The Mis-Adventures of Crazy Auntie Icka!

It's been a weird day.

ickaimp — Fri, 10 Oct 2014 23:17:49 GMT

Icka! M. Chif:
Icka!: "I miss Megs being around. Ianuk used to call us 'Thing One and Thing Two'. Then we'd get into debates over who was One and Two."
Elinor: "Do you really wanna be Number Two?
Icka!: "I think I was."
Elinor: "Icka-ca-?"
Icka!: "CAW CAW MOTHER FUCKER! Oh, hi Tony."
Elinor: "Hi, Tony."
*Supervisor keeps walking, shaking his head.*

Megs:
Nuuuu I thought I was Thing Two
You lead into trouble, I drive the getaway car.

Icka! M. Chif:
I lead into trouble?!

Megs:
Need I remind you a certain phone call from four years ago?
Icka: “I found a giant dildo stuck to a phone pole! What do I do with it?”
Me: “Steal it.”
Icka: “Done.”

Icka! M. Chif:
And this is following my making one of the other guys speechless, because he thinks my life must be so boring because I don't drink or smoke.

Megs:
BWHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
ha.

In retrospect, I have very strange true stories. Which are true, but no less strange.

ickaimp — Sat, 16 Aug 2014 20:00:51 GMT

Icka!: This. This right here is why I will never be a gamer, because I will do dumb shit like this WITHOUT THE ALCOHOL. http://arinrowan.tumblr.com/post/94931215203/so-last-night-i-got-drunk-and-played-skyrim
Lady Douji: lol
Lady Douji: that means you're the best gamer
Icka!: Actually, stuff like this is why I was never invited back to Star Trek video game testing
Lady Douji: lol
Lady Douji: but stuff like this finds the coolest bugs and glitches
Icka!: "Can I shoot my crewmates?"
Icka!: "Yes, but you end up in the brig."
Icka!: "Can I use my phaser to graffiti my name on the brig walls?"
Icka!: "... Yes-?"
Icka!: "Hot damn. I'm killing everyone."
Icka!: *The two way mirror suddenly vibrates as someone falls out of the chair on the other side*
Icka!: -true story

Life Lesson Learned today.

ickaimp — Fri, 16 May 2014 04:51:07 GMT

So. For context. Today my brain latched onto learning about various things you can do with felted wool. I think it started with wondering if I could needle felt poisonous mushroom replicas for hairsticks.

And I found 'Is needle felting period in the SCA' (not really, but that brings us to:) Wet Felting, Shyrdak, (a breif soujurn into felted coats and the coat of faces) making felted shoes, and felted 'stone' rug, and felted ball rugs, which I thought were cool and colourful.

Curious as to if there were different ways to make the rugs, and since Tumblr occasionally brings me strange useful stuff, I typed 'ball rugs' into tumblr.

....

Well, if I had wanted to see lots of hairy scrotums and assorted pictures of Mike Wazowski, I was totally in the right place. *facepalm*

SCA Timeline

ickaimp — Wed, 07 May 2014 04:01:53 GMT

Someone on tumblr today asked me how long I've been in the SCA and I had to stop and think about it.

Joined Southron Gaard when I moved to NZ in 2005, then moved back to Tucson in November 2006. Went to Southern Crusades two weeks after moving back, which is where I met raventhourne for the first time.

Met Megs in Jan 2007, and the first time I mention archery is November 2007, I don't seem to have it written down, but the second time we showed up is when I met Thyri, and Johannes took over the archery program.

Went on probation for the Horde at Estrella 08, Went to Scribble around May of 2008 to get measurements for the BTY sheilds which are still in use, which is when I met scribe_ari. One reference of being tracing bitch in July 08, got a Boar Vert for the sheilds in August 08, and my first Tusker Cover is Sept 2008 for Raze a Village.

Stepped down from Archery in 2011, cause I was burnt out. Don't remember when Tatiana left, but I was her Scribal Deputy, and msaimeesue's after, and Shoshana's currently. Fully took over duties for the Tusker Cover in 2011 instead of being the pinch-hit artist, and started painting when Elsa left in June 2012.

And I just laid out and painted my first Peerage scroll, less than 2 years of painting. With period pigments, no less.

Somehow, feels both longer and shorter.

To add to the changes...

ickaimp — Wed, 05 Feb 2014 17:49:13 GMT

I'm moving! Not this weekend (going to San Diego), but next weekend, the 15th.

Renting half of a guesthouse about a mile north for about the same amount I'm paying for my half of a room now. Have a flatmate, and I've known the people I'm renting from for years now, so won't be isolated, will have the opportunity to be social if I feel like it. Or not to be, depending on how I feel.

Getting a 3 month lease originally, to see how well it works, before signing on for something longer.

Little scared and nervous. This is the longest I've lived at one address in years, and I love MOrgan and Sean, but it's time for me to move.

Switching things around

ickaimp — Sun, 02 Feb 2014 17:46:55 GMT

So... The Japan trip at the end of March has changed to a trip to Ireland.

Couple of things prompted this. First one, Money.
Travelzoo keeps posting those great deals for Ireland. So for the same price as roundtrip from LAX to Narita, we can get roundtrip from NYC to Dublin, Hotels for 8 nights in 3 cities, plus an automatic car to drive around.
So even with the exchange rate and paying for gas, should be about a third cheaper in the long run.

Two: Logistics.
Neechan's spine. In Japan we were facing dealing with public transportation while carrying luggage with someone who can't take stairs. And Japan doesn't have a lot of elevators. Plus the shinkansen, and finding hotels, and various subtrips, and shopping...
Ireland, we have a car. No scrambling to carry stuff, we can take our time going where ever we want.
Not to mention language barrier...

Three: It's somewhere we've both wanted to go for years and neither of us have been. We've both been to Japan many times.
-And Ireland is supposed to be special for writers. Mebbe we'll get our mojo back. ^__^

Four: My gut is happier. Have not had a good feeling about Japan since it came up, and this feels right. It doesn't feel like bashing against an invisible wall in order to plan it.

-It's not without some crazy prep, I need to get an International Driver's Permit and research driving in Ireland so I obey the traffic laws, figure out places to visit around Dublin, Galway, and Limerick, but overall, I think it'll be a better trip.

Add bonus, we're flying out of NYC, so looking at booking a hotel for a couple of days in New York on the way back because of reasons. ~_^

Anyway. Driving out to San Diego this week to spend the weekend with friends, and getting ready to go visit a vineyard this afternoon, so will talk to all you lovely peoples later!

Travel

ickaimp — Fri, 10 Jan 2014 05:10:05 GMT

Seems like when I need to do serious thinking about RL, I'm turning back to this rather than Tumblr, which is mostly fandom squee.

So... um. Yeah. In honour of discovering that my PTO at work hasn't been rolling over the past couple of years to the tune of 56 hours, and it getting fixed: Travel.

That Japan trip I was mentioning? Looks like it's a go, all cylinders firing. Neechan's spine is deteriorating to the point that it's a matter of when, not if, she becomes paralyzed, and the third person dropped out today, so we're going for it. Last 10 days of March.

She’s currently planning a couple of days in Tokyo (mostly to see the Ghibli Museum), Nikkō, and Fukuoka. Possibly other places as well, she's figuring out where she wants to visit. I... really don't have much input to be honest, just pleased to be going. Suggestions are very welcome.

She's also going to shop for doujin to re-sale, so the current plan is that I ditch her at various Mandarake and Book-offs, and go wander the area, since we learned the hard way last time that busty redheads stumbling into the hentai department makes all the guys in the area highly nervous and us escorted back to the yaoi section. True story.

Lots of flailing on my end over the realisation that I haven’t need to speak or read Japanese in almost a decade. *headdesk* I’ve forgotten so much….

Travel for the year is shaping up as: San Diego in February, Japan in March, New York City before August, and New Orleans in October, because dagnabbit, I wanna go.

Still working funds/timing for NYC, so is very flexible at this point if anyone wants to meet up. ~_^

Writing is easy. You just open a vein and bleed. Right.

ickaimp — Mon, 06 Jan 2014 03:04:23 GMT

Timing. Timing is funny. Not really a New Year's resolution, but I do think it's time to start investing in myself again. That I'm worth investing in myself.

When I was younger, I was a lot more confident in myself and my skills, and realising now how 6 years of unemployment have ripped my self-worth into bits in a way that 3½ years of steady employment still hasn't quite fixed. I'm constantly waiting for the world to drop out again, and I need to stop doing that and look forward instead. To hope, instead of constantly fear.

And that my worth isn't solely based on what I can do for other people. That it's okay to do stuff for myself.

One of the things I like about Travel is that it makes me realise things about myself. This latest trip, it was the strange realisation that out of the three girls, I was probably the most image conscious. The only one who bothered with make up, or some days, even changing out of pjs.

It was a little strange, because I don't really think about myself as fashion conscious. The people I hang out with always seem to effortlessly look fabulous, and I'm aware that I don't.

And a LOT of my clothing is worn out and does need to be replaced, which I've been putting off because it's so damn hard to find clothing that 1: I like, and 2: Fits. It's a huge undertaking.

-it was a bit of a surprise earlier this month when someone comment about 'knowing I like my shirts baggy', when with over a 12" difference between bust and waist, it's more that I don't really have a choice. I prefer my shirts long enough to cover my stomach, which means the fabric hangs off my boobs, and isn't form fitting. Current fashion means that if it form fitting, it doesn't go over my belly, which isn't flattering or comfortable either.

But by the same token, how you dress influences how you and other people see you. While travelling, eyeliner means the difference between being ignored or being able to ask and get directions. It says a lot about you too, and from what I understand, right now my clothing says I'm a hobo instead of I'm confident and comfortable in my skin. And that needs to change.

Still mentally going over the problem of shirts, but skirts... I like long flowing skirts cause they're both modest and comfortable, but they are baggy and on the unflattering side. And after some online searching, beginning to think that the best bet is buying fabric and hiring someone to make walking skirts. Long, flattering lines, and good for, well, walking. Medium weight fabric would mean they don't get torn as easily too.

Prolly'll have to do that with shirts too, but patterning is a pain. *sighs*

This weekend, I invested in a better mattress, one that'll be useful for when I get a place of my own. Did some poking around online for that too, it'll cut into funds, but it's getting to the point think I need to move, just for my own headspace. The house is cluttered and needs repair, but it's not my house or stuff, and I can't be the only one constantly working on it.

Am getting a corset, and was talking about doing a group run to Phoenix to be fitted for more bras, since my body has shifted since the last fitting. Currently also working on getting my teeth fixed, catching stuff while they're cavities instead of flailing when it's suddenly a root canal.

Looking at boots too. I love my combat boots, but they're... combat boots. Not really stylish. Poking around at sites looking at something that's a little more classical looking, but still comfortable and can take a beating. It's one of those things where finding stuff that fits gets tricky again, since a men's 9.5 is easier to find than a women's 11.5.

Travel's still on the table, mostly for my own sanity. Possibly a trip to Japan, but I won't cry if it falls through. Big thing is NYC before August for the Poison Exhibit.

Next big thing though, is I really do need to get glasses. Am noticing that my middle range is really starting to deteriorate, to the point that TV watching is sometimes tricky. That, and I miss how I look in glasses.

The hardest part I think, is that while I know that spending the money to get good quality pays off in the long run, it's convincing myself that it's okay to invest the money in me, rather than a hobby, the house, or something else. That it's worth saving up for and spending.

*shrugs* Anyway. That's where I'm at. Getting confident in myself again.

How are you doing?

Toilet Goats

ickaimp — Wed, 11 Sep 2013 03:37:52 GMT

So for the past couple of weeks, whenever sitting on the toilet, have been hearing this weird 'baaaaaa' sound. But only the bathroom.

Thinking I was hearing things, I talked to Sean, who said it was goats. At least he was pretty sure. Toilet Goats, that we only heard on the toilet.

Talked to our neighbour today about the Toilet Goats and found out we were incorrect.

-It's Toilet Sheep. They're raising them in the backyard next to our joint wall, and our bathroom happens to have the only open window on that side of the house.

So yeah. Not crazy. But not Toilet Goats either.

Baaaaa.

For the Mocking of Elinor-Dear:

ickaimp — Tue, 30 Jul 2013 22:16:02 GMT

I have a tendency to doodle on post-it notes, it's less stress in my brain to get everything perfect. Borrowing the pose and the artstyle from Hyperbole and a Half.

True story

ickaimp — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 22:13:47 GMT

Icka!: And somehow the discussion went from one of the coworkers not clocking out for lunch, to the fact that the supervisor collects his toenail clippings, to dildos, to lesbians watching lesbian porn. And that's in less than 10 minutes.

Jo: Dude, what kind of work environment do you work in? XP

Icka!: We work with the military.

Game of Thrones: The Red Wedding

ickaimp — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 05:25:44 GMT

-Not a fan of the series, but my tumblr dash is, so I get the reactions.

But an interview with George R.R. Martin states that he based 'The Red Wedding' in Game of Thrones off the 1692 Scottish Massacre of Glencoe and The Black Dinner of 1440 in Edinburgh.

-In the interview, George R.R. Martin says that a 'Black Boar Head' was brought forth during the Black Dinner as a 'Symbol of Death', but I'm finding accounts that it was a 'Black Bull Head', not Boar. (although this would have made the next Tusker cover interesting to draw)

So something historical to muse while people are wailing over the deaths of fictional characters. ^__^

Was checking if they knew any other methods other than coloured silicone. They did.

ickaimp — Wed, 08 May 2013 04:16:51 GMT

East: Hey, just got home?
Icka!: Yeah, was gathering art supplies. I think I broke the guy at Ace Hardware trying to figure out how to paint a silicone dildo.
East: XD
Broke in a goodway or bad way? XD
Icka!: He had his head on his arms, on the counter, shoulders shaking as he made these odd muffled sounds.
East: Sounds like a little of both then.
Icka!: And then was told to talk to the paint department, and the lady there brightened up immediately and started talking about her glass dildo collection on the fireplace and traumatising her children with giant blown up pictures of venereal diseases.
-she also informed a woman to be careful when holding the baby chicks, if you squeeze them, they poop.
It was a productive trip.

Illumination fun.

ickaimp — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 15:00:22 GMT

Left Side: Scroll how I painted it
Right Side: Inverted Colours.

Hahahahahahhaaaaaa!

-Will admit, the Green hood = Purple is a bit of a surprise (was expecting red) and had hoped the light pink vines would equal a dark green, but over all pleased with how it came out, considering I did it with no references. Especially the face! Hee! ^___^

Gawd Awful Boar

ickaimp — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 22:24:17 GMT

So they tried to call me up to court this morning to give me an award.

… No one was expecting me to be able to run that fast. Or in other direction.

Once Ronan, Bill, and Etgar caught me and dragged me back, was awarded the ‘Gawd Awful Boar’, a one time only award, for my work on the Gawd Awful Scrolls the past three years. ^^;;

Quick Status, lots of SCA and going to Vegas!

ickaimp — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 18:13:19 GMT

Okay! Wow. So Febuary went by fairly fast. Big thing, Ivan and Ian'ka are the next King and Queen of Atenveldt! \o/ So excited for them. ^____^

This last weekend was Estrella War, did a lot of housesitting for people going, then Daytripped up on Saterday. I usually volunteer at War, so I stopped by Volunteers and the Watch to see if they could use my help for a couple of hours and ended up working the Watch for 5 hours. Lack of Volunteers in general and this was the frazzled Shift Supervisor's first time working Estrella Watch.

Aside from the Dancing Goats, getting a lot of mocking for paying to volunteer most of my time at an event. And derision from the GDH because none of my Horde bros would volunteer while daytripping, much less assist the Watch. o_O?

Get the feeling there's some background politics that I'm unaware of, because how is it honourable to not help people when they ask for it? Starting to think it may be time to leave the Horde. When I joined, it was about Service and now it doesn't feel like it.

But basically it was a typical War, just condensed. The Banners and Shields I helped paint went over really well. ^___^ Also, got period shoes! They're green! Yay! Need to scuff the soles up a bit so I don't slide.

The Dancing Goats are also awesome and fed me beef kabasa sasuages in homemade fresh cream. Mmmmm.

This weekend is Vegas! Meeting Neechan at a Supernatural Convention and just generally exploring Vegas. Still not entirely sure what to do other than walk around, not actually attending the con, and not much of a gambler.

Anyone else gonna be in Vegas?

Crossposted from FB, for those who don't have it

ickaimp — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 18:52:13 GMT

I've been asked a couple of times recently why I'm never seen at Fighter Practise.

It boils down to two things with the same conclusion. Athsma means I can't breathe, and it's too many people for this introvert to deal with after dealing with other people all day. I'm drained for the rest of the week if I go.

Instead, I'm at Kingdom Scriptorium on Mondays, Baronial Scriptorium every other Thursday, with the St. Felixans when they ask on the other Thursdays, Friday Heraldry Hut to help draw and colour when I can, and at the Dancing Goat's Robot Night once or twice a month cause they're awesome people.

-And for the past several weeks, helping to paint banners.

We all particpate in the SCA at different levels and speeds. Mine just involves smaller groups with time to re-charge in between.

Tea, dammit

ickaimp — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 17:55:36 GMT

Posted via LiveJournal app for Android.

Got tired of trying to microwave tea at work, especially since the microwave is usually in use and makes the tea taste funny, so set up the corner of my desk as a tea station.

The trick I've learned, especially with herbal teas which I drink a lot of at work, is to not put the tea bag in the filter section because it doesn't give it time to steep. Also to put one of the metal water bottles on top, because the lid tries to come up.

.... That, and with Tucson water, I want a filter in the filter section just to keep all the large calcium chunks out of the tea. >P

Best part? The Caffeine Zombie doodle was there before I set this up! XD

London Price Sheet

ickaimp — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 07:12:15 GMT

Since people have been asking, figured I'd sit down and see how much London actually cost. Click the links to where I bought things.

Air Fare: $840
Place to Stay: $550
Transportation: $108
6 Day London Pass: $149
Insurance: $79
To & From Phoenix: $80
Cash in Hand (food, gifts, misc): $1200 (approx £730)

-I came back with £100($165) in hand, so about $2850 total. For 12 days of International travel.

In retrospect, would not have gotten the London Pass. Most of the places I wanted to go were free or ended up not being included in the London Pass, although there were a few places that I went to that I wouldn’t have otherwise. However, not enough to make up the price. *shrugs*

The Insurance was a safety net, and very nearly needed it with getting sick and a 7 hour delay back, so glad I had it even if it wasn't used.

Missed the Shuttle back from Phoenix, so that was $40 lost.

All total, pretty pleased. ^__^

Currently have three trips in tentative planning stages, kinda hoping to get one solidified soon. Am feeling somewhat off balance without travel looming in the future. #^^#

Apocalypse Has Been Cancelled.

ickaimp — Fri, 21 Dec 2012 17:35:32 GMT

We've received word that the Apocalypse has been cancelled.

Grateful thanks to the efforts of Buffy Summers, the Winchester Brothers, The Doctor, and Messrs Aziraphale and Crowley.

And to Apple Maps for getting the dread Cthulhu lost on his way out of R'lyeh.

FML

ickaimp — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 20:25:00 GMT

So the lady who runs the Thai Grocery store next to work, her Mom just had a stroke, and the doctor gave her a book to read to understand what's happening and how to help take care of her Mom.

Only she's having a bit of a problem with the medical terms and some of the longer words, so I loaned her a dictionary and the Bodies Exhibit book with the preserved cadavers, because it has photos of the inside of brains, and a brain after a stroke.

Because, yanno, I just happened to have a book of dead bodies lying around.

*facepalm*

Home, safe, after an adventure.

ickaimp — Sun, 02 Dec 2012 17:54:56 GMT

When I mentioned that 'Could do with a few more days, I could', this isn't what I meant. @_@

Plane was scheduled to leave London Heathrow at 15:05, we boarded, then didn't take off. Much later, the Capitan apologises, there was a problem with the Air Conditioning, it wasn't working, which was why the plane was warm. They emptied the plane about 16:30 while the engineers replaced the broken part,

We were given drink vouchers and told to keep an eye on the boards for take off, when it's finally announced that we're leaving at 21:45... nearly 7 hours late. Once they fixed the AC, they had to find a replacement crew, because the flight is 11 hours long and you can't have people working 18 hour shifts.

The only internet was a paid kiosk, £1 for 10 minutes. I had enough change to do this a couple of times, just to let people know what was going on.

So we landed at 2am this morning, AZ time, which means I missed my shuttle home, ended up catching a ride from Phoenix to Tucson with the lady I was sitting next to, talking the entire way to her place to keep her awake, crashing for 2 hours, and then getting a ride home.

Where the cats are now loving on my luggage, and demanding lap time. After 30 hours of travel, have taken a shower, and now to re-acclimate to the sleep schedule, am gonna stay awake and go see 'Rise of the Guardians', because I've been looking forward to it for MONTHS. ^__^

Scribal peeps - I bring SWAG. Tomorrow night. Be there or miss out.

Still alive!

ickaimp — Sat, 24 Nov 2012 22:18:38 GMT

*yawns* sorry, been kinda brain dead once I get back to my room to crash the past couple of days. It rained all day today, and that certainly didn't help. >P

So yesterday I did the 'Tower Bridge Experience', and also re-visited the Tower of London, finally got to hear some of the Yeoman Warder stories of EXCECUTION!, as the Yeoman phrased it. Heard that they'd changed things around in the White Tower/Armoury, due to the Military Museum opening in Leeds.

Translation - same stuff as last time, except the 'Line of Kings' horse armour was removed, because some of the wood horses are the original 1600s ones, and they're concerned with breaking them.

Was told the Wallace Collection is the place to go for period swords, and the Museum of London for armour other than plate. Since the latter also currently has an exhibit on Surgeons and Graverobbers, it was on the list anyway. May also have illuminations.

Not-Tweets from Yesterday:

Sometimes riding the Tube reminds me of rides at Disneyland. You're on a track, can see the car ahead, and colourful adverts blurring by.

Some of the boats docked in St Katherine's dock are from the 1800s. The one at the end is from 1806.

And randomly, a police van drives over the bridge, playing Beatles Christmas carols.

The Mayor's Building is directly opposite the Traitor's Gate at the Tower of London. Coincidence?

Yeoman Warder taunting two small boys in the front of the crowd with the story of the two dead princes. Riiiight about their ages. Ish.

-Second Yeoman walking past is Executioner of the Day, he has an opening at 5pm for two small boys.

Yeoman just warned us that there's still an active torture chamber at the Tower. It's called the Gift Shop.

Today, went to the British Museum and took nearly 600 pics, most of them with an eye towards future A&S projects, either for myself, or things I know friends are interested in. Placards with explanations are usually within a couple of photos. Couldn't get it into Picasa easily, so those are up in Drop box. The first 70 are out of order, then they're pretty much linear as I went.

Will have to go back, saw about 2/3rds of what I wanted to before screaming kids, teenagers pretending to drop kick cases of 3,000 year old artefacts, and footie score discussions did me in. Egyptian mummy room gave me an annoyed vibe, so didn't lurk there, although I'm wondering if it's better when emptier.

The debate is if I return tomorrow and catch the last day of 'Shakespeare's World', or do I go elsewhere and come back on a weekday?

22 Nov

ickaimp — Thu, 22 Nov 2012 22:01:07 GMT

Should be writing today up and uploading pictures, but right now I'm sewing. Sewing?, you may ask. Y'see, it's like this, I noticed what kind of coats people were wearing and noticed that while most were mid-thigh, there were a few that just came to the waist or went to the ankle. But either way, there was one major theme.... fitted waists, usually flairing out. Very flattering, no matter the body type.

My baggy trench? Getting a lot of weird looks. So I found a coat. Told myself that I'd open the budget up a bit if I could get a leather one, for riding the scooter in Tucson. Found a leather one that goes mid-thigh for £50, but it's.... awkwardly tight in the hip after fitting over the bust. So I'm fixing that. Have leather needles and thread, will add gussets.

... May have to put a dart in the back too... hmm...

It's really confusing my hosts. "You're doing what?!"

So the original plan for today was to be ironic and visit Buckingham Palace and either Westminster or St. Paul's Cathedral in honour of the American Thanksgiving.

But to paraphrase Eddie Izzard, it's a good thing I'm not the Church of England, cause I changed my mind.

Went to Leicester Square to redeem my London Pass so I could get into those places and realised it was familiar. The Tube let's out right next door to the Wyndham Theatre, were Megs and I saw David Tenant and Catherine Tate in 'Much Ado About Nothing'. And the place to redeem is next to the National Portrait Gallery.

Which much to my surprise, is across the street from Saint-Martin's-in-the-Field, and the Cafe in the Crypt.

Guess where I had my morning tea? ^__^ It was a lot brigher than I expected, not gloomy at all.

From there, I followed shiny object to shiny object, until I was suddenly in front of Big Ben. And across the Thames from Big Ben? The London Eye.

It's my birthday gosh darnit, I went on the London Eye because I've been wanting to go on it for YEARS.

Brb, shower.

-Wow, came home at the right time, it's raining out.

Anyway, on my way from Big Ben to the Eye, ended up getting my fortune told, except the wind kept stealing the woman's words. Prolly a good thing, she kept going on about a man in my life who gives me money-? O_o

The Eye was great! The ride was so smooth, couldn't tell when we stopped or started for the wheelchairs except through observation. Was very cool.

From there, got really lost, Embankment past the Ministry of Defense, until suddenly I was at Charring Cross and really confused. Stopped by a coffee house and asked about their Mocha, not sure if I wanted the caffeine or not. Dunno if I looked like I needed it or not, but the lady told me sit down, it was on the house, and no one would tale my money. So I put it in the donation box for the homeless that they had. Good mocha too.

From there, wandered in circles in Convent Garden, finding a place that makes gorgeous embroidered Swedish clothing and Bolongard Trevor, who in addition to carrying some really odd vinatge stuff (birds in jars) does some interesting things with digital prints, like taking photos of pinned moths from an antique collection and using it as a print on a dress.

From there, tried to find z place that sold wool or yarn, and was directed to John Lewis Department store 'just up the street' to Oxford, which is always a bad sign. Got lost around Tottenham Court, was directed to go 'under a building' (totally true) before finally finding it.... on the faaaaaaar side of Oxford Circus.

After which, I took a double Decker bus back to Whitechapel. FYI? Bus MUCH slower than the Tube.

.... Which brings me back to sewing. ^__^

Greetings from London

ickaimp — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 20:16:55 GMT

So in addition to the frantic flurry of tweets on the way to the airport, if I had the access, further tweets would have sounded something like this:

Lady from Warsaw now calling me 'Magic Girl' after I explained the symbolisms on her Maori necklace. Now have the blessings of God and Buddha.

Taking longer to find where to get my rail pass than to go through immigration. Counter #5 is the lucky charm!

I'm sitting across from a blond, French version of Janine from Ghostbusters on the Tube.

Swear the Tube announcer lady is pronouncing 'Upminister' as 'Up N' Stuff'.

Stepped out of Whitechapel Station and into a Bangladesh Market. Awesome!

Hee hee. They have a full sized poodle at the B&B. Utter sweetie. Like it here!

I'm a block away from London Hospital! Dude, building looks like its got either a space probe or a giant amoeba in it. Photos later.