On the Joys of Soup

Dear Visitor(s),

On a dreary winter like the few days past in the Land of Roos where the weather is sunny one hour and then wild and stormy and cold the next, one must be grateful for the thing called good health. I was unfortunate enough to be struck down with influenza and had to stay in bed and stick to a diet of bread, water, medicine, cough lollies and also the comfort food called soup. I made up a basic recipe involving a few vegetables from the fridge.

Ingredients

1 stock cube of choice (for this one, I used chicken)
1 stick of carrot, grated
Cayenne Pepper, to taste
2 shakes of Chili Flakes
1 Celery stick, washed and chopped
1/2 an onion, diced small
1 small garlic clove, crushed
A Tomato, quartered
A small potato, quartered
A handful of spaghetti, broken in equal parts by hand
Mushrooms, with stalks sliced and the rest diced
A Handful of chicken meat (from the backside of the bird), shredded by hand
1/2 a teaspoon of Tamarind paste

First, boil a cup of water, then add the stock cube and add everything gradually except for the spaghetti, which is added next to last so it becomes al dente, lastly, add the cayenne pepper and then it's all done. Enjoy it with the comfort of a hearth and your pet or sibling beside you.

Good health and good luck,
Dandy Girl

Supanova with The Café: Part I

Dear Visitor(s),

Cloudy, with bouts of sunshine and freezing wind as with the Perthian winter staple of being unpredictable most times. I sojourned past the City and to the dome of the Showgrounds for the annual celebration that is Supanova with my friend Sam (who I made the acquaintance at a concert a few years ago) and his lady, Laura. Sam dressed up as Hunk from the gore and zombie decked Resident evil, whilst the lady decked herself up with cat ears and boots and myself, an Elegant Gothic Aristocrat with blue hair and a symbol below my eye in honor of Alex of A Clockwork Orange. The dome itself was bedecked with stalls and many strange and costumed folk (of which I took many pictures) of good repute, such as the local fan-club for the series of Doctor Who (with a Dalek opposite the stall itself), Quality Comics, White Dwarf Books and many others I haven't the memorial capacity to list. We stopped by at the silly antics of a wrestling bone-headed muscle man against a brave geek-lad (who was applauded by me; kudos for standing against an enemy with the nerve to label us all losers). I was photographed and hounded myself by friendly people and people not in costume at all, with Sam complaining of an itchy nose and occasional bouts of "Mummy, are you my mummy?" by the gentlemen occupying the Who stall as we clambered for shots of the gigantic Dalek creature. A few hours later of wandering around, we stopped at what served as the cafeteria, where the three of us sipped orange juice in cartons and planned where to go while Sam ducked off for the costuming competition registration and I thought of withdrawing money of which I didn't, since the Teller was occupied all the while. Meanwhile, a group awaited us two at the center of stalls back inside...

Stay tuned
DandyGirl

In the Company of One and Many

Dear Visitor(s),

I was awarded the advanced screening of Kung-Fu Panda by the competition in the local papers and rounded up a group of friends to go see the moving picture with me in a place called Greater Union and enjoying the company of a gentleman friend by the name of Rick who is linked to a friend of mine from yore, Matthew New, twin of Michael. We enjoyed each others' company in the Sizzler restaurant outside of Greater Union two hours and a half before the movie itself started by the salad and drink bar, whereas I on the other hand, had the patience and the stomach to wait for my meal of steak and mashed potatoes with calamari, topped with pepper steak sauce whilst talking to Rick who appeared earlier in the drink bar looking rather lost, since he says he hadn't been in a Sizzler restaurant since the age of childhood. Rick himself is a jovial fellow, mannerly in his ways and lively bordering on cheeky, as evidenced by the talk of rather lewd and rowdy gentleman's subjects involving flesh, nakedness, two people in a room and leather amongst the subjects of talking about his pet scorpion, his love, his job (working in an apothecary) and of course his depraved childhood of not going to a Sizzlers restaurant more than once. The lady at the counter remembered us as loud and even louder in ways of dress; it could be my way of dressing looking like a cross between a Droog and a Gangster wearing copious amounts of black with pinstripes with "bondage" written on my clothes in ways of metal bits and faux-leather straps resembling restraints and a fedora which I took off in the restaurant. Being a leisurely eater as I am, I ate the slowest, while everyone else on the table ate and conversed with great gusto looking forward to dessert, trying to assist me with the completion of my meal. After all, what are friends for? We exited the eatery with as much enthusiasm as when we came in, eliciting many stares and gazes thanks to me and my supposedly bizarre tastes in clothing, with one woman behind us (who was with the rest of her family, plus child) remarking on my boots and her not wanting to trip on them if she ever wanted to move forward, since the line was as long as a convention's entrance line. The movie itself was enjoyable, minus the part of the "introduction" done by the organizers of the competition for the said passes. We spent the rest of the night charging down the highway in wild abandon just to get home.

Much love,
Dandy Girl

Guilty Pleasures

Dear Visitor(s),

It is with great delight that I gather myself up from the books and the dust and set forth into The City on a sunny June day despite the strangeness of winter and picked up the following:

1. The Pirate Demonia boots I held on lay-by; The other pair of boots made by the same folks in my possession is old and they are a hassle to put on. Let's see... Three pairs of socks to just avoid rather bad blisters alone, several frustrating minutes trying to painfully zip up the sides for both boots and finally the slow, tedious lacings of them which takes most of the early hours of morning to do.
   
2. A ring that finally fits my small and dainty finger.
3. Lipstick in the wintry shade of dark blue.
4. A new pair of frilly, lacy stockings in black; my regular ones are getting out of shape and are developing holes, egads!
   
5. An eye-pencil in black to do the designs under my eye ala Alex DeLarge or Death of The Endless.

Both of the ladies from the separate stores I visited are quite keen on receiving the photographs for the outing I prepared for during the weekend, I suspect that they will both use the pictures as a mode of advertising their respective wares. On another note, I saw a friend of mine of the Park Bunch, Telly and his brigade roaming the city not once, but twice! I addressed him in passing with just a smile and a nod, for I wasn't in my usual outerwear this day to make the shopping a little easy on myself, even if I felt honestly embarrassed even in passing glimpse.

Yours,
Dandy Girl

On Modern Lackings

Dear Visitor(s),

It saddens me in the modern world to see that we have thrown away courtesies, kindness and patience for wanton speed and impatience. Today I heard and saw the following whilst working at the usual eatery:

1. I greeted the customers and not one acknowledged my presence with a reply of "Hello.." or the more modern (and rather curt) "Hi..."; some of them who did greet me did so with less warmth than I myself have done or with a regrettable pang of artificiality.
2. The distressing and worry-inducing utterance and curse of; "For f***'s sake..." One does wonder how such a rather ill-tempered and portly woman manages the beings around her called children while she navigates her way through whilst not being in a little auto-related mishap.
3. No thanks given for the service I provide: at this, I myself let out a small, inaudible sigh. I may not be the one slaving away in a steamy kitchen, but still, I would like some thanks, just like everyone else who works where I do.
4. "I'm sorry. No, not really.": Alright, how should I start at this conundrum? I remember that it started with the accident of a spillage. If it is truly a customer's fault, they should at least apologize for calling us up to clean a mess that they could avoid in future and not mock us or say anything tinged with sarcasm. A dandy-lady such as myself wonders if these dining ruffians/Dandy and Gentleman poseurs treat their women in this manner also, which is quite unforgivable in my book.
5. The playing of loud automobile music: The playing of music is quite alright in my opinion, but does everyone who owns an auto must play music at a loud volume with their windows down? Not everyone likes the music another might enjoy these days, and plus I would like to keep my hearing as long as I can to appreciate songs of my own, for I am not at the ripe old age of losing my ears just yet. It is a surprise that the young man doesn't get arrested by traffic police for the excessive volume.

It is something of a defeat according to this rather long and detailed listing, but I must press on despite society's failings and win at least one victory before the week is out.

Yours, etc.
Dandy Girl

Lessons in The Chaos Merry-Go Round

Dear Visitor(s),

Karma and chaos or the opposing forces in the universe. It is with proof from many religions and peoples that these forces truly exist and despite the Age of Science and perhaps, mind-bogglingly sterile skepticism akin to today's children in the playground getting allergies, these things show themselves regardless when it comes to people and animals and how we treat them. As a dandy working in a restaurant run by a multi-million corporation fighting against the forces of blandness and a lack of individuality, I see this every time I work, seeing how being a fellow Discordian seems to be relevant to this as well in more ways than one. For instance:

1. Greeting the customers, which is a matter of smiling, or waving and saying something relevant such as "May I help you?" is not just good manners, ladies and gents, it gives you good points.
2. Things falling off other things: Yes, that's Eris doing everything, not just you.
3. Tripping over: See Number Two.
4. Making mistakes: Some people say it's human, but then again, it's chaos too, especially when you serve so many others.
   

I simply regard it as something a Being From Upstairs does as a way to not let us perish slowly in a universe of blandness and routine, but, dear visitors, this is the way I see it as I walk the world.

Many happy café gatherings,
Dandy Girl

Winter Music in the Café

Dear Visitor(s),

With the onset of winter, it is good to do following: to rug up, lower gas bills whilst we are all at it, going back to more heartier food such as soups, stews and roasts, drinks such as the all-important tea and the addition of hot chocolate and of course: music. Music has been listed as the most important addition to one's life, whether it is provided by CD, radio, gramophone or the technologically advanced MP3 player which appears in many forms in this day and age. The music in question is The Dresden Dolls and their new album, No, Virginia... Which characterizes the winter over here perfectly: slow, slightly undecided, merry, saddening, rainy or lightly summery due to the bi-polar behavior of Mother Nature with bouts of randomness in between. This my first exposure with The Dresden Dolls in terms of how my collection goes, but in terms of instruments, loudness and chaos is good in small amounts.

Many happy café gatherings,
Dandy Girl

On the Subject of: Moving Forward (Or, Finding Occupations)

Dear Visitor(s),

On the subject of Letting Go when it comes to "Certain Relationships" I get reminded by like-moded folk such as myself to forget, move on and find a hobby, even though such activities or plans of them seem too harrowing to bear for people like myself. After all, it is imperative that activities are created or found to be done in this age where relationships from friendships to family never last more than a year and no one seems to care for either party, whether attached or alone. So, what to do? My Visitors? Simple.

1. Any flowers given, will be burned, ripped and buried (the plastics used for encasement however, shall be binned approprately).
2. Any gifts should be given to charity regardless or sold on EBay.
3. Messages should be deleted from the Mobile Telegram Receiving/Sending Device and/or The Anbar Powered Multi-Purpose Calculator Engine.
   
4. Messages that are written should receive treatment from Step 1.
5. Photos received should receive similar treatments as per Step 1 or Step 3 depending on the recorded medium.
6. Numbers of Him in the Mobile Telegram Receiving/Sending Device should be deleted promptly.
   
7. Connect with fellow lady-friends and gentleman-friends, for they will provide advice, comfort and simple entertainments (including going out for the all-important tea, the moving pictures, Joyriding In A Packed Motorized Auto Carriage In The Countryside, doing out-of-the-blue activities ala A Clockwork Orange minus the glorified ultraviolence, etcetera).
8. Reconnect with old, abandoned hobbies (in my case, it would be learning the piano, the creation of moving pictures and walking the over sized load of a rat called a chihuahua).
9. Forget about what has happened, for He isn't worth remembering and will eventually become one of those bits of wasted space memory-wise.
10. Remember that your parents have met each other during their early to late twenties or much later, furthering the old saying of, "There is plenty more fish in the sea." and that you will find someone a lot more worthier.

I hope that this, along with other pieces of similar information found in girl's magazines will help some, for writing this was quite cathartic.

Many happy café gatherings,
Dandy Girl