It's not about Halloween

It has been brought to my attention numerous times, that the skull ring I wear on a daily basis makes people uncomfortable. I receive some compliments, but for the most part, people look at me as though I am peculiar.

I was unpacking some Christmas gifts and trying to find the appropriate place for them, when I realized that I have skulls and skeletons just about everywhere in my house.

At first glance, you may not even notice them, but when you look closely, there are skeletons and skulls everywhere.

I have skeletons everywhere. More places than I could even remember in order to take photos and share with you: scarves, shirts, brooches, throw pillows, tote bags, they are everywhere.

The Picasso painting I picked up during his exhibit at the National Gallery in London last summer is one of my most favorite pieces in the house.

I received a painting of La Santa Muerte from David Tineo. For those of you who know about the Chicana/o Movement in Tucson, he was at the forefront of the mural work going up at that time. His work is still present throughout the city. He is still painting even though he is battling macular degeneration.


On Christmas morning I woke to this wonderful creation. My sister, A Fanciful Twist, made me the necklace to go with my ring. The skull is about the size of the palm of my hand. It is very beautiful. I do receive many compliments when I wear this necklace.

Even my water bottle has skulls on it. (I am not sure why the picture came out so dark.)

Someone once asked me why I enjoyed skulls so much. I couldn't really formulate an answer right away, but I kept thinking about it. I hate to make anyone somber, but our mortality is inevitable. The main reason I believe I surround myself with skulls is my own way to laugh at death. Many cultures see death as a bad thing, and in some cases, when lives end too soon, yes, it is a tragic event. However, when we have lived our lives and have a lifetime of memories to replay through our heads, the moment we take our last and final sleep, we can either be happy or be sad. I personally choose to be happy. I have come to learn many ways in which death is celebrated in my own Mexican culture, and I quite enjoy it. The skulls and skeletons have nothing to do with Halloween.

Until next time.

xo-K

It's beginning to look a lot like...

the end of the semester....

I find it safe to say that I survived my first semester in a phd program. I may not be completely finished, but 4 days from now, I will be home for the holidays and ready to take 4 weeks off until the spring semester begins.

I have to admit that I have never lived anywhere that has received snow in the amounts that Albuquerque does...and it doesn't snow here that much. I had to drive to campus for 10 minutes in order to turn in a final paper, and I encountered this.

I never had to scrape ice off of a car before. I don't have an ice scraper. I had to call my mom for advice and she said that a kitchen spatula has multiple uses...she wasn't kidding!

I realized that snowflakes really are star shaped!


I was able to take a small break from my end-of-the-semester work to put up my christmas tree.




I hope the rest of this coming week goes by without a hitch.

Until then.

xoxo-K

Sparkle, and dresses, and shoes....oh my!

I realized, quite quickly, that I need a wardrobe overhaul. I receive email updates from all these extremely fabulous clothing stored and design houses, however, a graduate student budget could never allow me to afford such fabulosities. So, what do I do to increase the fashion quotient in my closet? Well, it's nothing a trip to the fabric store can't fix...

I need to find some more fabric options for this dress, but I am thinking I might make the top royal blue and the skirt black, then I can add a belt for some flair.

Any ideas on where I can find some good online fabric shops? I am thinking about leaning more towards a silk shantung/dupioni fabric, but I am open to your input.

xo-K

Chicken and Heart

I quite enjoy challenging myself in the kitchen. I had yet to really open up the wings on my new kitchen in Albuquerque, but when I found out a certain loving man friend from Tucson was coming to visit me, I thought, I gotta get this kitchen flying!! I feel very fortunate to have been blessed with good friends. Lue is one of them. He is one of the few real men I have ever met in this world. So, I thought I would make a home cooked meal for the evening of his arrival. What would he like?...well, he loves bacon....and bacon...and more bacon....

I watch the Food Network as much as my busy academic life allows. I caught Tyler Florence's show about roasting a chicken with bacon on top and crimini mushrooms.

I have never stuffed a chicken before...it was not too pleasant. I felt like I was violating the poor thing. I used lemons, red onions, garlic, thyme, and olive oil for the stuffing. Then covered it with slices of bacon.

The recipe called for 3-pounds of crimini mushrooms. I took everything the grocery store had!!

I couldn't just have the chicken with nothing to dress up the plate, so I thought about healthy sides. I made roasted cherry tomatoes, crunchy rosemary potatoes, and green beans with bacon.

I am pretty sure the dinner was a success. I even learned the importance of basting. We cleaned our plates and had leftovers to last all weekend.


I get a lot of pleasure out of cooking, especially when I get to cook for people who hold special places in my heart.

xo-K