Devo and Xuxa.

I saw Devo. That's right. And it was glorious. Indescribable. Magic.

I might also add that I recently acquired a dvd of miscellaneous episodes of Xuxa. Yes, Xuxa, the vixenous children's show hostess. How I loved her. It was a pocket of my childhood I remember well. I was seven years old, it was at the peak of kid's variety shows like "What Would You Do?" and "Wild and Crazy Kids". This show is obviously a cash in on both, the success of such shows and an American vehicle for the Brazilian sensation, Xuxa. I remember colors, shoulder pads, hot pants, dancing, singing, animals, kids having fun...

Then I watched it now.

It's so terrible. Her english is so atrocious, she has no idea what's going on. The jokes aren't funny, the music's pretty lame. It's really just an awful show. Does this mean I dislike Xuxa now? Of course not. Her memory will live in my heart forever, and apart of me wonders if that's where she should have stayed. Thankfully, no matter how sucky the show might have been, there will always be this...

New Year, New City, New Life, et cetera...

Have you ever started an epic blog and gotten distracted from it? You say "I'll come back to it after work or school or whatever..." but it never seems to happen. This long blog sits unfinished in "draft" limbo before you finally realize that all it's doing is preventing you from moving forward into future blogdom.

I usually write this grand scale gift blog after Christmas. I've been doing that since the ancient days of Xanga, but this year for some reason the blog just couldn't seem to finish itself. It could be that I'm out of my comfort zone and there are endless distractions around me constantly. This could also be why my movie reviews have come to a screeching hault. I'm doing the best I can to keep myself balanced and unfortunately my blogs seem to be suffering. A pity because writing has always been a pivotal part in what keeps me well adjusted. Since it's a new year I've made a few resolutions I'd like to share here...

1. Write more often. Now that 2010 has passed I can safely say it was a good year. I married my sweetheart, my creativity levels were high and I even made a little money from it, not to mention my movie business which is still doing extremely well paid for MANY supply shopping sprees, birthday presents and even the occasional bill! One constant thing I can say about 2010 is that I kept a good journaling regiment. Whether it was my hand held journal, sketch book or one of my various blogs. Now with all of these distractions I'm going to have to make time for it. That's why I've made it a resolution. To set time aside at least once a week to put some thoughts down on paper or into blogosphere cloud.

2. To bring Endless Fall back. What's Endless Fall you ask? It's this movie marathon me my friend Tony started over 4 years ago! Watch a movie every day. It's as simple as that. Of course life comes up so I changed the rules to a movie for everyday of the month. Meaning, you can skip days, but make up for it on a free day. You'd be amazed how fulfilling it is. I always kept an Endless Fall diary where I logged every movie I'd watch along with any notes I may have. I'd usually make a list of the top 10 at the end of each month. I bought a notebook specifically for this purpose the other day. Now to just start doing it again. It will also motivate me to write reviews again, which will aid resolution #1. It's win/win across the board when Endless Fall is involved!

3. Up the ante with my jewelry making. I love making jewelry. In all reality it's the one creative thing I could see myself doing permanantly for a living. I learned alot this past year and now I'm ready to advance even more. I've just learned some basic wire wrapping techniques and I'd like to get even better at it. Not only that, I also want to start using better materials. I want to graduate from base metals to silver and gold. I want to use stones instead of glass and cheap crystals. Of course I'll still use those things, but I want "Atomic Caravan Studios" to be associated with quality not just pretty costume jewelry. I've been spending all my spare time getting an inventory back up and now I finally feel like I have enough to revive my Etsy. Also thinking about trying out Artfire, just a basic account, since I've heard so many mixed things about it. Eventually I'd like to graduate to really professional jewelry. Real fire tools and metal saws. All in due time! Stay tuned for updates on all of these things.

4. Learn to bake. Thankfully I come from a long line of amazing cooks. Not just cooks, natural chefs. Holiday events in my family are something to be revered. Being the youngest, I'm the last to start exploring this gift that we all have. Yes, I'm using the word gift, because now that I'm seeing what it's like in another family I can appreciate the fact that not everyone can make a meal happen with a magical finesse. I think for the most part I have savory dishes down. A combination of trial, error and Martha Stewart have made me a decent chef. What's standing in my way? Baked goods. Sure, I can make a simple drop cookie, but what about pastries, cakes (and icing), fancy breads, tortes, et cetera. There's this whole world of chef-ing-ton I've yet to explore. Getting a Cuisine Art food processor as a wedding gift will bring good tidings, I'm sure. So by the end of the year, watch out!

5. Explore LA. Ok, so since I've been here so far I've spent my "spare time", job hunting, then jumping right into a full time job. A shitty retail one at that. Now January is underway and I'm still working 5 days a week. I'm not complaining, the cash flow is good and in a place like LA you really need it. But I still don't feel like I've had the full LA experience. I know, that takes years, right? Even a partial LA experience. I'd at least like to put a dent in it. So to remind myself why I moved here I'm making it apart of my New Years resolution to do the following....

• Have one day a week where I venture out of my city. Living in SGV can be a little boring. Sure, I love the Asian markets but I can only buy so many herbal teas and encounter oh so many pissed off Chinese people. There is more to the area than this. There are over 200 cities in Los Angeles County and I'm going to have to make an effort to pursue these little adventures. I'll try and take pictures to commemorate these events.
• On a smaller scale, something I can do around my neighborhood to get the full experience is try a new restaurant every week. Let's face it, we eat out a lot. There are too many people in this house eating any groceries we may be bringing in to rely solely on that.  Besides, eating out is cheap here and there are a lot more healthy options (one good thing about all the Asian food) than most places. So rather than getting pigeon holed into the same greasy spoon I'm making a point to be bold and experiment with the varieties of culture I'm surrounded by.

So there you have it. Not too bad, eh? Nothing too difficult to accomplish, but small things I can do to ensure a good year. And just so I don't completely break tradition here are my top five favorite Christmas presents...

FINALLY!  Thanks to my Aunt Regina I can retire my crappy German bootleg of my FAVORITE movie! I think this calls for a revised review on Atomic Caravan!

I LOVE Finders Keepers, even more so if it's under the "B-Music" cannon. This was from my awesome hubby. The description says it all, "Imagine Melody Nelson taking a trip to La Planete Sauvage with a synth, a drum kit and some herbal french cigarettes."

Since my discovery of it a few months ago, Mystic Topaz is my very favorite stone. You can imagine my surprise when I discovered that my Mother in-law got me these GORGEOUS earrings!

Through out the month of October when we were doing some serious job hunting I really just wanted to curl up into the fetal position and watch Powerpuff Girls non-stop. I'm not sure what brought that urge on but being out of my comfort zone and having to branch out into a brave new world made me want to retreat to something safe and familiar in my spare time. I made several passing comments about wanting to watching some Powerpuff, so what does my husband do? Gets me the ENTIRE series! What a sweet heart! It's even better than I remembered. Fan fo' life.

Oh, Grandma. You spoil me so. I got this awwwesome espresso machine from my Grandma. I use it every day. I suppose that technically makes it my favorite gift? BEST EVER.

<3

On that note I shall depart. I have more jewelry picture to edit and I have to go to work soon. Sucks. Until next time...

Black as Midnight, Black as Pitch, Blacker than the Foulest Witch

For the past month Venus, my planet, has been in retrograde which as far as I know supposed to make life a little more complicated. I could concur that assertion but I'm I don't necessarily think that's a bad thing. Since last fall, around this time actually, Saturn has been in my chart. For the first time since I was a baby. I noticed a huge astrological impact from Saturn before I even read up on it. Despite Venus representing art and beauty I've found more inspiration during this Saturn period than ever before. All of my classic paintings came from Saturn and all of my complicated jewelry.

I've felt so strange since last month. I assumed it was the move but now I'm thinking that in reality, Saturn is a big part of the reason I made the decision and was able to press forth through the painstaking process. With Venus being out I've felt almost completely ruled by Saturn which I've decided I absolutely love. Some Librans have issues with Saturn but I feel energized by it's strange cosmic energy. My interpretation of certain things are different and I find myself inspired by things I'd never given any thought. This past month having so much Saturn while living in a completely new place has been an adventure. I feel different in Southern California. I realized today that I feel much more at home being near mountains than I ever did being near the beach. Every day on my way to work I drive through a hilly area with an abundance of oriental plants and old buildings, in the distance I have a photographic view of a gorgeous mountain scape. I'm sure it's taken for granted by the locals, the way I grew tired of hearing tourists rave about white sand and sunsets.

As I mentioned, my taste has changed, but not really "changed" it's just become more defined. Lately I've felt very romantic, not just with my husband but also with myself. An abundance of positivity and imagination. I feel my inner craftress coming out. I feel inspired by colors, aromas and simplicity in a completely new way. I've made several jewelry racks recently out of scraps I've found in the back yard. Upon completion I've decided that I despise jewelry boxes. Some are nice decorative items but really, who even came up with the idea of storing your fineries in a dusty old box like they were meant to be hidden. Not only do I feel more inclined to wear them when they're in plain sight but it also seems to brighten the room up quite a bit having reflective metals and crystal prisms catching the light (which is very little since our window is blocked by a big tree).

My latest obsession is Mystic Topaz. Can you think of anything more amazing? A true rainbow crystal. A unicorn's talisman. I never really knew what they were called but every I'd seen one in the past I gasped at it's stunning beauty. I seem to recall the ones I'd seen in the past being somewhat pricey and only now have I been able to put the name to the stone. It is MY stone. My birthstone is opal, which I love, but it's so it's own thing. It's pearlescent and it's also extremely soft. My first engagement ring was an opal by my request and in less than 6 months, wearing it day in/day out, I cracked it opening a box of wine. Can you think of anything more tragic and tacky? It was quickly replaced by a diamond heirloom...but still.  White diamonds may be relatively indestructible but there's no magic there. How could they be? Liz Taylor named her stank ass old lady perfume after them. ANYWAY... the mystic topaz is like the opal of the crystal world. I realized that I don't have many nice rings. Mostly costume jewelry and a few nice gifts from my mom. But I don't recall ever buying a nice ring for myself. So I just got over it and bought myself this...

..oh mah gawsh..

Is it not superb? It's a little big. About half a size up from my ring finger but coming in right under two inches it's probably meant for my middle finger. This ring will complete my journey of becoming Queen of the Unicorn Wizards.

But back to stinky perfume. I can't standz nastay cheap stuff. As I've mentioned before, I'm a connoisseur of fine colognes. I usually gravitate towards light florals with subtle hints of vanilla and citrus. Lately, with this change of cosmic energy I've been wanting something different so I decided to finally order some things from For Strange Women on Etsy. Since her fine oils and solid perfumes are somewhat pricey (although I'm sure totally worth it) I decided to start with some samples to get a feel for what I can and can't live without. So I ordered the following...

Mix and Match three samples. I chose:

*Winter Kitty
*Moss and Ivy
*Astral Projection

I greatly anticipate trying these lovely handmade oils. Better yet, I ordered a sample of a solid perfume that sounded so lovely from the description, how could I resist?? Antique Settee...

"This blend reveals the past with hints of roses, violets, and everlastings lingering on velvet upholstery from perfumed guests that have come and gone. Freshly polished wood trim is woven throughout, finished with a deep base of Earl Grey tea (spilled on the cushions over the years). The essence of black tea leaves soaked in bergamot improves with age while lending a comforting character. This aromatic interpretation offers you the opportunity to embody this classic heirloom’s history."

Oh.My....must have. I got a "pine cone" lip balm as well. Which leads to to my current favorite lip wear.

Lately I've been wearing this black YSL lip gloss. It is BLACK. But don't fret, I don't wear it like that. Just a little bit goes a long way. Blended evenly it casts a smokey shadow on my lips that I love. With a layer of translucent purple Anna Sui lipstick is absolutely gorgeous. Just thought I'd mention it...

I'm not sure what the story is here but I can't help but be a little worried by it.

I was just informed that Rasputina put out a new album a few months ago. Where the heck have I been? This discovery couldn't have come at a better time.

Until next time my Unicorn Minions...

Invoking the Spirit

A while back I mentioned the possibility of reviewing movies I feel aren't Atomic Caravan worthy on this blog. It's hard to explain what exactly a movie like that entails since I obviously have no problem reviewing complete garbage but today I think I'm going to explore one such film. The epic, the life changing, The Craft.

Ok, so it's 1996, I'm 10 years old. It's been a good decade for teen movies which isn't helping to prevent my wanting to grow up too fast. I remember wanting to see this in the theater SO bad! My mom, being the concerned parent of a pre-teen wouldn't let me. Hummph. Thankfully, around the time of it's video release, I was now 11 and she herself had become curious about it so she decided to let me see it. How can I describe how this movie effected that small, under developed version of me? In a way it validated Mom's reason for originally not wanting me to see it. I had no interest in Robin Tunney's boring good witchery. I was all about some Fairuza. I wanted to BE her! I had just begun wearing make-up and made sure I applied far too much black eyeliner any chance I could get away with it. The clothes in that movie really effected my taste, even still today. White button up shirts with long tapered collars, black vests or suspenders and of course the signature plaid skirt with knee to thigh-high stockings. I remember thinking Nancy's cross earrings were so cool. I still have the onyx and marcasite cross necklace I bought a few years later which I viewed as the "perfect Craft inspired cross necklace".

Years passed, I had my fair share of slumber parties featuring "light as a feather, stiff as a board", at least three gothic phases between middle school and early college and still to this day endless quoting and fond memories of watching it with friends. It's not even a movie I'd say I'm proud to be a fan of, it's beyond that. Like many girls (and some very special boyz) my age, it's just apart of us! Anyway, this isn't exactly a review. I just had my annual viewing so I thought I'd emblazon my undying love for this movie on my public blog. I watched it with some first-timers, both were somewhat freaked out by it. Or taken aback at least, which completely confused me. COMPLETELY. Maybe I'm desensitized but the Craft, to me, is a semi-juvenile fashion oriented fun fest. Forget that whole suicide and murder sub-plot. There's ... um ... magic and cool clothes. Whaddya' want??? Besides, I can't take any movie seriously with Jewel on the soundtrack. C'mon!

"HE'S-SAWRY-HE'S-SAWRY-HE'S-SAWRY-SAWRY-MY-ASSSSSS!!!"

Who is your favorite Gremlin?

I rewatched Gremlins 2 for like the umptillionth time last night. It's a timeless classic. It's far superior to the first which is nowhere near as colorful and fun. Not only do we have a cascade of cameos but also so many strange varieties of Gremlins. There's the Gargoyle, the Electric Gremlin, the smart Tony Randall Gremlin,  "Daffy" the goofy cross eyed Gremlin, There's the one with lips like Edward G. Robinson, there's Mohawk of course which I think is the one who turns into a spider, "Lenny" who has buck teeth and long rabbit ears,  and the Phantom of the Opera one. SO many! I always thought they were so cute, even even as their slimy scaly selves. I'm a sucker for small creatures with big eyes and ears. Who isn't?? But I think it's safe to say that the coolest Gremlin is the fairest of them all...

Greta ♥

For a species that is asexual "Greta" (whose name I had to google since they never say it in the movie) sure knows how to work that hot reptilian babeness. I always thought she was so gorgeous! I wish I had green hair like that! She's glamorous, sexy and completely weird. Does she count as a magical girl? She's not exactly a "girl" but she's female and most definitely magical! I always wished there were more scenes with her. Naturally, she is my favorite Gremlin.

Another I was always fond of is Vegetable.

One brief cameo of him bursting out of the salad bar isn't enough! His lumpy enliven plant face always creeped me out easily making him the winner of Weirdest Gremlin award (which only exists in my mind). Strange carrot beard and cabbage pecs still make me shiver a bit when I see him.

I'll always have a soft spot for the classic Mohawk too. Mostly because he reminds me so much of my cat Egbert...

I used to compare Egbert to Gizmo but it was clear right away that something was amiss. He's a very mischievous boy. He eats garbage, makes messes, poops on the floor when his box is perfectly clean, has a gruff scratchy voice (dead ringer for Mohawk's raspy way of saying "gizzzzzmoooooo") and in all of his ridiculously adorable fluffiness he has the gaze of a trouble maker. Shifty eyes, much like the grimacing bastion known as Mohawk. He acts so radically different than our prince Charming tabby cat Giuseppe that there is no doubt in my mind Egbert is part Mogwai. Look at that! He's chewing on my Unicorn!

Obviously Gizmo is the fan favorite, and Christ, he's most definitely cute, but sort of boring in a way. I always wondered what he'd be like if he made the transformation from Mogwai to Gremlin. I think Joe Dante should make another sequel with Greta being the first to actually give BIRTH to a part Gremlin part human (since she marries Forster). Maybe it grows up like normal (although I can't imagine a human baby coming out of Greta) and starting to go through changes when he hits a certain age. Or whatever, I'm not a screenwriter but I think Gremlins 2 totally left room for another sequel. Then they could explore the idea of Gizmo turning into a real Gremlin! It would be SO cool!!

If only...

So the question remains, who is YOUR favorite Gremlin?

WANT. NEED. MUST HAVE.

Dear Mattel,

Are you for real?? You made a Chantal Goya Barbie Doll??? As if you hadn't made most of my hot pink plastic dreams a reality in my baby days. Now as a mature young woman I discover this wonder of the toy world. I HAVE to find this!!!!!

Meet the Pink Rangers!

So as I briefly mentioned in my last blog, Super Sentai is one of my current interests. Sadly because I'm an American, (meaning I was an American kid raised on American TV) I missed out on shows like Go-Go V and Gaoranger. We had, of course, Power Rangers. To be quite honest, I always liked Power Rangers. I remember catching a lot of slack for it in school because it was so campy and redundant. That was apart of it's charm to me. The bad graphics, the bright colors and the Monster of the Day schtick. At first, there was really nothing else like it on American TV and I was way too young and unexposed to know about anything going on in Japan. This became a passing interest, meaning like timeless shows from the days of yore, such as Ren & Stimpy, Pete & Pete and Clarissa Explains it All, it didn't hold my attention for long. It was a little kid thing that I just eventually grew out of. Now that I'm in my Mid-20's, I'm easily given to nostalgia and I'm also a bonified Japanophile, my interest in tokusatsu has lead me back to Sentai. Which is a word I didn't even know existed at that time.

Just in case you need to brush up on the lingo...

Tokusatsu: "a Japanese term that applies to any live-action film or television drama that usually features superheroes and makes considerable use of special effects (tokusatsu literally translates as "special filming" in Japanese)."

Sentai: "a word for a military unit and may be literally translated as "squadron", "task force", "group" or "wing". The terms "regiment" and "flotilla", while sometimes used as translations of Sentai, are also used to refer to larger formations."

Years ago I found out that  the Power Rangers thing was the Americans cashing in on a formula that was big in Japan. That's all I really knew though. It wasn't relevant to my interests at the time so I never did any further research. Now that I'm starting to get into a few of these shows I'm noticing how highly superior they all are to Power Rangers, which unlike most Japanese Sentai shows, was definitely geared towards younger kids.

Like any little girl, Kim, the Pink Ranger was my favorite! It didn't matter what her character was like, all that mattered was that she was pink. So just for fun, I found pictures of ALL THE PINK RANGERS. And there's kind of a lot! I enjoyed it so much I decided to post them all here! Pink only (and a few spectacular White Rangers as well).

 Let's start with the old American stand-by...

I remember squealing with retarded delight when I was 14 and realized that "Julie" from Felicity was "Kim" the Pink Ranger! But really though, she's kind of lame compared to the following Sentai Ladies (arranged alphabetically)...

Bioman: Pink Five

Boukenger: Bouken Pink

Carranger: Pink Racer

Changeman: Change Pheonix

Dairanger: Houou Ranger (one of my favorites! Check out that Pink Peacock!)

There she is again. Wow! Love her <3

Dekaranger: Deka Pink

Denziman: Denzi Pink

Dynaman: Dyna Pink

Fiveman: Pink Five (any Pink Ranger with a heart shaped face is an automatic winner!)

Flashman: Pink Flash (she's not wearing her mask, but I so love this picture)

Gaoranger: Belle Tiger Gaowhite (kinda, pink? Totally cute!)

Gingaman: Ginga Pink (Kitty helmet!!!)

Goggle V: Goggle Pink

Go-Go V: GoGo Pink

Goranger: Momo Ranger (one of my FAVES!!)

Goseiger: Gosei Pink

J.A.K.Q: Heart Queen (ANOTHER fave, this show is just great)

Jetman: White Swan (SWANNY ATTACK!?!)

Magiragner: Pink Magician Magi Pink (totally effing cool, but wait! It gets cooler...)

Pink Magician, wow! I need a suit like that for when I have to go pay my bills.

Maskman: Pink Mask

Megaranger: Mega Pink

Ohranger: Oh Pink (I like the simplicity of this one)

Shinkenger: Shinken Pink (BUT WAIT...it gets better...)

hmm, what could she be doing?

WAHHH!! Turning into a turtle!!!

Timeranger: Time Pink

Turbo Ranger: Pink Turbo

Zyuranger: Ptera Ranger


I wish all the Pink Rangers had gotten together and formed their own Sentai! I guess it'd be hard to tell some of them apart in fight scenes. Well, they're all cute! Even the more basic ones. This was just a little labor of love to see all those pretty pink faces together. Let me know if I missed any. And because I'm not a total sheister (only kind of), I got most of my photos from http://supersentaiimages.blogspot.com/ which is a really great blog and you should check it out if you're interested because, unlike me, they actually know what they're talking about, lol.

In closing I'll leave you with one of my favorite Sentai ladies, not pink, but totally amazing anyway...

Miss America from Battle Fever J...

So cool.