I cleaned it!

In honour of this very special event, I have a very special flickr photostream for you: a tour of my sewing room, complete with descriptive notes.



Clicking on the picture will take you to "My Sewing Room" set on flickr! Look at the photos themselves because I put tonnes of notes on them :-)

(I figured out why some of you could not see my flickr photos - my account has a general safety rating of 'moderate' or something, which I did because sometimes there are pictures of scantily clad people at DragonCon, and that apparently means you have to be logged on to flickr to see them. Anyway - this set I specifically set as 'safe' and should be viewable even without a flickr account.)

I am preoccupied this week with cleaning out the sewing room - you know how a disorderly part of the house can start preying on your mind? I can't get anything else done now until that place is cleaned out - all the fabric re-folded and re-stacked, the bins of costume accessories, makeup, wigs, beads, etc sorted and purged.

jkg_vader has chosen a perfect time to request fabric scraps... I'm at 20 lbs of the stuff in a big box for her and counting!

I re-did Gilderoy Lockhart's wig again, as the last set didn't hold very well. He got a head-full of tight foam rollers and now I think he's looking fabulous again. I think he might pose for a photo in the next couple days to show off some of his new wardrobe ;-)

It's been a long road, but I FINALLY got a copy of Terrible Joe Moran and watched it (grainy TV recording from the '80s complete with Danish(?) subtitles). *sigh* I own all of Jim's movies now, and that just leaves Taxi! (1932) to watch. I'm planning to watch it with pomp, circumstance and rootbeer floats and a couple pals on May 13.

Since it's May 1, I decided to change the muxtape at http://youwantmyfedora.muxtape.com/ to a 'Hard Work' theme. I really wanted to upload Pete Seeger's version of "John Henry" but for some reason my versions didn't seem to upload correctly, you will have to settle for Burl Ives' version instead. So, there's a couple 60s-90s folk songs in there in addition to the usual 20s-40s. James Keelaghan is a very good friend of my family, so I thought it was a nice opportunity to fit one his tunes in there. And everyone loves Great Big Sea.

I am touched that 31 people have favorited my muxtape - that was a nice surprise!

This time last year Dr Smith and I went to Rome for my birthday. This year, we went to Paris. I like this trend!

drhaggis and veritate accompanied us to the City of Lights for a one week stay. We rented an apartment in the the Marais/Beauborg district that was utterly fantastic. Central location, very large (2 floors!) and had a rooftop terrace with a stunning 360 degree view that was jaw-dropping. Arriving on the first day, climbing to the terrace to be greeted by the bells of Notre Dame, was a memorable moment. I hugged veritate with glee!

In this post I'll just include some of my favorite city scenes from the week. You'll notice this one doesn't have pictures of us in it, that's so I'll be able to have this post public. I'll post a couple other sets later with more personal photos that I'll friends-lock.


Notre Dame. It was spring in Paris. Not like here at home - where it has snowed almost a foot today!!! Grrrr!!!
( Click here for more Paris photos. )

I have updated the "You Want My Fedora" muxtape:

http://youwantmyfedora.muxtape.com/

James Cagney passed away 22 years ago on March 30, 1986. I was in about grade 9 at the time and have no recollection of the event.

I posted something similar in my blog for the first time last year, but I see no reason to change my words much today. They are still true.

For those who read my blog or know me in real life, you know that my admiration for James Cagney is relatively new, but intense. With each new film or radio play or commentary, my respect for this guy grows. I may have been struck by lightening initially, but this hasn’t faded like a summer storm – I’m in for all seasons.

So I’ve come to regret that I missed the chance, when we were both walking this planet, for me to tell him how much I admire his work.

This regret weighs on me and on this day I want to do something about it, in honour of James Cagney. ( Click for more. )

Again, in an attempt to diffuse my desire to buy these beautiful things, I share them instead...

1) Someone pick me up off the floor! This is an outrageous outfit. I post it because there's no hope it will go for a price that mere mortals can afford, otherwise I would keep my trap zipped and be in like Flynn in the final seconds of this auction. But, my stars and garters, it's just so perfect:


http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=300209661955

2) Along the same vein, this green and brown hooded dress is probably going out of the ballpark, as I've noticed most things from this seller do, and I wouldn't get it because of the fading, BUT this is one outfit that is utterly inspiring. I adore its sense of adventure!
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=250230435766

3) Let's look at something affordable and useful in the everyday, shall we? I already own a '49er jacket, and I strongly encourage other gals to consider owning one too. They are flattering, versatile and womanly without being prissy. If you don't like this one, there are always a few others out there in a range of colours:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=300210729926

4) And here's a dress with a fabulous sense of humour that won't break the bank. It has a rooster! Someone get it before I cave...
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=330219357721

5) I admit, I'm label-conscious. One day I will post all the things I bought just because I love the label. Anything with 'Swank' in it makes my day. These pajamas have the "Miss Swank" label going for them (with a stickman in a top hat! *adore*), but they also look lovely too. A bit pricey though, and I don't know if I'd date them to the '20s:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=160200046458

Sometimes, in cases like this, when the price is more than I want to pay, but I notice there's a 'Best Offer' option on it, I will shop around the store for other things. Sellers are much more likely to give you a deal if you buy more than one thing from them. And looky here:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=160213816898
A tie! The sort that has gears/nautical things! Nice.

... but i eated it.

Actually. I didn't eat it. I muxed it? Boingboing.net tipped me off to this site (http://muxtape.com/) that you can upload 12 of your songs to and share them, thusly:

http://youwantmyfedora.muxtape.com/

It's a snippet of the songs that run around in my head and my iPod from 1919-1939. If this site stays up, I'll use it from time to time to share songs with you.

An interesting fact about myself: I wake up every morning with a song in my heart. Really, I do. Sometimes I have to listen quietly for a couple minutes before I recognise it. Sometimes I'm surprised that I remember enough of a song I barely heard for it to play back in such detail. I guess there's something about how quiet one's mind is in the morning.

In other news: soon I will have another pair of pants made. Son of DRAMA pants!

Get outta my head, Black Phoenix Alchemy lab!!!

From http://www.blackphoenixalchemylab.com/limited.html , scroll down a ways:

"In the spirit of Polynesian Pop and Tiki Culture, we present Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab's Atomic Luau Lounge: the Exotica Collection... Gah! Limited Edition!

I mean - not just a Tiki collection, but an Atomic Luau! They are either reading my mind or my blog.

And the goggleheads in the audience probably already know there's a Steampunk line coming, in follow-up to the "Mechanical Phoenix" limited edition scent.

What's next - A James Cagney puts on Brass Goggles and Dances with Ginger Rogers (who wears Kaylee's ballgown) to Busby Berkley tunes inside the ring of Stonehenge while Magpies string decorations made of shiny replicas of DNA helices interspersed with First Editions of Tolkien? Is that what's next Bpal?! Do yer worst!

In a final grand gesture of frivolity before Dr Smith returned home last night from his vacation, I made a James Cagney video. I decided to focus on The Oklahoma Kid since I'm on an old West kick, the song choice was obvious to me, and I didn't want to do any topic that I was really invested in yet. So this was just to get my feet wet.

I know there's a green line on the edge. Drives me crazy - it isn't there when I watch the iMovie version of it, nor when saved as a .dv file. Everything else I've tried had it. Anyway, after hours of mucking around with things I don't really understand like 'codecs' and 'compressors', I'm just happy to get something uploaded that isn't too bad. The low image quality otherwise is really in the underlying source since The Oklahoma Kid is not on DVD.

One of my favorite parts of the movie is the discussion about 'Empire Building' between Cagney's character and the upstanding father of the love interest. It's an odd little political piece, and who can resist the line "I'm as social as a setter pup!". I decided to use it as a frame for the rest. ( The Youtube embed is behind the cut. )

Seriously, I'm having a perfect orgy of wasted, squandered time these past 3 days.

Without Dr Smith around to bring any balance, tired out from the past week, having nothing on the schedule - I am wallowing in things of absolutely No Consequence.

I play with pictures. Check out my new icon! I entered a couple more in an icon contest that I will trot out after the contest is over - something else I haven't done for weeks. And I downloaded some software that makes video captures, and though I haven't sorted out how to edit well, I am tossing around the idea of doing a Cagney vid.

I wash clothes by hand and try crazy outfits on in the house. I tried some pincurls again yesterday but so far no real success.

I watch YouTube. I scan ebay. I may not be able to get Jim's fedora, but I did find a tiny piece of one of his coats! Mine!
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=200205735458&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=010
(I got mine in an auction for a bit less.)

I watch movies. Saw Witness last night for the first time in years, cried for no good reason other than I think the Amish are beautiful.

I eat nothing - I've been living off the same pizza (an excellent one from Fat Tony's) and bottle of white wine for the last 3 days. I might actually have to forage for something else today.

I move fabric and patterns around in my sewing room. Might actually sew, who knows!

I read - Territory by Emma Bull. It takes place in Tombstone and involves Wyatt Earp. Love it thus far! I am adoring the Wild West so much, I am supplementing the book with viewings of Cagney's The Frisco Kid and The Oklahoma Kid. Not a Western, but I might have to round the triumvirate out with The St Louis Kid tonight.

In fact, I have so much nothing to do, I stay up til 2-3am doing it. I honestly don't want to go to bed, I have so much nothing I'd rather be doing. Gosh, I can be lazy.

Behind the cut is a YouTube vid that lasts 5 1/2 minutes. Whoever this person is, she loves Cagney and she's got the same taste in Cagney injokes and ironic statements as I do. Some of the best lines, hottest looks, sweetest moments and hardest hits. Love it! I only wish she'd had some better quality videos to work from in some spots.

I know many of you will not click this link. You're not into Cagney. That's cool. And if you want to stay out of Jimmy's clutches do not go around watching clips like this! Do not click the link! Do not watch all 5 1/2 minutes! You might get drawn in and never come out again.

If you do watch - mark at 2:02 - a line that makes my heart stop every time - y'know, especially since I am a doctor. It's almost as good as the "rend me asunder" moment. ( Honey, I'm Santa Claus, Robin Hood and the Goose that Laid the Golden Egg all in one. )

Although it has been many moons* since I last addressed you in these society pages, the crew of the Airship Vertigo have not been idle.

Far from it. Indeed, our adventures have been serialized in missives we receive by aetheric transmission on a periodic basis from the biographer of Sir Edward Treaves. This thrilling story has taken the Vertigo into the heart of a mysterious land enpopulated with terrifying reptilian and avian creatures from a time long lost. In fact, we are all on edge as the last chapter ended with the bravehearted Mechanized Automaton (MA) blown to smithereens from inside the belly of a Tyrannosaurus rex - her self-destructive power rendering the fearsome creature to death and saving the rest of us, including yours truly.

It is proving such a gripping story that I think we must endeavor to share it with a wider audience, should Sir Edward's biographer agree with the plan.

And the intrepid drhaggis, seen here, has stumbled upon another mysterious adventure. Quite unexpectedly, he has been drawn into the escapades of the legendary Veritas League.

While drhaggis does not maintain a large presence here in the livejournal region of the aetherweb, he is a very active member of a society which shares daguerreotypes known - quaintly - as Flickr. A new and intriguing form of fiction and play-acting has arisen, as one of his daguerreotypes was whimsically targeted by the knowledgeable Professor Angelus Potissimus Fumolatro. From there, they have been whisked off to an evolving Quest for the Tome of Tangiers.

Many an hour I have pleasantly whiled away tracking the Veritas league as the tale unfolds in a non-linear, fluid and spontaneous fashion. I look forward to following them to the end of their Quest!

Perhaps you would too. The images of the Veritas League can be found here:
http://www.flickr.com/groups/veritas_league/pool/

The best place to begin is with the introduction to the Professor. Click forth through the pool from there!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tripletlads/2275578969/in/pool-veritas_league

Cordially,
Lady Guinevere Faraway

*Many moons... thus do I mark time. Each full moon, I gird up my bandolier, polish the silver bullets, and patrol the dark places. My work is never done, not so long as the full moon rises.

... my day is complete.

BoingBoing just posted a link to the US Archives "Notable Registrants of the World War I Draft" and Jim, age 19, is among them:
http://www.archives.gov/southeast/wwi-draft/cagney.html

Actually, I found an image of his draft papers about a year ago - and a couple censuses that include him too. Yes, I am a year ahead of BoingBoing's curve! ;-) I'd forgotten that it described him though:

Color of Eyes: Gray
Color of Hair: Red

I don't know how he managed to get away without having his height recorded! It just says "Medium", when really, even for the time I think he was short. Though maybe since he was only 19 they figured he might grow a bit still.

I note Al Capone was 5'7".

Since we haven't done it for awhile, here's some JC picture swooning. The theme is Jim @home:


This is his boat, 1939 or so.

( 2 more behind the cut. )

There was a line of laughing people at the parkade kiosk waiting to pay for their parking. There was something different about them, this wasn't the usual downtown paying for parking sort of mood. The attendant grinned bemusedly, confused, "Where have you all come from? Why does everyone look so happy?"

We'd come from the Silent Film Festival matinee, glowing with sweet joy. We'd just seen Girl Shy starring Harold Lloyd. Most of us had never seen or heard of Harold Lloyd before this afternoon and I admit earlier feeling a bit disappointed that the matinee wasn't Buster Keaton or Charlie Chaplin. I take this sentiment back with chagrin. I have been schooled thoroughly in the appeal of Harold Lloyd.



( A very short review continues behind the cut, with a link to a clip. )

Before Christmas I posted a preview of a little girl's apron I made from these free vintage patterns online:
http://www.dorothyshomegoods.com/articles.php?tPath=12

I didn't post at the time, because they were surprises, but I made 6 other aprons for the women in my family.

I was especially inspired by the designs "Mardi Gras", "Gingham Girl", "Pan-American", "Southern Belle" and a little by "Knickerbocker", by the end I was mixing and matching from the patterns and adding my own touches like appliques.

1) This one is a pretty faithful rendition of "Gingham Girl":

( All 7 behind the cut. )

I keep forgetting to post about this! But I think it's only fair to mention, even if I'm late about it, that my School Board Trustee, Lois Burke-Gaffney, seems like a good egg.

To recap, the Calgary Catholic School Board (which is a public school board, not private) suddenly pulled The Golden Compass from library shelves in December to "review" it.
http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=146646

I got very very angry. My family and I have a long history with the schools here, and though I've certainly disagreed with the Board before, I didn't think they could be that reactionary. I wrote my Trustee, and called and left voicemail too.

Early in January I got a form letter thanking me for my concern and explaining that they hadn't "banned" the book but had withdrawn it to "review" it. That miffed me, since I was quite aware of the "review" spin when I wrote my letter and had specifically addressed it. On the other hand, I was pleased to see that the public response was big enough that they'd had to draft a form letter.

Later in January I got a personal phone call from my trustee, Burke-Gaffney. Right away she apologised for not responding to me earlier and that she agreed with me - withdrawing the book was a mistake - "silly" in fact - and not just because it got negative publicity. The book went back on the shelves (I think she mentioned this happened with a change in some senior board roles) and they're developing a study guide.

I mentioned I was pleasantly surprised by her phone call since I thought the stiff form letter was going to be all the response I got. She dismissed the letter as coming from "Downtown".

We ended the conversation with mutual admiration.

But really, the most important response out of the events was that the book is back, and I think they regret ever flirting with censorship of this kind.

So, I mentioned that last week while I was away working I managed to wear something vintage every day. I didn't really start out with that plan in mind, but by the time I'd worked out 2 or 3 outfits, and realized they were vintage-based, I decided to see if I could plan the whole 5 work days around my vintage wardrobe.

I was inspired by elegant_musings and her new commitment to dressing individually... what shall we call this movement? It's not just DIY, it's something bigger...

I'm a doctor, though not the kind that does physical or gross work. I like to look nice and have my knees and cleavage covered at all times, and it was also the coldest week of the winter (-50 C with wind chill). That's the context.

Have a look and let me know what you think. I'm in especial need of validation at the moment, because my husband, who was looking over my shoulder as I cropped the photos, said "They must think you're some sort of weird Spinster." SPINSTER?!?! Seriously, did I look like a "weird spinster"?? I'm actually quite hurt... And a little worried that I really did look like a weird spinster.

My husband aside, I got quite a few compliments on my outfits. And I was really happy with how warm my dresses in particular kept me (I generally wore them with fitted calf-length black boots so I didn't have to switch shoes and I could wear socks). I also liked how they stood up to working in clinic - all the darts and kick pleats, etc were designed with practical movement in mind. ( The clothes are behind the cut )

So much to blog:

- Pictures and report of the 2008 Luau: Gilligan's Island are coming up. It was, I say in modesty, a good party. One of the largest we've ever had. At one point I couldn't physically get into my own kitchen, thank goodness my Mom was in there manning the fort and the chocolate fountain for me.

- Last week while working in Saskatoon I successfully wore at least one prominent item of Vintage Clothing every day. I consider this a triumph for a conservatively-dressing doctor like myself to pull off. I feel subversive! I want to share with you how I did that in the next couple days.

- Finally, we had such a nice time meeting with mister_sable, his lovely Lady Assassin, and drhaggis at the Tigerstedt several weeks ago, that I'm wondering if we can get the Palliser City Anachronauts out together again?

How about the Silent Film Fest at the Uptown Theatre - in particular, I am thinking Monday February 11: "Robin Hood" (1922) 7pm. Details here:
http://www.cantos.ca/programs/silentmovie.html
There may still be tickets - they sell out fast though.


A cool promo for a swell idea from mister_sable

Anyone else local and interested would be welcome, I'm sure!

The last night of James Cagney's TCM Star of the Month is this Wednesday. I'm away from home doing my Saskatoon gig :-( so I'm not able to 1) devote the sort of attention I have previously to this post and 2) post it the day of. So this post is one day early.

The focus seems to be on Cagney's comedies:

Lady Killer (1933) - my special year! And Lady Killer is just the sort of Cagney film I love best. It's not a great film, but Cagney is funny, charming and edgy, flirting with morality, dames and the law. To top this one off, the film pokes fun at Hollywood. And more fun than a barrel of monkeys. I haven't really reviewed it in detail, but it was the celebratory half-way mark in my quest to watch all of Jim's films.

One, Two, Three! (1961) - a comedy and satire on the Cola industry/Cold War by Billy Wilder. The film that made Cagney realise he was ready for a rest, but he powers through this role and this film like a force of nature.

The Bride Came COD (1941) - not one of my favorite films, despite the fact that Bette Davis is the co-star. It just seems a bit scattered as a movie to me. But - this is one of Dr Smith's favorite Cagney films and he's been requesting to watch it again. Maybe you'll like it too!

A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935) - oh the surreality does not get better than this! Be prepared for a Trip of magnificent proportions. I also think that the play of Pyramus and Thisbe is one of the funniest things I've ever seen. My review is here:
http://laughingmagpie.livejournal.com/16336.html

Man - I look at the lineup, and like all other Cagney nights, there's something I want to tell you about each one! But in the interests of time and length, I just have to cut myself off. These are the primetime films and I think I'll leave it at that. But you don't have to - you could watch Cagney all night and into the next day...

THANK YOU TCM! Let's do it again next year! Every Year! :-)

A few days ago my husband, aka Dr. Smith, ditched me for an evening with my friend veritate. In fact, they'd been planning this rendezvous for about a month. The main attraction: Hockey. The Flames specifically. Both Dr. Smith and veritate love hockey, and veritate's love for the Flames and Kiprusoff is deep and abiding.

veritate's husband drhaggis and I are not really fans. I get into late playoffs if the Flames are doing well, but otherwise - meh.

So drhaggis and I declared that we would have a good time without them. A better time. A much cooler time. As the day approached, we looked for an option...

The Silent Film festival is this time of year!... nerts, it doesn't start til February.
Bladerunner is playing at the Plaza! ... darn, too late for a work night.
The High Performance Rodeo theatre festival is going on!... *sigh* nothing really good that night.

drhaggis came through with the suggestion that we hang-out somewhere posh and drink outrageously priced cocktails: the Oak Room at the Palliser Hotel. I concurred, but felt the evening needed an additional something to really prove that us non-sports fans were much cooler.

After wrestling with google, I found something intriguing: the University hosts a "Science Cafe" at a pub downtown, third Tuesday of every month. This month, it's about the Opium Poppy... She shoots.... She scores!

Two cosy rooms at the back of the Unicorn Pub were jammed full of people, from all walks, eager to learn about science. To discuss it, question, argue and laugh about it. Wow. 15 minutes before it started and there was standing room only.

We finagled two seats with our charm and persistence, got our pints and pub food and settled in to listen to Dr. Facchini - head of one of the very few research labs involved in studying the Opium Poppy. He was engaging, funny and enthusiastic. He wasn't afraid to talk about the politics, ethics and economics of opium and medical narcotic production. Since I figure my steampunk character, Lady Faraway, has a personal interest in opium, the topic nicely dovetailed as character research :-).

As scientists, I know we rely too often on our Power Point, so it was great to see how this event doesn't allow a screen to distance the presentation. He took his microphone and walked amongst us. There was a break for personal discussion (and people, including drhaggis and I, really did talk at their tables about science!) and then a lively, intelligent question and answer session followed.

Afterwards, we talked personally with Dr. Facchini and admired the poppy plant he brought with him. I got to show off by asking if the poppies were polyploid and discussed candidate gene strategies, how they differed from human gene hunting, etc.

It was so surprising to find out this has been going on for a year now. Surprising, exciting and reassuring. The world can't be all bad, if things like this happen in it. People still love reason.

And look at what intelligent, sensitive people can find to do in this city of ours! We might not have been able to do some of those things on the list that night, but still, those events we considered were fantastic options. Yes, even the Flames game :-).

--
More links on Science Cafes/Cafe Scientifique - find one near you!

http://www.cafescientifique.org/index.html (UK, World links)
http://www.cafescientifique.ca/ (Canada - seems to be down though)
http://www.sciencecafes.org/ (US)
Calgary's list of upcoming Cafes:
http://www.calgaryscience.ca/courses/adultprograms/sciencecafe.php