MAJESTYinc

New years eve already?

Oh wow..... when you think about your life a year ago today..... what was it like? What were you thinking.... what were your goals? I have heard that if you speak your goals out loud, you are more likely to get them done.... the odds increase when you take the time to write them down. Thankfully, there was a blog entry to help me remember what mine were from last year. I did NOT keep my car clean. I did NOT finish my movie project. I did NOT bet on a horse, invent anything fantastic or figure out what the secret ingredient in Dr.Pepper is. And I still can't fit into my favorite mermaid dress. Or get a new tattoo... yet. Am I feeling like a failure today? Hell no! I did a lot of things that were new, and did meet some of my goals... not all of them. I suppose I will have to think of a new list of goals for this coming year, and perhaps carry some of them forward from last year! I still have hmmm.... 8 hours to think of the new list...... and I have a fun idea for a new movie project for this coming year....

Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas!

Last November I when I was in St. Johns I noticed something strange. All the shops down Water Street were selling these glass pickle Christmas ornaments. ??? I didn't buy one, but later on I wished that I had because I used to be a fan of "Skankin' Pickle" in high school... (a ska band from Southern California). Because I had never seen a "Christmas Pickle" before I just figured that they were one of those NFLD traditions. Like "Screeching" someone in to be an honorary Newfoundlander. But last week I was in Pier One to browse through the fancy gift wrap and lo and behold... A Christmas Pickle? There they were... rows and rows of them. How strange... but I just figured that maybe so many people have moved here from NFLD that they're traditions are melding into Alberta.

Um... no. Totally wrong.

The tag on this Amazing Pickle reads "This fanciful pickle ornament brings to you an ancient German tradition. As the story goes, the ornament was hidden among the branches of the Christmas tree and whoever found it on Christmas morning was rewarded with a special gift".  I did some more research and it turns out that German people really didn't start this tradition. At About dot com it states that it's a  German myth. Apparently a Bavarian soldier was in an American prison and begged the guard for a pickle. It turns out it was a magic pickle that he lived on and when he was released he started putting a pickle on the Christmas tree to bring good fortune to whomever found it. But my favorite explanation is from some other site about two Spanish boys coming home from boarding school for Christmas. They stopped at an inn, and an evil man stuffed them into a pickle barrel. That night Santa stayed there too... and let them out.

Wow.... saved by Santa Clause. I thought he just brought the presents?? Too bad that Christmas really isn't about Santa at all! Or Pickles. It's actually about Jesus Christ, and celebrating his birth and the fact that he is the savior of us all. Hence the word CHRISTmas. I have often wondered how things would have been different had the three wise men not given Jesus gifts on his birth day. Would we still be celebrating with millions and millions of dollars of presents? Or would it have remained a religious holiday? I'm not sure... but MERRY CHRISTMAS anyhow.... however you wish to celebrate it.

OOO XXX From Julie.

And you can get the pickles from Amazon too if you really need one!

Ready, Set.... GO!

This afternoon I found myself with absolutely nothing to do at all, so I dropped by the grocery store for some ingredients. I wasn't planning on baking anything this year, but really, how else could I have used my time more effectively?  Two hours later..... I have a double batch of Caramel Shortbread, Mexican Brownies and White Chocolate-Cranberry-Cashew Blondie's. This way I won't have to arrive anywhere empty handed the next few days..... and Caramel Shortbread is super-fantastic! Except that I add salt to the recipe, when it doesn't call for salt.... just because I like things salty. I don't make it very often, but it makes such a mess of my saucepan I figure you have to double the recipe to make it worth it. And after washing that pan I refuse to let it go to waste. It must all be eaten. So... if it's not too sweet you don't get sick of it. It makes perfect sense to me. I was planning on baking an octopus cake too but there's no room in my fridge!

I ordered a super cool octopus necklace from Gr0flmann on Etsy the other day... and I was wondering how much black food dye it would take to make a black octopus cake? I think it would take so much that it might turn your whole insides an unpleasant color we would rather not talk about. But.. from watching "Ace of Cakes" I think the best way to go is to use an airbrush. Charm City Cakes looks like a really fun place to work.... I don't know how I missed this show on T.V? I only just discovered it last week. I have made quite a few wedding and special event cakes myself and it is so much fun to do and watch! I don't know how practical buying an airbrush would be... seeing as how my cake pans are in storage. We can all dream right? Tonight I think I may be dreaming about Meat Pies....

I went to see Sweeney Todd on Friday morning. It was a fantastic film. There was lots of blood and throat slashing... and the story was really great. I didn't know that it was a musical until the lights went out and people started singing. The second that the skinny sailor guy opened his mouth I was like... "Oh no. This is going to be lame". But... it wasn't. The costumes were great... and the whole concept of grinding up people to put into meat pies is kind of funny.... especially when someone finds a finger in one. Helena Bonham Carter did such a great job... I might want to see this one twice.

One movie that I do not want to see twice is "I am Legend". This movie scared me to death! I really can't watch movies with aliens or ghosts anymore..... it freaks me out. And this movie doesn't even have any of those! There are weird-mutant-vampire-super-mutated-humans that eat people.... that I didn't know about. I didn't pay that much attention to the commercials I guess.... ech. I had my eyes closed almost the whole time. Absolutely Terrifying! My friend and I had to watch a Lindsay Lohan movie to un-scare ourselves last night before I could fall asleep. I guess different things scare people more than others.... but when I dropped my keys halfway from the car to the door in my creepy dark backyard I just about peed my pants.

Swallowed!

And last but not least... I found another fun website called To the Hilt--- Sword Swallowing. Last year I watched an episode of "Miami Ink" where they went down to Coney Island to the Freak show. Of course I haven't been to Coney Island but who doesn't love a good freak show? One girl gave a tutorial on Sword Swallowing that made it look really fun. I wonder if you really need to use a sharp sword, or if you could just fake people out. I think this might be one of those things I try when I am really really bored, or really really rich. What do rich people do all day? Some probably work really hard, but Paris Hilton doesn't look like she works hard at all. I wonder if she has any special circus skills we don't know about? Actually... I don't want to know.

I think I might just work on my juggling and plate spinning for now.

Fire Eating 101.

Every time I get to see people eat or breath fire it's like time stands still. What ever made someone try this in the first place? Was it a campfire trip gone awry? A way to impress girls? I don't know but I think it's really cool. I found a website called Firetoys  that have quite a few resources on how to endanger yourself and your loved ones. One thing that impresses me is the "Important Safety Information" catagory that states:

FIRE EATING IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AND POTENTIALLY HAZARDOUS TO YOUR HEALTH.

1. NEVER INHALE.
2. NEVER PERFORM INTOXICATED
3. AVOID PERFORMING OUTDOORS ESPECIALLY WHEN WINDY.
4. ALWAYS PRACTICE WITH AN UNLIT TORCH FIRST, UNTILL CONFIDENT.
5. WATCH OUT FOR HAIR (MOUSTACH AND BEARD'S ESPECIALLY!).
6. BE AWARE OF LIP OINTMENTS THAT MAY BE FLAMMABLE.

I haven't decided weather I am brave enough to actually attempt to eat fire, I usually freak out a little when my marshmallow bursts into flames at a campfire. This might take me a while to talk myself into it.

It's not a big secret that I love the Circus.

Today I was thinking... I wonder if I could learn to walk on stilts? Guess what I found? These crazy things called Jumping stilts? Am I the last person to hear about these? Or is it still relatively new? Anyhow... they actually look really fun! You strap them on and you can "execute extraordinary athletic feats. Run at lightning speed, and jump and hop higher than you ever thought possible." direct quote from the website. I guess no one ever figured out the secret of the Gummiberry Juice and this is the next best thing. There are a bunch of video's on You Tube that show people who are either really good, or really bad at these. The website also has a disclaimer "**The use of Jumping Stilts can be very dangerous and can result in injury, serious injury or death.". Again... direct quote. But you only live once, right? And it might be nice to be taller than five foot one.

Super Exciting!

So this week I am super excited! I know I use the word "Excited" probably more than the average human, and putting a "Super" in front of it seems only natural. In fact, I googled the word "Super" like, 5 seconds ago. Don't bother, it's rather un-informative. But Mr. Dictionary says...

super:

"first-rate, excellent," 1837, from prefix in superfine (1682), denoting "highest grade of goods," from L. super "above, over, beyond" (see super-). Extended usage as a general term of approval is 1895 slang, revived 1960s. Rhyming reduplication form super-duper first attested 1940.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper

That was kind of pointless... just makes my blog look more intelligent, don't you think? Anyhow, this week is very exciting for more than one reason.

The first being that my wholesale supplier pulled some strings and I was able to get my hands on some WICKEDLY AWESOME snake-crocodile-lizard metallic vinyl before ANYONE ELSE IN THE COUNTRY! I feel rather privileged and I am torn between cleaning up my shop because it's horrible, and sewing new pretty things. I have been doing a bit of everything and not really accomplishing much!

The second being that Sweeney Todd is out this week! I am a long time fan of Tim Burton and it's always the best day when you get to see a new film that he's worked on. I just don't understand where all the rest of the creative people are? In fact, I can accurately say that if I got to pick one person Dead or Alive to meet... it would be Tim Burton. Hands down winner. (Bible characters excluded of course... not fair).   And, of course since Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter (Burton) are in so many of his films it's like a reunion of sorts. I think it's kind of strange when there is more than one movie starring the same people. Like Richard Gere and Julia Roberts... "Pretty Woman" and "Runaway Bride". Oh, and Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore... "50 first Dates" and "The Wedding Singer". It makes me wonder how many times Tim Burton will use the same characters over and over... and still make it work beautifully.

The third is that it's almost the end of the year. Which means that when I spend my hard earned money on things... I don't have to pay tax on them. Like a super-exciting brand new industrial sewing machine! Oh yes.... it's awesome. Even though it's brown. Although I am pretty sure it can be spray painted in my color of choice....

Oh yes..... I also picked up another "Pirates!"  book this week... this time it's promised they will have an adventure with Scientists...... If you ever get a chance to read them... they are delightful. Chock full of ham, scurvey and the pirate who wears a scarf.

Have a great week everyone!

I really love Canada.

And there's snow on the ground!

I have thwarted the Grim Reaper and to his dismay I did not die in a plane crash coming home from Thailand. It was a looooong trip. The food was bad. Air Canada just is really sucky compared to Nippon. But, since we need to figure out the good side of things, I bought a duty free Tokidoki bag in Tokyo, my legs are short so they tuck in nicely on planes, and I also got to sit with really really good looking men on all my flights... and, again, I will mention that I didn't die. I am not really scared of flying.... personally it would be a lot nicer to crash into the ground and die somewhat instantly than DROWN TRAPPED ON A BOAT! Shudder.... I am scared of water. I did see "Titanic". It just made me even more terrified of water. Even some of the scenes in "Finding Nemo" scared me. A quick story.... My Dad has told me a few times, (He's that old that he tells stories more than once, ok?) that one of his aunts had a ticket for the Titanic. Her brother came down with Scarlett Fever, so she had to stay and take care of him. Of course she would have been one of those poor people that they locked up. I have often wondered how she would have felt in that moment it was reported that the boat sank without her. Probably a lot like the people that didn't go to work on September 11th.

I am busy sorting through all the thousands of pictures I took on my holiday..... I will post them on flickr soon, I promise!

Thailand was fun, the weather was great... usually 28-30 degree's celcius every day. I admit that I love to bundle up in hooded sweatshirts and scarves and hats though. I love winter. If I didn't get to see it every year I would miss it. I think my next vacation will be in a colder climate. Maybe I can find out if 5 foot tall penguins really do exist? Maybe sleep in an igloo? Take a dogsled team out for a spin? Does seal taste like chicken? Swim with the Narwhals? Oh wait... scared of water. Forgot.

99 Red Balloons...

I fly home tmro... bright and early. Like... I have to be at the airport at 5:40 am. Sigh. Which means that I really have to get up at 4:20 am. (to fly for 27 hours) Sigh. But I had a fun trip..... it was weird not sewing or making anything more complicated than a cheese sandwich. I spent all my Baht and played with my Niece.

Also...

Thai Boxing, Chatuchak Market, Benihana's for Japanese food, River cruise, trip to Ayutthaya to the ancient ruins and temples, Crocodile Farm complete with croc wrestling, The Ancient City, Night Bazaar, Cabbages and Condoms for Thai food, Pedicures, Thai massage, Playdough, Elephant show, Ballet class, The Forensic Museam that had things in jars, Swim class, Jim Thompson's house, Candyland and Scrabble, Season 3 of The Office, Ice cream, lots of shopping at the malls, going to a luxury movie and the Index store... where my business associate in Bangkok will be shipping me some new racks for my booth.

Coming home with some interesting things... lots of Jim Thompson gear and a great recipe for Spaghetti Alla Ceci.

Disclaimer...
If my plane crashes and I die by either drowning or shark bite, remember to have 99 red balloons at the FUNeral. Sword Swallower's and Fire Eaters welcome as well as  a chocolate sculpture of me. Doesn't have to be life sized.

Not too impressed....

I haven't had a whole lot of time to check my favorite blogs recently.... too much to do in Thailand! But, I like to check The Black Apple frequently for new products. Emily makes the sweetest little paintings, and I think I have about 5 or 6 matted and framed on my walls already. In fact, this year I have CHRISTmas cards made by Emily to give out. Anyhow, I checked out a few posts and one in particular caught my attention. CLICK HERE FOR A LINK  to the post. This is an issue that I do feel very strongly about... the disappearing girl. Over the past few years, it seems like most of the women have disappeared. That is to say, everyone looks like they have anorexia. I watched in US magazine how Nicole Richie slimmed down and then became like a walking skeleton. Most of the celebrities now are just about skin and bones. Why are these girls role-models? I just can't understand how it can be attractive. Even when I was a size one (for that brief period in time) I was still curvy, and I definitely didn't look like a boy from the front or back. To think that Marilyn Monroe was a size 14 and everyone wanted to be just like her. To call out women like Nigella or Beyonce or anyone in fact over a size 4 is wrong. I don't condone obesity, but why can't we just be healthy? Why is there so much competition? Why must we be ultra thin and ultra trendy to be accepted into the mainstream of society, or even to be liked for that matter? I don't know, but I just think it's wrong. I hope things change.