Portobello Road

by on 19 Nov 2011 in Movies

In a nostalgic mood (and because I’m either suffering from food poisoning or a monster has taken up residence in my stomach), I decided to rewatch some Disney films I loved as a child: Mary Poppins, 101 Dalmations, and Bedknobs and Broomsticks. It’s probably been about 20 years since I’ve last seen Bedknobs and Broomsticks entirely from start to finish, and I had entirely forgotten about the “Portobello Road” number. What struck me about this number is while historical pieces generally erase (or overlook) people of colour (and not that Bedknobs and Broomsticks is at all a shining example of multiculturalism), this film didn’t forget that non-white people also fought for Britain during World War II.

When Bear and I were first getting to know each other, becoming friends, before we started dating, we took a trip out to Portobello Road. I was looking for a British military jacket, and as Portobello Road was the “street where the riches of ages are stowed”, I figured I’d likely be successful. (I was.) Bear starting singing this song as we walked down the road. In hindsight, it’s no wonder I fell madly in love with him.

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Sweet Potato Latte

by on 6 Nov 2011 in Photography

Sweet Potato Latte

Bear came into the city this weekend and we spent Saturday wandering around the Hell’s Kitchen Flea Market before getting Korean barbeque dinner with some friends. I love flea markets, mostly because I have to wonder at the story behind some of the objects on sale. For instance, Bear and I found a Victorian diver’s helmet. Yes. The suit you’d expect to see in 1000 Leagues Under The Sea by Jules Verne. I mean, whose grandparents had that sitting in their attic?

After walking the Hudson River Greenway, we came back to Korea Way and got some warm drinks to relax and wait for our friends. Bear got an Aztec hot chocolate (which wasn’t what we were expecting–we were hoping for pure unadulerated bitter dark chocolate with a sprinkling of cayenne, but instead we got a regular old hot chocolate) and I got a sweet potato latte. The sweet potato latte was the winner; it actually tasted like sweet potato.

I love it when my Teddy Bear is in the city. It’s hard to find pockets of free time when your significant other is a medical student, but every moment is made all the more precious because of the scarcity. ♥

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Overheard At An English Wedding

by on 5 Sep 2011 in Personal

  • Guest: Which one of Nita’s brothers are you: the Philosopher or the Doctor?
  • Bear: I’m the Doctor.

See, I always knew I was dating a 900-year-old time-travelling alien. ♥ ♥

(It’s not often my geekery and my romantic life overlap in such a way as to bring me such intense nerdly joy.)

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Allons-y!

by on 29 Jun 2011 in Art

Allons-y!

What I Did On My Summer Holidays, a doodle-essay by S. Jae-Jones

This is pretty much my dream come true. Some day the Doctor will show up in his TARDIS and whisk me, Bear, and White-Harp away on adventures across time and space.

Also, I needed a new desktop background, so I drew one.

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One for DamnYouAutoCorrect

by on 13 Apr 2011 in Personal

  • JJ: Thunder and lightning! White-Harp a scaredy-Harp.
  • BEAR: White harp is a Aussie.
  • BEAR: Wuss
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Photo Friday: February 25

by on 25 Feb 2011 in Photography

Yay, I managed to make it to another Photo Friday! Boo, I have shot nothing of interest this week! I have been doing a bit of food photography, but that’s because I’ve made a concerted effort to start cooking more in order to 1) stop bleeding money and 2) lose weight.

It Was So Cold Lately They Turned Blue!*

Blueberries

Vanilla yogurt with blueberries.

Unfortunately I can’t show you the EXIF data of my food photos because I’ve forgotten what they were and I didn’t upload them to Flickr, so Flickr can’t tell me either. From what I remember, this was shot with my 35mm, ISO 200 or 400, f-stop 1.8, unknown shutter, exposure bias at…-5/3, I think?

*P.S. The person who can guess this reference wins a metaphorical gold star from me.

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Playtime is Over

by on 14 Oct 2010 in Art

Playtime Is Over

The art bunny continues its stranglehold on me. Sketched this on the train ride home and then quickly coloured it in Painter.

Poor Bear. During the winter I always want to play Lyra Crosses Svalbard, but Bear is usually not up to playing Iorek and White-Harp doesn’t want to play a male daemon.

I’m not sure where this came from. It’s not even winter.

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Stealing My Harps

by on 16 Aug 2010 in Art

Stealing Harps

Bear brought to my attention the other day that it had been over a year since I last changed my desktop/laptop background. So I came up with a new one.

I was a little stumped a first about what to draw since I usually draw from life, but this illustration came to me. After all, I am constantly the butt of Bear and White-Harp’s jokes. Le sigh.

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Internet, Internet!

by on 9 Aug 2010 in Personal

My blogging initiative goes in fits and starts, but I swear someday soon I shall return to a regular schedule. Sort of. There have been many goings-ons (going-ons? goings-on?) here at Ye Olde Little Big Publisher. Last week I had to write catalogue copy for fifteen titles and the week before we just finished launching our Spring 2011 titles. (One of these days I will write a post on the daily happenings of an editorial assistant. Providing I have the time, that is.)

But more news! Cap’n Sweet Valley has just acquired another nonfiction title, which is a fairly substantive and serious examination of today’s twentysomethings (loosely called Generation Y or Millennials). It is tentatively called THE NEW ADULTHOOD (perfect, non?).

Last week I also participated in an auction, my very first as an acquiring editor! Alas, I didn’t get it, but the author is really awesome and I wish her the best. The entire process was extremely educational and I was immensely flattered that the agent chose to submit to me directly and even more gratified that Ye Olde Little Big Publisher let me participate in the auction. *sniffs* I feel so loved!

Other than that, not much has been happening. This past weekend I went camping with Bear and a friend on part of the Appalachia Trail in New Jersey, near Pennsylvania and by the Delaware Water Gap. We had gorgeous weather, hiked 10 miles, went swimming in a lake, and fell asleep under the stars. I also saw a family of bears! It was wonderful and I won’t lie I pretended to be Katniss hunting in District 12.

My verdict? I wouldn’t survive in District 12. The bugs alone would drive me to the safety of being indoors. I was practically eaten alive by bugs. This is one area where camping on the East Coast and camping in California differ: there are no bugs in California. I remember being able to hike in shorts! That’s not possible here.

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Please, Sir, I Don’t Want Any More

by on 26 Apr 2010 in Publishing

Rebel Without a Cause

One of the most iconic Bad Boys ever.

I’ve never been a fan of the Bad Boy in fiction, but lately I’ve become even more fed up with him. Mostly because he swaggers onto the page and expects me to find him sexy by virtue of the fact that he’s “bad”. Or something. Maybe “mysterious”?

What is it that’s so appealing about the Bad Boy that he now seems to be the default romantic hero? Tell me, because I would really like to know what it is that people love about him. Admittedly I’m not his type because if I ever fell for a boy in high school, it was the Class Clown. (But since I went to an all-girls prep school, the point is moot.) I like a man who can make me laugh.

I understand (I think) why the Bad Boy is appealing on an archetypal level. Danger is sexy. It is; I’m not gonna lie. Mystery is intriguing. I get that because I’m susceptible to those charms. I have an, um, inappropriate crush on Benjamin Linus (I’m…working on it.) Han Solo has my space-pirate-rogue-lovin’ heart forever. I adore Edward Fairfax Rochester and his manipulative, dickish, bigamist ways! So why do most Bad Boys turn me off?

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