Take A Weird Break

New Addictive Tumblr Alert!

When I first arrived in Ireland nearly *gasp* nine years ago, my good friend Joanne introduced me to the most MENTAL of literary genres... the British "true life stories" magazine. Yep. You've got your 'Take A Break' your 'Pick Me Up' and of course, my very favorite... 'Chat'

Anyone who has come across these in newsagents will know the hilarity the headlines provide. Usually the story isn't quite as horrific and grim as it appears on the cover, but they are entertaining none the less. And great for their "tips" section... a hem. One of my favorites was a mother who, instead of buying skim milk, bought whole milk, watered it down and then served it to her family as skim milk... What money saving genius! EWWW.

Anyways, I've left my Chat addiction behind, but I can still get my fix on a brand new Tumblr site which gives you just the headlines... sure that's the most entertaining part anyway isn't it?

So here you go: http://www.takeaweirdbreak.com/

Sweets for your sweet

Happy Valentines Day my friends!

As y'all know, I am a broke as a joke recession victim... But ho ho! Am I a negative nelly? Do I sit on a pity pot? Not me! No, I'm more of a fan of the aul "build a bridge" school of thinking, and know that lack of money doesn't mean I can't lavish my love with romantic gestures (which by the way, should not only be reserved for Hallmark holidays).

So here's my ideas for a cheapie but thoughtful Valentines pressie.

I am a very lucky lady with a fella who has a penchant for baking... He's been perfecting his lemon cake recipe lately and here's my Valentine's present from him.


Then of course... you did it in school, why not do it now? Homemade cards of course! So much cheaper, so much more awesome thoughtfulness. Here's mine for my fella who (aside from the cake) refused to acknowledge this "fake" holiday.


Moving on...

Make BRUNCH!
Valentines Day being a Sunday makes the perfect setting for a romantic breakfast in bed. Here's some yum brunch ideas:

French Toast

Whip up some eggs & milk, add a good dash of cinnamon and (here's the secret to extra fluffy french toast) a couple of tablespoons of flour. Soak some thick bread (brioche if you've got it) in your concoction and fry up in a blob of hot melted butter or oil. Shake up a dash of powdered sugar and maple syrup on top... and YUM yerself OUT.

Breakfast Burritos!

A weekend staple in our house, there is very little that is as easy, filling and delicious as a good old breakfast burrito. You can make it veggie or meaty. I scramble up eggs, add some rice, salsa, sausages, a big handful of fresh spinach and season to taste. Warm up some tortillas, stuff em with your eggy fillings top with grated cheese... wrap it up, take a bite and wait for the taste boat.

Enjoy & Happy Valentines Day.

TOMORROWLAND!?!!?!

I haven't been to Disneyland in at least... 15 years, but I remember very very clearly that (aside from the Haunted Mansion - which is amazing) my favorite section was "Tomorrowland." Not because it predicted the future, but because it was like stepping back into the the 50s version of "tomorrow", aka the 60s, which, as a reader of this blog you'll know, I'm a bit obsessed with.

So I found it very amusing today when I ran across an article displaying 1940s Seagrams Whiskey Ads that "predicted the future." No jetpacks and flying cars in these ads, instead they pretty much had a spot-on vision of today's 3D movies, Mobile phones, Skype... oh and a weird grocery store on wheels (Tesco delivery?). Anyways, I enjoyed, so I figured you would too:

"Yesterday's Ads Predicted Today's Tech"

And now, for something completely different

I love chopped up video. I love nostalgia. Hope you do too:



It's like video upcycling. Mwha ha ha!
Okay, overdoing it on the upcycling theme? Uh, yeah.

Upcycling & geekery rolled into one

I'm a complete nerd... I own about a million hard drives (this comes with the territory of being a video editor), I love upcycling, and I love VHS tapes (nostalgia addict). So for other nerds I happened across an ultimate accessory: The VHS external harddrive. That's right, someone hollowed out an old VHS movie, stuck a USB drive in and voila! Nostalgic "memory" geddit? Ha! I kill me (that's courtesy of ALF).


Buy your own VHS drive on CentennialMerchant's Etsy Shop