I came out of Thor 2 with a mission in life: a steampunk version of Loki’s coat. (Even better if it came with Loki inside it, but that’s beyond my capabilities.) This is easily my most complicated project to date, and, unlike most projects I’ve discussed (primarily at my costumingContinue Reading
I’m in the middle of a major steampunk costuming project which incorporates black, olive green and gold. Today I decided I was going to construct some jewelry to go along with it. My steampunk jewelry tends to be large and ostentatious. Actually, most of my steampunk wardrobe is based onContinue Reading
As my university job ends, and I continue to juggle medical issues, I have been scrambling to understanding insurance options. My husband, Jerry, has decent insurance available for himself, but it gets cost prohibitive if he adds a spouse. So part of the answer is we’re going to have separateContinue Reading
Anytime someone complains that they can’t find a certain book, the first thing I ask is “Have you checked Amazon?” If they complain that a certain book is too expensive, I ask “Have you checked Amazon for used copies?” Now, there are, indeed, times when Amazon does not actually haveContinue Reading
The TV show Cosmos has managed to not offend me for several weeks, and this last episode certainly didn’t offend, it merely annoyed. In its introduction to our understanding of the stars, host Neil deGrasse Tyson discusses a variety of myths surrounding constellations, particularly about the Pleiades. Among the ancientContinue Reading
People are passing the following meme around thinking that it is arguing for the legalization of same-sex marriages. It’s not, although I’m confident Rev. Joe Hoffman would also like that to happen. The law in question, part of Amendment One, makes it a crime to perform a marriage ceremony forContinue Reading
I spent much of this last winter sorting through my grandfather’s collection of stamps. They come from a variety of sources. Some he clearly cut off envelopes. Some he probably purchased, as they are in glassine envelopes. Some were gifted to him by a cousin in 1935. I have zeroContinue Reading
Lesson One: I am doing very badly with my goal of posting history on appropriate days. On April 14, 1912, RMS Titanic sank, killing 1500 passengers while 700 survived in lifeboats. This week marks the 102nd anniversary. Lesson Two: CNN is even less on the ball than I am. TheContinue Reading
Auction house Vermot de Pas has cancelled the appearance of Nazi items in an April 26 auction after multiple groups objected. Critics called the sale obscene and insisted the sale would give the items “unhealthy symbolic value that resembles cynicism and a form of moral indecency”. The Nazis and theContinue Reading
Back when I worked for About.com, I made a blog post debunking some of the common myths about Easter’s connection with pagan beliefs. It gained, by far, the most comments of any post, and every year the post must show up in search engines, because I always got a newContinue Reading