"I spend 29 calories..." written by Tinypliny on estrip.org

12/06/10 11:31 - 24.ºF - ID#53220

I spend 29 calories...

walking to work everyday.

Route Summary
Total Distance: 0.60 miles
Avg Speed: 3.2 miles/h
Estimated Time: 11m 19s
Start Elevation: 666.01 ft
End Elevation: 679.13 ft
Minimum Elevation: 652.89 ft
Maximum Elevation: 679.13 ft
Elevation Ascent: 45.93 ft
Elevation Descent: 32.81 ft
Estimated Calories: 29.37

That's even less calories than one of those teeny apples you get when you buy them by the bag.

Abysmal.

Permalink: I_spend_29_calories_.html
Words: 61
Location: Buffalo, NY
Last Modified: 12/06/10 11:36

Category: buffalo

12/06/10 07:16 - 25.ºF - ID#53217

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

{For, I have a wonderful pair of snowproof boots this winter.}

And Prof. LÃ³pez-PiÃ±eiro is embarking on some really cool art with all that snow!

I have one question, though... Where exactly is this front park? Is it the same as the "park" near the boardwalk where we go to see the July 4 fireworks?
---
More info on the snow art:

Permalink: Let_it_snow_let_it_snow_let_it_snow_.html
Words: 73
Location: Buffalo, NY
Last Modified: 12/06/10 07:17

Category: music

12/04/10 11:56 - 25.ºF - ID#53213

Rawwrrr Rawwwwr Rasputin!

Just want to never forget this song ever.

I would like to put some poison into the wine of the person who made that video though. UGH.

Permalink: Rawwrrr_Rawwwwr_Rasputin_.html
Words: 30
Location: Buffalo, NY
Last Modified: 12/04/10 11:56

Category: music

12/04/10 11:05 - 25.ºF - ID#53211

More Popcorn...er. Penguins!

---
Thanks, (e:matthew), this was a wave of nostalgia! lol

Permalink: More_Popcorn_er_Penguins_.html
Words: 13
Location: Buffalo, NY
Last Modified: 12/04/10 11:05

Category: buffalo

12/03/10 08:31 - 31.ºF - ID#53200

Braiding Specialist in Buffalo?

Does anyone know of any spectacular braiding stylists or salons in Buffalo who can do an especially good job of braiding really curly hair?

Will be eternally grateful for suggestions!!

Okay, I have some recommendations from people online, and people on the street.

Germa's African Hair Braiding
1231 Hertel Avenue
Buffalo, NY 14216
716-986-1675
(Can't locate any reviews... To trust or not to trust?!)

Hair to go Natural
Main St. (Near Chow Chocolat)
(Disturbing review on yelp.com)

My.braids.com
Hair by Khaili

Apparently, this stylists travels to your place.
(Same situation... To trust or not to trust?!)

I have now registered on 2 African-American hair forums specially to ask for recommendations. Let's see what comes out of that.

And braiding is expensive! It can cost you anywhere between $150 and $250 for braids... which makes me think that if I put in some effort and practice, I could possibly do it for free.

PS: Image from Amanda Chronister's blog

Permalink: Braiding_Specialist_in_Buffalo_.html
Words: 171
Location: Buffalo, NY
Last Modified: 12/10/10 10:20

Category: fashion

12/02/10 06:41 - 28.ºF - ID#53194

Wool and Lace - Part I

Alright! I am going to give this vintage winter wool coat sewing obsession a real spin and see where I get. (And of course, inflict all my non-progress on you.)

I see I am stuck in step 2. Researching fabrics has to wait because I am off to another exciting salsa class!

tinypliny writes at 05:17:46 12/04/10 - Comment #59542: Heh, it's not a lot of time but a chunk of mindspace. Salsa is one hour a week and fashion is ten minutes when I think of a direction. But you see, it *seems* like all of the time because at (e:strip), my mindspace expands to fill almost 100% of my journal. I write about 95% of my conscious work elsewhere. :-)

But I have to admit, I am fascinated with Salsa and the whole culture around it. I am drawn to the intensity of the dance and in love with how the music transports me to a very tropical beach when I am walking in a bleak landscape of snow. Its a way to reconnect with art physically - something which I have sorely missed for so many years now.

Fashion is a way of doing the same, in a more subtle way. I miss the wild colours, the mirrors, the embroidery and the precisely tailored clothes I used to wear. They were part of me and who I wanted to be everyday. I miss waking up everyday and knowing that I was not going to be worried about whether my clothes were depressing or not. So, I want to regain at least a minimal part of my expression. I think I now have a hang of how fashion works here. Since tailoring is so expensive, people find alternative ways of avoiding feeling like a dowdily dressed rag. Either they have lot of money (which, I don't) or they spend time hunting for the right fit, the right size and whatnot (which is a herculean task for me since I don't fit the population average and don't have a lot of time or the means of transport to do it anyway).

The only other alternative is pretty clear - personal tailoring. You might think that this coat is a complicated project (and it probably is, technically speaking). But it is just a way of trying to see if I can overcome the sense of being utterly plebeian and expendable - a feeling that I get everyday wearing clothes that clearly were not made for me. It's an experiment, in that sense. I may not necessarily finish this experiment or even get anywhere but atleast, it will have graced my mindspace as an art form!

It's strange that both the Salsa and this insane sewing obsession are really the same thing in a lot of ways...

heidi writes at 11:31:03 12/03/10 - Comment #59541: How do you suddenly have all this time for salsa and fashion?

paul writes at 10:27:41 12/02/10 - Comment #59522: sounds fun, good luck!

Permalink: Wool_and_Lace_Part_I.html
Words: 53
Location: Buffalo, NY
Last Modified: 12/02/10 11:40

Category: fashion

12/02/10 12:37 - 29.ºF - ID#53192

Turns out...

that this

is not how a pattern works or even looks like.

And that has been your sewing lesson for the day.

Permalink: Turns_out_.html
Words: 24
Location: Buffalo, NY
Last Modified: 12/02/10 12:56

Category: eating in

12/01/10 09:34 - 31.ºF - ID#53191

Scharffen Berger Unsweetened Cocoa

Where can I get Scharffen Berger's unsweetened cocoa in Buffalo?

Any ideas?

heidi writes at 06:31:43 01/09/11 - Comment #60184: I happened to be near Premier Gourmet today so I stopped in to examine the cocoa selection. The ONLY cocoa they had was Scharffen-Berger! I was very disappointed.

tinypliny writes at 03:26:24 12/26/10 - Comment #59946: Yeah - totally agree. Tons of fun! You have to post a photojournal after the trip!!
Then we can compare and maybe try out new stuff from the coop, premier et. al.
Meanwhile my next target is valrhona. :::link::: (I guess all these fancy chocolatiers think flash is oh-so-fancy and bug free. Yeah right.) I am going to email them about buffalo locations... if not, I will hunt them down in brooklyn in a couple weeks anyway.

heidi writes at 05:02:32 12/25/10 - Comment #59942: Actually, I don't remember the price, so $7.x might be right. I think I'll have to go to Premier and see what other kinds of cocoa they have. Are there other places in the Buffalo area that might have supplies of amazing cocoa? This is fun!

tinypliny writes at 01:01:54 12/25/10 - Comment #59936: Maybe it was whole foods where I saw G&B... I am not sure now.

tinypliny writes at 12:49:07 12/25/10 - Comment #59935: I posted it on (e:Paul,53218) where he was looking at cocoas at the coop. Here it is: :::link:::

BTW, I did see G&B at Weggers last week but there was just one can of it. It must have sold out. Also I think I paid around $7.x for SB. They jacked the price up to $10??! Really?! I might have to get it online then. $10 is too much for such a small can! (And the company is owned by Hershey's!!)

heidi writes at 12:35:13 12/25/10 - Comment #59931: Where did the list go?

heidi writes at 12:34:54 12/25/10 - Comment #59930: Too bad it's $10 per canister... I'll prolly just buy it anyway cuz it's so freakin' good. I got ghirardelli at the coop earlier this week - now I have three different kinds. I'm sure the SB will get used first. i was hoping to get the Green & Black's again, too, but it wasn't at Wegman's or the coop.

tinypliny writes at 12:24:25 12/25/10 - Comment #59927: I know! There is something SO awesome about it. I made banana bread with this, didn't use sugar at all and YET, it turned out great! I am in AWE of this cocoa. Now I want to try the other super-rated ones on that list...

heidi writes at 12:15:15 12/25/10 - Comment #59925: I made brownies with this cocoa tonight... wonderful!!!!

tinypliny writes at 09:37:23 12/23/10 - Comment #59897: I forgot to tell you!! I also went grocery shopping last week along with my haircut and got the cocoa. It's DIVINE - about 10x better than Trader Joe's and Ghirardelli. It forms this luscious paste with water that I have seen no other cocoa forming! LOVING IT! :-)

heidi writes at 05:36:24 12/23/10 - Comment #59896: Scharffen Berger cocoa is definitely at Wegmans - just got some ;-)

paul writes at 07:19:41 12/06/10 - Comment #59570: I found some other good ones at the coop (e:paul,53218).

tinypliny writes at 11:38:31 12/02/10 - Comment #59528: Cool - thanks, I will try both places...maybe Weggers first, since it is closer.

paul writes at 09:28:05 12/02/10 - Comment #59518: I've bought there chocolate at Wegmans. Maybe they have it.

jbeatty writes at 07:40:14 12/02/10 - Comment #59513: Try premier gourmet first. If it is a must have item you'll have to bite the bullet order it online and pay for shipping.

Permalink: Scharffen_Berger_Unsweetened_Cocoa.html
Words: 14
Location: Buffalo, NY
Last Modified: 12/01/10 09:35

Category: art

12/01/10 02:46 - 46.ºF - ID#53186

Flamenco!

Cue Paco De LucÃa and Ricardo Modrego from their collaboration in a time capsule from 1965:

::DOWNLOAD SOUND::

There can be few images that capture the intense vibrancy of the human form and exquisite tailoring in harmonious yet rebellious action as shots at a flamenco performance.

But the most attractive skill for me personally, (if I ever get to learn flamenco) will be learning to dance in these absolutely and gorgeously sexy shoes!

Permalink: Flamenco_.html
Words: 100
Location: Buffalo, NY
Last Modified: 12/01/10 02:57

Category: fashion

11/30/10 05:11 - 52.ºF - ID#53178

Patterning and Sewing a Winter Coat

Call me insane but I have been taken over by this compelling urge to make this black coat (and the grey woollen vintage-fashioned coat below) from scratch by myself.

The trouble is how does one make a pattern and sew a coat based on photographs? Does anyone have any experience in drawing patterns (with appropriate sizing) looking at photographs alone?

tinypliny writes at 01:36:48 12/04/10 - Comment #59553: I totally agree with you. It's got something classically vintage about it - like warriors and artists in the 1800s.

The wool and lace coat is more modern-looking than the gored coat.

matthew writes at 12:40:54 12/04/10 - Comment #59550: I really like the first coat pictured. I'd wear that.

tinypliny writes at 08:18:43 12/01/10 - Comment #59512: Femmy??

Well, then I am hook, line and sinker deep into the femmy stuff. I LOVED everything in that vintage store that had brocade or lace. I didn't want to come away from the shop and my brother had to drag me out in the end.

heidi writes at 04:29:12 12/01/10 - Comment #59503: That coat is way too femmy for me! Good luck on figuring out how to do it.

tinypliny writes at 10:46:16 11/30/10 - Comment #59497: I am going to post what I think the pattern is... But first I have to take a primer on what patterns are and how sizing is achieved. I guess the Frogs knew what they were talking about (for a change!) when they said that thing about Rome not being build overnight... :::link:::

tinypliny writes at 10:43:35 11/30/10 - Comment #59496: Maybe we could make that 2 of that coat, one for each of us. :-)

tinypliny writes at 10:42:43 11/30/10 - Comment #59495: So interested in helping me draft ze pattern? hehehehe

heidi writes at 09:56:32 11/30/10 - Comment #59493: That second coat is really adorable. I love the zig-zag front and the lacy collar & sleeves. It is somewhat less difficult than the other but still inset sleeves, princess seaming, lining...

tinypliny writes at 08:57:19 11/30/10 - Comment #59492: I meant 1949 - not 1909.

tinypliny writes at 08:55:48 11/30/10 - Comment #59491: You have to retrieve those pics and post them!!! :-)

PS: What do you think about the difficulty level of the vintage coat I just posted (apparently, it is from 1909)?

heidi writes at 08:30:03 11/30/10 - Comment #59490: I agree, it's a wonderful skill. I make simple alterations to some stuff, but not as much as I always think I'm going to do.

It is time consuming, as is any hand art/craft, but very satisfying. Building physical objects is neat. I've tried lots of different ones but crocheting is the one that keeps sticking.

heidi writes at 08:25:39 11/30/10 - Comment #59489: I still have the outfit in my storage unit in Pa. That's where the pix are, too, unfortunately. I miss my stuff!

tinypliny writes at 08:11:52 11/30/10 - Comment #59488: Oh wow, thanks so much for sharing that story, (e:heidi)! Fascinating! I will admit I never thought about adding the cost of a sewing machine to the coat price. I guess if I total all the effort and cost, the total would be waaay above $450. The vintage coat I posted just now fit me very well but you could tell that it was very old and would not stand up to extensive wear - part of the reason why $456 seemed like a lot to pay.

I think the ability to sew and pattern is such a wonderful skill and art. People who master the art probably never have to wear stuff that doesn't fit them and look like a pelmet. It's time consuming and probably very frustrating... I sometimes wonder whether the end result is worth it to anyone who makes their own clothes. Maybe all the effort that went in makes it 100x more beautiful...

heidi writes at 08:01:00 11/30/10 - Comment #59487: The cut and shape of the coat are both difficult - if you look at the coats on that page, few of them have nipped in waists, flared bottoms, detail work, and interesting collars like this one, they're kinda boxy (although some are quite cute!). Second, the wool you need for a coat like this is pretty expensive ($15-20/yard, might need 5 yards, plus interfacing, thread, buttons, lining), and you'd want a pretty heavy wool to make the coat at all practical. Linings are always difficult and this would need a full lining. You'd need a heavy-duty sewing machine. So you're looking at over $200 in parts, depending on the quality of the machine you get.

I used to sew as part of a 4-H club when I was a teenager. My last year I made a two-piece outfit out of this slippery blue satiny stuff that was really hard to work with. The top was double-breasted, partially lined with interfacing and satiny stuff, princess seams, complicated hemline. It may have had slight shoulder pads (it was the mid-80s, i think the summer before 10th grade, 1987?) The skirt had six panels, fluted, hidden zipper. Of course it fit me amazingly well because we fit it as we went along. My sewing instructor, Peg (one of those amazing real Christians) was so mad that I didn't win first place at the county fair that she gave me the difference between the second and first cash prizes (I think it was a dollar or two.)

I haven't sewed much since other than curtains and repairs - I've tried a couple times but Peg always coached me thru things and I just don't quite have the 3-D visualization/manipulation skills that a really good tailor/seamstress has.

If I find a coat I love and fits, I think it's just worth buying it. I'll end up wearing it until it wears out. I've had a series of (usually black) wool coats since I was in my teens. They usually last 5+ years and I patch the lining as it rips and tears. My coats are a fairly standard style, so I don't usually have to pay more than $200, usually about $120. That's a very low per-year cost.

tinypliny writes at 08:00:59 11/30/10 - Comment #59486: Damn. My secret is out?

Yeah, I never thought about the overlap point... I think those flowing things are called gores (but I am very new to all this sewing jargon).

heidi writes at 08:00:44 11/30/10 - Comment #59485: The cut and shape of the coat are both difficult - if you look at the coats on that page, few of them have nipped in waists, flared bottoms, detail work, and interesting collars like this one, they're kinda boxy (although some are quite cute!). Second, the wool you need for a coat like this is pretty expensive ($15-20/yard, might need 5 yards, plus interfacing, thread, buttons, lining), and you'd want a pretty heavy wool to make the coat at all practical. Linings are always difficult and this would need a full lining. You'd need a heavy-duty sewing machine. So you're looking at over $200 in parts, depending on the quality of the machine you get.

I used to sew as part of a 4-H club when I was a teenager. My last year I made a two-piece outfit out of this slippery blue satiny stuff that was really hard to work with. The top was double-breasted, partially lined with interfacing and satiny stuff, princess seams, complicated hemline. It may have had slight shoulder pads (it was the mid-80s, i think the summer before 10th grade, 1987?) The skirt had six panels, fluted, hidden zipper. Of course it fit me amazingly well because we fit it as we went along. My sewing instructor, Peg (one of those amazing real Christians) was so mad that I didn't win first place at the county fair that she gave me the difference between the second and first cash prizes (I think it was a dollar or two.)

I haven't sewed much since other than curtains and repairs - I've tried a couple times but Peg always coached me thru things and I just don't quite have the 3-D visualization/manipulation skills that a really good tailor/seamstress has.

If I find a coat I love and fits, I think it's just worth buying it. I'll end up wearing it until it wears out. I've had a series of (usually black) wool coats since I was in my teens. They usually last 5+ years and I patch the lining as it rips and tears. My coats are a fairly standard style, so I don't usually have to pay more than $200, usually about $120. That's a very low per-year cost.

metalpeter writes at 07:55:42 11/30/10 - Comment #59484: I think you really want it cause you can hide your Samurai sword on you. It looks like an out fit a vampire hunter or naval officer (female would wear) kinda like the mall version. it looks tough to make with out knowing to much because the left side has to go under the right and the overlap then you have the neck thing. not only that but it has and hour glass shape. those rufels what ever they are called at the bottom aren't just lose or extra material I think they are shaped that way. Good luck!

tinypliny writes at 07:10:30 11/30/10 - Comment #59480: Gaaaah!! I was looking at The Great Coat Sewalong :::link::: and it looks like they ALL made a pretty coat.

(e:heidi), have you made coats before? What makes a coat difficult or easy - is it the number of pieces? I went to this vintage store in NYC and fell in love with a coat but its price gave me heartburn. It was $456. I took a ton of pictures. I will post them as soon as my brother sends them to me.

(e:metalpeter), the coat I posted above is out of stock and fashion from a few years before and when it was in stock, I think the price was around $450. It's in part, the price and in part, the sizing that is making me lean towards starting this rather intimidating project. None of the coats I saw fit me well because of my strange measurements. Apparently, my shoulders are too narrow and my bust size is below the mentionable limit - so everything sags like a dowdy rag on me.

heidi writes at 06:16:47 11/30/10 - Comment #59478: This coat would be classified as "expert" and/or "difficult" even with a premade pattern. You should check out Simplicity, Vogue and other pattern catalogs first, and examine the steps involved.

metalpeter writes at 06:06:25 11/30/10 - Comment #59477: 1. Looks Like something they might wear in an animee
2. Not that i know anything about sewing any more But
3. I think there is a way that you can take pictures and from there figure out how to cut materials .
4. #3 being said I think you would need more pictures like of the coat open all the way laying front and backwards.
5. Again I would have no idea how to do it but I'm sure with the right stuff it can be done....

The Better question is since you like this coat why not just buy it.... I mean if you want to try to make it for fun or for a gift. But if you want to wear why not just spend the cash and have a nice coat....

Permalink: Patterning_and_Sewing_a_Winter_Coat.html
Words: 68
Location: Buffalo, NY
Last Modified: 12/01/10 10:40