Hwa Rang Do, a subscription to Writer's Digest, a subscription to something similar for photography.
3. BIG THINGS THAT YOU WANT: A 150-lb. punching bag, a weight bench, a small Olympus automatic camera with a good lens size to replace my dying one, a bed, armor and a punch-card for the full-contact class at Hwa Rang Do, high-speed internet access, a subscription to Netflix, a few specific pieces of original art, lots of money, and a laptop computer.
4. DO YOU COLLECT ANYTHING: Owls carved from semi-precious stone, letter openers/daggers, books of fairytales, cameras, those weird swirly-colored glass paperweights, and grandfather clocks (this last is still in progress; I don't actually have a grandfather clock)
5. WHAT SMELLS DO YOU LIKE? Vanilla, cinnamon, apple pie, sugar cookies, and most spicy or fruit-based smells. I can't stand most floral smells--rose is an exception that proves the rule.
6. WHAT COLORS DO YOU LIKE TO SURROUND YOURSELF WITH? Rich colors, the kind that go with wainscoting and old mansions--dark greens and reds and umber and gold. Jewel-tone colors like saris--vibrant and edged with silver and gold. The colors of urban decay - rust-stained and copper-patina green.
7. WHAT COLORS DO YOU LIKE TO WEAR? Fall colors. Greens--moss green, forest green, kelly green. Red and gold and brown.
8. CLOTHING SIZE: One Size Fits All--doesn't! Shirts - Small. For long-sleeved shirts/sweaters, I can't wear women's clothing unless the sleeves are extra long. Skirts/shorts - 6. Pants - 32/34, regular fit straight leg - maybe 31/34 if you can find 'em. Gloves and socks also have to be larger than standard women's sizes. Underwear size--well, nobody's buying me underwear but me.
9. GOOD PLACES TO GET YOU GIFT CERTIFICATES TO: any bookstore, pretty much, Crown Block E theatre in downtown, Victoria's Secret, Newport News, Target, Williams-Sonoma, Marshall Field's (if they're still open), restaurants, and sad but true, Rainbow Grocery store (I promise I won't spend it on anything practical).
10. HORRIBLE GIFTS: Shoes, most books (if I want it, I probably have it), jewelry (not earrings), most music, gift certificates to stores I never shop at, country-cooking cookbooks, pictures of small children.