Objective Reasons Why Pie is Better Than Cake

Because screw you cake, that's why.

Hark! A Christmas Blog Contest! - Day 20ish

Okay then! Wednesday's answer was d). Boxing day is the day the money in the alms boxes is counted, although it has come to mean many other things.

Today's pie is Cranberry-Ginger-Pear pie. I have no idea how this tastes as I have never made it. It came up on my google search for "ginger pie" and looked good.

The question is:

The first song played from space was a Christmas carol! Was the song:

a) Jingle Bells
b) Santa Clause is Coming to Town
c) Jingle Bell Rock
d) Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer

Bonus! Can you name the space program that played it? 

(Note: There is no special prize for answering the bonus question. It's just there to make you feel smart!)

Hark! A Christmas Blog Contest! - um... what day is it?

Yeah. I know. I should avoid doing countdowns that involve contests considering exactly how much time I have around the holidays.

On the upshot, I have finished all of the prize baskets!

First place will win:
- A downloadable copy of the Piano Guys: A Family Christmas (via Amazon or iTunes).
- First pick of the handmade ornaments (you have the choice of a white star, a green sweater, or a little sock - pics to come when I've recharged my camera battery).
- Either a homemade gingerbread, or a gingerbread mix.

Second place will win:
- A downloadable copy of the Piano Guys: A Family Christmas
- Second choice of the handmade ornaments.

Third place will win:
- The remaining ornament.

The previous correct answer is b). St. Nicholas brought three boys back from the dead after they were murdered and pickled in brine. Legend has it that the murderer was planning on selling the cuts of boy meat as pork. Ew.

Today's pie is rhubarb (because why not).

Today's trivia question is:

Boxing day - the day after Christmas - is called such because:
a) you box up all the Christmas things
b) fruitcake used to be called "box cake" in Sweden
c) Italy used to hold boxing matches the day after the festivities
d) it is named after the traditional counting up of the money in the alms boxes

Hark! A Christmas Blog Contest! - Day 12ish

I need to apologize for my disappearance over the past two days. I caught something that just knocked me flat.

The answers to days 8 and 9 are "I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas" (or some permutation thereof) and c), Odin.

It is believed that the clicking of the reindeer's hooves was interpreted as Sleipnir, the eight-legged horse who sprang fully formed from Loki's womb, on the rooftops as Odin gave gifts to the good children of Earth.

Think about that in the Marvel universe, and it gets very, very weird.

I suspect you should leave Odin a reminder of mead (alcohol made from honey) and make him this Greek Honey Pie. I know, technically it isn't pie, but it came up when I searched for "honey pie."

I've made the decision that the Christmas carols are too easy, and they're boring for me. Trivia is way more fun.

Today's question is:

St. Nicholas is sometimes depicted with children standing in vats or tubs. This is because:
a) he is the patron saint of children
b) he once brought three boys back from the dead
c) it is symbolic of his love of Christ
d) in the region where he was from, it was customary for bishops (as he was) to bless alter boys as they bathed

Welcome back!

Hark! A Christmas Blog Contest! - Day 9

Based on the results from this weekend, I'm going to assume that weekends are a terrible time to do this.

Lesson learned. We'll cut Saturdays and Sundays from the schedule. 

I also have an announcement about the prizes! I have finished two of the ornaments. I will post pictures when I have all three. First and second place winners will get to choose which one they get. 

Today we're featuring Strawberry Pie (mmm... strawberries). 

Saturday's trivia response was d) Spiders. 

The legend is that a spider wove the blanket the baby Jesus used in the manger. 

Today's Trivia is:

An obscure origin of Santa is found in:

a) Zeus

b) an Old English poem called "Seafarer"

c) Odin

d) The Virgin Mary

Have a great Monday! Or just yell at it because it's a dirty rat fink that should be drop kicked into another state. Either way.

Hark! A Christmas Blog Contest! - Day 8

I don't have a lot of answers waiting from the last post, so I'm going to leave it up a bit longer before publishing the comments and answer.

We're back to the Christmas carols today, but before we do that, here's a recipe for delicious peach pie! 

Today's carol is:

Hallucinatory phenomenon involving a natal celebration devoid of color.

I'm going to admit to being very tired today, so please pardon the lack of witty prose. Mom and I went to Denver yesterday and we didn't get back until about 1am. I drank so much caffeinated soda I didn't sleep until it wore off around 2. Note: next time, leave earlier.

Hark! A Christmas Blog Contest! - Day 7

Sorry for the delay, folks! It's harder than it looks to blog from a cell phone. I had to wait until I could get wifi.

Today's pie is the American classic, apple pie.

Yesterday's answer was Joy to the World.

Today's trivia is:

Which animal is a symbol of Christmas in Poland?
a) rabbits
b) bears
c) fox
d) spiders

Have a great rest of your day!

Hark! A Christmas Blog Contest! - Day 6

Aaannnd we're back!

Today we have a delicious pumpkin pie recipe to try!

Yesterday's answer was... c) dyed goose feathers!

The Germans figured out that goose feathers were the easiest to turn into an artificial Christmas tree, but the trees were still remarkably unrealistic.

Image courtesy of www.christmas-treasures.com

They had sparse branches and were often small, rarely topping over 50". The trees would be covered in whatever people could find to cover the sparseness of the tree.

Today we're back to carols!

An emotion excited by the acquisition or expectation of good given to the terrestrial sphere.

Also, tomorrow's post will be a bit odd. I'll be heading down to Denver for Christmas shopping with my mom and will be trying to post from my cell phone - which I've never done before. Fingers crossed.

Hark! A Christmas Blog Contest! - Day 5

Yes. Yes I am. In fact, today's recipe is for Lemon Merengue Pie.

Yesterday's answer was "Silent Night."

Today we're back to trivia and here's the question:

The first artificial Christmas trees were invented in Germany and were made of:

a) gathered pine limbs
b) animal furs
c) dyed goose feathers
d) specially treated and carved wood

Happy guessing, and happy 5th of the month!

Hark! A Christmas Blog Contest! - Day 4

And now... the answers from the last two days.

Day 2's answer was "Hark! The Harold Angels Sing" (don't worry, those will get progressively harder).

Yesterday's answer was actually b) a parasitic infection. (It should be noted that this was the only correct one among the available choices. There is another theory that it may have been caused by a trait reindeer have that allow them to adjust the specific location where they need heat in their bodies, but it has also not been proven.)

In this article from Parasitol Today, Dr. Halvorsen claims that a parasite with immunities to freezing temperatures is responsible for the famous red nose.

Of course, it could also just be magic.

I also have a prize to show you from the final baskets! Okay, it's not actually in physical form, but you can have your very own, downloaded copy of the Piano Guys' Christmas album, A Family Christmas. All three winners will receive a downloadable copy of the album.

Today we're having another Christmas Carol!

Nocturnal timespan of unbroken quietness.

Good luck!

P.S. Hey pie peeps! Here's a cherry pie recipe for your trouble!

Hark! A Christmas Blog Contest! - Day 3

Okay, so we have a slight modification to the contest.

As it turns out, the picture I have of the Christmas Carol images to guess is of a terrible resolution and one big picture. If I take one little one off the picture, it shows up on the site as a smaller-than-a-postage-stamp thingy. If I try to enlarge it, it pixelates and you can barely see it. No, I don't think that will work.

So, I'm adding in some trivia.

Since I posted such a late post last night, I'll keep yesterday's question up for awhile before I tell you the answer.

Today's pie is for quiche. Quiche is egg pie, right?

Today's question is:

Norwegian scientists have hypothesized that Rudolph's red nose was caused by:
a) a genetic mutation.
b) a parasitic infection.
c) a physical trauma.
d) magic.

Have fun!

Hark! A Christmas Blog Contest! - Day 2

I apologize for the delay, everyone. Between some problems with the image questions and the fact that I just spent two hours at the grocery store because of an impending snow storm, I'm only just getting to the post now.

I'll leave this one up for awhile so everyone can comment if they like.

Yesterday's answer was "O Come All Ye Faithful."

Today's pie is French Silk.

Today's question is:

Listen, the celestial messengers produce harmonious sounds.

Hark! A Christmas Blog Contest!

Ladies and gentlemen (and Steve. Shut up Steve), after a rather long hiatus, I have returned, and with goodies from the fat guy himself!

Okay, Santa has nothing to do with this, and when I asked him he said "Leave me out of your life's plans, weirdo," but that's besides the point.

The point is, I am hosting a Christmas contest right here on the blog! Ravelry even said it was a good idea!

Okay, they also seem to like pie.

The game is this: Every day until the 24th, I will post a strange phrase or image that represents a Christmas song or carol. Your job is to figure out which one it is. There might be duplicates, so if you've answered, say, "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" once, it might come up again.

For the people who answered "Pie!" there will be a link to a pie recipe every day. Just for you guys. Even if you don't want to participate in the contest, I am doing something for my pie peeps.

Here's a recipe for pecan pie!

I will open the comments for the answers, and the next day at 9 am I will close them so I can tally up the correct answers. Because all comments on this blog are moderated, you won't be able to see anyone else's comments until I post them... which will likely happen right around the time the comments are closed. I know. I'm evil.

Rules:
1) You may only post once per question. Once you've answered, you're done. Any additional answers will be disregarded.

2) You must be logged into a Google account. I know, very single-minded of me. Here is my reasoning. I really don't want anyone upping their odds by entering multiple times, under multiple accounts or anonymously and regularly changing their name and entering over and over.

This also allows me to email you if you win. If you would like me to inform you another way (say via text or twitter because twitter), drop me a line in the comments. I'll get back to you right away.

As for the prizes...

::coughs nervously:: ... they aren't, um, exactly finished. But I can tell you that there are three of them for the first, second and third place winners. They (will) contain handmade ornaments, tasty goodies and possibly something to do with the Piano Guys. The first and second place winners will also get something extra special.

Also, there is a fantastic playlist I have made, just for this year's Christmas on Spotify, that everyone who participates will receive a link to.

So, without further ado, the carol.

Move hitherward the entire assembly of those who are loyal in their belief.

Happy guessing, blogonauts!

Dear Depression

You're back.

Screw you.

Just when everything in my life is starting to work out for the better, you decide to roll on back into town like a not-friend who I don't want to talk to. You demand my time, my focus, my ability to write or think or do absolutely anything. You don't want me to knit, so I don't knit. You decide that my hobbies are pointless, so I don't do them. Not like I could anyway. You're such an energy drain that it's not like I could muster up the strength to pick up a project.

This happens every year. Just as my favorite season rolls around, so do you. Perhaps it's my allergies (I love fall but I'm also allergic to it), perhaps it's that August usually sucks for some reason and you just decide to come on in with that, perhaps it's that fall signifies everything I love and you don't want me to love it.

Either way, you suck.

But this year, I've got good meds and I'm fighting back. I've got too much stuff to do this year. I have socks to knit and clothes to sew. I have code to write and places to go and food to make and things that absolutely must be finished by Christmas. I actually have stuff that has to be done, and whether or not you care about that is not going to be considered when I make my plans.

The fact of the matter is, I simply don't have time for you this year.

Please go away, and don't let the door hit you on the way out.

-Me

Growing Up - A Teddy Bear's Perspective

And on that note, ladies and gentlemen, I think I'm going to go hug my dolls and stuffed animals now.

15 Signs You're Addicted to the Internet

1) Just because you have to use the bathroom doesn't mean you have to leave the laptop in the living room.

2) A huge storm is over your house and you're more concerned that if it knocks out the power you'll lose your wifi connection than the power to your refrigerator/freezer.

3) What's television? Reddit has a whole piece on audience reactions to Miley Cyrus' VMA show!

4) |\|0 0|\|3 U|\|D3r$74|\|D$ \/\/|-|@ j00Z 7'/P3 4|\|'//\/\0r3. |\|00B$. 

5) You don't want to shower because you can't safely take your laptop in with you to read Buzzfeed articles.

6) 4chan has cut you off... you shouted "I'll tell you when I've had enough!"

7) You have more pictures of funny cats on your computer than you do of people. 

8) Your family has just decided to stage an intervention. You didn't show up because your family isn't on Facebook and therefore didn't make an event.

9) The internet is down for line maintenance. The service provider said it didn't have anything to get you through until they got more supply.

10) Libraries have books?!

11) The FBI has put Twitter on its most wanted list of drug dealers.

12) You have forgotten what humans look like. What do you mean they're not text on a screen?!

13) The police have just come to ensure you're not dead because no one except the Domino's pizza delivery guy has seen you for three months - and he's only getting the chance because Domino's has online ordering.

14) You spent an entire weekend on Cracked.com. You never noticed you lost two whole days.

15) Somehow, somewhere there is someone who knows the internet better than you... and for reasons you cannot explain, that is a scary thought.

66 Answers to Questions I'm Tired of Hearing

1. Yes, it really is supposed to look like that.
2. Take it or leave it.
3. No.
4. Actually, I made it.
5. None of your business.
6. I think it was the dog.
7. No really, I made it.
8. Maybe.
9. Why are you stealing my tea?
10. Yes, it is.
11. Yes, I am.
12. No.
13. No, I'm not kidding you!
14. Yup.
15. Fat chance.
16. No, I do not take commissions.
17. I am disturbed by your excessive use of smilies.
18. I said no!
19. I don't know.
20. Are you kidding me?
21. Am I on Candid Camera?
22. No, this one is mine, you can't buy it.
23. Yes, I am quite serious.
24. No, it's not.
25. Get your own lunch!
26. Please stop following me.
27. No.
28. Yup.
29. Maybe.
30. What part of "no" don't you understand? The "n" or the "o"?
31. I don't think so.
32. That's his dog.
33. Yes, we are halfway done.
34. No, I don't teach.
35. Yes, I am going to eat that.
36. No, really.
37. No.
38. Yeah, it's a blog.
39. Maybe you should change the locks.
40. Nope.
41. Why are you asking?
42. Please stop talking.
43. The day is young and the hijinks are endless.
45. Okay, I'll make that for you if you give me $2,000 up front.
46. Good bye.
47. No, thank you.
48. Life isn't fair.
49. I have cats.
50. Yeah, two grand is reasonable when I've already said no.
51. It's my food!
52. No.
53. Yes, this is my job.
54. I would prefer it if you didn't, but by all means do so when I don't have to watch.
55. Yes, I am wearing this.
56. I think it was that guy.
57. No, it wasn't me.
58. You must be confusing me with someone else.
59. Yeah, crazy like a fox!
60. You ask that like you don't really want to know the answer.
61. No, the internet can't do that.
62. If you want one of your own, learn to knit.
63. That's why there's cat hair on my clothes...
64. Well, this explains a lot.
65. No.
66. What makes you think I'm giving you the questions to go with the answers? Now stop asking!

Steampunk and Growing Up

Two weeks ago I promised you I'd post the whole playlist I built over the month of July.

Well, here it is: The Steampunk Playlist.

I am not going to give you the whole list of songs. That's on the blog. The tag is Road to Salt City Steamfest.

What I am going to give you is an explanation. Before you continue, however, the following post might offend you. If you like steampunk a lot and do not want to hear any criticism of it, please close your browser window and wait until I write a new blog post. If you choose to continue on, do so at your own peril.

A week ago I turned 26. That's the back end of my 20s. Two weeks ago I was at Salt City Steamfest, and I didn't want to seem like a downer then, but to put it bluntly now it was quite possibly the most lackluster event I've ever attended. The panelists were entirely comprised of whoever wanted to sign up, regardless of skill, expertise, planning, or personal time limits. Frequently, the panelists wouldn't take up the whole hour, so they'd simply stop and say "Well, that's it. Feel free to ask me questions." Worse, many of them would have nothing pre-prepared and would stand in front of a room and ramble on about their subject.

The opening ceremony was a joke. It was, overall, a poorly planned, under-attended event (probably with good reason if it was like this last year). I had such high hopes and tried to make it fun, but it was largely a waste of time.

That wasn't even the hardest part for me. The hardest part was the other attendees. Allow me to explain.

I knew a good sized number of people there (my mom doesn't even know - I could point out easily a dozen people I'd encountered before at various places), and I knew something about most of them: They were going nowhere in life and doing nothing with it. The people I knew were largely unambitious, having no jobs, living with their parents, barely passing in school (or, in one case, flunking out entirely), and generally not doing anything but going to fun events.

And here I was, doing the same thing as these people.

I may seem like a snob here, but with the growing popularity of steampunk there is a growing population who embodies a trait I don't respect. Steampunk was meant to be the best and the brightest. Those who were part of the subculture wanted to explore and learn and be the best at everything simply because they could. Those who truly understand steampunk understand that it is not about fun costumes and gears and steam-powered robots.

Steampunk is about striving to become enlightened. To enhance personal knowledge and think and discover. Not just to collect information, but to figure out what it all means. We are still obsessed with our own cleverness and we want to work and excel and be the best. We want to learn. We want to master everything.

We also understand that to do all of that is a lot of work.

What the popularity of steampunk has attracted is a group of hangers-on who want to be the best and the brightest without doing any of the work to get there. It's as if they are the moon, picking up on the glow that proverbial sun of steampunk's intelligence and hard work ethic gives off, doing nothing to contribute to that glow themselves.

I do not respect that. Not in the slightest. If you want something, you darn well do the work to get it.

With that said, I will not totally renounce steampunk, but I will back off in my obsession (trust me, steampunk is still very, very cool). Salt City Steamfest served as a sobering reality check. It's time for me to grow the heck up and stop with all the childish costumes and playing around.

A week ago I turned 26. A week ago I realized that I had spent so much time being part of a group that has started to become something I did not respect that I was in danger of becoming part of that group. A week ago I realized that having a label of anything is stupid.

A week ago, growing up went a little less awry.

Road to Salt City Steamfest - Days 26 & 27

Hey all. It's been convention time. Yesterday and today I was at Salt City Steamfest and boy was it an experience. I'll show you all pictures later. Namely when I muster up the energy to go find my camera and snag my photos off of it.

Anyway, there are two songs left in our lovely playlist. Tonight you're getting the last two. Tomorrow I'll post a Spotify link to the whole shebang and write out the whole thing.

Tonight's first song is "Trust" by Bitter Ruin.



The last and final song of the playlist is a steampunk anthem. Professor Elemental's back with "Steampowered."



See you all with the whole playlist tomorrow.

The Road to Salt City Steamfest - Day 25

Ladies and Gentlemen, last night I promised you costumes. Tonight, I deliver.

This is the costume I will be wearing tomorrow. That is the second blouse I made, my favorite skirt from Clockwork Couture, a belt from the same place, a handmade corset, and various and sundry jewelry pieces. 

This costume is almost entirely handmade by me. That's the first blouse, the skirt I made, and the aforementioned corset. 

This is for the Saturday night ball where we'll listen to Vernian Process and Unwoman. I went a bit more old-fashioned Romani styled for this one. That's an ugly white broom skirt I bought at a thrift store (I wasn't costuming at the time, so I don't know what I was thinking), the first blouse, another alteration on Christine's Corset, a lace overskirt I designed and sewed myself, and a reticule I sewed as well. There's also the Icarus Shawl I made ages ago. There's an interesting bit of jewelry attached to the corset as well. 

I leave tomorrow morning for the convention, and I am so excited I could explode. 

But not so excited I'd forget to post tonight's song. Tonight we'll be listening to "One White Lie" by The Aeronauts.

While there's a version of this song on YouTube, it doesn't have particularly good sound quality, so click on the song name to go to the song on Bandcamp.