My first absinthe antiquity

Isn't it a beauty?  Picture from the Absinthe Originals website

My first antique absinthe spoon arrived today, and I could not be more happy.  It was a gift from my mom, and the first truly antique Absinthiana object I own.  It has some marks that tells it is from the past, but that only adds to its beauty.  It is a "Cuillère Ouvrageé 2".  I still have not had the time to investigate about it, but I definitely will.

It came from Absinthe Originals, one of the most trusted places for absinthe collectors to get real antique items, and highly recommended by my friends at the Wormwood Society.  You can be sure the owner of the site is not going to rip you off, and that he offers real jewels over there.  Not only spoons, but glasses, carafes, spoon holders and many more absinthe related pieces.  Even though some of the pieces are expensive (of course!), there are also affordable ones, and one has to start somewhere, right?

My friends tell me absinthe antiquities are like tattoos, once you get the first you cannot stop.  We'll see if they are right...

On vampires and blood

Hematology is one of the subjects on the lab tech course that I am doing, and I just love it.  Not only because it is fascinating, but also because I am a vampire lover, and when I realized I was going to have 15 hours a week of talks on blood I thought life could not get better (I’m kidding!).  I secretly hoped I could discover what exactly nourishes the vampire, and if it could be explained by science. 

So if you want to take the journey with me…

CRASH COURSE ON HUMAN BLOOD – for vampire lovers and the scientifically inclined (or both at the same time) – PART ONE.

Blood is a very simple substance, and at the same time, terribly complex.  It cannot be created (sorry, Ms Harris, True Blood will never exist, and the Japanese will not be able to invent it), and if someone needs it, it has to be donated.  An adult person has about 68-77 ml of blood per kilogram of weight.  Do the math and see how much blood you have.

Blood is a tissue made of living cells (erythrocytes, leukocytes and platelets), and plasma.

Erythrocytes are the commonly called red blood cells.  They are red because of the hemoglobin, which is a protein they carry inside that contains iron and that transports oxygen.  Red blood cells live up to 120 days, and we have around 4,500,000 erythrocytes per ml of blood. 

These are my favorites.

Leukocytes are the white blood cells (you may know them as they are part of our immune system).  They are the only blood cells that have nucleus.  We have 5,000-11,000 leukocytes per ml of blood.  There are 5 types of leukocytes: 
Neutrophils
Basophils
Eosinophils
Limphocytes
Monocytes

It would be long to describe them all, so let’s say that most of them have a life of hours or days, except the limphocytes, that can last for years – these are the ones that keeps us free of diseases because they keep a memory of the agents that enter our body and how they got rid of them.  That’s why they last for so long.

Platelets have a life of 10 days.  They are the agents that close up wounds when we get hurt (they stop the hemorrhage) , and we have 140,000-400,000 platelets per ml.

Plasma is the liquid fraction of the blood.  Of the total amount of blood, 50-55% is plasma, and the rest are the blood cells.  Plasma is composed of:

- 91.5% of water

- 7% of proteins (55% albumin, 38% globulins, 7% fibrinogen)

- 1.5% of other substances such as glucids, lipids, electrolytes and waste products

The fibrinogen is a protein that helps the blood get clotted.  A blood extracted can get clotted as fast as 3-7 minutes.  That’s why labs use anticoagulants when they extract blood that has to be preserved, be it for lab work or a blood bank.

So, after all this info, what’s your take?  Why vampires like blood so much and what is exactly the component that nourishes them?

Here are my thoughts on the matter:

It cannot be the plasma – it is mostly water, after all!  Maybe the proteins on it? Albumin… You can get that of eating eggs.  Not the fibrinogen.  After all, vampires do not lick blood that has been spilled and it’s clotted.  Well, some do.  Eli from “Let the right one in”.  But they usually don’t. 

The globulins then?  They are proteins with medium molecular weight…

What about the cells?  Oh, how they love the red color… Maybe it’s the erythrocytes.  The thing the erythrocytes have the most is the hemoglobin, which is mainly iron and oxygen.  They do not need the oxygen, as most folklores insist they are dead. 

Leukocytes are not needed either.  As dead people, they do not have diseases or infections.

Platelets are very, very small.  If they needed them, probably a whole person would not be sufficient per night.

Hold the thoughts while I am being taught in a few days about blood banks, and we’ll talk about the honorable vampires that want to live off them…

In the meantime, here are some pictures of slides of dyed blood I made.  I took them with my camera through the lens of the microscope.

The orange dots are erythrocytes.  The two purple dots are two basophils.

More erythrocytes.  To the top right, a neutrophil.  To the left, a monocyte.  The one that is further down is a lymphocyte.

Erythrocytes and an eosinophil.

A monocyte.  The tiny purple dots at the bottom are platelets.

And if you have read up until now, go and reward yourself with an erythrocyte, a leukocyte or a platelet.

A bit about corsets

I had thought about writing a series of posts about corsets for newbies, but after finding about the lovely Lucy, I think you better check out her YouTube channel, as well as her webpage to find out anything related to corsets.

Not only she provides thorough reviews on all kinds of corsets; she also offers tips on how to mend them, storage them, as well as videos about corsets and health.  If you can sew, you can also find information about how to make your own corsets and patterns.  If not, you can always ask her to make you your very own customized corset.  I am a big fan of hers :)

Also, if you are a Steampunk lover, you may want to check out the new 2012 collection of fantastic steampunk corsets.  You have them available at Corsets UK, if you live in Europe, and at Corset Story, if you live in the US.  You have available a review on one of these corsets by Lucy here.

A sample of the Steampunk Corset Collection

I have purchased from Corsets UK, and I am happy both with the service and the merchandise.  The corsets are great quality for off-the-rack garments, and very affordable, specially if you like variety in your wardrobe.

Trimester finished! And some other random things...

I am very, very happy. A couple of days ago I finished the second trimester of my lab tech course, and my grades are all very good! I have not studied for more than 15 years, and although it has been rough, I am satisfied with the results. Not only for the grades, but also for all the things that I am learning.

This past Halloween I went to class with my vampire fangs on, and I could not help but laugh at the thought that a lover of vampires is learning all there is to learn about blood: its composition, the way to storage it and preserve it, the intricacies of its formation... I joked with my teacher about the usefulness of all this info to write vampire stories. Did you know that blood can only be preserved a maximum of 40 days? And only after using a lot of anticoagulants and preservatives for it. So sorry, authors, a cellar of vintage blood is simply not possible. And if your vampires survive in blood from banks, they need to raid them at least once a month. I have always thought that living sources are easier if one does not finish them off...

If anyone is interested, please let me know and I will post a crash course on blood for the curious.

I have been lucky to have found three friends among my classmates. They are delightful and I love spending time with them, even after school.

More news. I have acquired two more corsets, and I love them. I am still breaking in one of them. One of my classes happens in a lab with tall chairs (like those in bars) and corsets are very helpful on those days to keep my back straight and without pain. My classmates envy them a little, but very few have expressed any interest in knowing about them, which I find quite strange.

Also, my lovely mom has gifted me a carafe. It is very similar to this one, although mine has a flower engraved in the carafe and the glass. I intend to use it for the ritual of my absinthe preparations - not the glass, maybe hubby can use it for his bourbon. I had been looking online for carafes with a vintage feeling for long, but although they were not very expensive, the shipping costs to Spain were killers (when they would ship internationally). Watching the English series "Sherlock Holmes" with Jeremy Brett, I saw Watson pouring water for a guest in one of the episodes, and he was using a carafe just like the one I wanted. I decided to tell my mom to keep an eye open for it, because she is always able to find any sort of thing in shops. And she did! Now I only have to go to buy me some more absinthe. My bottle of Obsello is near its end.

Also, on a less happy side, a recommendation for all of you that live in or near Madrid. Hubby and I have a favorite restaurant since we were teenagers. It is called "Rasputin", like the Russian monk. The people that work there own the restaurant themselves, and times are being hard on them. If you are curious about Russian food, it is very worthy a visit. Even if you are a picky eater, you are sure to find something that you would like. And who can say dinner (or lunch) for 22 euros plus drinks is expensive? And if 22 is too much for you, they have a menu for 17 euros plus drinks. Menus include a first course, a second course and dessert. If they like you they may even invite you to some vodka at the end of the meal. The service is very nice and attentive, and the decoration is overly dramatic, in red and gold (follow the link to see some pics on their website), with Russian accents everywhere - even a bust of Rasputin himself will greet you at your arrival. You are sure to impress your date if you bring him/her there.

We celebrated our wedding there, and we would hate to see the place forced to close. They are great people, and they deserve success.

I hope to be able to write more in the following days, since I am enjoying Spring break.

See you all around!

Last Absinthe Tray

This is definitely one of my favorite items. Unfortunately, it is also the last one that will be available, at least for some time.

I have run out of some of the components that I need to make this set. I am in the search for new suppliers, since I do not live in the US anymore. But until I find them, this particular set will not be offered again.
If you like this set, this may be your last chance to make it yours. Don't wait!
You can buy it at my shop.

Long time no see...

Please excuse the long long absence.

Since I began my studies, I haven't had the time to write anything other than my class assigments, and to read anything other than my lessons. It has been a long time since I last studied, and it is costing me a little more than I expected. On good news, I passed all my exams with good grades, so the first part of the year is accomplished! Two more parts to go, one of them coming up just in a month...

My writings and my shop have suffered my absence as well. I have barely been able to list anything new, and not a paragraph of a new novel since I finished the last one. I hope I can get even this summer, but as of now, any moment I can manage some time for myself, I just don't have the energy to craft or to write.

Since I really do not have anything new going on, I will share with you this beauty I found on a flower shop here in Madrid:

It is a natural (dyed) black rose. The wonderful thing is that it is preserved! It will not fade or decay, and it looks as if I just took it from the plant. It is not crisp and feels soft and flexible - although I do not touch it much. I could not believe it when I saw it on the glass window - it was the only one they had - and it just had to be mine. One of my philosopher's stones has been found! The mythical and impossible to breed black rose is resting comfortably on my living room - yes, I cheated a bit, don't hold it against me!

My, my, time flies!

It seems it was yesterday that I was beginning the lessons at high school! Today I have completed the first test, and we will be having finals by December. So much to do still!

But, for some fun stuff, I just wanted to point out this shop: Restyle. The lovely Lady of the Manners from Gothic Charm School draw my attention to them after they put up a give away contest for their line of purses. Oh, one of those purses had to be mine! Since I did not wait to win (or probably lose) the contest, I went ahead and bought one.

Since I did not have yet any stripy anything, I matched it up with a shirt - it is indeed a shirt, not a jacket.

I paid by PayPal, so no troubles there; except that the charge that PayPal charges sellers for their service they pass on to the customer (me, in this case) but since I had not bought from them before, I deemed it worth it just so there would be no hassles with credit cards and such. And it was just $2 anyway.

So, I chose the 4-day shipping option, and the purchase arrived today (in the time frame promised, but I am in Europe just like them). The order came in an envelope, both items inside plastic bags; there was nothing to be protected, so no issues with that. I am very happy with the purse. I just wanted a big purse to go to school so I did not have to use a backpack, which I don't like one bit. I love it! It's exactly as shown, and for my purposes big enough - I am used to small purses.

The shirt is of synthetic material, and does not have a tag with instructions for cleaning. I am guessing it would need cold wash and very soft ironing. It is not good by itself for winter, though - too thin. But I am sure it will be awesome with a black velvet jacket.

For the little money everything costs, I am happy with the articles. If you are on a budget there are lots of things you can buy without breaking the bank. Just do not expect an exceptional quality.