Let's all get naked and wet!

No soap today...making baskets

nobody@vox.com(DeAnne) — Sat, 30 Sep 2006 14:23:04 -0500

Got gift orders in, plus getting a big ol basket ready for Lea. I found the cutest little anatomy model, plus a bunch of art supplies and canvases, and of course a ton of soaps, soaks and bath fizzies. Also, my kitchen is a disaster, and by the time I got it all cleaned, there wouldn't be time to make soap before I have to start getting ready.

I'm excited about tonight. I should get to see a ton of old friends, many of whom I haven't seen since I stopped publishing underground comics. I wish it wasn't a tragedy that brought us all together again, but frankly, the comics crew lives for drama, so in a weird way, it kinda fits the modus operendi of that group. :)

Now...if only I could lose 20 pounds before tonight. ;)

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Soap today

nobody@vox.com(DeAnne) — Thu, 28 Sep 2006 11:19:15 -0500

Today's soap batch is Wake Up! After much user feedback, I'm returning to the original formula of Pink Grapefruit essential oil, Lime EO and Lemongrass EO. I'm eliminating the Orange, Lemon and Neroli EO's. Base oils: coconut, palm, palm kernal (I know it looks funny, but that's how it's spelled), cocoa butter, shea butter, castor, and rice bran.

May I just say that it totally sucks not being able to enter html in VOX? Totally sucks.

And a quick reminder: The Live Comic Art benefit for Lea Hernandez (DivaLea)is this Saturday. If you're in Dallas, come on by! Join Scott Kurtz, James O'Barr, and a host of other amazing artists as they drink and draw.

Saturday September 30th starting at 9pm at the Metro Grill

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Pumpkin Soap

nobody@vox.com(DeAnne) — Wed, 27 Sep 2006 15:00:38 -0500

So, I made the pumpkin soap today. It looks really, really cool. Only time will tell if it darkens up as it cures. I hope not. It's the most delicate shade, with little flecks of spices in it. I made it with pumpkin, a pumpkin oil, eo: cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, and then ground versions of those same spices. It smells incredible. Yay! I can't wait to see what it looks like tomorrow when I unmold it.

Notes on making the soap: add EOs and FOs to the melted oils. Add NaOH, and stir by spoon just until blended. (Stick blender, bad for this temperamental soap this early in the process.) Pull a couple of ladles worth into another bowl and blend in the pumpkin with stick blender. Return blended mixture to big batch and blend until light trace. Sprinkle in spices and stir to blend. If clumpy, use stick blender, but that'll speed up trace considerably. This soap will set up amazingly fast. From adding the pumpkin blend until pour, there's only about 5 minutes to work before it'll seize.

Oil temp at start: TX room temp - 80 to 100F. No hotter...the EOs have insanely low flashpoints.
NaOH temp: Shoot for low 80's, but up to 100 will work

63oz oils - test recipe blend of coconut, palm, castor and rice bran
18.25 oz H20 (reduced from standard of 21.25 because of the pumpkin add) (2/3 ice to 1/3 water)
260g dry NaOH

6oz pumpkin puree (started with 3, but that wasn't enough)
2oz pumpkin oil
1oz sweet pecan oil
1Tbsp Cinnamon essential oil
3/4 Tbsp each Clove and Nutmeg essential oil
1/2 tsp each ground cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, allspice

This pour will end up being a little big for my bar standard, it poured almost to the rim of the 3x3.5x18 log mold. I'll have to remember to pull a few ounces into guest bar molds next time...because further reducing the water would be a nightmare of seizing, I think.

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QotD: I'm Grateful For...

nobody@vox.com(DeAnne) — Wed, 27 Sep 2006 13:09:52 -0500

Let's make a list. What are 20 things in your life that you're grateful for?
Inspired by wyndslash.vox.com.

In no particular order:

1.) my husband

2.) my son

3.) the rest of the loonies related to me

4.) my friends

5.) Darvon

6.) Modern medicine (yes, I know Darvon is a result of modern medicine...but considering the sheer volume of darvon it takes to get me through the day right now...it deserves it's own category.)

7.) My Biker-size guardian angels...cause having them is the only way I could possibly have lived this long, considering my ill-spent youth.

8.) My ill spent youth. :)

9.) My brains. (Braaaaains! Braaaaaaaaaaains!)

10. Technology

11.) The intarweb...even the 2.0 part

12.) France - thanks for the booze and the food and the art and culture and all that. Annoyed by the fashionistas...but the cognac makes up for it.

13.) Cervantes, Homer, the Eddas and all the other literature ever written

14.) My critters (which, if the list were in order, would probably be way higher, simply because I have a 10 pound cat sitting on my head, and she's got 5 pointy ends, doncha know.)

15.) Greece - because I like knowing it's there for me. And someday, I shall go to it, and I shall never leave. Baklava for everyone!

16.) Chocolate. How women survived PMS without chocolate, I'll never know. Those were indeed the Dark Ages.

17.) My body. It may be short and sort of round, and it hurts a whole lot, but it usually does what I want it to do, even if it is under protest.

18.) The printing press. Knowledge to the people!

19.) Free Will

20.) My life in general. It's been a good run so far. A little weird, a little messy, and with a few bodies along the way...but overall, it's good to be me.

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Ikea, bubbles and all things catching up

nobody@vox.com(DeAnne) — Tue, 26 Sep 2006 11:26:49 -0500

Ikea: I shouldn't be allowed in the store alone. That is all.

Soap: The Orange Brulee turned out exquisite. It's fabu! Today, I'm going to try a pumpkin/pecan/spice soap. I don't know if anyone but me will like it, but I think it should be fantastico. Today, while I was picking up my oils from my perfumer, I was sorely tempted to get a bunch of stuff to make candles to go in gift sets for the xmas rush, but I need to check my insurance policy first.

Big comics benefit: One of my friends Lea Hernandez, the creative genius behind Clockwork Angels, Rumble Girls and tons more was forced out of her home by a fire which destroyed everything, including her entire art portolio. Texas comics folks, being a rather tightknit bunch are holding a benefit for her this weekend. Should you find yourself in Dallas, won't you join Scott Kurtz, James O'Barr, Brian Denham, Lil' ol Me, and a host of others for a Live Comic Art Benefit?

Saturday, 9/30/06, starting at 9pm at the Metro Grill.

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This Congress brought to you by Monsanto

nobody@vox.com(DeAnne) — Wed, 20 Sep 2006 23:22:03 -0500

I've just had the greatest idea. You know how NASCAR drivers are all covered in labels of their sponsors? And when race drivers talk they say things like "The Bubba Burger Yugo was good all night long, I'd like to thank my sponsors; Eunice's Unique Boutique and Beer Palace, Mel's Moonshine - it probably won't kill you, and of course the Lord and my Momma."

We should make our Congresscritters wear jumpsuits with the logos of their corporate donors. The larger the donation, the larger the logo. So, when some Congresscritter starts pontificating about how owning a Hummer is better than worrying about some weird Caribou we can't even hunt, you could see his ass-sized Oil Company logo, and you would know that his take on the issue is probably a little tainted.

We should enforce mandatory uniforms on Congresscritters. They should have to wear the badges of their sponsors...since it sure isn't the citizens. Also, their staff should wear helmets. Not for any safety reason, but just because a room full of helmeted political wonks would be funny. CSPAN would be way more interesting if all those people scurrying around the place looked like aliens.

So, that's my proposal. Now...how do we get it enacted?

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QotD: I Was Born Too Late

nobody@vox.com(DeAnne) — Sat, 09 Sep 2006 01:27:19 -0500

What time period would you have lived in, if you could have lived at any time?

Atlantis (Hey, if we're imagining things, I'm going big.)

Ancient Greece might have been fun, assuming a certain level of wealth, but probably not so much otherwise. I love the Victorian and Edwardian periods, but I'm not sure I could *be* that polite, if of one class, nor willing to die that young, if of another.

So the blissful utopia of missing Atlantis, for me please.

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QotD: Written By Yours Truly

nobody@vox.com(DeAnne) — Tue, 05 Sep 2006 12:27:04 -0500

If you could write a book about anything, what would it be about?

I would finish the two novels I've started already. ;) One, a dystopian-future revolutionary novel and one a love story set in Pandemonium.

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9/11 Propaganda

nobody@vox.com(DeAnne) — Tue, 05 Sep 2006 12:22:55 -0500

On September 10 and 11, ABC Television is planning to air a program called "The Path to 9/11." Though ABC claims that the program is based on the facts, the truth is that it distorts the facts and the conclusions of the 9/11 Commission. The ABC program, written by avowed conservative Chris Nowrasteh, goes out of its way to place blame on the Clinton administration for 9/11 and whitewash the failures of the Bush administration.

Visit this website and send a message to ABC:
http://www.ThinkProgress.org/TellABC

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