Dammit! Damn you old TV!

So I have an old RCA TV. Not really vintage old, but 80s old. Similar to this TV in the pic, but probably older because it doesn't have the different buttons for numbers. In fact, without being hooked up to cable, it only goes up to channel 53 - which really sucked because here in Philadelphia, America's Next Top Model is on channel 57 - the first season I had to have a friend tape it because I didn't have cable and couldn't access that high of a channel through my TV!

But that's another story. The story here is, I lost my remote a few months ago. Now, the remote isn't extravagant - gigantically huge, yet the only options are channel up and channel down, volume up and volume down, mute (which really just makes it really quiet, not mute) and power. The TV itself has only the same options, except the volume buttons don't work.

Summary? Without the remote I can't change the volume. It's stuck on a very low volume that I can only hear in absolute silence and psychic concentration. One day the power went out and the TV came back on with excessive volume. I gave the TV buttons a try and low and behold! The volume down button worked! But curses, volume up doesn't work, and of course I lowered the volume too much. I've tried pulling the power cord while the set is on in hopes of recreating the high volume but alas, it doesn't work.

Super summary? Nightmare on Elm Street 2 is on and I can't hear it!! Augghhh! Dammit it to hell... until I decide to invest in a HD TV or move (really planning on the moving part) I refuse to buy a new TV. For now, I suffer.

I guess it's not so bad... I bought this TV 8 years ago for $20, and even at the time it was probably 20 years old, so it's not like a financial detriment. Just annoying.

The Price Is Right - or is it wrong (bitch!)

So now that Drew Carey is host of The Price is Right, greatest gameshow EVER, I've noticed a couple things worth noting. One, the game Plinko is now almost daily (I don't get to watch the show daily, so I may be wrong here).

One of the best things about Plinko, aside from just being generally awesome, was that it wasn't as common as other games. Will it be ruined now that it's so common?

Another observation. Mind you I love all things Drew Carey, he is tops in my book, but every time someone spins the big wheel (one of my dreams), he asks every single person each time "Is there anyone you'd like to say hi to?". Come on Drew, you're more creative than that! Once in a while is fine, or at various points in the game is fine, but it gets a bit redundant here! Reference other things from the show, the games they played, what they're wearing, the weather, anything!

He seems a bit disconnected and less personal than Bob Barker, although less orange which is a plus. Drew's filling the spot, but is he embodying (sp?) the persona? I think the grand conclusion here is that I must fulfill my dream of being a contestant and coming up with redesigns of my rhinestone glitter "I love Bob" shirts and see first hand. There is no other way.

SNL Memories

I'm watching Saturday Night Live's episode of the best of Will Farrell, and I'm oddly reminded of one my favorite moments on SNL, when Ana Gasteyer played Martha Stewart and is doing some sort of shout out/listing of people she wants to mention, which includes "and my good friend, Ghostface Killah."

This always brings a smile to my face... I wish I could find a video of it, but more than 5 seconds of google searching bores me. Sigh...

Revelation and a Recipe - Chocolate Pumpkin Cake!

So this began as a blog about my vintage and crafty stuff. Since about 5 months went by without crap being posted, I'm just making this my home for whatever - ramblings, thoughts, what have you. I'm lazy (surprise!), so whatever whenever, who knows. I'm bored right now so this is what I'm thinking. Does anyone even read this? Then it matters how much? Exactly.

Right now I'm baking a cake. An experimental cake! Hopefully it turns out, it's always a shot in the dark, depending what kind of flour I have on hand (I can't have gluten, which is a baking essential, so baking is kind of hard/interesting for me). I use a "crazy chocolate cake" recipe that I just use whatever flour with... it usually turns out ok. This time I added pumpkin pie mix for excitement/boredom/craving. In about 30 minutes we'lll see!

Recipe:

1.5 cups flour (tonight I used rice flour... chickpea flour works pretty well too)
1 cup sugar (I always use raw sugar)
1 tablespoon baking soda
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
.5 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoon oil (I don't do dairy/butter)
1 teaspoon vanilla (I think, I've been out of it for a while so i skip it)
1 cup oil
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 cup water
1/2 can pumpkin pie filling (tonight for the first time! normally without, also tonight less oil)

Mix dry ingredients. Then add wet ingredients. Mix (with a spoon or fork, nothing extravagant). I like to add a sprinkling of raw sugar on top for a little extra fun/flavor. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-30 minutes (check until done). Let cool - the longer it cools the more chance it has for less crumbling, hopefully. Depends on your patience. (Note: measurements may not be exact... but good enough!)

Normally it turns out good. I've made it for other normal-diet people and they've liked it (when I'm feeling fancy I'll make a berry sauce to go with it (simmer berries (raspberries, strawberries, whatever) with some maple syrup) and it's pure decadence (at least in my mind). Plus, it's really quick and easy.

Update: It's super crumbly, but soooo delicious... just a touch too sweet!

Saturday Night Excitement

Ok, so that's a lie. Want to know what the excitement is? The discovery of this site - thriftstoreadventures.blogspot.com. Only one word can describe this little blog - AWESOME. In an act of motivation to move far away, I've put a hiatus on needless accumulation of "stuff" in general, but this site totally makes me want to collect any whim that catches my eye. What shall I do...

So Many Seashells...

So I have an extensive, growing collection of shells. Everytime I go to the beach, I come home with a bag full of shells... and I love the beach so you can do the math. Beyond clutter my home with them (I'm running out of space), I'm trying to figure out what to do with them. I made a mosiac table with them (still needs more resin to cover), but I know there's more. These sailor's valentines are kind of neat. Most of the craft ideas I'm finding are kind of hokey or are like hippy jewelry (not my style). Why do so many craft sites not include pictures? I mean, I have an imagination and can figure things out pretty well on my own, but sometimes things that sound like great ideas end up turning out pretty ass, and if someone's going to all the trouble of writing step by step instructions, then post a picture! Is it that hard? I usually just go by pics for ideas, and figure out and change the process on my own. Sorry, rant there. Back to shells. So yeah, I have a growing collection of miscellanous jars, candy dishes, and random spots for displaying my shells... I just know there's some fantastic plan for all of them... until then I'll just keep collecting. (And woohoo! I'm going to the beach in Florida in 2 weeks and will get more to add!)

Best Time Waster Ever

KittenWar.com. Holy mother of crap, I thought cuteoverload.com was as cute as cute could get, but this is like the super cuteness of that site, minus the annoying baby talk, plus the addictiveness of hotornot.com, minus the creepiness of quick public judgment. Can't. Stop. Clicking. Cuteness. And I don't even really like cats....