Metropolitan (drink recipe)

I write this as I sip on a delicious dark drink that I just finished concocting.  I wanted to make a cosmopolitan, but decided to substitute the regular triple sec for Blue Curacao.  It ended up looking quite pretty, and equally delicious.  I also added extra lemon juice because I'm a sucker for sour things.  If you like sweet drinks, then you will most likely love this.

2 shots vodka
1 shot blue curacao (I used Bardinet)
1 shot of freshly squeezed lime or lemon juice
1/2 cup cranberry juice
lemon peel or slice for garnish

Mix vodka, curacao, lime juice and cranberry juice in a mixer.  Put desired amount of ice in a cocktail glass and pour in your wicked mix.  Enjoy!

It is a blackish drink with a charming purplish hue

 That's right, I buy vodka in jug-size ;)

Beauty in Vinegar

I've recently become quite enamored with apple cider vinegar.  It literally smells like death (and tastes like hell), but works like some magical fairy dust, curing many ailments.  I may sound a bit like some 1800's peddler, selling my wunder-tincture out of the back of a horse-pulled wagon, but I swear on my un-dug grave, it really is a wunder-tincture.

I take about a tablespoon with a glass of cold water twice a day, and after a couple months, I now require a belt to keep my pants up.  It aids in digestion, and supposedly increases your metabolism and helps move lipids out of your intestines.  Here are some things that I can contest to that ACV works on...

~weightloss:  take a teaspoon of raw organic apple cider vinegar mixed with a glass of water 10-20 mins before each meal.  Most people say it works slowly.  Perhaps they are just impatient, but I've decreased pant sizes pretty rapidly, and I'm not even overweight.

~digestion:  ACV makes your stomach a very unpleasant place for candida and other nasties.  If taken regularly, it can help with chronic bloating and diarrhea, and generally just help you digest your food more easily.

~hair care:  mix about 1 teaspoon in a cup of water.  Shampoo your hair as usual, and follow with this rinse.  Leave it in for a couple minutes and rinse it out with luke warm water.  It seals the hair shaft and reduces product build-up, making your hair shiny, light, and very manageable.

~psoriasis/dandruff:  apply with the hair rinse above, or mix the vinegar 1:1 ratio with warm water and apply to psoriasis with a cotton ball before bed.

~skin care:  ever wonder how Scarlett Johansson has such flawless skin?  She uses apple cider vinegar on her face as a toner.  You can mix this 1:2 ratio and apply after washing your face.  I prefer to use cream afterward, but that is up to you.

It is important to get raw and unfiltered ACV because of the nutritional properties of the sediment at the bottom.  If you are like me, and live in a country where only filtered vinegar is available, you can easily order it online (I order from Vitacost, they ship to outside of the US).

Enigma de Ultratumba

Today I thought I would share a piece of music of which I partook in making a while ago.  Arturo Saldana, an intelligent, creative and talented musician asked me to do the vocals/lyrics (and flute) for some darkwave songs he wrote.  Here is one of those songs, called "The Donors all Die".  Give it a listen, and download it (for free) if you like.



Other songs from this album can be found at the link below and are also available for free download.
https://soundcloud.com/enigmadeultratumba/sets/enigma-de-ultratumba-violetta

Henna for hair

To all of you female goths out there, I am sure you can relate to my struggle to find the perfect red hairdye or the perfect night-black dye that won't completely wreck your hair.  In the past, I've bleached, dyed, wrecked and shaved my hair, then grown it out and wrecked it all over again.  After promising myself I would not dye my hair for a while, I tried going natural to give my hair a rest.  Unfortunately, like many women, I abhor my natural hair color as it closely resembles the color of a mouse's fur.  It's cute on a mouse, and that's about it.

Then, a couple months ago I used a "natural dye" that you may have heard about called "Naturtint" and it left me with a migraine and strawlike hair.  So much for natural.  I kept up my search and found Henna for hair and decided to try it.  It left my hair with a brilliant shade of copper red, all without damage.  For those of you looking for a more natural black hair dye, you can follow your henna dye (after washing) with an indigo mix and it will supposedly turn your mane into a silky black miracle.  This all without using parabens, peroxide, and ammonia.  

The hitch?  You have to be patient and have a full day to dedicate to your hair.  You could see it as a pain in the ass, or you can see it as a pamper yourself day.  Hell, stay home, do nothing, watch bad b horror films; paint your nails, record some music, draw!  

The brew; about one packet of body art quality Jamila henna (100 g) mixed with 3/4c STRONG hibiscus tea, 2Tbs olive oil 9Tbs lemon juice, 3Tbs red wine vinegar, 1Tbs paprika.  Top it off with black tea to make it a yogurt-like consistency, add preferred essential oils and let it sit outside of fridge for at least 14 hours before using.

 the mousy 'before' picture (eeeew)

 And the after picture (ahhhhh).

  I applied the mixture with a dye brush smushed it all on top of my head, and put a shower cap on (to retain the moisture).  I left it on for about 4.5 hours and then rinsed it, shampooed once, and applied and rinsed conditioner twice.  It seems like a tedious process, but if you use the right essential oils (lavender, rosemary, peppermint, tea tree) then it can be really soothing to your head and scalp and of course mentally relaxing.  And just look, you get beautiful, shiny color without the chemicals and migraines!

Please feel free to contact me with any questions you may have about making your own henna hair mix, and have fun!

I approve of this (gothy) recipe

As some of you might know, I enjoy (girly) boozy drinks.  Margaritas and cosmos may be my favorites, but I'm also pretty fond of Sangria.  I never made it myself before, so I thought I would give it a try with a recipe I found online.  It turned out great!  Here is the link...

http://wine.about.com/od/redwines/r/Partysangria.htm

My changes:

I used about 4 shots of triple sec, and 6 shots of brandy, and I added a couple extra tablespoons of (raw) sugar.  I made sure to use organic citrus fruit, as not to poison myself with toxic peels (it's a double standard, since I'm sure my liver didn't appreciate all the extra liquor I added).  I added the ginger ale to my glass, not to the whole batch, so the mix was about 4 to 1, booze to ginger ale.  The truth is, if you add the extra sugar, the soda really is not necessary, but if you're a true lightweight, do half and half of the booze mix to ginger ale, and just leave out the extra sugar. 

Happy drinking!

bury me in tile

  Costa Rica has some of the happiest, least creepy looking grave yards I've ever seen.  This country boasts a plethora of gorgeous graveyards with well manicured grounds, beautiful pathways, and touching commemorations to the dead.  When I saw my first graveyard here, I thought it odd that many of the above ground graves would be covered in white tile.  I still am amazed at how shiny they manage to keep the tiles, and what a bright happy impression it gives the grave yard.  Each burial ground is like a park for the weary dead to prance around in their new weightless forms.  

  I think the contrast between graveyards in Costa Rica and the US (in materials, colors and upkeep) may reflect on each respective cultures' view on death and the dead.  Although many graveyards in the US are well kempt, they often have a feeling of loneliness and sorrow.  Perhaps it's the dreary grey concrete that adorns each grave, or the lack of flowers, or just the general lack of visitors to each burial site.  Rarely have I seen people visiting their dead in the corner of the US where I lived before, and I find that oddly sad and cultureless.  In Costa Rica the graveyards have a feeling of lightness and peace, probably an effect of the light and bright colors used for tombstones and crosses.  Walking through a costarican graveyard is a pleasant and peaceful experience, whereas many US graveyards tend to make pedestrians squeamish and uncomfortable. 

  When a pass by a graveyard in Costa Rica, I often see people visiting their dead relatives, bringing them flowers or stories of their children.  They respect their dead, and they respect their living relatives, perhaps leaps and bounds more than in the U.S. where career is king and family and relationships usually take second place.  I think I know where I don't want to be buried.

sexy dinners

Well, we finally saved enough money to buy a dining table.  So long breakfast bar!  Hello properly aligned spine!  We had this 6 seat black dining room set custom made to our design desires, at a wonderful price.  I look forward to eating many sexy candle-light dinners here, and probably hosting a few dinner parties too.

German tales of horror

What is more horrible than than horror itself?  German children's books.  Perhaps you know which ones I mean; "Struwwelpeter" and "Max und Moritz".  Struwwelpeter features mini stories about naughty children that face rather unfortunate (and terrifying) consequences for their disobedience.

 The picture above, features a boy that loves sucking his thumb, and consequently, gets his thumbs chopped off by a giant scissor-wielding maniac.  This is the the book that my mother used to frighten me into submission.  It still works to this day.

The above picture depicts a young girl who was told not to play with matches (repeatedly, by her talking cats).  Did she listen?  Clearly not.

You can read and see (and download) the full version on Project Gutenberg for free.  And no, you don't have to be able to read German to get the gist of the stories.  http://www.gutenberg.org/files/24571/24571-h/24571-h.htm

Max und Moritz is another "fun" German book which aspires to inspire terror in the hearts of little German children.  The stories themselves aren't terrifying; they starlight two naughty boys that are constantly plotting wicked shennanigans that befall innocent old people.  It is the tragic freak accident ending that endows a sense of discomfort in its reader.  I must have skipped the ending as a child, because I was constantly pulling pranks at the demise of "old" people.  My partner in crime and I bestowed upon ourselves the nicknames Maxina und Moritza (female versions of the naughty boys), and we were every bit as wicked as those boys.  In the end, the threat of having your thumbs cut off, or being burnt alive is far worst than...well, I won't ruin the ending for you ;)
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/17161/17161-h/17161-h.htm

Succubus

I present to you my personal mix, the Succubus, a seductive and beautifully colored drink.

1 shot of Hibiscus lime liqueur (home made or store bought)
1 shot of plain vodka (Smirnoff will do)
1/2 shot freshly squeezed lemon juice
mix all ingredients well and pour over ice.  Top with club soda.
Enjoy!

P.S. for a virgin succubus (oxymoron!), I assume you could replace the hibiscus liqueur with a very strong sweetened Hibiscus tea.  I prefer to purchase whole dried flowers to make a stronger chilled tea (more like a juice, really) which I imagine you can purchase at any Mexican supermarket.

e-motion

I love him more and more each day...

Interactive Art (The Dream Machine)

Wow.  Just wow.  I love artsy point and click games that encorporate music, story, dialogue and visual art to create an entire atmosphere.  Luckily for me, these games seem to be getting more popular  (Machinarium, the Dream Machine, Botanicula, Stacking, and although it is more of an adventure game, Limbo).  The Dream Machine, made by two "Swedish Nerds", has a unique twist to it: sculpture and stop-action style figurines.

Ever since I watched Gumbi as a child, I have been in love with this art form.  There is something palpable about three dimensional art that makes me feel like I am falling into a different world entirely; it draws me in, it claims my attention and mind.  So, naturally, when I saw The Dream Machine available on Steam, I felt drawn to it and purchased it immediately.  All I had to see was clay figurines and I was opening my pocketbook.

When I actually played it, I was even more impressed than I thought I would be. All parts of the game are constructed by hand out of clay, cardboard and paint.  The scenery is so incredibly detailed, that it feels like walking into an alternate universe where everything is made of clay.  Each scene and character has been painstakingly created to perfection.

The story is something outlandishly fantastic on its own.  Your character (Victor) starts his day out in a perfectly normal fashion, living his normal life with his normal pregnant wife after just moving into a new apartment that seems normal.  If you've seen Rosemary's Baby, then you know where I'm going with this.  In the building lurks a great mystery which you will uncover, and a great evil which you will have to defeat.  Victor goes from his normal life to a discovery which leads him through the dreams of others, solving puzzles and problems in order to get to the center of each dream, the lair of great evil that holds dreamers captive.

If you would like to try the game out, you can play it for free online, but I would strongly suggest purchasing it (on steam or at their website) because it is much better quality.  Also, of course, by purchasing it you would be supporting this wonderful art form.

You can try the game out here:
http://www.thedreammachine.se/

Happy gaming!