Emma's Fantabulous Blog

When I was really young and crazy at the tender age of 20 or so, I got a medium sized tattoo of vines & roses. I didn’t research it at all. Just walked into the tattoo parlor, with visions of roses in my head and picked some flash off the wall and pointed to my back. I think the piece was originally drawn for an arm band or something, who knows… The artist at the time didn’t necessarily do a bad job, but he also didn’t do an awesome job. Also, I was kinda an idiot about tattoo aftercare. I remember smearing on some neosporin on my back, not bothering to cover it & going to bed, only to wake up with an greasy/inky tattoo transfer on my bedsheets. Gross & horrifying, I know.

It has about 9 years, and the tattoo is pretty faded & you could see some problem areas. Uneven lines, uneven shading, uneven placement, etc.. I needed to fix that shit. I knew that I needed to fix that shit about 5 years ago, but just put it off. Not exactly sure what I wanted. If i just wanted it touched up, added to, covered up, or whatever. I finally decided to bite the bullet. I still love the roses & the idea of vibrant colors & it’s a pretty design, so I decided that I wanted it added to and redesigned a bit. Rose is my middle name, so I really wanted them to be a focus. A botanical/overgrown jungley feel, that looked less like something you could pick off the wall at a tattoo shop.

After some online research, I found Precision Body Arts in Nashua, NH. They had good reviews, a good website and I thought that all of their tattoo artists had pretty impressive portfolios. I went in & ended up talking with Nick Kelley. I showed him what I had & what I wanted done to it. He is a man of few words, and I get really overly verbose when I’m nervous, so I probably came off as a crackhead & threw out a bunch of lame-ass buzz words. Lord knows how, but he ended up figuring out what I wanted and drew a great sketch that was basically the look that I was going for & then he made a few minor changes to make stuff more girly & swirly. It was kinda crazy on point how he totally got what I wanted  & the style blended perfectly with what I already had. It’s hard to tell where the old one ends and the new one begins. Nick did a really fucking amazing job, period.

Here’s the original design before:

And the magic that Nick Kelly made happen:

Such a crazy awesome transformation. I’m super happy with how it turned out. Many thanks to Nick, and also to my tattoo buddy Brendan, who brought me crosswords to occupy my mind because I’ve apparently become a bit more of a wuss in my advanced years… Whatever. At least I take pain stoically and silently, unlike this random crazy chick.

2 of 30 completed.

I’m turning 29 later this month. That means I only have a little over 1 year left of being in my carefree 20′s. There are a bunch of things that I want to do while I’m still young and spry. Similarly there are a bunch of things that I think are good things to know how to do in general, and definitely would like to learn them before I hit my 4th decade.

I’ve decided to be like a million other people and make a list of 30 things that I’d like to do, try, learn, or re-try before I hit the big 3. oh. I think it’s totally doable and my list an extended version of a bunch of things that I’d like to do. And I reserve the right to change things out and add to as I see fit. Here we go: (in no particular order)

1. Purchase & use a hammock in my yard.
2. Fix my lower back tattoo (finally, after 10 years of saying that I should!)
3. Get the new tattoo that I’ve been mulling over for over a year. (It’s been a year & I still want it, so I think its time!)
4. Take part in a beach bonfire.
5. Go to NASCAR!
6. Learn how to cook Coq Au Vin.
7. Learn how to braise a huge delicious monster hunk of beef.
8. Practice alcohol abstinence for a month.
9. Shoot arrows at random shit.
10. Drink out of a fishbowl.
11. Run a mile. (This body wasn’t built for running, so this should be interesting.)
12. Run 5K. (This should be doubly interesting.)
13. Learn how to can something savory. Like pickles. Or tomato sauce.
14. Go winter surfing in New England.
15. Go vegetarian for 2 weeks (organic & locally sourced when possible & maybe for a month if I get my act together.)
16. Watch a sunrise.
17. Watch the sun set.
18. Visit a new continent.
19. Go on a road trip without a destination in mind.
20. Travel solo internationally.
21. Learn how to disassemble, clean & reassemble a gun.
22. Play paintball.
23. Paint a mural.
24. Work as an artist’s model.
25. Model in a Fashion show.
26. Go fishing.
27. Learn how to gut and clean a fish.
28. Go snowboarding. (Not on the bunny slope & without the day ending in a temper tantrum, haha)
29. Rent a car on my own.
30. Go skinny dipping!
31. Read 15 new books.
32. Go on a bike-riding day trip.
33. Run away & join the circus…. (This is open for interpretation obviously…)
34. Go sky diving.

Obviously some of these are contradicting. Like trying to follow a vegetarian diet. And then cooking meat, going fishing & butchering fish… But I’m kinda a walking contradiction in general.

Anything I’m totally missing? Anything that’s a really bad idea? How about you? What do you have on your Adventuresome To-do List?

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Originally uploaded by emmasart

The snow has melted, the earth has thawed and seedlings have started poking up all over. I’m finally able to start up my daily walks through the forest again. Today I went sans iPod and was kind of amazed by the peace & calm that came over me.

Just nature and myself. The sound of my breathing, the crunch of my feet on last year’s fallen leaves. Birds of all colors and sorts calling and singing. The rustle of brush that comes from chipmunks, squirrels and rabbits rooting around. The sound of a brook skipping over rocks as it empties into the pond. It smells intensely like spring.

I come to my favorite perch in the forest. An ancient fallen tree that rests half in the water, but that is still large enough to bear my weight when I walk out on it. I surprise about five turtles, who have been sunning themselves on the branches and they immediately hurl themselves into the safety of the pond. I sit down, straddling the horizontal tree. My feet floppily hang downwards, but are a bit short of touching the water. Staring out at the pond, the trees, the water lillies, absorbing the moment.

Grounding myself.

Via Flickr:
Wandering through the town forest.

Devon turned 30 yesterday! A big milestone, I think, but I think that he’s still struggling to come to terms with this traumatic event. Plans for a huge blowout in Las Vegas fell through, so for the time being we’re just having a small dinner with some friends and family at a new hot spot: Post 390 in Boston’s Back Bay.

In addition to my brother working in its kitchen, Post 390 serves delicious food in a laid back, but still hip setting. The space is decorated with lots of brick, wood and leather and there are multiple fireplaces, which I especially enjoy because I’m always freezing. Both times I ate here, I was extremely pleased. Their cuisine is totally accessible for even the pickiest eaters, focusing on American classics with an upscale twist. Everything that I’ve had so far has been super tasty. Their Crab & Spinach dip was especially finger licking good, although I never want to see the nutrition info that dish. But a girl has gotta spoil herself sometimes. Along a similar vein, their freshly made pies are insane. Now, I make a damn fine pie crust, but I dare say that their pastry chef’s recipe may trump mine…. (as much as I hate to admit it!)

If you’re ever in the area, give Post 390 a try. They’re located at 406 Stuart St, Boston, MA 02116.

4 years ago I was having my hair done and putting on my wedding dress.

Right now, I’m sitting in the office of OUR HOME, next to my man. Drinking a warm cup of espresso.  Devon is working, unfortunately, but I think his day started out on the right foot, with me bringing him breakfast in bed…… It is our anniversary after all. The traditional 4th anniversary gift is fruit and flowers, so it works out well that his breakfast tray had a flower from our yard and cut up fruit.

The 4th anniversary is supposedly supposed to celebrate ideas and symbols, and the flowers symbolize the blossoming partnership of a couple. I’ve noticed that a lot recently. Our relationship growing and evolving into something slightly different. Not bad by any means, just something different. And the more care, love and attention you put into it, the more beautiful it grows. Maybe less flashy, but more true. I’m still ever so in love, and learning more about Devon every day. What makes him tick, and what makes him happy. How to read his face and body language.   And he has learned that sometimes all I need is chocolate and an hour of watching “Oprah”.

I love you, Devon. I promise to be the best gardener possible.

This is my new favorite blog: Cake Wrecks.  Soooo many disasters. I’m no awesome cake decorator, but man, there are some real gems on that site. I’ve been going through the blog laughing my butt off and freaking Devon out in the process.

From cakewrecks.blogspot.com

Check it out. I guarantee that you’ll find it hillariously delicious.

I just finished writing a long e-mail to my friend about my favorite things to do and see in San Francisco. I thought it would also make a good blog post. These are my top 5 things (that I can think of right now) to do in San Francisco, and the surrounding areas.

So…Other than the uber touristy requirements of eating chocolate at Ghirardelli, going on a tour of Alcatraz and getting a sourdough bread bowl with chowder at Fisherman’s Wharf, and then going to check out the Sea Lions…… (all those things I recommend, btw)

Samovar – A Tea House.
They have 3 locations, but I fell in love with the location in Yerba Buena Gardens. Its a great place to just sit and drink some tea. For a light lunch or a little snack, I highly suggest their cheese and fruit platter. Its little and light and perfect for a little zen moment. Some fruit, cheese, nice bread and some honey in the comb. Absolutely delish.

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art – AHhhht.
Practically across the street from Samovar. They have a pretty wide range of modern art, so even if you find alot of the stuff horribly shocking that it’s called art (i did), you’ll also definitely come across some stuff that you really love. Not a huge museum, and do-able in maybe 3 hours? I enjoyed spending an afternoon there, and their gift shop was fun to poke around in.

Chinatown and Dim Sum!
Yeah, Chinatown is pretty touristy, but its fun to poke around shops and getting dim sum is a MUST on a saturday or sunday morning! I can’t remember where I ate, but I started my walk at the big gate on Grant Ave at Bush Street, and I walked north on Grant. I think most restaurants on Grant are often marked up and more touristy, so look down the side streets until you find a place that looks interesting. That’s what D and I did, and we ended up in a totally packed place where we were the only gringos, and the waitresses didn’t speak any english. Luckily with dim sum you just point to what you want off their carts.

Asia SF – Dinner and drinks with talented dancers of the transgendered variety
I think I’ve gone here every time I’ve been in San Francisco, starting with a girl’s weekend trip with my Mom. Reservations are a good idea. It is awesome!!!! Dinner is good, but can be pricey. I think they have a prix fixe type menu thingie. The bartenders have always been great with helping me make a mixed drink decision, in addition to their sake and wine menus.  And don’t even get me started on the lady dancers of AsiaSF!!!! Most real women can’t even stand in 6 inch stripper shoes and here these ladies are, dancing in them on top of the bar to the latest Britney Spears songs. It’s a truly an awesome sight to behold.

Wine Country - Sonoma and Napa Valleys
Do it. I recommending having either a designated driver, or doing using a tour company. I’ve done both, and prefer having a DD, but the tour was pretty nice as well. We got to go to places that weren’t open to the public, and there weren’t a ton of annoying super tourists… I just don’t recommend doing the drinking & driving route. The pourers can have heavy hands.   Wineries I recommend: Domaine Chandon (great champagne, and beautiful landscaping) and Mumm (also great champagne). If you’re driving, I suggest driving up the main drag in Sonoma Valley, Rt.12, i think? and then crossing over at the top and going back down through Napa Valley on rt. 29. And just stop into whatever wineries strike your fancy.

This is a new recipe I came across from Food & Wine, that I altered a bit. It was absolutely delish, winning approval from D and my mom. It tasted just as good, if not better, than a curry from my favorite Thai restaurant. It’s pretty easy to make, relatively healthy, very satisfying and it looks beautiful when it’s plated.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup  canola oil
• 1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• All-purpose flour, for dusting
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 anaheim chile(green chile pepper), seeded and thinly sliced
• 1 red bell pepper—cored, seeded and cut into thin strips
• 1 tablespoon curry powder (I used half 9 spice curry from Thailand, half McCormick Brand)
• A little over 1 pound tomatoes, cored and coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup frozen corn kernels
• 1/3 cup Greek-style plain low-fat yogurt
• 1/2 cup water
• Cilantro leaves, for garnish

Directions

1. In a large, deep skillet, heat the oil. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and lightly dust with flour, tapping off the excess. Add the chicken to the skillet and cook over high heat, turning once, until lightly browned, 6 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate.
2. Add the ginger, garlic, chile and bell pepper to the skillet and cook over high heat until slightly softened, about 2 minutes. Stir in the curry powder and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, corn, yogurt and water; stir until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Return the chicken and any accumulated juices to the skillet and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer over very low heat until the chicken is tender and the juices are slightly thickened, about 15 minutes. Sprinkle the chicken with cilantro.
4. Serve with steamed rice.

It’s been a while since I’ve written a book review. Probably since most of my recent reads have been trashy romance… erm… I mean “historical-romance novels”. But as of late, I discovered my local library’s graphic novel section… So I picked up a few, and a couple were really good.

My fav thus far: Pyongyang: A Journey in North Korea, by Guy Delisle.

Guy Delisle is an animator who has traveled to many countries through his work…. Helping direct & manage jobs that get outsourced to other countries where its cheaper to employ animators. His graphic novel Pyongyang is about the time that he spent working in North Korea. It’s really faciniating. You rarely hear such indepth reporting from outsiders about what life is like in Korea. Its especially interesting in graphic novel form, since outsiders are forbidden from photographing so many things, Guy had a great advantage as an illustrator, being able to depict his experiences.

His experience with the locals there is surprising, although not entirely unexpected. How there is no opposition to the regime, and how noone ever says anything against their country. The idea of that is just so foreign to me. It’s something I love about the US.  While I have many issues with how many things are handled in my country, I just can’t even imagine such total domination over a country’s population.  The book Pyongyang made everything seem just so “1984“.

In general, I recommend all people to check this book out. It’s very thought provoking to say the very least, and it certainly makes me want to learn more about North Korea’s history and the US’s relationship with them. The book is available at Amazon.com, or see if you can borrow it at your local library.

I think I’m going to start a new series of posts on my blog. Screw “Oprah’s Favorite Things”. It’s ALL about Emma’s Favorite Things. I have WAY better taste than her anyways.

Now that we’ve got that cleared up. My first fav thing is going to be Green Bamboo scented candles from Yankee Candle.

A lot of the Yankee Candles smell terrible. Their pumpin pie spice scent is utterly nauseating & makes me want to barf. In general I steer clear of all of their “food scents”. Anyways. The green bamboo scent is really nice. Light & spring-like.  Which is especially nice when it’s February & its hard to imagine anything ever growing or being green.