Teresa Metts

I was trolling through my old Pinterest boards last night looking for Valentines craft inspiration (one of these years I'll come up with something, right?) when I came across this Pin:

It jumped out because it was on my "Girly Grins" board - a place I normally reserve for funny cat pictures and watercolor tattoos.

So I clicked through to the article, and wow. I was unprepared. It was written over ten years ago by Erin McKean of A Dress A Day, and I recommend reading the whole thing (it's not long), but here's the bit that packed the biggest sucker punch for me:




McKean goes on to say there's nothing wrong with "pretty", of course, but how our emphasis should be on health and happiness. Click on over, give it a read. I'll wait.

Back? Cool.

Some thoughts:

In a world where every "empowering" pop song assures us that we're beautiful, and where expressing any dissatisfaction with our looks is seen as a cry for help or attention, I actually find it comforting to be told it's ok to NOT be pretty. That maybe looks can just be looks sometimes; a thing we have little control over, and that ultimately have no bearing on our true value.

I'll go even further, and say maybe it's ok if I don't think *I'm* pretty. And that maybe rushing to assure our friends and humanity in general that we're all beautiful is a bit, well, stupid. Insulting, even. How can we say a person we've never seen is beautiful? How can everyone be beautiful? And be warned: if you give me the "beautiful on the inside" speech, I WILL roll my eyes at you.

You know what's beautiful on the inside? Kindness. Courage. Empathy. Loyalty. Self-sacrifice. If those are the things we see in a person, if those are the things we mean, then shouldn't we use those words? Call out some specifics? Instead of reducing so many amazing qualities to something as trivial and fleeting as "beauty"?

Hey, I get it. This is one of those areas where we mean well, but we've been preconditioned to A) contradict anyone who says they're less-than-gorgeous, because B) we associate beauty with goodness. So she may not be beautiful, but she's a beautiful person. (I know, I know; I've said it, too!)

I would posit that in the process of trying to make people feel better like this, though, we're really enforcing the societal mandate that unattractiveness will not be tolerated. That of course you're pretty, because you have to be pretty.

But you guys, we don't have to be pretty. As McKean said, we don't owe prettiness to anyone. Not even ourselves.


I don't have any answers here, but I like these thoughts. I like being reminded that I don't owe chasing some impossible standard to the world. And I need reminding, because that's not how it feels, right? Right now I think I owe prettiness - or my best attempts at it - to every person who has to look at me. I feel like I should apologize for my face if I'm not wearing makeup, or for my clothes if I'm wearing something comfortable, or for my figure and weight, period.

Sometimes it's fun, the makeup and the clothes and the sparkly nail polish. But like everything, the fun fades when you have to.

So I don't know about you, but I get tired and resentful of the effort. Then I get tired and resentful of being told I'm beautiful just the way I am by commercials and songs and even my overly enthusiastic hubby, who has a knack for picking the worst possible times. If John would save it for when I'm tucked and plucked and actually feeling pretty, it'd be different. But noo-ooo. It's when my unibrow is coming in nicely and I'm propped up on my triple chins in a heap of frizz wearing cat-hair-covered yoga pants that John decides I need to be told I'm gorgeous. Which is sweet, but c'mon. If that's gorgeous, then somebody better bust out the heavenly chorus line when I brush my teeth and put on a bra, is all I'm saying.



Again, no answers here, just thoughts. And I'm curious what you guys think. Do you struggle with "owing" prettiness to anyone, or do you enjoy the effort? Do you care what your favorite people look like? Where's the line between being true to ourselves and presenting a well-groomed, self-respecting image to the outside world? And most importantly, do you ever fantasize about a society where everyone wears pretty masks in public, or are turned into giant cats with lustrous fur coats that hide all their zits? (Asking for a friend.) (Who is me.)

Let's chat. Let's think some new thoughts.

And hey, for what it's worth, I don't care if you're pretty, because I know you're already something so much better: you're you. You are what matters, you are what lasts, and twenty or fifty or a hundred years from now, your impact on the people and world around you is what will be remembered. Not your good hair days, not your pore size or your waist size or your fashion sense. Just you. 

And you know what? That's pretty darn cool.

 I'm coming up for air from work and cosplay photos to remember there IS a world outside my office.

 A world... soon to be filled with Ghostbuster Krispy Kreme donuts:


I do love it when my two blogs collide, but my Cake Wrecks experience can assure you: they will never look this good in-store. [evil chuckle] Poor StayPuft.

Hey, just realized I'm wearing a StayPuft shirt right now! But then, I have at least half a dozen different StayPuft shirts, so... (It's a sickness. A wonderful, wonderful sickness.)

I'm mostly posting those to assure you guys I *have* seen them, since I'm being bombarded - albeit in a good way - from all social media sides. Heh.

Similarly, yes, I'm SUPER psyched about Hullaballoo, the 2D animated feature being put together by Disney animators (but not for Disney):





Speaking of Disney-related stuff, Cori S. reminded me that Dapper Day at WDW is coming up again on the 27th, so for you locals or well-timed vacationers:


I like how they call it the "Fall" Soirée, when it's still 91 degrees over here. If last year was any indication, there are going to be some sweaty fur stoles and wool suits over at DHS that day. :( We really should stick to Winter Dapper Days in Florida, don't you think?

That said, I looooove seeing all the fabulous clothes and Disney-Bounding, so I'll try to make it out for the 6PM meetup for photos, at least. (Here are my photos from last year, if you're looking for fashion inspiration!)



Also on the Epbot Facebook page, Teresa M. found me the perfect t-shirt:


On average I think I leave the house once a week, and the only times I enjoy leaving the house are for conventions or dates with friends and/or readers. So, yep, gonna need this shirt. (Aha! Finally found it on Look Human for $20.)


And finally, 'fess up, you commenters: John Strangeway paid you all to convince me to watch Tucker & Dave Vs Evil, didn't he? DIDN'T HE? Because he's been pestering me for ages, but it took all your comments on my last post to finally get me to watch it. (That, and John wanted to. ;)

And my verdict?

Absolutely hilarious (I thought John was going to sprain something,) and screamingly gory. (Two words: wood chipper). Fortunately the gore wasn't too psychologically disturbing, if that makes sense, so I just hid behind a couch pillow and yelled my way through it. And you guys are right: Alan Tudyk is a genius. Both guys are, but some of his lines... 


It also helps that you can usually tell when the bloody stuff is coming; no surprise decapitations or anything. Still: SO GORY.  o.0



John and I are already hard at work (him actually working, me "consulting") on another big geeky project, but no pics yet, for fear of the Epbot Project Jinx. Maybe soon, though?

'Til then, Happy Thursday, everyone!


UPDATE: Jamie asked over on Facebook how my cat Lily is doing with her over-grooming, and since that's a FAQ: Lily's doing grrrrr-REAT! Granted, she's still on steroids, which aren't ideal, but we're still testing new foods in the hopes we can wean her off the pills some day. For now, though, she's a playful purr-box constantly demanding hugs. So, you know, perfect.  ( -->

And since I'll take any excuse to post Lily Glamor Shots, here's one I just took on my phone:

I moved her box onto the table to keep her off my lap while I'm trying to craft. She's still really distracting, though. I mean, LOOKIT DAT FACE. (Must... snuggle...)

This vegetable nursery in Vietnam has been designed by 1+1>2 International Architecture Company to help promote green growing and living habits. The architecture firm worked alongside Action for the City to create the nursery that’s made almost entirely from bamboo and plastic bottles.

The nursery is clad with around 2,000 bottles that help to provide a degree of protection against the wind and rain. It also serves as a funnel, capturing raining water run-off and channelling it down to the plants. And while it primarily functions as a greenhouse, it can also be used by the local farmers and workers as a rest place, or as an educational space for children to learn about their local ecosystem.

All of the bottles have been donated by locals of the immediate community. The lightweight structure allows the vegetable nursery to be moved with ease. The project was part of a collaboration between the countries of Vietnam and Ireland, and is designed to support the local citizens. According to the architects it is an “example of researching, [and] applying recycled materials in construction which could be disseminated to other models.”

The unit has a floor area of 6 square meters (64 square feet) and is 3.6 meters tall (11.8 feet). The nursery was recently on display at the Museum of Women throughout November and December. It has since been moved on to Soc Son organic vegetable farm, where its being put to use as an active green house.

For more bamboo buildings and spaces check out the floating Blooming Bamboo House by H&P Architects. Or these prefab houses built with bamboo by TYIN, a non-profit humanitarian organization. See all natural buildings.

Via Inhabitat
Photos: 1+1>2 International Architecture Company

This post Vegetable Nursery Made from Bamboo and Recycled Bottles appeared first on Humble Homes.

When Marlboro Man, the kids, and I were in Colorado last month, we ordered Twice-Baked Potatoes one night. Instead of the traditional twice-baked potatoes our souls were used to—the hollowed-out potato halves stuffed with luscious filling and baked—they brought plates of curious potato rounds, each with a layer of melted cheese on top. We all looked at one other with panicked expressions. What were these frightening little discs? Who would mess with the simple beauty of a traditional twice-baked potato? What has happened here in Colorado? When did everything go so horribly wrong?

(I suggested under my breath that it was all the marywanna. But Marlboro Man and the kids didn’t hear me.)

After closer examination—i.e., after we all got over our initial trauma and took a bite—we discovered that they were simply reconstructed little twice-baked potatoes; but instead of potato halves, they used potato slices. A simple and clever twist on the twice-baked theme!

I’d been meaning to recreate these once we returned from our ski trip and I could move my limbs again, and yesterday I finally got around to it.

Deliciousness ensued!

 
First, scrub a bunch of russet potatoes till they’re really clean.

 
 
 
Dry them, set them on a baking sheet, and bake them at 375 for 30 minutes, or until they’re super tender.

 
 
 
While the taters are a-bakin’, fry up some bacon…

 
 
 
Until it’s nice and crisp but not burned but not chewy but perfectly crisp.

You got all that?

Good. Will you please explain it to me?

 
 
 
After the bacon is cooked, violently throw it onto a cutting board in a neat pile…

 
 
 
Then chop it up into small pieces. Then go hide it somewhere until you need it so you won’t accidentally eat it all with a spoon.

(That may or may not have happened in my kitchen once or dozens of times.)

 
 
 
The taters! They’re done!

 
 
 
So now the fun begins. Transfer the taters to a cutting board.

 
 
 
Then lop off the ends…

 
 
 
And slice them into nice, chunky slices. If I had any sense of measurement, I would at this time tell you to slice “half-inch” slices or “1-inch slices” or “three-fourths inch slices.”

But I’m not that kind of girl.

 
 
 
Keep going until they’re all sliced up. Throw the little annoying end pieces into a pile; you can decide later whether to work them into the mix or whether to kick them to the curb.

(I kicked them to the curb.)

 
 
 
Throw softened butter into a mixing bowl.

 
 
 
Then grab some sour cream (or Greek yogurt if you’re trying to be a good kid) and throw it into the bowl.

 
 
 
Now, this isn’t 100% required, but if you have them it makes the next step really easy: Grab some different biscuit cutters approximately the same size as the potato slices.

 
 
 
Now, since the potato slices are oblong in shape, you can slightly bend a round cutter to fit. (It’ll bend back, man!)

 
 
 
Then place it over one of the slices of potatoes, making sure the cutter fits inside the edge.

 
 
 
Then just press down…

 
 
 
And lift it out!

 
 
 
And that’s what you’ve got left! A nice little potato ring.

 
 
 
If you don’t want to bend your cutter, just squeeze the potato slice to conform!

 
 
 
Or, if you don’t have one that perfectly fits, just make one cut over to one side…

 
 
 
And a second cut over on the other side.

 
 
 
Keep on going…

 
 
 
And drop the potato rounds into the mixing bowl as you go. They’ll be nice and warm, so they’ll start melting the butter and warming the sour cream.

 
 
 
When you’ve finished cutting holes in all the potato slices, you’ll have a bunch of potato innards in the bowl. So add some milk…

 
 
 
Some salt…

 
 
 
Some pepper…

 
 
 
And the bacon…

 
 
 
Mix it on low using the paddle attachment until it’s all combined.

*Note: I’m using the mixer so the potato mixture will be really smooth, but you can just use a potato masher if that’s easier! Either one will work fine.

 
 
 
Then I added some grated cheese and, for a little more flavor because I tasted it and thought it was lacking in zip, a little seasoned salt.

 
 
 
Be sure to taste it when you’re finished mixing to make sure it’s absolutely perfect.

 
 
 
And…it’s perfect!

 
 
 
Now it’s time to fill the potato slices. Originally, I was going to use a piping bag, but decided a scoop would be easier.

 
 
 
As with the cutters, just find a scoop (or spoon!) that’s approximately the same size…

(You can see me there. Hi! *Waving*)

 
 
 
And fill the hole with potato filling.

 
 
 
And keep going until you’ve got them all filled. (You should have a little filling left over, which you can now eat as an appetizer.)

(You’re welcome.)

 
 
 
Next, use a spatula or knife to smooth out the surface.

*Note: I smoothed these out to be flush/even with the top of the peel, but I found out after baking them that it would actually have been better to overfill them a little. (They slightly sink after baking.) So mounding the filling is fine.

 
 
 
I wasn’t sure whether I’d prefer them plain or cheesy, so I did half with and half without.

 
 
 
Then I just baked them at 375 for about 8 minutes, then broiled them for about 4.

 
 
 
I stood watch while the broiler was on, because I didn’t want the cheese to burn—I just wanted it to go a little past that soft melted cheese stage and into the firmer melted cheese stage without going into the burned melted cheese stage.

GOSH DANG, I’M PICKY SOMETIMES!

 
 
 
Aren’t these fun? What I love about them is that they’re as perfect for a weeknight dinner as they would be for an elegant dinner party! And you can make them well in advance, keep them in the fridge, then just bake them off right before. Or even freeze them, unbaked!

 
 
 
The only tricky part is that if you try to remove them from the pan right away, the soft potato filling tends to stick/stay behind a little. So the remedy is to let them sit on the pan for a good 10 minutes before serving them. This actually is best anyway, because it gives the potatoes a chance to calm down and cool slightly.

 
 
 
A sprinkling of sliced green onions at the end is just what it needs to finish the job.

Hope you enjoy these, guys! They’re lots of fun…

And they have butter, sour cream, and cheese in them.

And that’s pretty much all that needs to be said.

Here’s the handy dandy printable!

This is all about dogs taking shits. If that sort of thing grosses you out, don’t read it.

I walked out into the backyard, and got the dog-shit-picker-upper-thing out of the place where it lives. I carried it to the lawn, and began using it for its prescribed purpose.

After a couple of scoops, Marlowe joined me on the lawn. “You guys sure do poop a lot,” I said. She looked at me with sweet eyes and a pibble smile.

I continued to pick up their dirty, sinful business, and Riley arrived. She surveyed the situation, and decided to take a huge shit in the middle of the yard. “Thanks for not waiting until I put this away, Piles,” I said.

I turned my back to her and worked my way toward the back of the lawn. The sun was warm on my back, a very light breeze rustling the leaves on the camphor trees.

I turned around just in time to see Marlowe eating Riley’s poop.

“Goddammit, Marlowe! Stop eating shit!” I said.

She took a few steps away from me, looking guiltily back over her shoulder. “That is so gross, dude. Don’t do that!”

She looked at me, hunched her back, and pooped. I’m pretty sure she was thinking, “I’m sorry. Here, let me put it back.”

 

 

Bus renovations that I’ve featured in the past have all been carried out by self-build enthusiasts, but this rather groovy-looking bus has been restored by the studio Winkelman Architecture. Will Winelman is primarily responsible for the transformation of the 1959 Chevrolet Viking short bus, combining architecture and design with transportation.

The end result of his efforts are a cozy, colorful space on wheels. Like the tiny house movement, bus renovations enable people to lead a minimalist lifestyle while also being able to travel at the same time. Unlike tiny houses, this bus isn’t designed for full-time living. The renovation was carried out on the behalf of a client who needed an alternative mode of transportation for family outings, which could also act as a guest bedroom.

The original bus was in such bad form that Winkelman had to repair almost all of the mechanical aspects before the interior facelift could take place. Will also customized all the new body parts so they would be in keeping with its vintage style: “The bodyshop lifted the body off and tenderly restored it to its original self, sometimes fabricating replacement parts, sometimes sourcing salvaged parts on the web.”

The interior of the bus is finished in a kitschy retro style, taking elements from Moroccan culture and incorporating them to create a “funky, hippy Moroccan vibe”. The cab of the bus contains a seating area which can be adjusted to provide two single beds, or a large double bed. There’s also a toilet cubicle and a little table and chair just behind the driver’s area.

The materials and fabrics chosen were selected based on their retro quality in an attempt to create a 60′s vibe. You’ll find little details like multi-colored beads, tassel lamps and Moroccan-style prints. The mill work was completed using quarter-sawn white oak, and the floor is made up of salvaged heart pine that was installed with the original surface to create an aged-looking floor.

For more renovated buses check out this swanky bus conversion by Tali Shaul and Hagit Morevski. Or this truck that’s been converted into a comfortable small home on wheels by Joseph Tayyar. See all spaces.

Via Inhabitat
Photos: Winkelman Architecture

This post Chevrolet Bus Restored into a Funky Mobile Camper appeared first on Humble Homes.