The pear of anguish, impalement, and crappy shopping

So after a crazy, crazy weekend I come once more to my blog. Things move apace, my readers, what with my prepping for the Emilie Autumn concert (note the banner at the bottom of the blog), and making plans for my 'big buy'. The big buy is a piece of clothing that I purchase before the yuletide season and which makes me the star attraction at any event I go to. What this year's will be is still up in the air, though I'm very tempted by a red corset, a bustle jacket, and a short kimono dress. The pics below feature the three of them.

That aside, I also recently saw the Mother of Tears, a film by Dario Argento that completes his 'Three Mothers' cycle, which is a series of movies that feature three powerful and evil witches who are defeated, one after the other. I saw Suspiria - the first of the three - at a showing by my college's film club, and absolutely loved it. Now this isn't, admittedly, a steampunk movie in any way shape, or form, but it was a super creepy and violent romp (involving someone falling into a room full of razor wire and forever putting Saw to shame,) and given that I am a huge horror movie buff I was eager to see The Mother of Tears, which came out much more recently. So after chugging around on the internet for awhile I was able view it, and all I have to say is this: HOLY SHIT. There's alot of stupid in the movie, including some really atrocious dialogue, and more than a couple of gaping plotholes or obvious 'don't go in there!' type scares, but the big thing that made the movie absolutely bizarre to watch is the death scenes. As a history nerd and would-be museum curator, I have a fairly extensive knowledge of mediaeval torture devices, and this film features at least two EXTREMELY OBSCURE ones. I won't go into the nitty gritty about it, but know that it was as if someone had turned Dario Argento loose in the Spanish Inquisition (which no one expects) and said 'take whatever you want.'

Still looking for that steampunk lamp. Lots of good candidates are arraying themselves before me, and the question now arises as to whether or not it will sit on the desk or hang from the ceiling.

And finally, to revert to the mention of my weekend, I have a sort of 'mini-review' to share. Once I'd stabilized and wasn't reeling every time I stood up, my roommate and I packed ourselves into her car and drove to Ann Arbor, with the intent of getting her some period looking clothes for the concert. I'd done some online research and been informed that there was a shop called 'Adorn Me' that dealt in alot of lacy shirts and velvet coats, so I figured it was our best option. No sooner had we entered the shop, however, than I was proved deeply and egregiously wrong. The store was like a million boutiques across the US, featuring ugly hobo purses in technicolor leather with gilded chains, chunky plastic bracelets being sold for twice their actual worth (if not more), slouchy shirts that sag in all the wrong places, and enormous sunglasses that give one the appearance of being either a fighter pilot or a bug. Take your pick. I was thoroughly peeved, and my roommate and I beat a hasty retreat while trying not to make excessive faces or - in my case - dry heave from the highly chemical odor that permeated the whole place. So if you're ever in Ann Arbor, dear readers with any sense of taste, steer clear of Adorn Me.

Safe flying, airship pilots!