vikkismith

[vikkismith]

Coffee hazelnut butterscotch entremet, 08.12.18

Our best one yet, by all accounts! The textures and flavors worked beautifully here, and the cross-section is our favorite. All told, it’s eight layers (we opted for small hexagons rather than one 7″ square, and that was definitely correct), but only four components. The mousse, brittle, and joconde were all complete in a matter of hours, so Odile and I had ample time to break for a nap, some lunch, some aerials, and a dog walk, and *still* got photos during daylight.

We’ll be revisiting this one, I suspect.

Via Iron Whisk

[vikkismith]

I’m actually starting to get annoyed… Lemonade meant more than “fuck that nigga.” Way more. It was deeper than that and for y'all to keep speaking of this album in which Beyoncé poured her soul out to us and made a bold statement about black female pain, struggle, joy, and triumph is so… sad. You are ignoring the artistry. The memes are funny, but don’t ignore the place it truly came from. Don’t ignore the power of her forgiving her husband. Don’t ignore the imagery. And the words.

Stop reducing this to a “niggas ain’t shit” narrative. Or stop assuming that’s all that black women saw and that’s all we connected with. It was so much more than that.

[vikkismith]

Watch: Spike Lee directs new Bernie Sanders ad full of celebrities, writers and activists.

[vikkismith]

I just needed to share this again because I love it so much. (Coworkers, please don’t pelt me with things!)

This week on Whine About It… TYPES OF COWORKERS THAT ARE THE ABSOLUTE WORST.

[vikkismith]

Twilight may be trash but at least they cast actual native americans to play natives

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HOW ADORABLE IS THIS KITTY

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I just love this so much!

I apologize if you’re sick of looking at dead stick figures, but I’m having a hard time stopping now.

You’ll note that Macbeth’s death procession is a fairly steady one. Unlike Hamlet, where most of the dying is crammed into the last scene, the murder and mayhem in Macbeth is fairly evenly spaced out. Some notes:

I’ve included Macdonald, who doesn’t appear in the play at all, but is famous for being the poor sap who Macbeth unseams from the nave to the chops.

I’ve also included the Thane of Cawdor, because he’s important to the plot.

The precise number of Macduff’s children who are slaughtered is not specified, but it’s definitely more than one, so I’ve added a random baby Macduff to make them plural.

It’s not specified exactly how Lady Macbeth dies. Malcolm says she “by self and violent hands / Took off her life”, which I’ve interpreted to mean “she stabs herself”, because I’m getting really good at drawing stick figures stabbing themselves.

If you want to see how I drew this death clock, check out the latest edition of my e-mail newsletter, and then subscribe, so you never have to miss another sneak peek again!

A Good Tickle Shoppe note: I will be at the Ohio Light Opera for part of this week. All orders placed between August 5-8 will be fulfilled next Monday. Sorry for the slight delay!

[vikkismith]

You can never have too much Shakespeare in your life!

unexpected perils of wearing t-shirts with cartoon Shakespeare characters on them

You might find yourself attempting to explain the plot of Measure for Measure to a very interested five-year-old and a three-year-old in terms they can understand while their mother laughs at you. Fortunately they also have a baby brother so I was able to get a lot of mileage out of the “Isabella wants to help her brother who is in trouble” aspect of the plot. (I was wearing my goodticklebrain t-shirt. Also, their mom hadn’t seen the site before and now she is a big fan – we went to grad school together and she also has a Ph.D. in Renaissance literature.)

They were also very interested in the picture of Arthur falling out of the tower, incidentally. I was like “Well, he jumped out because his uncle put him in prison and he’s trying to escape.” And they were like “But what if he broke his leg?” And I was like “Um, yes, that is very likely, isn’t it.”

[vikkismith]

[vikkismith]

Yes!

my tweets on the matter because i think i might be too exhausted to write about it, we’ll see

[vikkismith]

I’m not a proficient baker, but this is going to happen!

Vanilla bean macarons, 06.18.15

JE SUIS VICTORIEUX.

1.5c ground almonds 2c confectioners’ sugar 4 egg whites, room temp .5c superfine sugar (granulated pulsed in a grinder for a few seconds) 2t vanilla extract (N.B. I use vanilla paste, and you should too) blue food coloring sprinkles (optional)

1 stick softened butter 1c confectioners’ sugar

Grind the almonds and confectioners’ sugar in a food processor for 15 seconds. Sift into a bowl. Place egg whites in the [very clean, very dry] bowl of a stand mixer and whip to soft-peak stage. Gradually beat in the superfine sugar until the mixture is firm and glossy. Fold in the food coloring and vanilla extract.

Fold the dry mixture into the wet in three stages, and then continue to fold carefully until the batter is shiny and ribbonlike.

Pipe small rounds onto Silpat- or parchment-lined baking sheets using a 1cm tip. (Heathen variant: Use a gallon-size baggie with a corner snipped so you don’t have to wash stupid pastry bags.) If any peaks remain, tap them down with a wet finger. Rap the sheets firmly on the counter to force any air bubbles to the surface, then add sprinkles as desired. Let stand at room temperature for 90 minutes, and preheat the oven to 325°F just before this time is up.

Bake with an empty sheet underneath the first for 10-13 minutes, interrupt this time by screaming wildly about how you’ve finally managed to achieve adorable little feet, then let cool and carefully peel the cookies off the parchment. Cool completely before filling.

To make the buttercream, beat the butter until fluffy, then add confectioners’ sugar and beat until smooth. Remember slightly too late that you should’ve put some vanilla extract in here too. Pipe the buttercream generously on the backs of half the cookies, and gently press the tops on with a slight twist. Pretend like you’re not going to eat these all in one sitting by storing in the refrigerator in an airtight container for like 9 milliseconds.

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Friends! I’m excited to announce that in January 2016, I’m selling all of my belongings, stuffing a few sundresses and a sketchbook into a backpack, and traveling for the entire year. I’m planning on visiting more than 20 countries and setting foot on every continent. Since I make a living drawing the alphabet, I thought it would be pretty rad if I could fund my 26,000 mile journey around the world with the same 26 letters I hold so close to my heart.

So, I’ve started the 26 Letters 26,000 Miles project: a special series of travel-inspired posters for your viewing (and purchasing) pleasure. Every dollar raised through this project will go directly towards my ‘round the world journey, from plane tickets to late night street snacks. Can 26 little letters really take me 26,000 miles? I have no idea, but I’d like to find out just how far they’ll get me. I’ve experienced an unbelievable amount of love, support, and good fortune from Internet friends. Any bit of help is so greatly appreciated. If you buy a poster - AMAZING! If you share this project with your social media networks - SUPER COOL! If you email this project to your mom - YAY! Really, I am forever grateful and would give you the chocolate tip of this Drumstick I’m eating right now if I could. If that’s not gratitude, I don’t know what is. Also, please note that it is extremely difficult to type while eating a Drumstick. I can’t wait to go on this incredible trip, and I hope my artwork will inspire you to go on an adventure of your own.

You can see and read more at 26letters26000miles.com or go visit the shop right now!

xo, Lauren

[vikkismith]

I’m a pangolin! Incredibly cute, but terribly endangered!

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Sometimes, you just feel like dancing!

[vikkismith]

This is the funniest thing I've seen on the internet today. I'm glad I have normal neighbors who don't text me.

[vikkismith]

My students loved the opening brawl.

I don’t think you can actually bleed out from a thumb bite, but you never know.

[vikkismith]

Phenomenal. Some of these would have given me nightmares as a child, but I do love a formidable princess!

Women too awesome, awful, or offbeat to get their own animated movies. Read about them at www.rejectedprincesses.com.