My latest drawing has “grown” since my last post. There is still much to do and this is not just about adding the required detail. This is a “mood” drawing. The old, wooden door is partly open revealing a dark, mysterious room with an old mug on a table. A shaft of light hits a mug on an old table top. Another shaft of light reveals the floor and an object in front of the table. What is this object and what is it doing there?

The door will be the most interesting subject, but is it the focal point? I’m detailing the door last as there is much graffiti to add.

I am working mostly with Polychromos coloured pencils on pastel board. My palette is mainly warm greys with the lighter tone on the door courtesy of Prismacolor 10% Cool Grey. There are many layers employed due to the subtle nature of the shadow areas. I still have more to add to the back wall and the door.

The room itself is dark and very dusty. It seems that it has been left “as-is” many years ago. It is indeed a fascinating place and a brilliant subject for artists!

Richard

The table

I know (or believe) that most people looking at this picture are going to find it boring. It is my sister in-law’s dining room table being used as a staging area for preparing Thanksgiving dinner. I like this picture.

I’m not entirely sure why.

I think that there’s a play between the somewhat static overall appearance and the angles provided by the candlesticks and lights. I just can’t put my finger on it.

Anyhow, I also managed these somewhat more pedestrian shots from my in-law’s house:

Berries

Glasses

I took several shots of the wine glasses, but couldn’t quite make the image that I had in my head. Rats.

Technorati Tags: photography, thanksgiving, berries, wine, glass, glasses, table

Difficulty Level: Easy

Time Required: 30 minutes

So I bought the IKEA Mikael Desk for a little over $80 in May. A few months later it is still treating me well. It has a very strong build quality. Click “more” for a full review and some pictures.

The desk itself is held together by only 4 screws. The two large “legs” of the desk are held on by wooden dowels. If you don’t know what one looks like, here one is below:

Anyways, the Mikael desk is held together by a white accent piece that connects the top of the desk, and both of the legs with 4 screws. It is a very sturdy desk and could easily (in my opinion) hold 180 lbs. without flinching.

The black finish does have a few scratches and scrapes, but they are mostly from my Logitech G25 scraping up the edges, and is my fault for not using a rag of some sort to cover it up.

It is a very large desk for a small room, and can hold many devices. I would definitely recommend buying it, it is very classy and matches the dark finish, and strong edges of my IKEA Lack table i have sitting in the corner of my room.

Here are a few more pictures of the desk in the various setups i have used it in:

‘OH MY GOD! I can’t believe it! It’s me! Lily Allen! And I’m your bomb disposal expert, I don’t know what I’m doing, I can’t even dispose of my own tampons! Which one should I cut? Blue one, red one, blue one, red one. Get Kate Nash, she’ll know what to do! I think I’ll cut the green one!!’ *Timer speeds up* ‘Oh my god! I’ve gotta put this on twitter’ *Boom*

I find that hilarious. It’s one of Katy Brand’s spoofs of Lily Allen. They’re all hilarious, even though I do love a bitta Lily!

So I was actually gonna post this blog after I got back from work last night, but I didn’t, because I got back at 10 o’clock and I stank (should that be stunk?) of chip fat and some kind of unidentified sauce. So I went straight for a shower. When I got out of said shower mother of mine had switched the internet connection off. Which is a shame because I had some stuff to say about work last night. I should probably point out here, that this blog is going to be LONG! So you might wanna go get some coffee or something?

So, since work last night I’m full gay. Not bisexual. Let me explain. Ruth (Rufus), the fat ugly bitch I told you in yesterday’s blog, was sitting on a box, and I was cleaning a work surface near her, and she had a rip in her chef trousers. Near the waist. Nuff said! I actually burned my eyes after that to clear the image. BLEURGH! So I’m gonna just go throw up and consider whether all women can be judged because of Rufus… back, and I decided, maybe not all…

Anyway, also at work last night, I got laughed at. Let me explain this one as well. I was cleaning a table this time. And I got to the legs. I had a sponge in my hand and I decided that instead of doing one side of the square legs at once, I’d do all four at the same time. So I wrapped the sponge around the leg and rubbed it up and down to clean each side. You can see where this is going right? So one by one all the waitresses and other kitchen staff notice me innocently doing this chore and start laughing. Then I realised I was wanking a table leg. Lovely. :|

Anyway, onto today. It’s been a rather random Monday. I nearly missed the bus this morning because I woke up too late and had to have a shower, get dressed, get my hair done, have breakfast, sort out my general appearance, pack my bag, find my scarf, and get out of the house in 20 minutes. Which I did to a reasonable degree. Plus myself and my neighbour Tess had to run for the bus, so we looked dramatic too!!

Then when I got into school I had an english mock GCSE. Which was easier than expected which was good. Then Biology! Which we were supposed to be revising in, but as with most science lessons, it turned into more of a ‘Jack would you do…’ and ‘Jack who would you rather do… or…’ And I came into possession of Danny’s broken shagband, so I now owe him a blowjob. Which could be kinda awkward because I was pretty much in love with him for like 8 months, starting in February… ouch.  

Anyway, then Geography mock. Fucking hell. You can’t blag that one. You really have to know your stuff otherwise you are screwed, I’m thinking B is the best I’ll get on it… Anyone know what a levée is? If not you’re lucky you didn’t have to sit my exam.

Also, in a moment of madness after the exam finished I agreed to sing in front of my whole school. I like showbizz but I prefer acting to singing… because I can actually act… singing… not so much…

Anyway, then I went home on the bus, as normal, except I started speaking in a made up language for some reason. Then I did my impression of a giant beetle. Then I went a little bit hyper.

Then I got in, took the dog out. And THIS is the best story I’ve had for ages. I got attacked!! I was walking down my road, and there’s an alley at the end. So I’m walking through this alley when I see this guy who lives 2 houses down from me with his mate. And I just walked past and they spat at me, hurled some abuse at my sexuality, and kicked me.

Now, I don’t know whether they think men who are into men are automatically shit at fighting. But they didn’t seem to remember that I’ve been doing karate for six years. So by the time I got out of this alley, one of them was running in the opposite direction and the other one was lying on the floor in stunned silence after I tackled him. I made sure I didn’t actually hurt either of them, but I still think I overreacted a bit… whaddya think peoples?

Then my dog tried to eat some yoghurt off the side of the road, and then I chased her through a field, because we’re always racing, me and Willow. I do love my dog!!

And also I got mentioned on Ryan’s blog!! Hooray!! So read it bitches!!! http://onefinegay.wordpress.com/

Anyway, I think I should probably feed my lovely chien!

Jack out.

This year Thanksgiving was another success, we were able to fit everyone at our new table, and we had tons and tons of food.  Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves, and I had a great time myself.  Nothing like not having to travel and getting to stay at your own home for the holidays!

I have some Thanksgiving recipes that I will be sharing soon, specifically the wild rice and goat cheese stuffing that my mom made, I made sure to take a photo of it!  I hope you all had a great holiday, and I can’t believe that Christmas is just around the corner!  Looks like I need to get baking!

Price: 75 pesos

Unfinished pine wood folding work bench / picnic table. This has been used as an art studio work table so it’s got paint smudges and marks on the surface but it would be quite easy to paint over the marks. Foldable, light but quite sturdy, easy to transport. measurements approx. 160 cm long x 72cm high x 70 cm wide.

Price: 250 pesos

Beautiful Wooden dining table.  Currently being used as our computer desk.

Dimensions are 74 cm wide x 78 cm high x 160 cm long

Newborn: Sugar (Table) : This is a sweet and modern table, it is translucent so you will have more light at your disposal. The table has several color options, such as vivid red, tropical green, aquatic blue etc. http://www.omcdesign.com/index.php?design=827&ref=wop

621 // November 27, 2009

Happy Thanksgiving! It has been a very relaxing and yet eventful past few days. Hubbie and I have escaped the city as of earlier this week, and have enjoyed some fresh mountain air. Along with a couple of personal friends who joined us, we had a huge turkey feast on Thursday with his family and gave thanks to not only each other, but those we could not be with on that day.

I also had some time to shoot some new labels I created for Crooked Keg. Their brand-new Scarecrow II Pumpkin Ale was a huge hit among the guests up here, and was quickly gone before the day was out.

Oh, and I have to mention that the fresh mountain air must be the remedy for the common cold or bronchitis. Mom joked that the ill used to be sent to the mountains for any respiratory illness… and she might be right. For those concerned, I am feeling 100% better than I have been the past two weeks! We went on a short hike today up Mayflower Gulch (12,415 ft) just south of Copper Mountain, and had nothing but clear lungs, blue skies and beautiful weather.

I have so much to be thankful for, and I wish you all a very happy Thanksgiving.

I love train travel. It’s great, isn’t it? Especially when it’s empty. Other human beings ruin train travel. I was on a train recently, going from Leeds to Sheffield, and there were so many people on it that some of us had to sit on the floor in the compartment between the carriages where the toilet was. Including me, which really got on my tits. I had one lad sat next to me doing his Trigonometry homework on one side and some slag blearing Tinchy Stryder from her phone at full volume on the other. It was like I’d stumbled upon Purgatory and was never going to get out.
When a train is empty, there’s something quite peaceful about it. Tranquillity. Time to think, relax. Maybe even read a book and enjoy the *cough* beautiful *cough* countryside. When it’s like that, I always get a window seat with four seats and a table to myself. As soon as someone comes in to sit down next to/opposite me, I immediately tell them to piss off. No hesitation, I just do it. If they refuse, I move to another window seat with four seats and a table while giving them a rather sinister glare.

Maybe one day I’ll get a window seat with four seats and a table whilst having my pockets stuffed with gelignite…

Hopefully with a title like that it’ll be easy to find in the archives How was your Thanksgivings?(if I haven’t already read about them on your blogs). Mine was pretty fantastic I’d have to say. But why take my word–the proof is in the pictures!

Firstly, the relatives were running “a little behind”. This is absolutely expected every time. So it didn’t really change anything. I knew Thanksgiving lunch wouldn’t be for a few hours, and I had no plans to touch the appetizers, so I got a head start on dessert.

Deep Chocolate Vitatop With Cocoa Greek Yogurt

Can you tell I had a chocolate tooth? I just mixed cocoa powder and sweetener with the yogurt and voila–it was so thick I think had it been frozen for 30 minutes it would have been like ice cream. At around 1:15 the relatives showed up(which impressed us who thought they wouldn’t be here until 1:40). They came bearing gifts.

Organic Balsamic Vinegar And Lemon Pepper Oil

Maple Syrup From Berlin

*Swoons* Something tells me my relatives are finally starting to “get” me; the maple syrup actually was on my Christmas list!! Now I need something to take its place, right? As predicted, my little cousins had one thing on their mind: video games. They aren’t allowed to have game systems besides a computer(they’re only 8 and 3) so my house is like gold. When they were doing that, the adults had appetizers:

Homemade Meatballs, Whole Food Stuffing Stuffed Mushrooms, Cheese Platter, Trader Joe Chicken Wontons

I’m pretty much the opposite of a grazer, and was still satisfied from my vitatop, so I was fine skipping all this. My mom’s meatballs are kind of famous within the family; maybe some day I’ll steal borrow the recipe and make it with bison and organic sauce. I don’t think I’ve seen someone attack appetizers like my grandfather on those wontons. Apparently he’d been “saving” calories all last week for today. Probably not the healthiest thing but when you’re 75 who’s to say you can’t do what you want.

Carved Turkey

The turkey rested while people chatted and then we got to carving. Notice how on the left it’s pulled like pork and on the right it’s nicely carved in tact. Guess who did the right My mom was anally organized about the table and had labeled everything a place so set up was fast.

Thanksgiving Table

Like usual, my mom and I were the first to the table with the old people behind only because they’re… slower. And the uncle, aunt, and cousins were running around enthralled with video games, haha. My cousin wanted me to help him on a level but I told him I was hungry, and when my grandmother said I’d need to prioritize with my own children I assured her that’s a ways away. And then there was food.

Turkey, Stuffing, Roasted Brussels, Organic Jellied Cranberry

Delicious. The turkey, from Whole Foods, was free-ranged so I felt perfectly fine digging right into it. Ironically, I probably took less than 2oz of meat! I think meat being absent so much while I’m at school makes a little seem like a lot and have me appreciate it more. My “strategy” going in was just to take 3 or 4 foods, even though there were plenty more on the table. I didn’t want to do a “sampler” of everything; I knew I’d have all this for leftovers so I’d rather eat what I did take and ignore what I didn’t. No regrets here or in the foods I did choose. I’ve loooooved cranberry sauce from a can since being a boy and am so happy that this didn’t have HFCS in it. Here are my 3 living grandparents also enjoying the meal:

Enjoying The Meal

We swiftly started heating up pies, defrosting desserts, and cleaning plates. I completely failed on taking a picture of the dessert line up but there was my pie, Trader Joe lemon bars, homemade berry pie from my grandmother, store bought cheesecake, chocolate and vanilla ice cream, and a Carvel birthday cake.

Blowing Out The Candles

Tuesday was my grandfather’s 75th birthday. Happy birthday! Hopefully he doesn’t eat like that everyday or there’s no way he’s hitting 76, haha. There was also another unique item welcomed to the table.

TruWhip

This week I received a coupon from TruWhip to try and review their product. Could you think of a better time than Thanksgiving? Unlike its competitors, TruWhip is 100% natural, 70% organic, with no hydrogenate oils or HFCS. Not only was I happy to try this but it felt great to serve to my family. I took plate of the natural goodies that fit my hunger.

Pumpkin Pie, Trader Joe Lemon Square, TruWhip

What a sweet way to end the meal. The pumpkin pie came out as good this time as last time. The lemon square from Trader Joe was good but not superb; it was definitely better than any lemon bar I could’ve made from scratch. The real shocker here was the TruWhip, which everyone seemed to enjoy. It really tasted just like the competitor to me. I must admit there are some things I miss since eating all-natural so it’s always fun when groceries like this come along. It was light and airy, sweet with a hint of cream. I think the only one who wasn’t convinced it was an identical match was my mom, who went in with a slanted opinion to begin with. I think a carton is only 4 or 5 dollars, and since it can be refrozen for another holiday, this is completely worth buying and keeping around for a naturally special event.

Everyone had a good time and piled out by 5 o’clock. I think the most tired of the day was Montana, who was already sleeping on the couch. We tried passing off as much leftovers as we could but in the end our fridge was full. At least what we have is real food we can work into any meal over the next few days. By 5:45 I was feeling munchy.

Raw Vegetables

I started to work on the leftovers with the raw veggies. My mom couldn’t understand how anyone would still be hungry after Thanksgiving; I believe it’s called not eating 3 slices of Carvel cake? I was happy with eating until I was comfortably full and knowing how much was enough–I absolute despise that “overstuffed” feeling. Right like clockwork I had a dinner for one made and ready for 7.

Brussels And Tempeh Bacon With Maple Syrup, Grand Marnier Sweet Potatoes, Lightlife Breakfast Sausages

3 delicious meals in one day–how lucky am I! I wasn’t quite up to real meat for the time, so instead I let my protein be soy sausaged and tempeh bacon. I steamed and then pan seared some brussels to add some crust, and drizzled maple syrup at the end. The sweet potatoes were one of the dishes I passed over at lunch because I knew there’d be leftovers, and I rather liked this because it made it feel like I was eating a completely new meal! They were pretty good, but I think my mom had a heavy hand with the alcohol because these were pungent, haha

You know I was right there for the Charlie Brown Thanksgiving Special(it helped that Survivor was just a clip show, too). After a cup of coffee for good digesting, I got to work on more leftovers.

Plain Soy Yogurt With Cranberry Sauce

I will never understand how something like cranberry sauce has become accepted with dinner and not as dessert but I’ll just be thankful for that We got 365 organic and it is perfect. Not only does it not have HFCS but it’s and also a little less sweet so that the tartness is evenly balanced. Between the textures of jellied cranberry soy yogurt and the flavors this was just to die for.

I was also thankful for NBC’s People Of The Year special. I really hope it wasn’t just me. I think I’m becoming old, because in my head I thought of this as “The Today Show + 60 Minutes + Miracle Grow” and practically wet my pants in anticipation. It lived up to what I hoped. I’m really tired of the Octomom and balloon boy, but I could never get tired of hearing praise for Taylor Swift. Right before I went to bead I had what my day was lacking–whole grains.

Pumpkin Oatmeal With Almond Butter And Smart Balance Peanut Butter

That brought me back to my roots. I’m liking the double nut-butter topping now as opposed to the nut butter and a topping(like chocolate). Not sure why, maybe I truly am just nuts for nuts

This morning there were plans to maybe attack Target for Black Friday sales with my dad, but my parents had to leave for a funeral at 8:30(irony) and the sales just weren’t as appealing as last year so we called it off. Today it’s planned raining all day so it will, by all likelihood, become a rest day, and I will be between the kitchen baking and my computer studying. Again, hope you had a great Thanksgiving! Now get to work on them leftovers

This Thanksgiving we ate our afternoon meal at my parents’ house.  Baked apples, applesauce, pickles, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, greens (harvested from their garden just minutes before being cooked), turkey, lima beans, bread with butter, stuffing and pumpkin pie were enjoyed by all.  Their dining room has never looked as jaw-droppingly beautiful as it did today.  Thank you, Mom and Dad!

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I’m not sure if everyone got this but Sam sent most gardeners’ this:

It is called a banquet table and is great for that Thanksgiving day dinner in gpw. Here is what it looks like in your house:

I hope all you U.S. people have a great Thanksgiving!

royal flush diamonds and joker

royal flush diamonds and joker

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table mannerz. i gotz dem.

Separated by a common language, sometimes following recipes in the US / UK can prove difficult if you’re apparently not familiar with the ingredients mentioned.  Here is a simple run-down of equivalents that I hope will help.  Please let me know, by leaving a comment below, if you come across any more and I will include them.

BRITISH VERSION                       AMERICAN VERSION

Aubergine                                        Eggplant

Beans, Broad                                   Fava Beans

Beans, Soy                                       Edamame

Beef, Flank Steak                           London Broil

Beef, Rump Steak                          Beef, Top Round

Bicarbonate of Soda                      Baking Soda

Caster Sugar                                    Granulated Sugar

Cheese, Emental                            Swiss Cheese

Clotted Cream                                No equivalent  (The closest equivalent to this would be to use stiffly whipped heavy cream)

Coriander                                         Cilantro

Cornflour                                         Cornstarch

Courgette                                         Zucchini

Cream, Clotted                               No equivalent  (The closest equivalent to this would be to use stiffly whipped heavy cream)

Cream, Double                                Heavy Cream

Cream, Single                                  Half and half cream

Cream, Whipping                           No equivalent  (Whipping cream has the consistency of single [half and half] cream but with a higher fat content it can be whipped into peaks)

Digestive Biscuits                          Graham Crackers or similar

Flour, Plain                                     All Purpose Flour

Flour, Strong                                  Bread Flour

Flour, Wholemeal                         Flour, Wholewheat

Gelatine                                            Gelatin

Glucose Syrup                                 Light Corn Syrup

Golden Syrup                                   Corn Syrup

Icing Sugar                                       Confectioners’ Sugar

Madras Curry Powder                     Curry Powder

Mince (meat)                                    Ground meat

Mincemeat (for cakes)                    No equivalent  (A ‘preserve’ or mix of finely chopped fruits like apple, raisins, sultanas and citrus peel, with shreds of suet – often used in ‘Mince Pies’)

Pastry Case                                         Pie Shell

Pine Kernel                                         Pine Nut

Plain Flour                                          All purpose flour

Polenta                                                 Cornmeal

Salad Onion                                         Spring Onion, Scallion

Self-raising flour                                No equivalent  (Substitute All Purpose Flour with a raising agent)

Swede                                                   Rutabega

Tomato Puree                                    Tomato Paste

Vanilla Essence                                  Vanilla Extract

Vegetables:  Beans, Broad                 Fava beans

                              Beans, Soy              Edamame

                               Courgettes             Zucchini

                               Swede                     Rutabaga

Whipping Cream                                Heavy cream  (Whipping cream has the consistency of single (half and half) cream but with a higher fat content can be whipped into peaks)