Taxes

I just realised last night while I was perusing various websites by various creative individuals, that I very rarely make art or design something for the pure pleasure of it anymore. That I use photoshop and illustrator as tools only for doing work for other people, not for doing work for myself, not for playing.

"Well, that sucks and I'm a sucker" I declared. "From now on, I shall endeavor to do one arty designy thing a week for fun."

I started last night by making this poster of a taxman as I imagine them in my head. I have a great fear of taxes, and the tax system as a whole. It seems so incomprehensible to me. Just thinking about having to do a tax return gives me the willies. It's not a maths thing either - I was really good at maths at school, it's more-so to do with the fact that I've never had to deal with taxes personally, and accounting and economics are like a foreign language to me.

I'll have to learn to speak this whack language of tax one day, in the mean time, woe unto those who refuse to acknowledge the might and smoting powers of the taxman!

Sacha

This is a photo I took the weekend that we spent with the twins for their birthday in Wanaka. They're six now. SIX! Holy jesus.

Anywho, I thought this was a pretty cute photo, she looks so thoughtful in it. I recommend clicking the image and seeing it big, cos it's much nicer big than it is small.

Walking into work today

The Joys of Photos(hop)

I love how photoshop makes pictures pop when you know how to play around with curves and levels and all that jazz.
Here are some photos I took of Dunedintown and the golden weather we're having this afternoon. You can click on them for lovely big juicy sizes.

Dunedin Circle Jerk

This is a poster I've just finished. It's for a Circle Jerk show where a number of local bands play covers of local music. Sahweet! Covers are one of my favourite things! It should be a rocking night so if you're in town on Friday the 24th of October, pencil this puppy into your diary as it should make for an entertaining evening.

I've been fairly stoked to make a decent number of posters this year. I love the format and like seeing what I can do. Sometimes I want to make things smaller and more subtle, but generally the feedback I receive is to "make it bigger" so I almost automatically do so these days.

One day... one day I'll make posters that have the details small, as an almost afterthought and it'll be the image and the headlining band that'll take up the majority of space. The way things ought to be.

Vege Garden

DJ and I enlisted the help of my dear mother and her partner Paul quite a few weeks ago to help us build a couple of no dig vegetable garden beds. I'm fairly excited about the progress of the plants so far. In the past week or so, the lettuce seeds have all turned into seedlings - ditto with the radishes AND the potatoes have started putting their little sprouts up! So green and tasty looking! I often find myself standing next to the gardens with my hands on my hips, a sprig of parsley in my mouth, ginning, and nodding to myself.

It's a good life.

This is one of the broccoli plants - we have six of them and they've been the biggest growers so far. Exciting!

Here' some celery. I want the celery to grow faster! It was planted at the same time as the broccoli but just isn't taking off as much as I want them too!

Chives!

One of two newly planted courgette plants. Delicious!

Here we have two varieties of parsley - fancy/curly and italian. I like chewing their leaves. Num num num...


MINT! So lush. Apparently I need to put it in a bucket so it can't escape and wreak havoc all over the garden.

Pizza Thyme - the first wee plant died from neglect because I bought it well before we had a garden to put it into... and so I had to get a new one.

Baby Radishes! Cute! They've doubled their leaves since I took these in the weekend!

Rhubarb. I think our second plant may have died. Sigh.

Zoe's Birthday Present

This is the diamond dog I made for Zoe for her birthday!

Unbeknownst to me when I sat down to make it, the inside of her van is actually covered in the same coloured material! When I gave it to her, I was saying something and she turned to me with this glazed look of delight and shock and said "I'm sorry, I didn't catch any of it... he's just so loud!"

Awesome.

Sacha's New Friend

This is the bunny I made for Sacha for her birthday. It's quite a punky bunny (I think it's a little gender confused, but that's ok by me) and likes to get her frown on when she's thinking - which is all the time. She likes beat poetry and people watching and when no-ones around, she sings "little bunny fu fu" because it makes her happy.

I think Sacha's decided to call her Fluffy "because she is fluffy". Can't argue with that. I once had a pair of rabbits - one called Whitey, one called Brownie. Logical, but perhaps a bit off in retrospect

Peanut Butter Brownies

Makes more or less 32 little bite-size brownies

These “brownies” are more fudgey than cakey, with an excellent peanut butter-chocolate contrasts. Have a glass of milk/water handy.

Ingredients
For brownies
225 grams unsalted butter, softened
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 cup smooth peanut butter of your favourite variety
2 large eggs plus 1 large yolk
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 teaspoon salt

For ganache
250 gms chocolate. You can use whatever you like - either choc chips or broken up chocolate bar. I went with Dark Ghana stuff because that's how I roll.
1/2 cup cream
1 tablespoon butter

Method
BROWNIES
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F / 180 degrees C with rack in middle. Ideally, use a 30cm by 20cm baking tin with a depth of around 5cm. I used a square silicone cake tin and it came out fine. Butter your tin up, then line bottom of pan with baking paper, and then butter the baking paper.

This next bit works best with an electric beater. If you're skint, like me, you may be resistant to getting a beater claiming that you can do just as good a job with a fork. Stop kidding yourself, they're $17 at the Warehouse and they'll stop you getting RSI and in the meantime your butter and sugar will be practically creaming themselves. Double entendre intended.

Beat together butter and sugar with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until mixture is light and fluffy, then add peanut butter and beat until incorporated. Beat in whole eggs, egg yolk, and vanilla. Reduce mixer sped to low, then mix in flour and salt until just combined.

Mix in chocolate chips then spread your thick and sticky batter in baking pan, smoothing the mountain-like globs off of the top.

Bake until brownies are deep golden, puffed on top and a wooden pick inserted in center come out with some crumbs adhering, around about 45 minutes.

Cool completely in pan on a rack, which'll take about 1 1/2 hours. You can choose to be impatient and try taking it out earlier, but the brownie'll fall to pieces and be really shit if you do.

GANACHE
I did this differently to the original recipe and it worked grand. Melt your chocolate using the old "put a the bowl of chocolate on top of a saucepan of boiling water until the chocolate's all melted". Pop your cream into a small saucepan and bring it to the boil, then tip it in with the melted chocolate and the butter.

Gently whisk until the butter is incorporated, the chocolate is melted, and you're left with a bowl of smooth, shiny chocolate that begs you to dip your fingers into it.

Spread ganache on cooled brownies and let stand until set, about 15 minutes.

Brownies keep in one layer in an airtight container three days, and apparently much longer if hidden waaay in the back of the freezer.

LINK- Smitten Kitchen

Brand New Math

I love making posters! I love D.I.C.K. parties! Party-hardy y'all.

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