Recently we had a wonderful opportunity to spend some time
with a very lovely snake named Sugar. Our friends Scott and Jen
who are the founders of the Museum of Natural and Artificial Ephemerata
were married recently, and went to Costa Rica for their honeymoon.
We got to take care of Sugar for them while they were exploring
the jungle. He’s an eastern garter snake, (Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis)–
such a lovely creature, with an amazingly congenial temperament!

It was difficult to get an accurate photograph, but I had to try and capture
the holographic rainbows on Sugar’s gorgeous underbelly.
You can’t really tell, but I promise it was completely psychedelic + hypnotic.

(Photo by Javi)
Speaking of hypnotic.. I saw Patrick Wolf perform last night, and was totally enchanted.
I am often late to the table, and often friends have to force me to have a listen-
even when I know I’ll love it, it sometimes just takes me a lot longer to make
the really obvious musical discoveries. That’s what happens when you’re always
peering under rocks and toadstools- at times the fireworks going off above get overlooked.
I am so glad I let myself be swept along with the current. I honestly haven’t felt
that magical shimmering frisson of delight reserved for true golden star dreamboats
in such a long time. What a feeling! It was a marvelous show- from his impeccable
stagewear (Oh, I could go on about it at length, and plan to soonly!),
to his range of instruments and incredible charisma- he had everyone dancing
like giddy schoolchildren. Okay, so many in the audience probably were
actually just that- but still! I’ve been in the best mood ever since.

As long as were on the subject of adorable leather-clad boys,
I just have to share this very crappy picture taken with my telephone.
I found these random Austrian wine merchants wandering around the shop
wearing very well-made lederhosen! How sweet is that? Very.

I’ve been going to the Korean markets a lot and buying fish cakes, lotus roots
and giant oyster mushrooms. It’s so hard to resist the candy aisle, what with
all the lychee gummies, pumpkin milk pastilles and choco-mushrooms!
These are my favorite (just in case you wanted to buy me some candy, eh?)
and I am only slightly ashamed to admit that I ate the entire box.
Well, I shared it. Mostly. It was melting, and had to been consumed quickly!

What’s going on here, people? Baby rockstar choco-mushrooms trip out
on the ultra-papa guitar fungus? What the heck. Inquiring minds want to know.

Photo by Don
Is this not the best snake you’ve ever seen in your life?
Pink and yellow checkerboard + stripes with ruby eyes, nestled in a tulip, hello!
Same family as Sugar, believe it or not- perhaps an albino? Very fancy.
Here’s what I’ve been listening to:
✶ Blue Room (extended version) – Kirlian Camera
✶ Magpie – Patrick Wolf with Marianne Faithful