Outdoor Adventures on the Peninsula

February came and went in a blur. I know in many parts of the U.S., that blur was one of snow and ice. Not so here in (surprisingly) sunny Northern California.

What, you don't have a water temple in your neighborhood?

Since the Professor had Valentine's Day off work (hooray!) we spent the afternoon exploring the landscape of our new Peninsula neighborhood. We live within easy driving distance of some truly beautiful country, so we figured we'd expose the young 'un to a little nature.

First stop was the Pulgas Water Temple. No, fellow Legend of Zelda fans, there weren't any dungeons or puzzles or fairies. Just a nice dome and a reflecting pool.

Unfortunately, little Bubby fell asleep in his car seat right as we arrived, so I did a solo scouting mission to see what was ahead. It's not like we could wait. For some reason, the parking lot is only open Monday through Friday, and only until 4 p.m. sharp, as the sign in the lot says. Oh, and you could only park for 30 minutes. You'd think the city doesn't want anyone to see this!

So, off we went to our second destination, the Crystal Springs Reservoir.

I love this place. Well, what I've seen of it so far. I'd previously taken Bubby on a stroller walk on the Sawyer Camp Trail in Belmont...and it had ended in tears. For both of us. I figured we'd have a better shot at a good time with Daddy along.

Yeah, not so much.

We did manage to enjoy some of the sights after Bubby had an al fresco lunch, though we really didn't get much further down the trail. I think his hands were cold, poor guy, and I'd forgotten his mittens ('cause it was like, 60 degrees).

I highly recommend this trail for anyone looking for a pleasant walk. It's a wide, paved path with plenty of restrooms and benches lining it. It draws folks of all types, from solo bicyclists to clans of families with strollers and tricycles. I hope we can finally get Bubby to enjoy this place!

We've only begun to scratch the surface of what we can find here on the Peninsula. It's been quite a change for us, after living 15 years in the highly urban Berkeley/Oakland area. Though, every time I start to miss it (which is often), I remember that this...

...is just a five-minute drive away, and I instantly feel better.

Crafting a First Birthday Party

Now that February has arrived, I can finally look back at the whirlwind that was November through January. On top of the usual holiday fun, we had an extra-special event that landed smack between Thanksgiving and Christmas: Vinnie's first birthday!

Hooray! We made it!

I was quite excited to put his birthday party together. I've hosted dinner parties, a Halloween baby shower, and St. Patrick's Day parties, but this was the first time I've put together a child's birthday party (even if most of the guests were adults).

As comedian (and father of 5) Jim Gaffigan pointed out, "the baby's first birthday party is not a party for your baby; it's a party for you." So, I didn't get all crazy with a meticulously coordinated theme or blow a bunch of cash on an expensive smash cake (especially since I had a feeling Vinnie wasn't even going to touch it).

Doesn't mean I didn't get crafty, though! I opted for a primary color scheme and some "Baby's 1st Birthday" plates and signage. I got a lot of my gear at Daiso, (a large, Japanese dollar-store) including serving bowls, plates, invitation supplies, and decorations. My favorite were the pre-folded tissue paper puffs; much safer and (eco-friendly) than balloons, and they're re-usable.

Party favors for everyone!

For favors, I made large gingerbread cookies in the shape of a 1. I bought the cookie cutter from an Etsy store called West Tin Works (check them out, they have lots of fun shapes!). My mama and I decorated the cookies with royal icing. We did this pretty late at night, and I think our exhaustion fed into our creativity.

Batman, zombies, vampire clowns...the usual for a 1st birthday, right?

 Mama and I also baked the cupcakes for the party. OK, my mama did pretty much 99% of the work on those, which is awesome (especially since she used to be a professional cake decorator).

I've always wanted a cupcake tower!

For decorations, I didn't want to go too overboard since I had rented a nice space in our apartment's complex. The main attraction were the galleries of photos of Vinnie, which were mounted on colorful cardstock trimmed with decorative-edge scissors. I did one section that was Vinnie at each month, one that was Vinnie with friends and family, and one that was some of Vinnie's "greatest hits." It was a really nice way for guests to see some of my favorite pictures of the little guy, since I don't post many pictures online.

I think my favorite thing we made for the party, though, were Vinnie's birthday bibs. I finally followed through on my threat to applique. I used the same "1" shaped cookie cutter to make a template for the fabric, then attached it to the terrycloth bib using fusible webbing. My mama then sewed it on with a super-close zig-zag. We made two, one for his birthday at home, and one for the party the next day.

Hmmm...wonder which party Vinnie liked better?

Not that I had to worry about my little man getting messy. As I predicted, he didn't even touch his cupcake. It was still amusing to watch.

"You want me to do what with this?"

I had a lot of fun putting this party together. I had a LOT of help from my family--especially my parents, who flew in from out of town--and I feel so lucky to have been able to gather so many people together to help the Professor and I celebrate our little man's first birthday.

The Best Reason for Not Blogging

My baby boy Vincent. Born December 13, 2012 in Oakland, CA. He's now over a month old.

Not much time for blogging--or crafting, or writing, or anything else--when you're trying to get the hang of an entirely new way of life: diaper changes, round-the-clock feedings, obliterated sleep schedules. 

I admit it, this has been the hardest month of my life. I wouldn't have made it if it weren't for an incredible network of family and friends that rallied around my husband and I to offer tons of love, support, and hot meals. I now understand that saying, "it takes a village to raise a child." It's really, really true.

It's all been so very worth it, though. I love my little man like I've never loved anyone before. It's amazing to watch him develop slowly from an eat-sleep-poop machine to a human being. Sure, it's only been a month, but in that time he's come so very far. All of us have. I've gone from feeling like a terrified newbie into feeling like, well, a Mom. 

Here's to the first month, and to many, many more, my boy.

The Final Countdown...

The summer has gone by in the blink of an eye. I feel like it was only a few weeks ago that I was making plans for trips, visits from out-of-town friends, and general warm(ish) weather lazing. Now, it's practically autumn, with the husband back in the classroom, the guests gone, and all the adventures past.

Well, not all of them.

You see, I have some news to share. I've been keeping it on the down-low, because, well, it's big news, and I'm a bit on the cautious side. I like being absolutely sure of something before I announce it, and though nothing is ever set in stone...oh, to hell with it. 

I'm pregnant!

Over 27 weeks pregnant, with a boy (well, with a biological boy. His gender identity will become known with time as he gets older).

It explains some of my long absence away from this blog. I've been a bit preoccupied over the summer, and crafting has fallen by the wayside as I've focused on my pregnancy and on trying to finish some big writing projects. I do have some embroideries I've completed, which I'll be sharing soon, and there's a slew of baby-related crafts I've got prepped in the queue. I'd better get cracking though. Once he arrives, I doubt I'll have much time for crafting for a while!

Overall, I'm feeling good, and the Tadpole (as we're calling him now) and I are in good health. The Professor is super-excited to be a father, and our families and friends have been nothing but supportive. It's been exciting and terrifying as we prepare for the little guy's arrival, and December is coming upon us quickly. So much to do!

Only 13 more weeks (I hope) and counting...

The New Neighborhood

One of the challenges of my new apartment is my reliance on the car to get me around. This has taken some getting used to. I'd spent the last 8 years being within walking distance to shopping and the BART line, which allowed me a great deal of linear independence. Now, I have a more radial sense of mobility, but it's limited to when I have access to the vehicle. This means, when the Professor has the car for work, I'm essentially marooned here.

I admit, I was starting to get a little stir crazy. Twice a week may not seem like much, but when you're all alone in an apartment ALL DAY (the Prof works late) without so much as a pet, it can get a little isolating. Today, I couldn't take the prospect of spending another gorgeous, sunny day trapped in my apartment alone. So, rather than doing my usual Qi Gong exercise video in my living room, I strapped on my kicks, packed a snack, and headed out my door...

...and look what I found!

I'd seen on maps that we're close to the border of Wildcat Canyon Regional Park, and I'd seen some cryptic signs nearby stating "Park Closed" hours, but I'd never found the access to the park. Today, I stumbled upon it during my adventure walk. 

I enjoyed my snack while perched on a boulder, listening to the burble of the creek and the rustle of the wind through the eucalyptus leaves. Now, I've never been much of an outdoor person, but the fresh air and sunshine was seriously like a antidote to the craziness, and I felt my mind still. It was lovely.

After my snack, my explorations took me up into Alvardo Park proper, which is a neat place with stone walls, picnic areas, and wide, sunny fields. I foresee some serious toes-in-the-grass time once the weather gets even warmer.

The best part was, I had most of the area to myself. There were a few young mothers with their children, and a man with his little dog, but on the whole I could explore in peace. Odd to say, since it was solitude that drove me out of the apartment, but it's different when you're out in nature. I didn't feel alone...I felt connected to the web of life in a way that I hadn't in a long time.

Now that I know it's there, I think afternoon walks in the park are going to become part of my regular routine. Having this nearby sure beats a shopping center any day of the week!

(Cancer) Sticks and (Kidney) Stones

The universe strives for balance.

It's one of those fundamental things I believe. For every good thing that happens, something bad does. I'm not talking about causality, per say. The balancing force may come in a completely different form.

Take this weekend, for instance. On Friday night, I was looking forward to a quiet couple of days, and told my brother so as we chatted over Xbox LIVE. He, on the other hand, was gearing up for a rip-roaring weekend promoting his two comics at the new Image Expo in Oakland. Usually, I'm right in the thick of a con, slinging my films and comics, but I wasn't up to it this time.

This decision was especially hard to make since I knew Norman Reedus was going to be in the Image Expo house. Actually, it's he who helped me make the decision. Every time I meet an actor I admire, it just goes badly (someday I'll tell you the Dean Stockwell story. Today is not that day.). As a huge Boondock Saints fan, Norman is one of my favorite actors, and I knew that meeting him in person would invariably lead to disaster. So, I decided to do everyone a favor and steer clear.

The man elevates smoking to an art form...

So, before I logged off for the night, I jokingly asked my brother, "Hey, if you happen to bump into Norman, do me a favor. Bum a smoke from him for me."

"I'll try," he chuckled.

It was a throw away comment, really, and I put it completely out of my mind. I went to bed that night looking forward to a day of working on my novel. Professor Lefty was looking forward to having some friends over for band practice and board games. Pretty normal.

Things began to go awry when I was woken up at 8 a.m. by the Professor lurching out of bed to race to the bathroom to be sick. I figured it was just a bug, until he came staggering back to bed. He was pale and clammy, and he squirmed in agony, moaning that his whole abdomen hurt. When he uttered the magic words "kidney pain," I knew it was time to call his Dad, who had spent a good part of his life as an ER doc.

The poor Professor got sick twice more during the course of the 10-minute phone call, and the Doc confirmed my fears: I had to take the Professor to the emergency room. It wasn't a bug that was making his sick, it was the pain, which meant either his appendix or a kidney stone.

Well. Good thing I'd gotten my driver's license two months ago.

I instantly went into crisis mode: jammies off, jeans on. Gather important papers, keys, and wrangle the ailing husband into the car. I calmly drove him to the nearest Kaiser hospital, registered him in, and soothed him through the agonizing minutes between when we arrived and when he got treated. (I have to say, the staff at Kaiser Richmond's ER were crackerjack. We were in good hands.)

I've been with the Professor for 15 years. I've nursed him through motorcycle accident sprains and scrapes, impromptu hand surgery, and the aftermath of a near-fatal car accident. I'd never seen him in so much pain before, and all I could do was hold his hand and wait for the doctors to do their thing. I admit, it was scary.

What he said it felt like...

After some pain meds and tests, the doctors determined that yep, it was a kidney stone. A small one, only 3 mm, but enough so that the Prof had felt like he was being torn apart from the inside. Feeling much better after the drugs kicked in, he was discharged with a passel of medicine in hand.

...what it really was.Photo from Wikimedia Commons.

After a brief nap of relief for the both of us, the rest of my day was spent in Florence Nightingale mode: going to the store for supplies, updating worried friends and family via text and phone, making jell-o and soup, cleaning up the mess we'd left in the wake of our morning flight. I didn't think twice about anything that I'd missed. I was just so relieved my husband was okay.

I finally called my brother around 8 p.m. I hadn't wanted to throw off his convention mojo, so I left him out of the initial round of calls. My folks had told him what had happened, however, and after I filled him in on the details, I asked him about the con.

"Well," he said, "you know that thing you asked me to get?"

"Yeah?"

"I got it."

"No way."

He did it! Well, to be fair, he and his friend/partner-in-comics Jackson did it. Jackson has cerebral palsy, as well as a hell of lot of charisma (he's a stand-up comedian) and a brass pair. He has a way of getting past the velvet rope, and his wheelchair is autographed by bad-ass celebrities including the guys from Slipknot, and now, my favorite Boondock Saint.

Norm at Image Expo. Picture by Xander Kent.

While Jackson was getting his chair signed, Xander noticed Norman was wearing a Stone Brewing Co. patch on his jacket. Xander, being an Escondido boy, promptly pointed it out, and Norm and he were instant buds. Even got the bro-hug. In this moment, Xander remembered my request. He told Norman I was a big fan and how much it would mean to me to bum a smoke. After a moment's thought, Norman graciously acquiesced.

The Stone Brewery patch! Photo by Xander Kent.

When Xander told me, I seriously teared up. It was kind of too much. After a day filled with so much real-world fear and uncertainty, to get such good fangirl news was a bit overwhelming. Not just that I finally had a little token from an actor who has meant so much to me, but that my brother was still thinking of me even at the height of his own fanboy glee.

Norman Reedus's cigarette. Photo by Xander Kent.

So, yeah. It was an amazingly good thing following closely on the heels of a startlingly bad thing. I know one didn't have anything to do with the other at all, but this is the subtle balance of the universe at play in my life. Kinda glad it doesn't happen all to often.

As for the Professor, he's doing much better. No pain, though no stone. If you have any to spare, please send some good vibes his way. He could sure use 'em!

Tabula Rasa

The very first things I unpacked in my new apartment.

All the boxes are finally unpacked, and my new apartment is set up pretty much as I want it. There's something so poetic about starting a new year in a new home, especially one that's a much-needed upgrade. What's even more exciting about this place is that I actually have an honest-to-goodness office space! It still needs a bit of setting up, but all the important bits are there: computer, printer/scanner, my trusty Nightmare Before Christmas block calendar.

Even with all the good changes, it's still taken some getting used to. Everything is completely different now. The new apartment is off the BART line, which means I actually have to put my new driving skills to work on a near-daily basis.

They see me rollin', they hatin'...

It's taken a bit of time and practice, but I'm finally to the point where I actually find driving fun. I know most drivers got over the thrill when they were teenagers, but I still get a rush each time I hit over 30 mph with my music on the stereo. The world feels so open to me now, even if I am just bipping around town doing errands.

So, yeah. New apartment, new driving skills, and soon, new projects. Spring will come sooner than expected, and I still have some hefty pre-production and budget building to do before I can come up with a concrete funding and production plan for my new short film, Inner Critic. After all the domestic madness, I'm really looking forward to getting back to work again.

Holiday's End and Sac-Con 2011 Re-Cap

The holiday storm is over. The air is still, the shops are empty. I feel a bit like that woman at the end of The Descent, clawing her way out of hell...

Okay, really, my holidays were not even close to being as bad as a cave of horrors (though Xmas shoppers can occasionally resemble a horde of blind, bloody-thirsty monsters). There was an epic drive up and down California, and some serious good times with my family amid a flurry of wrapping paper. I even got to reconnect with some old friends from high school that I hadn't seen in years. I truly got what I wanted for Xmas this year.

Amid all the festivities, I failed to notice my Sac-Con 2011 re-cap up at the Red Stylo Media website. If you're curious to see the world's cutest little Marcus Fenix (as well as see how the show went) give it a read!

I wish I could say 2011 was going to end on a mellow note, but there would be no fun in that. After nearly nine years of living in the same apartment, the husband (aka Professor Lefty) and I are upgrading to new digs. The next few days will be a rush of sorting, packing, tossing, and schlepping. New year, new home!

Branching Paths

For years, I've identified myself as a "jill-of-all-trades." My posts of late have felt a bit like drawing cards from a tarot deck, showing a different face each time: The Writer, The Filmmaker, The Crafter, The Geek, The Cook, The Traveler. 

Makes for a bit of scattered reading, no?

So, after a bit of soul-searching, I've decided that it would be best to create separate spaces for the separate parts of my life. 

My writing and filmmaking have become increasingly more active, and though this is wonderful for me, I understand most of my visitors to HEMM are here for cute crafts and tasty treats.

So, I've created a new blog devoted exclusively to my writing and filmmaking. 

I have grand plans for this new little blog, including:

• Advice and musings on the writing process, from inception to promotion. 
• A chronicle of my adventures in filmmaking as I launch into production of my latest short horror film, Inner Critic. 
• Book, comic, and movie reviews for stories that I truly consider "bloody good." 

Hand/Eye/Mind/Mouth began as -- and shall remain -- my crafty space. 

I hope some of you will join me over at Bloody Good Stories. If not, no hard feelings. I'll still be around here for a spot of stitching! 

Sights of Thailand: Nutshell Edition

"And this is Selma dropping off our vacation film to be developed.
Thus concludes our Mexican Odyssey."

So, to keep this from turning into an, endless, Patty-and-Selma like slideshow of vacation photos, I've done the seemingly impossible and picked a handful of my favorite sightseeing pictures from the trip. These are what summed up our time in Thailand, and they may not always be what you expect.

101 Posts Giveaway!

Photo by Shirley Booth

This is post 101 on my blog!

It's been a little over 3 years in the coming, but that doesn't make this any less special. In these three years, I've started and lost jobs, made and pimped my first short film, and traveled to new corners of the world. I've also watched my embroidery skills grow, my knitting skills kinda flounder, and my repertoire of recipes expand. 

More importantly, I've met all sorts of wonderful new folks with this blog. To my fellow crafters, writers, and geeks, I just want to say "thank you" for reading, whether you started reading at post one or post one hundred.

I think this calls for a celebration, don't you?

In honor of my 101 posts, I'm doing my first ever giveaway! I've created a little mini-prize package that I think reflects the nature of this blog:

• A DVD copy of my film, Everything I Needed to Know About Zombies I Learned from the Movies
• A Sublime Stitching pattern pack, Molly Crabapple
• A set of recipe cards from BoyGirlParty
• A pack of pretty, handmade flower beads straight from the Sampeng market in Bangkok
• A felt heart pincushion with some "wooden stake" quilting pins, each made by me

Leave a comment below by midnight PST on Tuesday, August 9, letting me know why you read this blog (is it the embroidery? The sporadic cross stitch patterns?) and I'll pick one winner at random.  

It's the least I can do to say "thank you!"

Sawasdee Ka Krung Thep (Hello, Bangkok)

Krung Thep means City of Angels, but we are happy to call it Bangkok if it helps to separate a farang from his money. –John Burdett, Bangkok 8

When we arrived in Bangkok, it was after 14+ hours in the air. So, everything had a sort of dreamlike quality for the first day or so as our bodies adjusted their biorhythms from Pacific Standard to Indochina Time.

I’ll always remember when we entered Bangkok proper for the first time. As our taxi swept down from the expressway into midday Bangkok traffic, a strange sense of familiarity flooded me. It wasn’t just the billboards for Western movies and products, or even the landscape of high rises jutting into the milky sky.

It was the near-claustrophobic crush of humanity right at street level: brightly painted taxis, spindly tuk tuks, and hordes of weaving motor-scooters. Vendors would casually navigate between the packed lanes, selling snacks and flower garlands. The BTS Skytrain glided above all the commotion like a sleek, pale eel as we neared Sukhumvit Road (essentially Main Street, Bangkok), marking our destination.

It took me a minute to pinpoint where the nostalgia was coming from. Then it hit me: the urban soup of Bangkok was not too unlike that of the Third World metropolis of my childhood, Mexico DF. Half a globe away from my continent, and suddenly I knew I was going to be alright. I could navigate this, even with a huge language barrier.

Our basecamp was a condo right in downtown, which was being rented for the summer by a good friend of ours and his wonderful family. They graciously put us up for the two weeks of our stay, and were the best guides we could have hoped for as we not only navigated the ins-and-outs of the City of Angels, but the way of living in Southeast Asia.

Next up in the series: The sights of Thailand.

Berkeley to Bangkok

Lordy, no posts since May? What kind of a blogger am I?

The traveling kind, I'm proud to say. I just spent the last two weeks in Southeast Asia (primarily Bangkok, Thailand, with three days in Siem Reap, Cambodia). I've been back in the USA about 24 hours, and I'm already at the keys. I'm jet-lagged and a little culture-shocked, but otherwise feeling good. A mix of sadness that it's all over, pride that we made it, and quiet relief at being home.

Bangkok is a metropolis unlike any I've ever visited before. Just like Thailand's prize dish, Som Tam (green papaya salad), Bangkok is a unique mix of sweet and sour, pungent and spicy. The air is humid this time of year, richly infused with the scents of lemongrass, diesel fuel, incense, and river water. You can find centuries-old temples and posh super-malls within a few Skytrain stops of each other. Cuisine ranges from street-cart noodles to luxurious, five-star dining. People from all around the globe gather here to shop, eat, and play: from middle-age Anglo men hunting for flesh to Burqa-clad women hunting for designer shoes. Not to mention thirty-something American writers hunting for inspiration.

How can I sum up the experience in just one post? I can't. So, over the next few days, I'll be posting a special series about the things we saw, tasted, heard, and did. Don't worry, crafting will be included. Promise.

For now though, it's time to unpack the bags, do some laundry, and catch up on my email. It'll take a few days to get back into the swing of things, but if there's one thing travel abroad has taught me, is to go with the flow.

Nightmares, Comics, and Travel Plans

Aside from waxing nostalgic for ’80s movies and updating my blog layout, there’s been quite a bit stirring in my corner of the world.

A Nightmare on Van Ness Street

Some of the most exciting news I received recently is that my film, Everything I Needed to Know About Zombies I Learned From the Movies, will be participating in A Nightmare to Remember International Horror Film Festival.


The fest takes place Saturday, June 18 at San Francisco's Opera Plaza Theater. Join us for three hours of indie shorts, trailers, and general horror movie shenanigans, all presented by Horror Hostess Miss Misery (an awesome woman I had the pleasure of meeting at Wondercon this year). If you can’t make it, please wish me luck!

Panel by Panel

In other horror-related news, I also spent a good deal of time working on my very first comic book project. I learned a huge amount about comic scripting in a very short amount of time thanks to an excellent, patient editor (Enrica Jang, who is a marvelous comic writer herself. Check out her comic Azteca).


At this point, it’s all in the (very capable) artist’s hands, and soon I’ll have a link to share. All I can say is that it involves zombies (natch) and a certain favorite storyteller of mine.

Summer Plans

As if a film festival and comic project weren’t enough, there’s some big news on a more personal front: the Professor and I are in the midst of planning our first international trip together! We’ll be spending two weeks this summer in beautiful Thailand (mostly in Bangkok), hosted by some very generous friends. It still feels very surreal, but incredibly exciting.

Photo by D.Alyoshin

We haven’t had an adventure of this caliber since…well, ever! So, any tips and tricks for these newbie globe-trotters is most welcome.