Entries tagged with bandom

Current Mood: depressed
Crossposts: http://venetia-sassy.livejournal.com/199293.html

Entry tags:

bandom

Fuuuucccck

If you know of anyone with an extra Sydney Fall Out Boy ticket, please tell me!!!

Got up early to buy ticket, waited for them start selling, clicked to buy ... apparently I didn't click fast enough and they all sold out in less than ten seconds. Ye gods.

I was only trying to buy one ticket ...

Current Mood: exhausted
Crossposts: http://venetia-sassy.livejournal.com/199161.html

Entry tags:

bandom,
cooking

That was slightly crazed but fun!

Computer problems halfway solved and I was able to post pics of my finished projects to imadeathing! Couldn't edit any of the photos though and the monitor is currently doing some weird things with stretching and resolution so I hope the pictures look okay to other people. I can't really be sure right now.

Project 1 - birthday cake for Mum with double meaning as a 'MCR coffee appreciation' cake!

Project 2 - cake pops inspired by MCR! (And this was the reason for my question about colours re: Mikey and Ray. Thank you!)

And now I have a mass of cake pops and no desire to eat them. But Nephew #2's birthday party is this weekend so I'm considering sticking them in the fridge until then. I don't think the kids will object to sickly sweetness.

Current Mood: tired
Crossposts: http://venetia-sassy.livejournal.com/198272.html

Entry tags:

Adventures, sort of

Day 1 of Baking Project: run into various small problems, as one does when trying something new, but able to solve them. Things going pretty well.

Day 2 of Baking Project: things go more smoothly with practice, all going well ... but the edible ink pen is hopeless. Have to go to the shops tomorrow and find something else. Stick to baking for the rest of tonight.

Dee has asked me to make two boxes of mixed biscuits for her grandsons who are starting Year 11 this year, a 'good luck and good start to the year' gift, so I'll be doing that later this week. She's also asked if I would consider making some biscuits for Easter gifts because she's sick of giving people Easter eggs, especially when they're not that fond of them! And the good ones are so expensive ...

Mum asked me and I said happily, 'Baking excuse!'

*
We went to the osteopath on Thursday (my neck is, eh, a little better? And I did my ankle in with tendonitis. Fun.) He's out on the northern beaches. It was so hot and still and humid here; still very warm there but with a strong breeze blowing, it was rather nice. His office is literally a couple of minutes walk from the beach so we walked to the top of the dunes and looked out at the waves crashing in. The smell of salt was so strong. There was a stunning hibiscus in full flower nearby - creamy-white with a pink centre - very beautiful. It always startles me to see hibiscus and frangipani in Australian gardens; they always say Maui to me.

Then we came home and I managed to stay upright just long enough to strip off my clothes and makeup. Treatments are exhausting.

*
On Friday it was cold, pouring with rain and there was thunder most of the day. The fuck? And it was even colder on Saturday. Look, I have no objection to the colder weather, I am just very confused. And so are my clothes. And my bedcovers.

To our surprise, we were invited to join the informal family party for Nephew #2's 2nd birthday. We'd already received the invitation for the official party so I figured that was it but no, we went over and had pizza and cake and were included in photos and ... I don't get it.

Since we hadn't anticipated this, we went shopping beforehand (and the centre we went to had a cake art shop that I wanted to look at and will go back to tomorrow.) We found a cool colour matching game for Nephew #2 and Mum wanted to find a wise owl ornament or soft toy for Nephew #1 who just started school this week and is very excited by it. No luck at the toy store or newsagent and we were less than thrilled at the notion of going outside to get to another area (pouring rain) but we went into a dollar store to find a gift bag and thought we'd look in the ornament section. And amongst the usual animals who looked like they needed attention from a vet was a magnificent snowy owl with glitter dusted wings. Absolutely gorgeous. Nephew #1 has named her 'Heddie.'

(Also, fandom has Done Things to Me. Mum was dithering over a nice green gift bag. It was a softer shade of green and had some blue and pink on it. It wasn't obviously coded male or female and Mum thought it might not be 'boyish' enough. I started to say, 'Mum, don't encourage gender norms.' Which I don't think is something I've ever said to Mum. Or out loud. So I rephrased, 'Mum, don't make me start channeling one of my fanfic characters and start saying, don't encourage gender norms.' She laughed. We bought the bag. And Nephew #1's green gift bag had bright pink ribbons on it.)

We spent two hours listening to four sugar-hyped, over-stimulated, highly-excited children aged five and under shrieking delightedly (egged on by two teenage girls who could shriek just as loudly) then we came home and I passed out. I had a headache yesterday.

*
This computer is getting very twitchy. It's unnerving.

Current Mood: uncomfortable
Crossposts: http://venetia-sassy.livejournal.com/197857.html

Entry tags:

Fooood

Cherry Tomato Sauce with Cheat's Fresh Pasta - delicious, but I just used linguine since that's what I had, and grape tomatoes because I like them more. Made it twice in the last few days!

Crunchy Garlic Chicken - baked the chicken and yum. So good! Mum is enjoying the leftovers in her lunch salads.

Zucchini and Mint Pasta - as usual, halved the pasta and I increased the lemon and parmesan a bit. Wonderfully easy.

*
Baking supplies for my second imadeathing project arrived today - and the special decorations for the Mikey segment. I'm a bit sad that I didn't post about my first completed project already, because I don't think the overall symbolism is going quite to be as well-received over the few weeks. Or MCR stuff in general. Ah well. I'm still going to have fun with this.

As to why I'm only just starting it - well, it's baking, it can only take so long! I knew I wasn't going to try doing it before Christmas and the heat's been knocking me around too much since then. But I knew I had to get my act together and order supplies anyway. (Still took me awhile.) I'm just waiting on the special decorations for the Ray segment but I know they've been posted.

Ooh, we went out to do some shopping on Sunday (I hadn't left the house in almost two weeks, since the dentist visit. I wanted out) and we stopped in at a different Woolworths to our usual and oh, the baking section!!! All the sparkles and decorations!!! I'm guessing because that Woolworths is in an area of new development, a lot of families with kids (ours not so much.) I was making happy squeaks over the various sprinkles and even Mum was joining in my enthusiasm. There was nothing like the range of the online baking supplies store and they didn't have anything I'd already ordered but it was so much fun to see the products right there. Future possibilities ... And I did find some chocolate star sprinkles to use instead the regular chocolate sprinkles for Ray, so that was good.

But while I do have my supplies, I'm not starting tonight, thanks to some amazing wooziness and a nasty headache. Thank you, menstruation. Kindly fuck off.

Current Mood: grumpy
Crossposts: http://venetia-sassy.livejournal.com/197467.html

Entry tags:

Some possibly incoherent thoughts on RPF, privacy and the current Mikey brouhaha

It seems that recently:

1) Fans think the Toros may have had a baby but Ray hasn't confirmed or denied.

2a) Mikey and Alicia might be divorcing/separated and Mikey has already moved on without telling Alicia and she found out via fans.

2b) Mikey has been cheating on Alicia and she found out via fans.

2c) Something else is going on but we as fans don't know the relationships involved.

I am not comfortable with any of this.

For 1), if Ray and Christa ever have a child, I will be be happy for them. I will not believe they have a child until they say so. It is their business and their decision as to when to announce it.

As to what's going on with Mikey and Alicia and Sarah ... honestly, I'm cringing that anything about this was public. Bad move on everyone's part. But if strangers sent photo links to Alicia? NOT COOL. Nobody likes the neighbourhood busybody.

What do I think about Mikey right now? Well, about the same that I did the other day, really. Why? Because I don't know what happened. I'm not going to base my opinion of someone on rumours or a few tweets. When the dust settles, we'll see what's really going on.

I've wondered whether I should join Twitter again (I tried it once, in the early days. I lost interest.) I know I miss out of some of the squee but then I saw this mess ...

I don't like rumours, I don't like gossip and I don't like public discussions of people's personal lives.

I love reading biographies of historical figures, will happily analyse fictional characters' motivations and backgrounds, and sort of combine that with RPF of 'public personas.' But digging into people's private lives is not okay, I don't care how famous they are.

Mikey may have cheated on his wife. That sucks. But it's not my business. And even if that's how it happened, it doesn't change all the things I like about him. (If it turned out he was a serial cheater dickhead, that would.) And you know what? It could turn out that one of the other guys has cheated at some point. Or one of their wives has cheated. Or something else upsetting to our image of them. Because we don't know them.

We see their public personas. We are their fans, not their friends, and they are not obligated to share every detail of their lives with us. They are real people, flawed and fucked up and they make mistakes.

Am I sad that my mental image of a band with four happily married guys is smeared? Yes. But that was my mental image. I never knew the reality. I still don't.

Really, my main question after all this is, 'I wonder if "Aww, pickles" is Gerard's kid-safe version of 'Oh, shit"?'

Current Mood: hopeful
Crossposts: http://venetia-sassy.livejournal.com/183077.html

Entry tags:

bandom

Help, All-Knowing F-list?

Anyone remember a Brendon/Ryan story called 'A Season of Grace'? The link I have is dead and I can't remember the author. It was slave fic and Brendon and Ryan had connections to the elements. Ryan was very sick; Jon bought Brendon (a hui?) because they needed someone with the fire connection. It was a lovely story and made me cry.

Current Mood: amused
Crossposts: http://venetia-sassy.livejournal.com/175911.html

Entry tags:

bandom,
teh random

Gotta love Etsy

HIPSTER UNICORN EXISTS!

I believe the correct tag would be: Your argument is now invalid.

Current Mood: tired
Crossposts: http://venetia-sassy.livejournal.com/170438.html

Entry tags:

bandom,
cooking

So bloody tired

Tonight's dinner was Pork Chops with Savoury Blueberry Sauce. It was ... okay? Surprisingly unexciting. But it was a good way to revive some slightly tired blueberries. I still don't find pork an interesting meat. Good in sausages but otherwise ...

Last night I made a bubble and squeak/hash kind of thing. Potato, carrot, onion, cabbage, capsicum, last slice of bacon, some mustard, dried thyme and paprika with some sliced green onions for garnish. Lovely crispy bits at the edges, mmm.

Then I made a second double batch of lemon curd. I always taste it to check the sugar/citrus balance and last night's lot was very good but I still don't want to keep any for myself. I do get all the egg whites though. I have mass quantities in the freezer, didn't want to add more or make anything sweet so I am currently exploring the possibilities of egg white omelettes. Not bad, so far.

*
FRANK'S FACE MAKES EVERYTHING BETTER. AND HIS TATTOOS!!!

Current Mood: unwell
Crossposts: http://venetia-sassy.livejournal.com/169648.html

Entry tags:

bandom

Check it out!

Current Mood: melting
Current Music: My Chemical Romance ~ House of Wolves
Crossposts: http://venetia-sassy.livejournal.com/168710.html

Entry tags:

clutches computer

Internets! Do not leave me again!

(There was an incident with a browser hacker yesterday. Not good.)

So I stayed off the computer but didn't do much as I'm still recovering. Finished reading Bright Earth: The Invention Of Colour (dense in places but very interesting. Painters can only use what pigments they have so how does that affect style?), then read Girl in a Green Gown: The History and Mystery of the Arnolfini Portrait (on the lighter side but also very interesting. The amount of detail in that portrait!), then took a turn into fiction and read China Mieville's Embassytown (fantastic and fascinating. Mum tried to read it today but couldn't get into his style which I can understand. But if you can, it's worth it.)

*
Today I've mostly been trying not to melt. 30C+ days, I have not missed you. Made Shanghai Chicken Salad (halved the recipe, quartered the chicken, be careful of the amount of sauce) for dinner, good for a hot night.

*
Mum showed me an article that made me laugh myself silly. Comedian's account of her daughter asking The Question - But what do they do with their legs? Conversation goes from tadpoles to human reproduction to cats mating to a nine-year-old working out the possibility of anal sex.

*dies*

*
With my sad lack of internet yesterday I couldn't see any reports of the Melbourne BDO until today. It seems I missed Frank 'reducing' his layers to a t-shirt (which had 'fuck your tanktop' written on it ... okay?) and cardigan, then tweeting about how hot it was. *facepalm*

Gerard has informed us that he can't skate. No, really. "I can't skate, I dont know how to skate at all. I've tried many times in my life, I break my ass. That's why I wear such big boots on stage, cause I have no balance or equilibrium."

... what can you even say to that?

Current Mood: bemused
Crossposts: http://venetia-sassy.livejournal.com/167604.html

Entry tags:

Pirate shirts and pretty boys

I feel there are times when the only thing you can say is 'GERARD WAY.'

Okay, also 'Gerard, look out, you have devil hair!'

Gerard is wearing a long-sleeved, black and white striped shirt on stage (in Brisbane. In summer. And Frank is wearing his grandpa cardigan. Okay, the weather's been uneven this summer but still. Wtf?) while backstage, Mikey Way is wearing a long-sleeved, black and white striped hoodie. Over his tiger-print shirt. While Gerard wears khaki and shows some chest hair.

IDEK.

BOYS. WAYS.

Current Mood: exhausted
Crossposts: http://venetia-sassy.livejournal.com/167279.html

Entry tags:

bandom

is dubious

Is it shallow of me to hope that Gerard finishes his dye job in the next week?

Dear Gerard,

You manage to look surprisingly good with that hair but I would really like to just be overwhelmed by the awesome that is MCR without getting distracted by ... that hair.

*
Tried to find frames for various prints (partial success), had acupuncture (and a nap), had another nap in the backseat while Mum bought groceries, came home, had another nap. This is getting old.

Current Mood: pleased
Crossposts: http://venetia-sassy.livejournal.com/161841.html

Entry tags:

bandom,
cooking

Good things!

A decent start to the new year - did some writing, some reading, some stretching. Only a slight headache today! Watched Doctor Who at the Proms - I love the DW soundtracks. Currently, I'm cleaning out the spice/oil/vinegar cupboard. The whole kitchen needs a turnout but I think starting small and doing a cupboard at a time is the way to go. And I need to do something with the remaining fresh cherries which will go rotten before we have time to eat them all. I'm going to make spiced cherries, I think - they don't require pitting!

*

And, and, and I have been gifted with a marvelous fic! If you haven't been reading the Slantverse by theletterelle and gala_apples, may I suggest you do so? High school BDSM Bandom AU and it is awesome.

My gift was a Matt/Frank fic with Matt discovering that his crazy, fighting sub Frank is sick. And that this happens a lot. Matt's not quite sure how to react to this and Frank's not much help. He's not fragile, okay?! He doesn't need anyone to take care of him! I adore the dynamic between these two and this fic shows it so well.

Entry tags:

Good things! And an ouch.

Judging by my flist, I went to bed just before the epic video of adorableness appeared. Damn. But it did mean that I woke up to a flist full of posts about the how MCR are the most adorable, dorky, earnest band ever.

These are scary, badass rockstars, people. Uh huh.

I laughed so hard watching that, I nearly choked. Be more bouncy, Ray! Smile a little wider, Frankie! Be more earnest, Gerard! Be ... slightly more enthusiastic, Mikey! If you can. If it won't make you sprain anything.

*
I made caramels for the first time today! These soft chocolate caramels, using Lindt 70% dark. I just tried a piece and OMG, they taste gooey, chewy brownie batter, OMG. I love brownie batter.

Making them was remarkably easy. I just put everything in a pot and stirred until it was the right temperature/consistency. It did take a while because I was very cautious about turning up the heat at first (we have an old electric stove that can be a bit tricksy.) Using the candy thermometer was a bit tricky because the saucepan I was using had a lip so I couldn't clip it on. But I also used the glass of water test and yes, it all seems to have worked! Now, I just have to cut them up ...

On the downside, I did manage to burn myself with the caramel. Just a small burn on my left index finger but it has blistered and it hurts. But I've cooled it, applied ointment and a loose bandage and taken some ibuprofen (which doesn't seem to have kicked in yet but oh well.)

However I can console myself with adorable dorky rock stars and the brownie batter caramels (I think they should be renamed. Mmmm.)

Current Mood: confused
Crossposts: http://venetia-sassy.livejournal.com/152423.html

Entry tags:

Yes!!!

There's going to be an MCR show in Sydney on January 27! I was hoping it might be on the 28th so I could rest in between ... but I will definitely be getting a ticket for that. If it turns out that I'm not well enough to do both, I'm sure I can find someone who wants the BDO ticket.

*
In other news, we have a fridge! It's deeper than our old one and it's brushed metal rather than white so whenever I walk into the kitchen I'm taken by surprise by this hulking grey shadow.

And we have a tv! The manual seemed intent on confusing me, but I got it set up, all the channels working, the picture quality is fabulous - and I have no idea how to connect the DVD player or the VCR. I thought I'd followed the directions ... I'll try again tomorrow.

*
Lemon Chicken en Papillote is a great way to cook chicken breasts so they stay juicy and tender. I added a sliced carrot and two zucchinis to the packages. Very simple and tasty.

Nectarines are in season and they are delicious. I used not to like stone fruits (texture) and I'm still not keen on peaches but nectarines. Mmm.

*
It was so dark when I got up this afternoon, I almost thought I'd slept until sunset. No, it was just prelude to a downpour. And tonight I'm wearing trackpants and a jumper. I didn't think I'd be wearing those again this year!

Confused by our weather? Yeah, me too. But I like this a lot better than the heat!

Current Mood: tired
Current Music: blessed quiet
Crossposts: http://venetia-sassy.livejournal.com/148236.html

Entry tags:

bandom,
outings

I feel a trifle deaf

You might not think a 90th birthday party would be noisy.

*wines, rubs at ears* You would be wrong. There were a lot of people! And Dee clearly enjoyed herself thoroughly and after the first hour or so, I found a couple of congenial people to talk to, so that was nice for me.

But Mum and I both heaved sighs of relief to come home to our beautifully quiet house.

*

Gerard is back in black! And the entire band back in costumes, the adorable dorks.

I'm not sure what to think of the hair. I like the black and I think I prefer the short black to the short red - but I really liked the long red hair and Frank's long dark hair ...

I wonder what they'll look like for the Big Day Out shows ...

Current Music: Beethoven ~ Symphony No. 7: Allegretto
Crossposts: http://venetia-sassy.livejournal.com/147225.html

Entry tags:

bandom,
outings

Happy things!

A package arrived today, containing 'supplies' for next January! What am I talking about?

My first band t-shirts - one NaNaNa and one Aftermath. I shall wear them with pride.

(I don't even wear t-shirts usually. I have ... two? Maybe three? Plus oversized ones I use as nightshirts. It's just not my usual style!)

*
Lookit the tiger cubs! We saw the mother, Jumilah, when we were at Taronga and she is splendid. So beautiful. I almost wish we'd held off going to the zoo ... we could be going to see the cubs! *coos at them*

*
I have a few more confirmations to make but there may just be another tiger in my life next week. And whales! And more! New things.

Let me tell you, this spring is a vast improvement over the past autumn and winter. It's generally the other way around but it seems like good things are happening now ...

Current Mood: happy
Current Music: Panic! at the Disco ~ Nine in the Afternoon
Crossposts: http://venetia-sassy.livejournal.com/142085.html

Entry tags:

Recap Pt 2: And finally ... Panic!

(I need a Panic icon. But I can't find one I like!)

While we were still up on the balcony, we could see the techs setting up for Panic. Also saw a tall guy with a shaved head and tattoos on his calves adjusting the microphone stands – hi Zack! Ian’s microphone reached midchest on Zack. *is amused*

We went down into the crowd, about a dozen rows back, somewhat to the right. I had a decent few of Dallon, partial view of the others. As the show went on, I was able to work my way forward until I was only a few metres from the stage centre, with an excellent view of Brendon, excellent view of Spencer when Brendon was bouncing around the stage, very good view of Ian and okay view of Dallon. No offence to Dallon but that accorded with my priorities quite nicely!

( 'Good evening, we're Panic! at the Disco ... )

I found Pip not too far away, she’d stayed further back, behind several short girls so she wouldn’t interrupt anyone’s view. We agreed that Panic’s music and performance were the best of the evening. I also said it was rather mean of Brendon to tease us about taking his pants off. Pip said, well, it was pretty unlikely that he’d do that on stage, right? I laughed and said, yeah, except he’s done it before, not that long ago! (Pip likes their music but she’s not a fangirl.) I practically bounced my way out of there (although I warned Pip that as soon as I sat down, I’d probably crash.) It was lovely and cool outside, just sprinkling a bit as we walked back to the train station.

All in all, it was a great evening. I went for Panic, anything more was just a bonus, and Panic are fantastic live performers. I’d love to see them again.

Current Mood: indescribable
Current Music: Panic! at the Disco ~ Folkin' Around
Crossposts: http://venetia-sassy.livejournal.com/141935.html

Entry tags:

MASSIVE SQUEE

Okay, I'm about halfway through writing my Panic recap but I had to break off for this:

MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE WILL BE PLAYING IN AUSTRALIA EARLY NEXT YEAR!!!!

*flails*

I have no idea how much BDO tickets will be but I guess I'd better start saving ...

Eeeeeeeeeee!!!

Current Mood: tired
Current Music: Panic! at the Disco ~ Do You Know What I'm Seeing?
Crossposts: http://venetia-sassy.livejournal.com/141736.html

Entry tags:

bandom,
outings

All the rest (Panic next)

Okay, I'm going to split my recap into two parts so it's less intimidating to my blurry brain.

( Getting there, views, no chance at the signing tent, concert clothes )
( Story of the Year, Yellowcard, All Time Low )

And they were collecting bras. They seemed to be asking for girls to throw them bras which they then draped over their microphone stands. I don't get it. Pip and I discussed this in some bemusement because who the hell can afford to throw away a perfectly good bra? (See, we were less inclined to consider the 'why?' of either side than the financial consideration. The bra I was wearing that night cost $114. Catch me throwing it away! My cheapest is $80 ...)

Of course this did lead me to later consider what might have been thrown on stage when Panic's been performing ... which led to thoughts of bb!Panic being flustered and laughing at the bras, daring each other to try them on and, naturally, one (or more) of them discovering a crossdressing kink ...

We stayed in the crowd until a surge pushed us too close to the speakers and my chest started to hurt. We then went back up to the balcony, watched the rest of their set and part of D.R.U.G.S (too much screaming) until it was time to get back in the crowd for Panic!