It's on the Frakkin Ship! or a Battlestar Galactica Obsession

Over the past few months Matt and I have been obsessively watching Battlestar Galactica, the re-done SciFi (I'm sorry, SyFy) version. We absolutely loved it, but were particularly blown away by the Season 3 Finale and then by the actual Series Finale.

For any fan of SciFi I recommend this series, it is absolutely incredible from beginning to end. Fascinating characters, great plot and dialogue and fantastic acting. I can't believe it took me this long to see it.

The basic gist is that man created machines and the machines rebelled and nuked Caprica (the planet the humans lived on). Some Cylons (as the machines are called) have evolved and look like humans, and can therefore be anywhere. Some Cylons don't even know that they are Cylons. Battlestar is the story of how the surviving humans search the stars for a planet called Earth that most believe to be a myth.

It is four seasons of just plain pure awesome.

Updates and Obsessions

Updates:  I will continue to add older bookmarks into the "Sale" category and I plan on finally photographing all the new greeting cards sometime this week. Hopefully I'll be able to solve my computer issues and have the photos edited and ready to be listed before Thanksgiving.

In the meantime, there are still wonderful choices in the store - and let me just say bookmarks are wonderful companion gifts for books or gift cards for bookstores!


In other news, I have had a lot of media obsessions this month. Here's a little taste of what we are loving right now.

Books: re-reading The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley and loving it just as much as last time. In the wings: Draughtnot by Cherie Priest, sequel to Boneshaker (which I loved!).

Music: we've become obsessed with Mumford and Sons, in particular their song Little Lion Man



TV: we are currently getting into Battlestar Galactica. Loved Season One and eagerly looking forward to renting or buying Season 2. Stupid Cliffhangers!

Movies: Eagerly awaiting Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1. Haven't really had the chance to get out to the movies lately, so this will be a real treat.

What are you loving this month?

Weekend Adventures

 This weekend was full of absolutely beautiful weather, day trip adventures and relaxation (for the most part). Saturday we spent a good couple hours reading outside in the sunshine. Matt is on the last Dark Tower book and I'm on the first. We grilled (first of the season, I believe) hot dogs and burgers for dinner and watched Radioland Murders before bed.

Sunday we half-spontaneously took a day trip to Lexington Massachusetts to visit the National Heritage Museum's Jim Henson Exhibit. I've been waiting to go see this exhibit ever since I heard about it months ago so it was great to just decide and go. Unfortunately, no photographs were allowed, so I just have my words to say that it was a great trip.

I've had a Henson obsession ever since I was little. It started mostly with watching re-runs of the Muppet Show and then grew with my Labyrinth attachment. I own a handful of Henson and Creature Shop related books and just love the company and it's work so much. I've even thought about trying to get a job there.

Point being, it was super exciting to be able to go to this exhibit and see Jim Henson's sketches and doodles along with several of the actual Muppet puppets. Rowlf, Burt and Ernie, Mahna Ma Na (and friends) were all there to be viewed along with a nice selection of props and clothes from The Dark Crystal. Sadly, there were no Labyrinth props but I know they are promoting Dark Crystal because they are making another one so I'm okay with that.

If you are anywhere near Lexington Mass (we were about a two hour drive away) and are a fan of Jim Henson - I highly recommend taking the trip. There is free admission and a few other cool exhibits going on at the museum as well. Jim Henson's Fantastic World is on display through June 27th and I think it might be traveling after that too.

Obsession of the ... : Erin Mckeown

photos by matt pattavina

 Erin McKeown is the most purely joyful entertainer I have seen live, if not ever than in a very very long time. From the second she bounced up on stage with a true smile on her face, playing a guitar almost as big as she is, I was mesmerized. Her music is at the same time folky, bluesy and completely original. I first heard her song "Queen of Quiet" on a mix cd Matt made for me about two years ago and was immediately hooked. Seeing her perform for the first time was a wonderful experience and I can't wait to see her perform live again.

Erin McKeown loves to perform. You can tell from the constant smile on her face, the joking with the audience and the sing a longs she incites. She loves playing the guitar, going off on occasional tangents and even playing with the squeek in the stage floor. Seeing her perform in such a small, intimate place as The Space also added to the performance - making it feel like she was singing to each individual.

If you are looking for some new, amazing music, I highly recommend giving a listen to Erin McKeown. I'm not much of a reviewer, but this woman is an amazing musician :) 

Ooops !

Yesterday, apparently I thought it was Thursday, or I was just super excited about Alice in Wonderland. Either way, I did my Thursday post instead of my usual YTT post and for that I say - OOPS! .. It's sort of too late for the YTT post, so we'll pick that up again next week.

For now I'm just going to gush for a moment about Studio Ghibli, a Japanese animation company (now?) owned by Disney. I first heard of Studio Ghibli with the release of Howl's Moving Castle. I had read the book years before and was excited to see an animated version. I really loved the style of animation and thought it was a pretty close adaptation of the book. Since then I've seen Spirited Away (perhaps their most well known movie) and Ponyo (the newest). Last night we discovered an older film from the company called Castle in the Sky. Though I didn't enjoy it as much as the other films, this movie is filled with beautiful animation, good characters and the same great sense of humor. It also has a touch of Steampunk about it, which made us happy.

What is your favorite Studio Ghibli film? Or am I introducing you to this world for the first time?

OOW: Re-Designing

First I would like you to know that Audrey at Audzipan Anthology has featured me on her blog today, so please go visit her blog and take a peek! and now..

My obsession right now is re-designing. In particular, my personal logo (not fallenpeach) and portfolio website. I've felt for a long time that the red on the site is too much, but hadn't the time or inspiration to work on it. Yesterday I started work on a new logo for myself and once that is done I'll continue on to the website.

It's interesting to see what you used to love and how you've changed when you start to look at something to change it. Red was My Color, but now I can see that it takes away from my work a little and is a bit garish.

I've had the current logo/website for several years now, and it's just time for a change.

Do you have a portfolio website? Do you like it or wish you had time to redesign?

Friday Brief

I just wanted to say that I added two more cards to my Etsy store.

I started writing a something about the Lemonade movie last night and it might end up posted as a blog at some point, but it's still pretty rough. I guess that's my obsession this week, that movie and how it's inspiring me to keep moving and figuring things out.

Right, long to do list today so off I go. Have a great weekend everyone!

OOW: Rant about Music Stores

I am an old fashioned girl, in some ways anyway. I like CDs. I like to buy CDs. I like the case and I like the booklet and I like having the song lyrics right there and I like seeing the photos. I enjoy creative packaging and I enjoy big foldout photos. I like taking a cd and putting it in my computer or my cd player or MY CAR.

I do not like downloading music. I do not like having to order cds off the internet, I should not have to pay shipping and handling unless it is a really rare cd or very very independent group. I do not like not having cd covers and creative packaging and song lyrics and CDs I CAN PUT IN MY CAR without making them myself.

So, when I happily went to Best Buy to buy a specific cd or two the other day I was devastated to see that they are shrinking their music section (and adding books, wtf?). They didn't have either cd I was looking for, when back in the day they probably would have. Best Buy used to carry some rare stuff and some of the independents, which is one reason I loved them.

I tried FYE (which was in the mall and therefore more of a hassle to get to) but they didn't have the cds either. But then they don't usually have the independents and they are almost always over priced. They are having all cds for $9.99, but they were either out of or don't carry the music I was looking for.

Those were my two options as I know perfectly well I won't find this music at Target or Walmart or any other store like that. So I'm stuck. I can order off the internet and pay shipping and handling (stupid) or I can compromise and download and not have my shiny cd or packaging or booklet (equally stupid). I'm not sure what I'll do but I have to know:

Am I the only one who feels this way? Has everyone else submitted to the downloading age and am I just being left behind?

Monday Updates: Early Reading Thursday :D

It's been way too easy to be distracted over the holidays and just a little past. I'm starting to get myself back on track with daily lists, but still sometimes I find myself distracted. My bf and I rented season 1 of The #1 Ladies Detective Agency and we've been obsessively watching it over the past two days.

I've been a fan of the books for years and was excited to see the approach that was taken with the series lived up to all of my expectations and more. The tv series is able to show things that might be lost in the books and I love seeing the emotions that hide sometimes behind formality in full view on screen. We are also watching the extra behind the scenes footage, and it's fascinating to see Botswana both on screen and behind the scenes.

For those who aren't aware of this series, you can find the books in the Mystery section under Alexander McCall Smith. They are the story of Precious Ramotswe, an traditionally built African woman who decides to become a Lady Detective. Smith wonderfully captures a completely different way of life than most of us are used to experiencing. The characters are mostly very proper and live a slower, simpler life.

The HBO TV series, directed by the wonderful Anthony Minghella , is a perfect adaptation in my eyes and I can not wait to see a second season (hopefully there will be one). Nor can I wait to get back to the books, I haven't read the past two or three so I'm a little behind.

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I'll be posting my January Goals, and a rundown of what I accomplished last month, in a little while.

OOW: Disney Movies

I think it started up again when I went to see The Princess and the Frog (which I highly highly recommend) and remembered what it is like to see a Disney movie for the first time and how wonderful it can be. Earlier in the year my bf and I were watching all the Disney movies I had, and some I didn't. We had one weekend where we watched all the ones featuring Dogs and another where we watched the ones featuring Cats. We watched classics and newer ones, but all original hand drawn animation movies.

My bf bought me Snow White for Christmas, which was exciting, and we watched it almost first thing. He'd never seen it before. He'd also never seen Cinderella, so we watched that the other night. And Sleeping Beauty is in the background eager to be watched next. I saw a commercial about which movies are heading into the vault at the end of this month ( grr I hate that vault) and so my decision on which movies I need to buy next has been made.

My parents have most of the classics on VHS but I've been told that when I leave they are not coming with me, and so my quest to build my DVD Disney collection began and continues to grow. Wikipedia was helpful in obtaining a list of all the feature films and I'm slowly crossing them off.

My favorite Disney musicals are Beauty and the Beast and Oliver and Company. My favorite non-musicals are Lilo and Stitch and The Emperor's New Groove. But Cinderella was my first favorite. I remember watching it almost every day and I still know most of it by heart. I'm not sure why it attracted me so much.

I have this thing for fairy tales. I've taken classes in them, I collect complete collections of them (I have several Grimms collections, a Hans Christian Anderson one and a couple random collections). I love reading them and thinking about what they are trying to say. I love seeing how they change from country to country and adaptation to adaptation. It's fascinating to me.

What about you? What are your favorite Disney films?

OOW: The Beatles

I grew up listening to oldies stations and I still have a deep love for music from the 50's and 60's. But I remember very specifically the first time I knew the Beatles were the Beatles. I was in middle school and a friend of mine played me Sgt. Pepper, which she had just discovered and we were lost to the obsession.

That same year, or maybe it was the next year, we went with a couple friends and a couple parents to a Beatles convention - we went every day for all three days and had an absolute blast listening to cover bands, shopping in the market place and just being there having fun. I was 12, maybe 13.

From there the obsession only grew, I have a stack of books, movies and, of course, the Anthology (on VHS and CD :), a few posters, a drawing a friend gave me and I'm sure more scattered around my room. I love the movies Backbeat and Across the Universe, along with of course A Hard Day's Night and Help etc etc.. and I was recently lucky enough to see the LOVE show in Las Vegas, which was absolutely incredible and I will never forget it.

But behind all of that is the MUSIC. There is just something about it. I'm not very good at expressing specifics about things like this, so I will just say I LOVE THE MUSIC. It makes me happy when I'm sad and just has the constant ability to make me tap my feet and sing along. My favorite song has always been "While My Guitar Gently Weeps", though there was a time when I could not stop listening to all of Abbey Road. I tend to lean towards the later music, than the earlier, though I love it all truly.

What's your favorite Beatles song? What's your story?

OOW: Graphic Design

As you may or may not know, I am a photographer but I'm also a Graphic Designer. I'm currently working on a freelance basis and debating whether or not to offer my services on Etsy. I won't be the cheapest out there, but you will get high quality work.

One thing I love about graphic design is the process. I have a lot of great ideas and begin to work them out, at some point I get completely frustrated and need to step away.. but when I come back it all starts to click together. I love logo work the most, I think, but also layout and basic web design. My fallenpeach logo is a collaborative work with my boyfriend, who also does graphics work, though the website is entirely mine.

I have a new freelance client whom I met with yesterday and I'm really excited to be working on a graphics project again. Before I get back to work on it today, I just wanted to show you some of my previous work. Some of you have seen these over at my other (very neglected) blog, but here they are:

Soltek is a high end handbag company who is beginning to really make a name for themselves. I designed their logo, business cards, tags for their bags, and several catalogs. I also did product photography of their bags and continue to work with them when new projects are needed. More of my work for them can be seen here.

360 degrees by JACS is a company selling recycled clothing on Ebay; I designed their logo, banner, website, promotional bookmarks and a promotional postcard. You can see some of my work at their website, here. And the rest over at my portfolio, here.

I've done other work for my previous employer, which is also on my portfolio site, but these are my most recent projects. I'll keep you updated with future work though, if you'd like :D

Happy Friday Everyone, have a great Weekend!

OOW: None?

Is it strange to say that I've been so busy that I haven't really had an obsession this week? My obsession truly has been getting ready for this craft fair, I suppose. I think I have all my display stuff, although I do still need fabric to cover the table and to figure out how it's all going to look. Photo mats arrived yesterday, so now I need to pick which prints I'm making this time around and then mat them and price them etc etc etc. I'm still waiting on my MOO order of greeting cards and mini moo business cards, which should arrive today or tomorrow. Then I need to package and price those too.

There's a lot to do, and not too much time left to do it in. The craft fair is a week from today and tomorrow. But I'm having a lot of fun putting stuff together and getting it ready. Yesterday I had a mini freak out, but I'm back on track for today and taking a break tomorrow and Sunday from all of that. I'll start fresh Monday.

And so, I apologize for the short post this week and not bringing you anything new to go explore, but after the fair I'll be back on track with new fun things to obsess over ;) Have a great weekend everyone!

OOW: Wii Fit Plus

Let's Talk Fitness. Sort of. I know that the Wii Fit isn't the be all end all of fitness, but it sure gets me moving and keeps me motivated. And I'm completely in love with the new PLUS version. If you already have the board and the wii fit disc - the plus disc is just $20 and offers everything on the original disc plus more. To keep this from sounding like a crazy advertisement, which is not at all what I intend, let me just say that the new games are super fun and I love that it lets you create workouts depending upon what you want to work on.

The new games are also longer, I think, and my calves hurt sooo bad after trying it out that I still haven't finished trying everything, or finishing everything (that obstacle course is ridiculously hard).

Things I learned about myself by using the wii - my balance sucks and I really like Yoga. Also, it's a really good way to start your day.

When my bf and I go hiking I really see how out of shape I am and it makes me frustrated, so I'm trying my best to at the very least use the wii fit every day and then supplement that with hiking and/or swimming so that I can get more in shape.

Also, wish me luck guys, I'm swearing off french fries starting this week. None of this healthier eating or exercising is cause of weight, though, just that I do not eat well at all and I'm really trying to change that. I've been eating more grilled and less fried, and although I love french fries lots and lots, I think I really need to cut them or at the very least cut down how much I eat them.

Is anyone else trying to change their bad habits? How's it going for you?

OOW: Weezer "If You're Wondering If I Want You To, I Want You To"

I'm sort of addicted to this song and video is all kinds of awesome, check it out:

OOW: Red Riding Hood

This week I've been in full Halloween search mode. Since we decided to be Little Red Riding Hood and the Huntsman (or the Wolf), I've been scouring the internet for images and ideas.

Searching the Halloween stores only brings up my big huge pet peeve. I hate that every costume for women and girls has to have "sexy" prior to it. Hate it. There is absolutely no reason to turn many things they do into something sexy. Yesterday I saw a "sexy nun" costume. And a "sexy cherry pie" costume. ...

The Little Red Riding Hood costumes that are available in stores all have super short skirts that would show my undies, crinolines, knee socks, high heels and busty blondes modeling them. I am not a busty blonde. Nor do I feel like being a hooker for Halloween.

Therefore, I must create my own costume. I've been thinking about making it somewhat modern and if my boyfriend is the Huntsman, I've also been thinking about being Red after she's been helped out of the Wolf's stomach. She'll be wearing his tail around her waist and perhaps carrying a dagger. A little bit badass, but not too much. She'll also be covered in blood.

Yes Halloween is about being someone other than yourself and letting out inhibitions a little, but that doesn't mean that all women have to be near naked to be "sexy". Halloween is also supposed to be fun and creative. I love making my own costumes from scratch or having my mom help make elements that I can't find in stores.

Until I figure this costume out, it's going to consume my days and nights a bit :) which is part of the fun. I can't wait to see what I come up with.

Sick :(

I haven't been feeling very well the past couple days, and I'm planning a huge Autumn Feast for friends with my boyfriend. That being said, I still really want to keep up with my weekly features. So, for my obsession of the week I'm choosing to tell you about this feast :) .

We both really love Fall and Halloween and though we've spent time with each other's friends we haven't yet had an event that invited both - so we decided to have an Autumn Feast. We want this to become an annual event and with that in mind we know that this year is just sort of an experiment in everything.

Decorations started with a trip to Michaels back in early Summer. We found this beautifully autumny fake flower displays - tied with string and very simple. Those became our center pieces. Next we decided that we want to have as much natural light as possible - so we found a fire pit at Home Depot to place in the center of the lawn with the three dinner tables surrounding it. We also bought small tea lights and a brown and red candle for each table that we are placing on off white tiles we found on the cheap at Lowes.

I'm not particulary in charge of food - my bf is definitely the cook in our relationship - but it's going to be pretty massive. We're starting with little things to have out while people arrive like apples with caramel dip, cheese and crackers, cranberry meatballs, and cheeseburger mini muffins.

Dinner will feature a slew of sides like potato wedges, apple crunch salad, mac and cheese, corn, and much much more and a main course of meatloaf from Boston Market, veggie pizza for the vegetarians and homemade Captain Cruch Chicken Fingers (inspired by the dish from Planet Hollywood -- sooo good if you haven't tried them do!).

Desert will feature a chocolate cream cake, pumpkin cupcakes and some other delicious treats.

In between all this food we want to have traditional and fun events so we'll start with bobbing for apples and move into burning negative thoughts in the fire and maybe even tarot card readings.

This is going to be a total blast and I'll be sure to take tons of photos to show you guys next week. But in the meantime, I need to go rest up and try to get rid of this cough.

Do you have any Autumn traditions?

OOW: New Furniture

Hi Everyone, I've been really busy this past week and my obsession has been new furniture and re-organizing my room. I got a new desk from Staples and a new dresser from Ikea and moved everything in my room. Between putting together furniture and promoting my Etsy Store.... this past week has been a bit insane :) But fun, lots of fun.

Reorganizing your room and moving furniture can be really soothing and give you a new perspective on life. It's an easy way to accept change and may make it easier to make other small changes in your life.

I've also kind of been obsessed with Fall weather and am hoping that the weather remains cool. It's raining today in a very soothing way, which I also enjoy.

what have been your obsessions this week?

OOW: "Why Do You Let Me Stay Here" video

After I saw (500) Days of Summer, which was really really good by the way, I of course did some searching on the two stars (Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel) and was lucky enough to come across this video



which is completely adorable. The song, "Why Do You Let Me Stay Here" is from Zooey's band She & Him, and is completely addicting. I can not stop listening to this song and I love everything about the video - the style, the additude, the dancing .... it never feels to cheer me up. Hope it does the same for you - Happy Friday!

OOW: Away We Go

Though it's been out awhile now, the movie Away We Go has been on my mind a lot this week. Possibly because I can not stop listening to the soundtrack.

A story tailor made for my generation, Away We Go follows Burt (John Krasinski) and Verona (Maya Rudolph) as they search across the United States for a place to call home and to raise their coming child. The film perfectly captures the feeling of being lost that I and many of my friends know so well. The feeling that anything is possible, and yet the fear to jump and take risks.

Filled to the brim with quirky characters and wonderfully mellow music from Alexi Murdoch, this film is for fans of off-beat films like Juno and for those who can relate to wanting to find a place to call home. Written by Dave Eggers and Vendela Vida, Directed by Sam Mendes.

Away We Go comes out on DVD September 29, 2009. The soundtrack is available now and I highly recommend both!