Best Halloween Party Ever!

The best Halloween party ever thrown in this town was October 26 1996 on Cherrywood. There was music, strobe lights, a dj and dancing. There were costumes, 4 kegs a full bar, and a huge tub of the yummiest trashcan punch (because we made sure everythng tasted good and looked great) and tons of food. We had yummy potent jello shots passed out that made people pass out. There were pretty decorations and party favors. There was even a drug dealer(crasher) making the rounds dressed like a masher. My friends threw this party and I helped. It cost a little above $2K total between us. At one point I even bought a handful of nice cigars to hand out to people.

See, what happened was we all decided to throw a party as a Halloween/Cec Birthday Party. We thought why not: huge house with a huge back yard and the plus was a huge house located in front of the house to hide it. Because girls were in charge aesthetics and flavors were a priority. At the time, my best friend and I were going to college and I was working a sweet second job. The longer I worked the more overtime and bonuses I made and we got paid weekly. It was political phoning. It got to where I worked 12 hours straight that week for party money. I skipped my classes that week too. All we did was plan for this party.

Because we thought that maybe everyone we knew wouldn't get the info on time, we passed out flyers to friends and friends of friends that week. I left a stack of flyers at work encouraging everyone to invite everyone thinking yeah right. I heard later that some posted the flyer somewhere public like on the drag or at Emo's or something. The day of I wore a French Maid costume and began to make my way through a modest crowd in the center of the yard, it was 9pm or so. The crowd grew at rapid speed and to our amazement the back yard was a solid mass of people. We made the rounds and found part of the cast to Slacker, local artists, writers, the drug dealer, old friends (that were not invited because we didn't know they were even in town but that 6 degree thing got them there) it was mind blowing. People were getting together, breaking up, crying, laughing hysterically, climbing trees, trying to get into blocked off rooms, calling cabs to get home, arguing with the DJ because he refused to play Madonna and I kept hearing great party.

The cops never found the place because it was completely hidden by the house in front. This allowed the party to last all night(5am) before the hosts went to bed. The next afternoon there were bodies in the back yard. Complete strangers waking and getting their bearings by asking where were they, what had happened. I don't think anyone went home sober or could even see straight. We were 25 and under, all we cared about was did everyone have a good time. During the party we had gone out to get 2 more kegs to keep up with the "guests".

There was still trashcan punch left in the backyard with bugs swimming in it. Quite a mess to pick up. It was a blast but for the next few days we were exhausted and depressed. When you throw something that takes so much planning and was such a hit and you spent all your money on it...the aftermath is blah. As the years went on we'd run into some unknown who would say that they had been to this party and such and such and so and so and it was this cool Halloween party on Cherrywood....NO KIDDING! It was our party. So if you were anyone living in Austin in 1996 you were at this party or heard of it. It was THE party that year. I can't believe that was 10 years ago!

Random cube pick me ups

LOVE Scott Walker: this was the first thing I ever heard him do and it was on Ab Fab years ago when I did

When my husband put this on a cd a few years ago I knew I found my forever man!

Love how Bryan Fairies moves!

Really sends me. Something about a graceful and elegant man.

Cube sites

Working like a dog in your 4x4 and need a break?
Go here for a nostalgic tour of NY or go here
PS:
Need a window for that cube?

Jack O Lantern

So after watching Martha Stewart carve a pumpkin I took on my first pumpkin. I didn't have all the fancy tools she had, I just had a steak knife. This is what I did with a pumpkin and a steak knife:

It was inspired by Gene Simmons

Don't Look Now

Watched the movie Don't Look Now over the weekend and it scared me. The way this movie was shot, edited and the music all work to make me jumpy and this movie scary enough. Would I want to go to Venice today or tomorrow or next week...uh no! Ask me later:
John and Laura Baxter are living in Venice when they meet a pair of elderly sisters, one of whom claims to be psychic. She insists that she sees the spirit of the Baxters' daughter, who recently drowned. Laura is intrigued, but John resists the idea. He, however, seems to have his own psychic flashes, seeing their daughter walk the streets in her red cloak, as well as Laura and the sisters on a funeral gondola.
I love Julie Christie and anything with Donald Sutherland in it (note he shows his bare ass in many a film).
I hear they want to remake this in 2007. Why? It's already been made and it's great.
Speaking of remakes:
Also watched The Haunting(1963). I thought it was great, loved it! Why did they remake it?

Made caramel apples for the first time. That's a messy project! I need to make them again, do it right this time. I added too much water. When something is done bad the first time you go ahead and re-make.

Ummmmm

This is actually an episode I watched when I was 12 and recorded on cassette tape because of the bongo thing. Sappy show but I watched it everyday.

Minutiae

Today is a nice day. It is grey and rainy out. Perfection would be 50 degrees outside but this is nice....with the ac full blast and solar screens on the window it makes it seem like it's freezing outside. I like that.

The house is finished and it looks great! We added white and hunter green w/shutters & solar screens. Still a lot more to be done. Home improvement, ugh, we've started down that long road.

Loving Pompadour Hibiscus and Rose Hip Tea,buttermilk pie,Nigella's pancake recipe and sweet lavender scented pillows, Thanks, Parisa!!!!!!!

Totally into Corman's Poe films this month with donuts.

Watched The Bloody Brood about beatnik sociopaths. Tres Peter Falk circa 1959 and for that tres cool.

Pumpkin hunting soon! Shopping germangrocery.com

Looking into CSA's

Happy Early Halloween!

Happy Friday the 13th!
Watch Mad Monster Party!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Steve and Eydie at the Stardust

Oct 26 to Oct 28 Stardust Theater 8 p.m.
Should be a fun weekend at the Stardust that will be no more. Carluccio's and The Peppermill, a quick stroll through the souvenir and thrift stores and that's it!

Haven't been to Las Vegas since a clandestined trip in early 2004.

Personal Fashion Ins and outs

Well my wish came true and the Audrey trend is out in full force or was that someone reading my blog and making it happen :>

My personal Ins are:
1. The beatnik girl look. This trend has never stopped but I have just joined it with bangs and growing my hair out. Also called the Bettie Page look, sometime Chelsea Girl hair...

2. Ponytails, tiny ones with cutsie, crocheted flowered ponytail holders with designs bigger than the ponytail. Perfect for when I don't want to straighten or product the hair. Perfect for humid days. Perfect for growing out your hair.

3. Lucha Libre colored tights: Bright blues, oranges, cherry reds and sparkly gold and silver opaque tights! Worn under tight fitting (think 80's) Black lycra dresses or short black minis(and turtlenecks). Teehee

4. The 49er! Belted over pencil tweeds and wools

5. The Mary Tyler Moore hat with a huge pompom on top

6. Vintage Alpaca sweaters!

7. Plain,calfskin soft, brown leather flats worn with floor skimming vintage, wool, navy uniform pants.

8. The grey sweatshirt worn one size small or baggy sweater over the pencil skirt with an interesting medium pump.

9. Rosie the Riveter styled Do Rag on head, preferably leopard printed worn with a black shirt, jeans and flats


Personal Outs are:
1. Low rise

2. Polyester made to look like silk. Doesn't work in Texas.

3. Leggings for me-I can't do this style again and all those cute 50's shirt dresses I used to wear over them are gone. Cotton can only last so long in rotation.

4. Bleached lines and designs added to denim. Just give me pure un messed with denim.

5. Taking vintage clothing that is still wearable and destroying it to make something asymmetrical and weird. I am having a hard time finding things. Went to Blue Velvet and found most mens 50's ties made to form headbands. Why? Brings me to this:

Bring back the late 50's and 60's thin tie for men in those same awesome and sharp designs. NOT the 80's thin tie either!

Support Bell for Governor!

Bell really made the other candidates and current governor look like clowns at the debate on Friday.

VOTE Bell!

CBGB

In the early 90's I had heard the place was dead, party over. Still, it's sad to see it go. What could possibly be built there that will ever be as cool and last as long as CBGB's?

Las Manitas in Austin,TX is endagered. Could be another casualty of real estate greed. It has been around for over 25 years and it's cute, so cute and the best Mexican food downtown but that doesn't seem to be enough. They keep the mantra Keep Austin Weird but what is really going on is: Keep Tearing Down Austin for Fun and Profit

Are there more retail spaces in town than homes to live in or just as many?

It's odd that nowdays there is so much teens and angst ridden college students could rebel against. Moreso than the 70s in many ways, yet, it isn't happening. The art? The music? Movies? Where is the grit? Pod people? Referring to Invasion of the Body Snatchers yet it is pretty creepy that so many are plugged into Ipods and walk around complacent. I don't blame the Ipod but it is audio Valium. I don't have one, I don't like things in my ears.

Cri-Cri

Cri Cri (Cricket) was Francisco Gabilondo Soler a Mexican composer of children's songs. These songs are not considered PC by today's standards. I grew up with these songs though never had a notion of the racist stereotypes in some of them. From wikipedia:

Some of his songs have been considered racist, mostly by English speakers and recently by the North American media. The most famous examples of such songs being: "Negrito Sandía" (Little Watermelon Black Boy); "Negrita Cucurumbé" and "Negrito Bailarín" (Little Dancing Black Boy). However, the words "Negro" and "Negrito" in Spanish simply mean "Black Boy" and "Little Black Boy" respectively and thus carry no offensive connotations. The songs lack any sort of degrading of Black people.

I loved his voice and the music. Even as a tiny kid I could appreciate the sounds of these vintage recordings. Most were done in the 30's and reflect those times in every way. My favorite song when I was 5 or so was actually El Raton Vaquero because I thought a song in Spanish with some English lyrics was so neat. Those lyrics were:

What the heck is this house
for a manly Cowboy Mouse?
Hello you! Let me out!
and don't catch me like a trout.

La Patita was another favorite. La Negrita Cucurumbé was always a sad song to me. I wouldn't call this song racist, if anything it is completely the opposite.

Dance

Teen Years

Wow, I keep forgetting I am not 30. Keep thinking I am only 30. I'm well passed that. So hard to believe. Anything past 28 was never planned. Leggings and minis are already back. Do I dare? I still fit into my high school skirts. I just can't bring myself to do it because it went with my teen years. It goes way back, back, back.

When I first heard I Melt with You it was 1983 or 1984. I swooned. It was the song that single handedly catapulted me into my teens.
Sadly at the time,there was no romantic I Melt with you moment back then. Our fun was had sweating out the non-air conditioned used clothing warehouses where you tripped, fell over and drowned in huge heaps of vintage clothing. Nothing but 40 year old vintage clothing, some deadstock with tags still hanging on them. Scattered on the floor and coming in constantly, in barrels delivered by moving trucks, were beautiful 40 year old leather purses and shoes, wool suits, cotton dresses... all sold by the pound: 25 cents on the weekdays, 10 cents on the weekends. It was a dream that lasted a wonderful 4 years.

We'd take our cheap treasures home, wash and mend then go to the mall and swoon over John Hughes' movies at the triplex. There wasn't much else to do except make things, lots of things, some acrylic painting, crocheting, knitting, paper mache, a lot of visits to the library for their foreign films in addition to books and bios on Warhol and Edie, dancing and doing cartwheels with friends on Friday and Saturday nights in their backyard to the Pogues, Clash and Sex Pistols,REM,The Cure and everything else that was there and came along, eating crap every weekend and still getting a kid's sugar high, sitting on Claudia's roof at night drinking sugary drinks and talking about what we'd be like when we were old, like 28 or so, 30 was never mentioned, that was so far away and so very old. And that, my friends, is basically what I did for four long years. It was fun.