And then there were three: An Ink Master recap

Ink Master struck a chord with the emotional as we speed to the top three.  Instead of a flash challenge the artists are must do two finished pieces and the first was a real gut wrencher.  The remaining four were asked to tattoo the chest of four different women who have under gone various stages to remove breast cancer and rebuild the breast.  When dealing with a mastectomy patient, there is always that feeling of real pain, especially from woman to woman.  These brave warriors have faced one of the deadliest conditions that we face as humans and in so have scared a large part of not only the body but that idea of feminie.

Now, all women are beautiful, however when you look in the mirror and see such a large part of you cut away, there has to be a feeling of loss to the confidence.  After the small scare I’ve had it made me so paranoid, and to see these women trying to take their powers back was inspiring.  Perhaps, however this was definitely the challenge for one artist in particular.  Halo, who is a cancer survivor, felt this challenge and really decided to drive it home.

Each of the women really did get a beautiful piece, however floral it all felt.  It was all hit and miss for me because if my lack of real love for floral designs.  Still the colors and vibrancy of 3 out of 4 of the tattoos really shaped and added to the beauty of these women and their story.  The one that I was disappointed in however, was Scott.  His was minimal and just didn’t read to me as something that really embraced the delicate nature of the canvas.  Still, the judges fawned all over him and praised the ground he walked on… But there’s no favorites right?

The next challenge was a little less touchy feely and a lot more bland.  Remember the first week when the artists had to earn their shops and were forced to tattoo convention style.  Well this challenge was to cover up the crappy tattoos that were left over by that challenge.  So, basically they got another cover up challenge, big deal.   To make it a bit more fun they had to interview for the canvas they wanted, but this really only seemed to matter to Halo.  Halo won the cover up challenge but suddenly doesn’t do cover ups at all.  

After a ton of smack talk by Scott about a mediocre Asian style lion being a top look.  However, you could still see the flawed star under the claws of the lion.  Mind you, even the judges pointed that out, still the judges act as if that's completely acceptable.  Since when is seeing the tattoo that you attempt to cover a proper cover up?  I mean are they ever going to see what a gigantic sack of douche this guy is?

The true winner of the cover up challenge was Sausage.  This guy has serious skills, turning an in even plane and circle design into a half sleeve that anyone could be proud of.  The use of maps and landmarks were so high quality, the major con would be that it would be to add to the design.  

Matti, on the other hand, in my opinion, blew it.  His attempt to cover the face he got in blue roses came out like a smurf had been crushed on this girls arm next to a nice tattoo.  It was in desperate need of proportion and black.  It's as if he wanted to lay tattoos on too of eachother and hope it looks alright.  Ultimately, it's a design flaw.

Halo's final project was more flowers.  By the end of the episode I was sick of flowers.  The major problem was that in comparison to the breast cancer tattoo, the second tattoo lack definition and finish.  He must have rushed the design in hind sight which caused him to miss several details.

After the judges run through a bogus critique, that I truly believe completely over looked Scott's major flaws, Halo is sent home.  I believe it's just more proof that Scott Marshal is given a favorite card and that the judges over look his crappy work.  I have no clue why but, it's pretty obvious that there's something not quite right here...

All good things...: A Jim Henson Creature Shop Challenge Recap

As always, all good things must come to an end and nothing could be truer than the finale show of the Jim Henson Creature Shop Challenge.  Seems like the series went a bit fast, and in truth I think it really did because they started with ten contestants and whittled it to 3 for the finale.  Looking back however, the same was done on face off so it somewhat made sense.  Still, as much as I liked this series, I do not think it’s because of the show but, instead that strange connection that so many have to Henson’s works.  I just can’t see this show coming back for a season 2, which is a total shame.

So the finalists (Melissa, Robert and Ben), got to sit down with head judge Brian Henson as a kind of overall critique and a one on one share of ideas moving forward.  In all Brian overly stated the need for depth and growth amongst the creatures from everyone as well as truly utilizing both time and team.  This was especially clear for Ben who has a lot of trouble delegating activities to others.  That is something he found himself having to get over in a hurry because for the last challenge, the shop decided to push the remaining designers to the brink in just three days.

For the challenge the designers are asked to create a full alien creature, capable of walking in and sitting down at the bar.  After the sit the designers will be given a chance to set them for up close looks, but as an added challenge they must create a prop and an effect.  So, essentially what they want is something that would take months from the actually creature shop in three days.  In anticipation of the daunting task the designers are each given two team mates and a mentor to work with, which is good but still can take an amazing toll on the finalists who eagerly attempt to put everything together.

The major flaw this whole season has been from a lack of individual challenges.  I understand that this is a team industry but it seems like perhaps a format of a show like this isn’t geared to finding a team player.  Ben is a great example, he is a clearly talented creator and has a multitude of usable skills to throw out, however when put with another person it always seems to hinder his work as he buries inward which drags the team down more than his opinion that the other team mate isn’t pulling their own weight.  Then again it could be his aversion to fault that makes him truly flawed in the industry.  Another great example is from Melissa who arrived with little knowledge of mechanism driven designs.  This lack of knowledge makes the team atmosphere a crutch, and it wasn’t until she was forced to use the mechs in an individual challenge that she was propelled into learning to operate the tool.

Another one of the shows flaws is that the challenges where always very similar in conception, they always seemed to be recreating the same type of creature with a small difference.  There were some challenges that focused on specific ideas, but to be honest it all seemed very lose in the outline of the show.

After three days of fighting, the creatures were ready to be revealed and there were definitely some mixed reviews about each one.  First was Melissa’s creature who had a beautiful entrance.  The figure moved very well through the room and immediately gave a great personality.  It was on the up lose that she really lost the high ground.  The creature was missing a palette which isn’t always necessary but, without it the mouth seems black and static which can cause you to lose some of the suspension of disbelief.  Her smoke blowing effect however worked very well I though and gave the character a real sense of life.  The judges pointed out however, in the back story the creature is believed to be 100 years old but appeared to be quite clean.  This shocked me because Melissa is usually ace of the back stories and over all creature fabrication i.e. coloring, clothing and furs ect.

Next was ben whose creature reminded me of a kind of turtle.  His entrance wasn’t quite as dynamic as Melissa’s and the outer shell build was not successful.  It looked like a stretched out hood that gave a horrible looking black area.  The paint also was a monochromatic green that needed to be softened and shadowed for a more contoured face, at least in my opinion.  The judges were blown away by his weep effect and fetus in a jar prop.  Personally I don’t think the tears really read against the flat paint but the story was strong enough.

Finally there was Robert who wrote a large Russian gypsy esque creature.  The entrance really stuck out, not as much as Melissa’s but the volume of the creature was massively apparent from step one.  What was also very apparent was his skill for sculpting and mechanization.  With his sneeze effect he pulled the face into a very powerful sneer which was quite impressive.  What was lacking was the overall placement of fur and structure.  Sadly the creature just read ape and not really other worldly at all, as well as missing some sort of facial hair which would have really put the greasy and grimy in perspective.

All in all the creatures where truly artfully done.  I think that they couldn’t have picked a better top three if they had tried.  Each contestant showed not only skill but the ability to grow and change.  I think that the Henson team would find any of them to be a true asset but, in the end there must be a winner.  It is Robert who is crowned winner of the Jim Henson Creature Shop Challenge and we wish him the best.  I don’t have too much confidence that we will see the show again but I do hope we at least get to see more of all of the creator’s works in the world.  

In the mix: A trail mix review Bag 1

Yes, as you may know by now if you read this blog, I have many obsessions from make up to tea. 
One of my strongest compulsions however is trail mix.  That’s right I love a bag of tasty morsels made for travel.  The reason?  Well there are so many different types and ingredients aren’t there?  I mean there are mixes for the sweet and savory, for spicy tastes as well as bland.  The ingredients themselves are as varied as the flavors the mixes come in.  So in an effort to explore the many combinations available I have decided to catalog my tastings… that and I try so many I tend to forget which packets taste the best.

Our first bag is the “Handful of Everything,” by Archer Farms.  Yes, we are starting with a Target brand, have you ever been down the aisle?  It’s glorious, truly.  This mix is on the sweeter side mostly containing sweetened dried fruits and yogurt covered nuts along with chocolate chips.  Still it balances out nicely with raw almonds and coconut shavings that give it a warm kind of flavor.

I do wish they had roasted the almonds or added a touch of salt, but if they are trying to sell a “healthier” product so raw nuts are not to strange.  As far as the sweetened fruit goes the cranberries give a wonderful punch but I find the apricots cumbersome and hard to eat.  The banana chips are a nice touch though and give the mix a really good finish.   

This strikes me as a mid-day snacking, while on some sort of hike mix, although, I don’t see it being the number one choice given the melt able chocolate.  Still it was an excellent place to start, and gives me hope that the mix “mecha” that is the aisle in Target is a great jumping off point.

Tea Diary: Boxes 3 and 4

I figure since there are so many similarities between these two boxes I would lump boxes 3 and 4 together, and thus we begin another adventure into my simple tea buying experience.

First was the Lipton green tea with acai dragon fruit and melon.  Doesn’t that sound absolutely delicious?  I mean it really sounds like it’s going to zip with a certain kind of sweet ness and finish with a bite of green tea.  As you can tell, it really got my hopes up.  Unfortunately that’s all it was, a cup of hopes that fell flat.  The biggest problem with using a melon flavor is that it usually comes out really sweet or it’s like a practically nonexistent hint of chewed bubble gum.  This tea was definitely the latter.  The biggest flaw is that the flavors never really developed, no matter how I tried to steep it, the tea came out like gum water.  As far as the zip of green tea?  Perhaps Lipton just takes the fizzle out of their teas because I was falling asleep by midafternoon.  The package may say superfruit but it’s not quite as super as you would think.

Next was a complete mistake on my part, it was a fruity green tea and grabbed it quickly but then noticed it was decaffeinated.  I don’t tend to enjoy decaffeinated teas so that was definitely strike one but, I decided to try it anyway.  This box promised blackberry pomegranate which seemed like it was good for an afternoon sweet treat.  In truth it came out like green tea mixed with fruit punch.  The face I made was priceless.  I have since pushed it to the side as an emergency stash for when I don’t feel like going to the store.

You let me down Lipton!   

Mother's Day haul: love from my loves!

So yesterday was mothers day and this is the year that it completely hot me in the face that I am loved.  Not only was I blessed with time with my boy, and family for our annual pool BBQ this year but by several touching and heart warming gifts.

First up was my dearest friend Kayte who sent me a sweet card.  She always picks the best cards!  I miss you so much Kayte!

Then the same day that came in the mail I decided to take a personal day... And I hit the mall for a taste of shopping.  I came always with a few little tops by Arizona that I acquired at JC Penney's.

First was this amazing tissue weight hoodie.  It's a soft kind of jersey material that is fabulous for warm summer nights and the marine layer of morning in SoCal.

This adorable top was on clearance for 5 bucks and the Beatle mania in me screamed mine!  It has sparkly shit on it for Christ sake !

Finally I picked up two plain white t's... No dehlila not those plain white t's.  I love these because they are almost always on sale for 5 - 6 bucks and wash amazingly! Perfect for just hanging around or under a sweater.

And then Friday happened!  Oh my goodness, for the first time ever I had flowers come to my work!  That's right adorable Adam sent me the most beautiful boquette I've ever seen.  I cried, blushed, and danced for joy.

How can you not melt?!

Oh wait I forgot my son is in preschool and that means heart melting hand made gifts!

Look at that face!!!

Dawe!

He has excellent taste!

And apparently... I have no hair... Lol oh well I love him anyway.

So how do I reward my precious boy take him to Disneyland!

Explosive decisions: A Drop Dead Diva Recap

This week’s Drop Dead Diva was absolutely explosive as we rush with open arms to the end of the series.  I used to think we were heading to a nice tie up nicely into a kind of happily ever after, but after last night I have no clue what kind of ride we are in for coming up.

Right away, the episode jumped right into knocking you in the “feels” with a case about a young boy with a gender identity condition.  You know what?  I really hate that term, and it did come up later in the episode in a way that did come off like a disability or mental disorder.  This has been a hot topic for years now as we broaden our ideas about gender and what makes someone female vs male.  At what point are you one or the other?  Are you ever really fully one or the other?  What is preference or choice and what is natural and instilled in us?  Ultimately I don’t know, and it would appear that not many other do either.    So, how do we make sure we are fair to everyone, and yet mitigate risks and respect privacy while promoting equality?  The answer is that no matter what, it’s a grey area.

In this episode a young child that identifies as boy risks his scholarship and future of his right to gender association with a school who demands that they identify with the genetics of a female.  It’s hard, because you want to say you want to protect the children (it is technically a safety hazard to have a young girl in the men’s room, dressed as a boy or not), but you also want the child to express themselves in an environment that allows them to grow in a healthy well-adjusted way.  To be told that it’s not okay to be who you are can cause serious identity issues in later life, we see that now… But, we haven’t always, and unfortunately we are in the hands of an uninformed majority.

In the world of Grayson, this week he is trying a homicide that seems to be railroading his client.  However, the first rule of diva is that no case is exactly as it is presented and soon Grayson figures out he’s defending a guilty man.  How’s that for an ethics violation?  I mean, here you are trying to fight for a man’s life, who brutally murdered an innocent woman because she didn’t want to date him.  You would think that, if he truly felt that his client was guilty, that he could recuse himself and have the firm’s support.  Not at all, in fact the honorable Owen French insists Grayson fight for the rights of the scumbag!  Yeah not happy with Owen.

I’m even less than happy with Kim, who decides to second chair the transgender case and foolishly tries to get Sam diagnosed as a mental disorder.  The thing that I find grossest is that she honestly believed that it was okay to stand before a judge and argue that the child was disabled.  There is nothing wrong with someone being who they are, ever!  If my son were to identify as a woman, the only thing I would worry about is can I trade his hot wheels for Barbie heels.  A child is a child first and standing there in a court of law and stating that they are sick when all they are doing is being themselves you have the mental disorder.  Word!

Owen and Stacy are fighting battles of their own this week as Owen’s want to shower his beloved with everything he thinks she deserves is leading her to feel like a wife without a ring.  Stacy is a strong and independent spirit and gifts are overwhelming, but deep down I think what she really wants is stability.  So what’s more stable than a husband, boom Owen proposes.  Yea, we are going to ignore how fast that was. 

In the world of murder, Grayson finds a loophole which usually is good; however this one frees a murderer.  The mistake he made was telling Owen about a huge mistake forcing Owen to take his case and call Grayson as a witness.  So unknowingly, Grayson made himself a lynch pin in a case to free a scum sucking bottom feeder.  How does Owen sleep at night?  Then again this is the man that helped put away his brother for fraud.  If I were Stacy I’d be more concerned about that behavior than his brother’s fraud. 

The ending of this debacle of an episode is what set the whole show on fire.  In a courageous move a compassionate principle decides to off “Sam” a place in a new more tolerate school, so yes there was a bolt of happiness right before a major tragedy.  The angry father of the murdered girl decides he can’t let the man who killed his baby walk, and let’s face it I couldn’t either, and declares vengeance, if vengeance is firing multiple rounds into Grayson Kent.  Just when I thought the ship was sinking… Now I’m holding my breath till episode 9.

Changing the past: A Once Upon a Time Recap

Gather round kiddies and hear the tale of how I spent 2 hours of my life getting pissed off at the writers of ABC’s Once Upon a Time.  This week we were promised a wedding as well as an idea of what’s to come for our favorite citizens of Maine, and we received both.  However, like most wedding gifts, I was left with the intense urge to return or exchange this long and fan service filled episode.

We last left out cast of fairytale players in a small conundrum brought about by Rumple, not that it is too surprising for him to stir the pot, of Zelina’s pendant reopening the time portal.  My big question at this point is, If she had enough in her to open the portal, why did she need all the excess garbage (courage, brain, innocence, the heart)?  Apparently, that is neither here nor there, what is important is that Hook and Emma are thrown back to the meeting of Emma’s parents.  I guess this is the best way to get the answer to “how did you and dad meet?”  Unfortunately, this is the kind of show where, if something’s going right, it’s probably wrong.  In support of that, ta-da, Emma screws it all up and now she and Hook must correct the past to ensure the future.

So how is this episode fan service?  Well on top of watching Snow and Charming fall in love all over again, we get to watch Emma and Hook’s love fully bloom into an ignited blaze of passion, or rum soaked make out session as an attempt at a distraction… I’ll let you decide on that one.  Who would need to be distracted?  Well Hook’s past self, so that future self could put a complicated plan into action.  Yes that’s right all you sparkly dirt fans there were supposed to be 2 Hooks, of and future gets all kinds of jealous over past groping Emma.  See?  Total fan servicing.  After that, we finally get to see Emma in a gown, well that doesn’t end up being a tragic dream, and Hook gets to teach her to waltz. 

Such beautiful moments are extremely short lived as the bandit Snow crashes the ball to steal the wedding ring, you know kind of like the first story.  This lands Emma in a dungeon with a “sweet young woman,” while the others must save her.  The damsel in distress look, not so much.  What was nice is they did at least give the Emma/Neal fans one more taste of what should have been with a tender memory about the definition of home.  I really miss Neal.  The other part of the memory causes Emma to recall how to pick a simple pad lock and in turn free herself and the sweet woman.

The other thing about this show, it will always work itself out.  We are constantly reminded of fate and destiny in these stories, as the seeds for Charming and Snow’s romance are sew and it would appear that history is well on its way back to normal.  But, what of the woman?  The sweet woman that Emma saved was meant to die and now with her alive what harms could come?  We all know that little changes in the past could wipe out entire futures at this point.  So what should they do with her?  Take her to the future of course.  Here is my problem, first off you don’t know who she is, why she was imprisoned, or most glaringly wrong who her family is.  These are all things that needed to be considered, and to be honest even before I found out who she was, I was all for leaving her to die.  Not that I am cold hearted, I just know that one life changes everything.

Well, with all being right with the world, we go to our promise of a wedding.  Rumple and Belle’s wedding, which was so beautiful that I cried for a good ten minutes.  Her dress and hat made me so jealous, it was such a simple feel with a touch of 1940’s glamour.  It really was a vision, but the most moving and passionate thing was her vows.  “Sometimes the best book has the dustiest jacket,” how is that not the most beautiful thing you’ve ever heard?!  I mean, we should all be so lucky to find a love like that.

Speaking of epic loves, Regina and Robin show up to the naming of the Charming’s new baby and seem happier than ever.  It’s almost breath taking how much lighter Regina seems when she’s with him, and therefore it makes the next scene so very crushing.  After a wonderful tribute by naming the new baby Neal, Regina is approached by Emma with a request for amends to the mysterious woman of the past.  Regina takes the high road and concedes but, before she can, Robin recognizes her as Maid Marion.  Emma has single handedly undone Regina’s world one more time.  First Snow causes the death of her first love, the curse causes Regina to lose her father, Emma took Henry, and now she must lose Robin too.  Where is the justice?!  Regina has proven time and time again that she deserves to be happy and each and every time she finds a small spark of it, it is stolen from her.  Yes, I’m a little upset.

So where is the show going?  Well, I think that pissed me off more than Regina losing Robin.  In the tried and true way of the Mouse that is Mickey, Disney will be tugging at the teats of its newer cash cow.  That’s right folks, Frozen is coming!  Sometimes I wish Disney would just “Let it go.”  I cannot say for sure whether or not I will be tuning in for another season, but I can say that I feel this is a huge mistake that will lead to the end of Once.