October, 2015 | The Plaid Pladd Blog

Archive for October, 2015

Adventures in Leather Costumery (or, a comedy of construction errors)

October 31st, 2015 by blackmjck

Let’s start with the obligatory finished-product shot:

The finished product

So this all started when I’d been thinking about picking up a new hobby (ostensibly to make some leather bits for my own costume this year) and Patricia mentioned an idea she had for a monstrumologist costume. What she came up with was something that could do bandolier duty, but go with the awesome khaki safari jacket and pith helmet at the same time. After a little digging, I came up with an old fashioned Sam Browne belt, onto which we could always strap other accouterments.

Old school Czech military uniform, looking super dapper.

It’s a belt, two-tongued buckle, over-the-shoulder strap, and a little hardware. Can’t be that hard, right? (Famous
last words)

Here’s how it all came together…

Read the rest of this entry »

Tagged: costumes, pictures, Steven, things I've made, tutorial

Posted in Guest Posts, Uncategorized |

Hate Book Club: The Art of the Deal

October 14th, 2015 by pladd

Brian chose this edition of Hate Book Club, but I don’t blame him because we both thought it would end up being better than it was. First published in 1987, this book is a portrait of a past version of Donald Trump. Less bombastic, more optimistic, far more boring.

Still got ridic hair, though

As always, I have to begin Hate Book Club by finding three nice things to say about the book:
1. This life advice:

“If it can’t be fun, what’s the point?” (2)

2. It made me falsely nostalgic for a simpler time when you had to call people on landlines to get anything done. Oh, romantic inconvenience
3. It reminded me SO MUCH of the Futurama episode “Future Stock,” about a 1980s business guy who gets frozen and reawakened in the year 3001 to try to use 80s tactics to succeed in future business. So I ended up rewatching that episode, and it’s a great one.

This book is shelved in the biography section of my library because it is a monotonous chronicling of Trump’s every business move from high school forward. It basically reads like a grocery list. But there were some glimmerings of the ridiculous troll-beast that would emerge in decades to come, like his condescending attitude towards women:

One of the first things I did was join Le Club, which at the time was the hottest club in the city and perhaps the most exclusive… Its membership included some of the most successful men and the most beautiful women in the world. (95)

Because success:men::beauty:women. Obviously. You can also clearly see the casual condescension and privilege that will become such a pillar of his public persona:

My father had done very well for himself, but he didn’t believe in giving his children huge trust funds. When I graduated from college, I had a net worth of perhaps $200,000 (93)

HAULING MYSELF UP BY MY BOOTSTRAPS with only $200,000, in 1960s money. Don’t worry, this judgment also extends to his own family:

Maryanne [his sister, a federal judge] is really something. My younger sister, Elizabeth, is kind and bright but less ambitious, and she works at Chase Manhattan Bank in Manhattan. (70)

Working at a bank is a perfectly normal career, but in the Trump family you have to preface it with “but she has a great personality.”

I also learned some of Trump’s baffling personal habits:

I ask Norma Foerderer, my executive assistant… to bring me lunch: a can of tomato juice” (7)

The best part was definitely when he punched a teacher in the face:

Even in elementary school I was a very assertive, aggressive kid. In the second grade I actually gave a teacher a black eye–I punched my music teacher because I didn’t think he knew anything about music (71)

Honestly, I skimmed a lot of this book, so I don’t have a ton of notes, but to give you a general feel for it, here are some quotes from Futurama:

Steve Castle: Let’s cut to the chase. There are two kinds of people: Sheep and sharks. Anyone who’s a sheep is fired. Who’s a sheep?
Zoidberg: Uh, excuse me? Which is the one people like to hug?
Steve Castle: Gutsy question. You’re a shark. Sharks are winners and they don’t look back ’cause they don’t have necks. Necks are for sheep. [Everyone sinks down and covers their necks.] I am proud to be the shepherd of this herd of sharks

Steve Castle: Fry, I’m an 80’s guy. Friendship to me means that for two bucks I’d beat you with a pool cue till you got detached retinas.

Here’s the graph I made of my experience reading this book:

And here’s a gif that sums up my reaction to this book:

Don’t forget to read Brian’s review here!

Tagged: books, brian is a weather witch, hate book club

Posted in Hate Book Club |

Servery Challenge: Fall Edition

October 14th, 2015 by pladd

Exciting news! At a recent THE 434 reunion, we had a servery challenge!! And for the first time ever, the presentations were filmed!!

Rules: Participants had 15 minutes to cook their “fall” themed dish and think of a name. Voting is done by secret ballot to try to keep Rob from gaming the system, although even this is not fool-proof.

Entries
Rob

Dish Name: Fall Surprise
Ingredients: Pastry shell, chocolate raspberry cranberry mousse, pumpkin granola.

It turns out chocolate-raspberry-cranberry isn’t a popular combo for a reason

Rachel

Dish Name: Falliage Soup
Ingredients: Pumpkin spice latte, Harris Teeter-brand maple cookies, decorative pumpkin and leaves

Points for presentation

Cynthia

Dish Name: Fall Appetizer
Ingredients: Indian corn, pimento cheese, crackers

This one would be good IF you like pimento cheese (I do not)

Patricia

Dish Name: Leaves on a Log
Ingredients: Honey crisp apple, peanut butter, Reese’s Pieces

Colorful!!!

Matt

Dish Name: Pumpking of Heaven
Ingredients: Pumpkin beer, chocolate almonds, “holy” water

Most interactive!

Here is the exciting results video!!!!!

Previously: North Carolina Edition
Art museum scavenger hunt

Tagged: Bova, cooking, matt, rachel, Rob, servery challenge

Posted in Servery Challenges |

Selfie Scavenger Hunt: Art Museum

October 12th, 2015 by pladd

At a recent THE 434 reunion, we did a selfie scavenger hunt at the NC Museum of Art!! Everyone did a really good job, especially Cynthia who was hindered by not actually having a smartphone to take selfies with. She had to awkwardly turn her point-and-shoot around, which makes it way harder. Here are my entries:

Something purple!

Something you want to steal!

A museum employee!

Something shiny!

An animal!

Read the rest of this entry »

Tagged: art, scavenger hunt, selfies, THE 434

Posted in Things I've Made |

2015 Goal Update: 75% Awesome

October 2nd, 2015 by pladd

The end of September marks the point where I should be 75% on all my goals for the year, something I know because I scribbled it on my work calendar next to “monster chef hat”. Being a children’s librarian is weird.

Anyway, I’m pleased to report that I’m headed for success!!! Which proves that I’m either doing a lot better than last year, health-wise, or that I’m just better at choosing reasonable goals for myself. Probably both. Here are the deets:

1. Read one book a month I think I’ll disagree with: 75%

July: Here’s the Situation: A Guide to Creeping on Chicks, Avoiding Grenades, and getting in your GTL on the Jersey Shore “by” Mike Sorrentino

I downloaded a library ebook to avoid immense shame at work

You can read my more detailed thoughts on this here.

August: The O’Reilly Factor for Kids: A Survival Guide for America’s Families by Bill O’Reilly

I feel like he’s trying to channel Mr. Rogers on the cover and I don’t like it

I guess I didn’t disagree with this book as much as I thought I would. Some of his advice is fairly standard. Deal with bullies by talking to your parents and teachers instead of trying to fight them yourself. Be honest. Be respectful to adults. Don’t do drugs.

Of course, there was plenty to laugh at. Chapters were prefaced with quotes from “real teens”, which always sounded as legit to me as ELJames’ “American” dialog. On the other hand, any kids writing to Bill O’Reilly are probably sheltered and home-schooled beyond recognition so maybe their weird 1950s phrasings are 100% real. Also, the end of each chapter included “a few brief O’Reilly i-messages for you,” which were just bullet points that used weird abbreviation “Internet slang” that he made up, like “jja” for “just joking again.”

September: Trump: The Art of the Deal by Donald J. Trump

I read this for Hate Book Club, so you’ll hear more about it later. All I’ll say is that it was suuuuuuuuuper boring, and that afterwards I was compelled to watch the “That 80s Guy” episode of Futurama.

2. Finish I Detonate Around Him: 100%

Okay, so technically I finished this one, even though I then decided to do an addendum of ELJames’ incredibly stupid “50 Shades of Grey from a different perspective” novel.

3. Visit Every Restaurant on my Restaurants To Visit List: 84%

Yay!!!!!!! This goal is the most fun goal. The best restaurant I’ve been to for it recently has to be Chuck’s Burgers in Raleigh. I’m a sucker for a place that gives you multiple dipping choices for your fries, and the veggie burger was insane. Plus, creative milkshake flavors!!!

I only have 5 restaurnts left, actually! A fancy steak place, a fancy French place, Ethiopian, cheap Vietnamese that’s the farthest away from my apartment on the list, and a tapas place where parking’s probably going to be annoying. I feel like I can solidly conquer this by the end of the year!

4. Review at least 1 thing a month online: 75%

This goal is turning out to be the hardest, weirdly? I guess I find myself not feeling comfortable sharing my opinions in such a public way, especially if they’re negative. I keep wanting to preface them with “I mean, this was just my experience” or “Maybe it was just an off day” or whatever. Clearly I do not have the fortitude to be an Internet troll.

5. Plaid Pladd blog: one guest post per month: 75%

This might be my favorite goal!!! In July Cynthia wrote a hilarious write-up of the REAL story of her whirlwind trip through Europe, including a lot of amazing pictures, of the sort that I always take and then never share with anyone. Keep telling your truth, Bova! In August, my dad wrote a guest post about being my dad that serves as a great counterpoint to the one my mom wrote earlier about being my mom. Being my mom seems to involve a lot of cute pictures, while being my dad involves a constant barrage of insulting birthday cards. NOW YOU KNOW THE TRUTH. Most recently, Brian wrote a great write-up of things he missed in college that made me nostalgic and happy to not live in H-town anymore at the same time. But Brian is already an accomplished writer, so you knew he would rock it.

I have some exciting guest authors lined up for the last part of the year, but December is still wide open, if anyone wants to try their hand at it!

6. Knit a sweater: 80%

I am so close to being done with this, but the closer I get, the more nervous I become about the Moment of Truth when it’s finally revealed how lumpy and strange the sweater looks. I’ve done the sleeves and the neckband. All that’s left is blocking and sewing it together.

7. Get hella into a different Dewey Decimal class each month: 75%
Last month was my favorite! The 800s are literature, so I got to read some interesting books about the history of 1910s literary life in London and a famed 1700s children’s book author kidnapping an orphan and trying to raise her in secret as his perfect child bride. You know, the usual.

Total: 81%!!!

Previously: Halfway point
Next: Done!

Tagged: 2015 goals

Posted in 2015 Goals |