Snow Ball 2012

As I walked home from work last night, I passed the large and modern Omni Movie Theatre. It has a few steps in front of it, and at the base of the steps is a metal strip, that is about 3 or 4 inches wide and 15 or 20 feet long. It has holes in it, so I figure it functions as some sort of drain. Fascinating, right? I promise, I have a point. Anyway, as I am walking home last night, during a break in the snow/rain that had fallen off-and-on throughout the day, I pass the theatre and notice that a man is purposefully sliding on this metal strip just for kicks, like a outdoor and icy version of Tom Cruise's famous move in Risky Business. I can't help but watch this guy and I see that he is well into his 50s. He is nicely dress, in fact part of the reason he's getting so much distance on his slides is because he is wearing fancy dress shoes-- probably some slick-soled thing made in Italy and deliberately not intended for such Northernly activities as walking in slush and ice. I watch him the whole time it takes me to walk past the theatre, which is about a minute, and I'm smiling the whole time, because without knowing anything else about him I know that I like his style. He's not too old to have a silly good time.

And neither are we!

So, because we are not too old to be silly (and enjoy things that might be intended for a younger demographic) and because Matt is Best Husband of the Year... we attended Snow Ball, 2012. What is Snow Ball 2012, you ask? It's an amazing night of music, dancing, eating, drinking, giving, laughing, singing, and general rocking out. Oh, and it's all about Harry Potter. Everything. The decor, the food, the music-- especially the music! 

The Ball was held at Teviot Row House (which I have mentioned on this blog before) and the room was festive with tartan, lights and all sorts of house banners...

We drank bubbly drinks and ate cake... sugary goodness in the form of Hogwarts, Hagrid's hut and the the Black Lake (complete with Giant Squid tentacles).

One of the opening acts, Siriusly Hazza P, was cute and girly and rock-a-riffic... (OK, I apologize for that word). their last song was for Fawks, and the MC of the night, the man who put the whole thing together, donned phoenix feathers (and a kilt) and pantomimed the great bird.


And in case you're wondering, that in the background, is the Scottish flag, with the Hogwarts crest in the middle...

And a secret guest graced the stage before the main act... half of Draco and the Malfoys (and The Remus Lupins). He was totally geeky-cute-to-the-max. And he played "My Dad is Rich, You're Dad is Dead", which we all know is a modern-day classic. (and yes, that is the Elder Wand waving about in the foreground!)

Wands at the ready...

...for Harry and the Potters! Brothers, Potter aficionados, and  founders of Wizard Rock!

And they really do rock out. I didn't take much video (too busy dancing about) but I had to capture this one... Wizard's Chess is a little on the tame side compared to some of their other tunes, but its super cute  and it's about Christmas!
(Watch here, or if you want a bigger screen, choose to view it on YouTube. For some reason, Blogger won't let me show it any larger.)

Paul DeGeorge, Harry from Harry and the Potters, took some time before (and after) the show to have a little chat with me and Matt. I told him that we saw them play in Los Angeles years ago...twice.

Here's younger brother Joe DeGeorge (also Harry, from Harry and the Potters) rocking out (*note the metal fingers in the foreground. yeah.)

The guy from Draco and the Malfoys played drums for Harry and the Potters (I think he has also toured with the Violent Femmes... )

Blurry pictures of over-the-head and behind-the-back rocking.

And toward the end of the night, in some impromptu show of togetherness, everyone in the audience held hands and swayed back and forth to the music. That's the thing about Potter fans... there is always a ton of love at these things ( I know... it sounds cheesy) but overall, I think the Potter books attract a kind of person who believes in the main theme of the book: That love is the greatest magic of all.

awwww.

Change of color...

A few days ago I snapped a picture of Edinburgh Castle (well, part of Edinburgh Castle) as a silhouette against a fiery sunset. The picture was pretty dramatic (not due to any of my skills mind you, just because castles and sunsets ooze drama!) But, I got to playing with the colors of original picture and I ended up with a few others that I liked for various reasons. All I used here was the simplest editing tools on iPhoto- I can't wait to learn how to use PhotoShop so I can really play around with images! (And its about time, since Matt got it for me last Christmas.)  Anyway, here they are... what do you think? 

1. The Original- no trickery here. Just pointing and clicking... Pretty nice, I think.

2. Total saturation- I liked this one because it looks fake and fantastical, and when I see it I start to come up with stories in my head about a imprisoned sorceress casting enchantments so potent that the skies turn into water and fire!

3. Sepia- This one makes me think of Wuthering Heights... I don't know why, really, since that story takes place so clearly on the moors, not rocky hilltop, but the colors evoke a Heathcliff kind of mood in me. Romantic, violent, passionate, and haunting... 

4. Black & White- Makes me think of Dracula. Maybe not the most imaginative association, but black & white is classic for a reason (as is Dracula, for that matter!) This one feels stark and lonely and quiet... and a bit ominous.

Do the simplest of color changes make you see a totally different picture too? I am sometimes surprised how just looking at something in a different light can change it's whole story to me.

Catching up on my reading

I have not posted about books in a long while. My reading has been sporadic so far this year and I go through periods of feeling overwhelmed by how many books I want to read. I have hope, though, that I will add more reading to my nightly routine in our new flat, as it is without a television. (It will be my first time ever without a tv, although I have lived with one so small and with so few channels it hardly counts!) So, perhaps in the near future I 'll be blogging more and more about the books I have enjoyed.

Here is a little post about a few that have recently kept me company. As I have said before, several times before actually, I dislike writing book reviews. I find it a boring task and I am pretty lousy at it. I usually say too much about a book, ruining it for potential readers, or I say too little and my review is cryptic and frustrating. So, I have resolved not to review books at all. Instead, each title is a link to a Goodreads page, where the books are summarized and reviewed by people who know what they are doing (for the most part). Follow those links if you want to know more about the books below apart from the little bits shared by me.

Books I read a while back: 

I found In the Suicide Mountains at The Last Bookstore before they moved to their new location in LA. They were selling books at lowered prices to have less to pack up, and I nabbed a bunch of folktales and mixed mythologies. I was expecting this book to be like the others, short stories and tales, but it was a novel. A short novel.... actually, it is somewhere between a novel and a YA chapter book. Regardless, it was a strange and charming story that I am happy to have found. I am surprised actually, that I didn't come across it as a young reader- it has a sensibility to it that was very popular in the age and area in which I was raised. I can't properly describe what I mean, but I can see this book having a fan following, full of the same folks who love the movie, The Last Unicorn. 

The Children's Book is a hearty meal of a book. It is long, wordy and follows a group of writers, artists, politicians, and other VIP in Europe (mostly England) from the 1890s to about 1920. Some times, I couldn't help but feel totally ignorant while reading this book- Byatt mentions several people,places and events as if they are common knowledge. I am sure some of them are, and I just don't have a clue about them, but I'm equally sure she throws in some obscurities for good measure. And even though at times I felt like I just had to get through certain passages, there were moments of magic- the German puppeteers, the parties at Todefright, the opening night of Peter Pan in London... It's the kind of book you can hold in your hand, glance at the back cover  (and the page length) and determine on the spot if its something you want to undertake.

On the other hand,  Fearless Girl, Wise Women & Beloved Sisters: Heroines in Folktales from Around the World is a book for everyone. Truly. I couldn't see one person not enjoying this collection. It is a book of stories that feature women in non-traditional roles (i.e.: not the damsel in distress or the princess looking to get married). These are not stories written simply to counter-balance the norm, these are the stories that have been told along side the ones we are so much more familiar with. They are old stories, from all different cultures, that have not enjoyed the same kind of popularity as has Cinderella et al. Its well written, well explained and entertaining. 

Just finished: 

The Meaning of Night took me 4 months to read. Not that it was a slow story, or that it was particularly long, I was just only getting through one page at time during the months leading up to our move. I enjoyed the story, but more than that, I liked the Victorian writing style. Author Michael Cox is a scholar and a bibliophile, much like his main character, and that clearly comes out in his writing. He must have spent ages researching the specific books that appear in this one. The story starts with an incredible opening sentence. It doesn't always live up to the excitement of a "thriller", as there are sections that lag, but it is written as a confession, one that leaves behind no detail, big or small!  The Glass of Time is a continuation of The Meaning of Night.  It has a few more twists and turns than the first, but they are pretty easy to predict. The main fun is seeing how the other character's find out each other's secrets. Fans of Victorian writers, especially mysteries or thrillers, a la Lady Audley's Secret, would probably fancy these two tomes.

Currently reading:

I am only about 50 pages in to Neil Gailman's American Gods and there has already been a leprechaun bar fight and a death by vagina... so, I'm pretty much hooked... 

Next on my reading list:

44 Scotland Street

and

The Night Circus

Anyone read either of these? They continue to be recommended to me by my avid reader friends, so I think I'll have to finally go get copies for myself!

Ren Faire

A weekend or two ago Matt and I spent a day at the Renaissance Pleasure Faire. We had both gone as youngsters, but never as adults. It was much how we remembered. The costumes, the food, the music, the merriment. It was all good fun! Truly, a positive vibe filled the place.  My favorite was the maypole!

Of course, there were wares to browse and songs to sing... and even elvish ears to be had-

and one of us ended up in the stockade...

We went to the adults-only section of the place and chimed in on bawdy songs... this one retells the sexual adventures of sailors aboard the good ship Venus-

Fun day in the sun! Gramercy, Matt, for taking me!

Harry Potter: How it Should Have Ended

 "I am pointing my wand as hard as I can!"

Good for a laugh... ;)

Enjoying a little more Potter

of course it did.

and here's what I got from Olivander...

Apple with dragon heartstring, 13 inches and surprisingly swishy. I like the sound of that!

Happy Hunger Games

This was our fridge last week. Not because we took everything out to clean it or something, we just ran out of food. Or nearly, we did still have an apple and a bag of lemons. So, instead of going to the market like a good wifey, I decided that our lack of comestibles was in honor of the hit YA series, The Hunger Games. Always thinking, I am.

Matthew and I just finished the last of the trilogy a few nights ago (we read them out loud to each other over a month or two). And the funny thing is... I'm not sure how I feel about the series!

There was some really great things about these books. One of the tell-tale signs of a good book is if you can't put it down, right? Well, I always wanted to read "one more chapter". And I was bummed when we skipped a night all together. This is a very well-paced series. There is no drag time, even when the plot line is not action packed (on the rare occasion)-- it still reads with a sense of urgency and excitement.

Another thing that impressed me with this series is the consistent overall tone. I talked about this with Matt, how I'm amazed that certain books can evoke a particular feeling in me- one that isn't contextually attached to the emotional ups and downs of the storyline.  It's hard to describe, but I am sure many of you experience it. The best I can do is compare it to a color palate. Maybe I'll think more on this and rewrite this section :)

And lastly, I loved the thoroughness of the world that Suzanne Collins created. It has it's own history, fashions, cuisine, hand gestures... I enjoyed her finished product and couldn't help wonder about her process.

But there were things I wasn't too crazy about. First off, I don't think futuristic dystopians are my thing. Nor is hunting. or murder. or war. There were times when it just felt like a sad place to let my imagination visit. But I think that was the point, no?

Also, I felt that a lot of the main characters fell flat. These were characters that seemed really important at first, but ended up disappointing me. Haymitch was once of those characters. He was my favorite. I thought it was so daring and refreshing, frankly, that there was a character in a YA novel that had his kind of flaws. He was complicated. He battled addiction. He battled in the first Quarter Quell. He was a strong surviver...and a pitiful self saboteur at the same time.  I don't want to spoil the plot for any one out there who hast yet read the series, but I will say that Haymitch didn't  play the role I thought he would in the final book.  Neither did Gale, really. Or sweet little Prim. (On the flip side, the character Finnick, who I thought would just be whatever ended up having one of the most memorable and poignant arcs in the series! So I guess things balance out in the end).

Last weekend Matt took me on a movie date and we finally saw the movie. We went to the Vista, which is my favorite theater in LA, so already I was happy as a clam. The movie did a great job of sticking to the book. There were subtle changes and some things were taken out to make it "movie length" but overall it didn't take too many liberties with the story. The movie looked a lot like what I imagined... District 12 was gray and drab. The Capitol  looked shiny and high tech. The Arena was great. And the acting was good too. The trio was believable- and Katniss was well casted. The best performance though, was Tucci as Caesar Flickman-- he was amazing!

And then there's Haymitch! Woody Harrelson is such an endearing actor. And I've already said Haymitch was one of my favorite characters.... but I thought the movie Haymitch was a little too watered down. He didn't fall off the stage. He didn't vomit all over himself. He never really seemed that unreliable- which is what made him such a good character to read! I never worried that he would abandon the kids in the arena...

All of criticism aside, I loved reading the books and I liked the movie as well. I'll definitely go see the rest when they are made. What did you all think?I haven't spoken with anyone who has read the books or seen the movie (other than Matt) and I am curious if my complains are way off from what others are thinking...

Better head to the Hob to pick up a few essentials! my fridge isn't going to fill itself...

The Filigree- Interview and Giveaway!

As if I needed another reason to love Etsy... A few months ago, while shopping for some fantastical prints to decorate my new apartment, I found The Filigree. I fell in love with the beauty and style of just about everything in this shop. I ended up with these two beauties-

These are the kinds of images I get lost in-- looking at them is like reading a great story! (You can order yours too, by going here and here). In my ordering process, I exchanged a few emails with Celena, half of the creative team behind The Filigree. We got talking and she and her husband Martin agreed to an online interview- a first for Dreams & Happy Things! 

Martin Øbakke, a native of Denmark (home of the Little Mermaid), met Celena Cavala, ballerina and Nashville native in Florence, Italy- last century. They started making Fairy Tales and haven't stopped since. In their work, you'll find elements of old world Europe to Southern Gothic charm. Martin does the illustrating and sculptures while Celena sews and writes the world they live in, in their Nonsense News, the Filigree. They currently live on a small town square outside Nashville in an old Victorian loft, where all of their works are created and sent off to admirers from around the world. 

They're inspired by the Invisible world and Imagination and the points in between that they refer to as 'the Filigree'; thin gossamer strands that connect everything...                   

-The Filigree, about

D&HT:  Thanks for being the first interview on this blog! I am such a fan of what you both create--your work is amazing and interesting! How do you come up with the things you write about, paint, sculpt...?
C&M: By working together throughout a day-- we'll chit chat and these ideas will form. It's enormously satisfying to chase an inspiration and see it materialize.


D&HT: If you were not creating the world of Filigree,  what do you see yourself doing?

Celena: I was a classically trained ballet dancer so I would probably be teaching and perhaps choreographing.
Martin: I would probably be involved in some furniture design/construction.


D&HT: Describe your "dream" day... what, for you, is the perfect day?

C&M: We love our lives so basically everyday is exactly what we want to do~  love interacting with customers online, finish projects, create more art and pack things to be shipped out all over the world and ideally, do some yoga and always eat well.


D&HT: Ok... At a beautiful garden luncheon, who are the other 4 sitting at your table?

C&M: Hmm, difficult question! Joyce Carol Oates, (an enthralling and very prolific american author) & Oscar Wilde,  Edgar Allen Poe, & Sherlock Holmes.


D&HT: Where is your Happy place?
C&M: Not a particular material place as rather a quiet room in our mind where we Imagine.

The Giveaway!!!

Not only is this Dreams & Happy Things first interview, but the lovely duo at The Filigree has agreed to a giveaway! One lucky reader will win a trio of prizes- Mermaid cards, a Mermaid paper doll, and an issue of The Filigree Newspaper featuring articles about all sorts of goings on in the invisible world, including a headline about our favorite underwater hybrids- It's truly a Mermaid Extravaganza!!!   

I am already jealous of the winner...!

How to enter:

First, make sure you are a follower of Dreams & Happy Things, so that you can comment on this post. Think of every comment to this post as a raffle ticket. At the end of the week, I will put each comment into a 'hat' and pull out a winner at random. You can have lots of chances to win- its as easy as 1,2,3 (4,5)! 

1. Go to The Filigree and browse around. Come back here and tell us about one thing that caught your eye. (anything from the Gallery, Shops, Studio Journal, etc...)

2. Like The Filigree on Facebook (come back here and leave a comment saying you did so)

3. Like Dreams & Happy Things on Facebook (come back here and leave a comment saying you did so)

4. Follow The Filigree on Twitter (come back here and leave a comment saying you did so... see a theme?)

5. Follow Dreams & Happy Things on Twitter (come back here and leave a comment saying you did so)

*Already following/liking? Leave comments saying so and you get counted too!

**Want even more entries?? Retweet or share this post on your Twitter, Tumblr or Facebook accounts and write two more comments! That means you could have 8 chances of getting chosen! Those are darn good odds!

Remember to leave your email address or some way of contacting you if you are the lucky winner! (Or else, check back on Saturday,  Jan. 28th to see the winner announced)

Good Luck!

The Alchemyst: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel by Michael Scott

I came across this book in a used bookshop, without a dust cover and all alone with no other books by the same author. It was shelved in the YA section beside the writings of JK Rowling and it mentioned Nicholas Flamel in its title, so I had to give it a looksy.  Having never heard of it, a it being without a front or back flap to tell me a thing about the story, I purchased it based on the 'magical' symbol etched into the hard cover. I brought it home and let it sit, undisturbed, in my bookcase for months.

But last week, I picked it up and read it in a day or two. About midway through, I did a quick search on the book and its author and found out that it is the first of a long and pretty popular series. And I realized... I don't know a thing about this genre! I might need to continue on in the story, so a visit to my library is likely in my near future...

In a nutshell, The Alchemyst is the story of two 'normal' human siblings, twins, actually, that find themselves mixed up in a battle between the guardians of an ancient magical codex-- the immortal Flamel and his wife, Perenel-- and the Dark Elders who have lived in exile since the dawn of the iron age and want to return to this realm.

And like I always say every time I mention a book I've recently read on this blog-- I am not a book reviewer. I will however, tell you a couple of things that I liked about this one...

          1. The magic is subtle - There are no magic wands to cast spells :( but that doesn't make the magic fun to read. Kudos to author, Michael Scott (sadly he has the same name as the character from The Office...). His characters train to gain hypersensitivity to their surroundings and tap into their auric energy in order to perform magic. Also, there is a great distinction between sorcery(which is what I am loosely calling magic) and alchemy (which I am guessing will come into play more later in the series).

          2. The mix of real towns and cities and magical locations - The story begins in San Francisco, travels to Mill Valley and Ojai, (all beautiful California locations of which I am familiar) and then ends on a "what-will-happen-next" kind of moment in Paris, France. In between all of these locales, the story takes readers into the Shadow Realm of various dark elders... Its fun to keep on foot in a magic land and another in the 'real world'.

          3. The use of myths and legends - This is the coolest part of the series. I get to read about Nicholas Flamel... and Scott bases it all on real facts, rumors and tales. In this book, readers meet the Morrigan, the Bastet, John Dee, Scathach, Perenel, Hekate, and the book ends with a glimpse of a certain legendary Italian author who caused quite a splash in the 1500s before his death... that is, if he died at all....

But of course, there were a few things I didn't like, too

          1. The story is simple - Too simple. I know it is meant for kids, but that doesn't mean it has to be so straight forward and linear. There isn't a whole lot brewing at once other than the action at hand, and so when Scott does sprinkle in a bit of foreshadowing, it stand outs and makes for fairly predictable reading. I found this to be the case in the Percy Jackson books as well. I think I was spoiled by having the Harry Potter series as my very first foray into both children's literature and the fantasy genre... now  I hope for every subsequent book to take me on an equally complicated and exciting journey. So far, The Alchemyst does not (but I have only finished the first book of the series... so perhaps I'll be proven wrong as I read on).

          2. The overuse of certain phrases or ideas -  The heroes are twins. They have the special bond that only twins can have. They know what each other are thinking with just a glance. They worry for one another more than any other pair of siblings ever have in the history of the world. I got that after the first few pages, but Scott really drives it home in every chapter. Again, to be fair, I am reading a book that was intended for a different audience. Perhaps at the YA reading level repetition is more important. I had the same complaint with the Twilight series. How many times did Bella shiver when Edward looked at her? If it were a drinking game, readers would be sloshed by Chapter 3... especially young adult readers. Their tolerance for liquor is notoriously low- Kidding!

          3. Not really connected with the heroes - So far, I don't really care much for the twins. I've forgotten their names and I just finished the book! Yikes, shows you my level of investment. Perhaps they will develop into more complicated and relatable characters as the books progress, but they are a far cry from Harry, Ron & Hermione... They are less formed than Percy, Annabeth and Grover (I didn't have to look up their names and I read The Lightening Thief over 6 months ago...).

So I guess I did end up giving a review of sorts. And I will probably read the next book in the series. It's not a big time investment and I must say that I am quite curious to see how the foursome gets out of the basement of Sacre Coeur... Oops! I've said too much!

Happy Birthday, Tolkien!

2011 was the year of Tolkien in my household. My husband and I read the Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings series for the first time. Each night before bed, we would read out loud to one another (if truth be told, Matt did most of the reading)-- we'd have fun making up tunes to go along with the songs the characters sing, and we'd help each other try to piece together the more complicated bits of lore. (I am still not totally sure about Valinor!)  We also purchased and watched all of the films, (some scenes multiple times--I can't get enough of the Shire), and the special features, like how they chose where to shoot on location, and  a highlight on the brilliant performance by Andy Serkis, the guy who 'plays' Gollum. And now, there is talk between us that we'll continue on in 2012 by delving into The Silmarillion. 

So it seems appropriate for me to wish a happy birthday to the man who created it all... And in my search to find a nice picture of Professor Tolkien to accompany this post, I discovered that there is a ritualistic toast that fans all around the world give to him on this day each year. Simple and sweet- and Matt and I will be raising our glass to him tonight... Here's what I read:

John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was born on 3 January 1892, in Bloemfontein in the Orange Free State (now Free State Province, part of South Africa). If Tolkien was alive today he would celebrate his 120th birthday. And because he lives on in our hearts we do celebrate his birthday every year!

To celebrate Tolkien's birthday, each year Tolkien fans around the world are invited to raise a glass and toast the birthday of this much loved author 21:00 (9 pm) your local time.

The toast is "The Professor".For those unfamiliar with British toast-drinking ceremonies:

To make the Birthday Toast, you stand, raise a glass of your choice of drink (not necessarily alcoholic), and say the words "The Professor" before taking a sip (or swig, if that's more appropriate for your drink). Sit and enjoy the rest of your drink.

-Excerpt from the Tolkien Library website

Sounds easy enough, right? (I love the specificity of the directions!) Should you feel the urge to do more than the two-word toast for the author's 120th birthday, you may also visit the Tolkien Society website and leave a comment in his honor. He has, after all, left us with quite a lot!

A Hagrid-riffic Holiday!

I seem to have a new Christmas tradition, for the last two years I have spent the 25th of December assembling a Harry Potter themed Lego set. Last year, Matt and I were in San Francisco and put together the Burrow with my brother Jason and sister-in-law, Mary. Those good times can be relived here. (You can even see the starting of Matthew's iconic 2011 beard!)

This year, Matthew and I stayed home and had a quiet Christmas with the kitties-- but thanks to Jason and Mary, we were able to repeat last year's festivities since they gifted us Hagrid's Hut Lego set! And, in my book, doing something for two years in a row makes it a tradition!

Here it is- all ready to go!

We assemble the bottom part of the hut and admire all the homey details-

This set has a lighted brick that mimics the glow of Hagrid's hearth. It also has a large cauldron, Norbert the dragon, two arched & bewindowed doors, hanging legs of meat, red-capped mushrooms, and flowering pumpkins!

Up goes the roof and we are done. Now... we play. Hagrid is there with his pink umbrella, as are Harry, Hermione and Ron (with a perpetual face of terror since he is in the company of so many spiders). Aragog and a few of his young show up to the party. And even Scabbers and Errol stop by.  But, where is FANG?!

Harry and Hagrid send Ron out to look for Fang in the forbidden forest. Aragog offers him a ride.

Its been a few days and he has yet to return and the rest of the gang is starting to worry... they'll have to put together a search party sooner or later, but they decide instead to enjoy a snack of pumpkin juice and rock cakes.

Thanks J & M!!!