Necronomicon Fun!

...or maybe Necronomicon Madness is more appropriate! What a whirlwind weekend it was, but worth every damn minute! I don't even know where to begin! But I guess the craziness officially began when I started plotting out some rather, well, Non-Euclidean cupcakes :-D.

There's nothing I love more than the hustle and bustle of running around my kitchen getting a cake and various other treats ready. But the production of these were turned up to almost warp speed!  Now I know they aren't my best looking work, but there was a lot that went into these with less than 48 hours to go before we had to leave for the con! Not to mention transport TO Providence and then keeping them cool 'til our epic Arkham Horror Book Club meeting on Saturday evening! Let me tell ya, I was freezing for a good chunk of our trip for the sake of my craft!  But it was all worth it in the end! The tentacles got a little melty but I think it actually made them look a little creepier! My fellow AHBC'ers absolutely loved them and that's all that matters!!

Upon arrival to Providence on Thursday evening, we had the honor and privilege to work and participate at the H.P. Lovecraft Bronze Bust Unveiling at the Providence Athaneaum. What a wonderful experience it was! You know it's going to be a good time when the first person you run into at the Forbidden Fountain is none other than Lovecraft himself! I'm talking about the fabulous Leeman Kessler of the "Ask Lovecraft" YouTube video series! If you haven't checked those videos out by now, please do! He truly does a remarkable job with them! I don't think I've ever met a sweeter human being! He came all the way from Toronto for the con! And we were lucky to have him to pal around with for most of the weekend :)! 

As I mentioned earlier, Yeti and I were technically working at the event and making sure to not let in the riff-raff by checking people in at the door! I have to say I'm incredibly proud of how I handled myself when S.T. Joshi (who is THE authority on Lovecraft) showed up right in front of me to check in. I think I said something like "You're all set, just go in!" The bust itself was truly breathtaking. Bryan Moore, the artist behind it, did a marvelous job capturing Howard's likeness. The bust is now on permanent display downstairs at the Athenaeum. What a fitting tribute to a man who spent much of his time there while growing up in Providence!

The next morning (Friday), we were up bright and early to begin working at the registration table! What a fun experience it was! It took some time to work out some of the kinks but once we were all on the same page, everything flowed together nicely. All the guests and speakers began checking in (including Stuart Gordon, AHHHH!!!!)  and the vibes in the air were nothing short of fantastic! Everyone was excited and ready to immerse themselves in the insanity-inducing world of Lovecraft. Of course we would not have been able to participate in such an incredible event if it were not for the efforts of one special lady who has been working her ass off and deserves all the praise in the world for her efforts! She is the one and only, Ms. Mallory O'Meara!

What can I say about this truly remarkable young lady that hasn't already been said about her! Between running three chapters of the Arkham Horror Book Club, organizing a walking tour of Lovecraft's Arkham, working on the Bronze Bust Project Team and organizing ALL of the volunteers for the Con, I don't know how she does it! She reminds me a lot of myself when I was her age. Seriously where did all my enthusiasm for awesome things go? We are so lucky to have such a wonderful friend in our lives. Thank you, Mallory! We love you!

Friday went by in a flash and soon enough we were starting to get ready for the Eldritch Ball which was happening that very evening! Normally my vintage-era-of-choice falls somewhere between the late 1940's - early 60's, so when I had to find something to wear that fell between 1890 - 1936 (the length of Lovecraft's life) I was a tad bit thrown off. But I think Yeti and I pulled it off and looked rather dashing as a result! It was such a blast seeing everyone's creative costumes and fun masks! The dance floor was rarely empty thanks to the haunting tunes of Alec K. Redfearn and the Eyesores! It wasn't until the band stopped and the Spook Show took over that there was any sort of lull during the evening.  Here are just a few shots from that lovely evening. I didn't get many full length shots of myself at the ball  unfortunately (since I was taking most of the pictures) but as soon as I get some I'll share those as well!

Honestly, Saturday morning was kind of a blur! To be honest, I was still somewhat bleary eyed from the previous evenings events (Thursday included). Late nights partnered with very early mornings make for a very cranky Jo! I don't think I truly woke up until after lunch, ice cream and a nap. Thankfully, our little registration table had quieted down just a tad, but there was still plenty to do and see throughout the Biltmore and Hotel Providence. The real highlights of Saturday didn't come until later on in the day anyway. Yeti and I met up with Jessica (one of my oldest friends from high school), her husband Glen and their daughter Erin for dinner and frozen yogurt! It was so much fun to hang out with them and catch up! After that we made our way back to our hotel, packed up the tentacle cupcakes and headed off to the Trinity Brewhouse for the Arkham Horror Book Club Meet-up! What an amazing time we all had!! Great food, amazing beer and some of the best company anyone could ask for :). From there we headed over to the Providence River for WaterFire! Some of us actually got to participate in the very strange-but-fun cultist processional through the crowd which was followed up by the even more bizarre Cthulhu Puppet Show, in a manner of speaking. That's what it looked like to me anyway :). What a spectacle it was! I only wish they could've gotten the big Cthulhu they had to stand up straight. All that build up and it seemed that the stars weren't exactly right just yet. I wish I could' ve taken a few pictures but both my camera AND my phone were hidden under my cultist robe (There's a phrase I never thought I would say!).  This is the only shot I got all night :-/. 

After another quick sleep, Sunday morning arrived and I woke up with a heavy heart. I was sad because our wonderful time in Providence was coming to a close.I knew we would be saying goodbye to some amazing people. Some we may not see again for a fairly long time or maybe never again. But I tried to put on a happy face and we ended our Lovecraftian weekend in the only proper way we could: At the Cthulhu Prayer Breakfast, of course! What a service it was! It was the most fun I've had at "church" in several years! There was a cultist choir and some hilarious speakers! Let me tell you, Robert Price is the kind of preacher I can get behind! 

In closing, we had such a blast at Necronomicon. With the exception of one snafu that will go unmentioned everyone was lovely and an absolute joy to spend time with. We all came together to honor a man who never saw fame in his lifetime and probably wouldn't know what to do with all this attention directed toward him. I've heard it said that they are trying to put another con together for 2015 and I certainly hope all the proper pieces fall into place so they can! I'm absolutely looking forward to the next gathering of the fine Lovecraftian folk that we met over the weekend. 

Until next time, readers ;)....

                                                                                                                  

           

Uhhhh....Testing, 1,2?

Is this thing on?

Oh good. I just figured i'd check since my last post was apparently May 5th. What kind of ridiculousness is that?? What in the world am I doing with my time? Between cake decorating classes, baking everything under the sun, getting back to the gym (I can't even type that without chuckling to myself), engagements with family and friends, marathoning Doctor Who with Yeti, work obviously, taking care of my home etc., I guess I just haven't had time to sit down and bang out some short stories/blog entries. I know I've been busy but I didn't realize I was so busy that I let my poor little blog fall to the wayside! I need to work on fixing that! I know I say that all the time, but, i'm serious this time! Really I am!

I've been thinking about life a lot lately. Maybe it's because I live with Yeti whose brain only shuts down to sleep for a few hours. Even when he wakes up first thing in the morning, he's contemplating philosophical questions and political debates. I don't know how he does it. My biggest problem when I wake up in the morning is what I'm going to eat for breakfast. I need at LEAST two cups of coffee before my brain starts to function properly. I don't know if that's good or bad.

It could also be because i'm very rapidly coming up on my 30th birthday. I know i'm probably making it out to be a bigger deal than it actually is but it's certainly a milestone. I remember turning 20 and thinking about turning 30 in ten years. "But 30 is so far away! I've got plenty of time to play!" And then 9 ridiculously fast years later, I realized that I was almost 30 and still didn't know what I wanted to be when I grow up. I think I know now but, honestly, does anyone really know? I think i'm feeling that if I don't do something now and make some changes the time will never come again. Why is it that 30 is the magic number to make people question these things? It's just a number after all. Although I guess it could be viewed as that dreadful number smack dab in the middle of ones life. But humans are living so much longer these days. When will 40 become the new 30? Most of my friends from my high school years have turned 30 and they seem to have come out of it unscathed. So what exactly is my problem?

I think i'm just worried that i'm wasting too much time. The old adage of "Use it Or Lose It" becomes more and more gut-wrenching to think about the older I get. Am I really using my time and talents to my advantage? Am I trying hard enough to make sure my voice is heard?  Is there anything I could be doing better? Anyone who knows me well enough knows that I don't like sitting around and doing nothing. "There are 24 usable hours in everyday" is what I always say. Even in that state of mind, I always wonder if I could be doing more. I'm not a person who likes to "rest" easily. Sometimes I wonder if I should get up earlier just to get everything done that I want to do! Maybe I just need to focus more on things that make me happy and that I WANT to do instead of things that I NEED to do. I'm slowly but surely learning how to balance those things out.

My cake decorating and baking are really something I want to focus on. As I've stated before on this blog, I come from a family of decorators but my father and grandmother only ever did it as a hobby. I believe, and always will that if the opportunity ever arose to turn their skills into a business that they absolutely would have. I often wonder if they regret that decision not to embrace their passion for cake decorating and baking. But of course I could be all wrong entirely and maybe they just thought of it as something fun to do rather than something that could be a career. For me personally, it's something I can see myself doing form sunrise to sundown and not getting tired of. Here are some examples of my work so far since my last post:

 Two weeks or so ago, Yeti and I were talking about how our local bakery closes up at 6pm! I was put off by this and didn't understand why they closed so early when they could surely make more money when people get out of work. Then he explained "Well they open around 5, I think. So they probably have to even BE there at 4 just to start baking everything fresh! That's probably why they close so early." And I thought that was the greatest thing. Just waking up and baking and decorating all day. Maybe even writing in between baking and decorating all day. How wonderful!!

So starting today, with 29 days to go before my 30th birthday, I will be officially opening up shop for business!! If you need a cake, cookies, cupcakes or anything dessert-related for your next event, i'm your girl! There's no project too big or too small! I will tackle it with blood, sweat and tears if I have too! But I promise, no bodily fluids will touch your cake! I'm working on getting some business cards made and I may even start up a separate blog page to keep everyone updated on my progress/different projects! So tell your friends! Tell your mom! Tell your friend's mom! Tell your mom's friend! The Jostess Bakery* is finally ready for the challenge! 

I do hope you'll consider me for your next big gathering or party! I'm looking forward to spreading my wings and embracing this brand new venture. Don't hesitate to contact me with any questions you might have! I'm really excited about this news and I hope you are too!