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.

Life at High School...again!

It's the end of my first week in high school, and it's more fun than I anticipated sharing classes with a bunch of teens and young adults.
It's easier than I thought to follow the lessons, and the fact is, I'm enjoying myself - I don't know if I will when homework begins to catch up with us...

Fun facts about the HS:
- no toilet paper in the restrooms. Or soap, or towels (not even paper towels), or heaters, or mirrors... I have no idea why (maybe they get stolen?). I guess we are lucky to have waste baskets for sanitary napkins. It's funny though. Now that flu season approaches, how do they expect us to take care of our health? Of course, we have been told already to get our flu vaccinations. The first thing that I tossed in my bag was hand sanitizer. It's going to be a long winter...
- Walls covered with graffiti.
- I have a locker. Yay! First one I got in my life! :)

I think this course is going to be a great way to find myself as a person and to better myself. I am a bit anxious about tests and such, but I hope my old studying habits will kick in and in the end everything will be all right.

The only thing that bothers me a bit is the lack of time to keep writing my novels. I guess I will have to use the recess time...

The Raven trailer

Oh my goth, it's going to be AWESOME!!

See the video.

A new turn to my life

I just came back from formalizing my application to Lab Technician studies. My classes start on Tuesday! They will take two years to complete, and hopefully I will be able to find work in a clinical or science laboratory.

It is going to be fun, but also a lot of work. I hope my minis won't get left behind in the process, and that I have enough time to keep creating.