3: The Court of Owls

Today's calendar piece is a tip for comic book fans! Batman's the Court of Owls and the City of Owls are the by far the best graphic novels I read this year. I devoured them both on one sitting when I bought them, and I wish more comics were like these. So twisted and addictive, adding even darker depths to the Gotham mythos that was vast and darkly colourful to begin with. Scott Snyder has quickly become one of my favourite writers in this field, but these books are also strong in art, not just the quality of writing.


(These books also reinforce the phrase "The owls are not what they seem..")

"Beware the Court of Owls, that watches all the time, ruling Gotham from a shadowed perch, behind granite and lime. They watch you at your hearth, they watch you in your bed, speak not a whispered word about them, or they'll send The Talon for your head."

If I look back I am lost.

The morning brought such happiness to me it pushed tears into my eyes.

For a month and a half, practically the whole summer, I've been locked in a void. You could call it apathy, but to me it meant more like death of the old spirit, and in the process also the death of my inspiration. More than anything it was a time of deep personal growth. Walking through days in a gray mist has felt much like a wasteland of depression, but not precisely. It was more of a period of cold silence and growth, focusing sometimes even selfishly on my inside and letting the dark and unnecessary burdens shed like snakeskin.

In the morning I could feel the inspiration flowing again, and I've rarely felt that grateful. So that's why I'm so happy now! It's hard to photograph such a feeling, so I'll just add a list here of little slightly vain and visual things I enjoy at the precise moment:

Bang bang! 

I started missing my bangs since they've been absent for months now. 

Cutting them again always feels like meeting an old friend.

30's half moon manicure with a sharpened edge and a matte finish has stuck to my nails for weeks.

I gave our orchids some coffee and they started to bloom like crazy!

I wish I could say the same thing about our poor herbs.

In the game of thrones, you win or you die.

It was worth all the wait to get the free hours to spend with these brilliant books!

 I devoured the first part quickly and now the Clash of Kings is waning towards its end.

 Bravo, Mr.Martin, bravo.

I've worn a lot of strappy shoes lately, so this trio is a current favourite. 

All are second hand, from flea markets and eBay. I found the used Jeffrey Campbell's Clinic shoes when there was still snow on the ground. I was aching to use them, but I had to get them repaired first because both of the platforms ripped off when I took them for the first walk. :-D Just my luck, but now they're good to go!

“Sometimes you wake up. Sometimes the fall kills you. And sometimes, when you fall, you fly.”

Last but never the least, comics.

I've always been certain that comics can teach you some profound lessons of life.

This particular scene is in my all-time top list and I wanted to share it with you.

And this reminds me that I've got a two-person comic club meeting with my friend, 

so I have to run now! I wish you all a wonderful Saturday evening. ♥

I used to be your girl, now I sit and conjure spirit worlds

Hello dears,

I could tell you how sorry I am for being absent for so long and getting some of you worried in the process, but what does it mean to be sorry when you truly have no other choice? My days begin at 7 in the morning chime and end just before the stroke of midnight, including a full day at work. When I finally drag my bones home there's a mountain of schoolwork waiting for me. They don't greet me like a tail-whipping bundle-of-love dogs but much more like leering, sneering monsters. The good thing is that even to my own amazement I seem to handle those monsters pretty well.



When the only free time of the day means grocery shopping and doing the laundry, I believe you see why there hasn't been time for extra inspiration and creativity. And they happen to be the main ingredients for my blogging. But the good news is this situation will pass in a month or so! I'll be back, like Mr.Schwarzenegger once said.

So, this little ounce of free time is for you. The look of this Saturday and some lovely current things!

- Comics. Bought two new Batman graphic novels a while ago, loving both of them, both in art and story. The Black Mirror is really disturbing even at my own scale that can bear pretty much. I still (and maybe even because of that) love it and highly recommend both! I might give some peeks into them in case you're interested. HUSH contains some lovely love moments between the Bat and the Cat, must admit that it was one of the top reasons why I bought it, hehee.

- My thesis. I've heard people are supposed to loathe their thesis works, but how could I hate mine when it's all about Edgar Allan Poe and pop-ups? Well, I do remember some tough, dark days and the writing part doesn't feel so tempting (haven't really had the time to start that part and I've only got two weeks to finish it, yay!), but I do enjoy exploring the difficult technique and sometimes even succeeding at it. Pictures might follow when I print the works in a physical form. :)

- Super foods. This isn't a new thing for me since I've consumed them for quite some time, but right now I'm all excited about a couple of new finds in the area. I took a chunk from my first salary and invested it in delicious power foods. Spirulina algae is my new favourite, it works like magic! 

Also, the other great thing about salary is that I can actually buy my every nutrition in organic mode, whenever it's available. For me, investing in quality food is the most important way of spending money, you truly are what you eat.

- Music, especially neofolk ballads and soundtracks at this precise moment. I love to listen to these melodies while working, they wrap me just in the right foggy mood. Here's a few examples, I always add only a couple of songs and it all ends up becoming a list..:

I would also add the new season of Game of Thrones here, but I still haven't had the time to check out the first episode! I'm so excited to see it! Have you seen it already?

Seeing Red

Another week just disappeared, gah! Did you see where it went? I sure didn't. Free time seems to be an illusion in my life right now.




My current colour code includes deep, succulent shades of red. Apparently I have nothing in the hue of wine or oxblood in my closet, but lipstick and nail polish gave a hand here, and the comics I'm biting through have red in them too. 

American Vampire is the best comics find I've had in a while, the artwork is wonderfully dynamic and I'm especially fond of the way the series portrays different vampire species. It's violent, crude and although the story takes place in the old times it still has a modern feel to it. It feels good to see honestly monstrous and blood-thirsty children of the night on these pages, after the huge wave of those glittery sissies. I'm anxious to read the other parts too but someone got ahead of me in the library, so I can only wait.

To continue on the path of red things, for I enjoy theme posts; Here's a candy apple red water boiler that crossed my path the other day. I was just about to purchase this boiler to replace our broken one but  found it in a second hand shop before striking the deal. It's a wonder how often this happens at flea markets, the thing you're looking for just pops right in front of your eyes! 

I also felt like sharing these apples with you, because for a little moment they felt like the most miraculous thing in the world. I get moments like these a lot and I want to share more of these random things that touch me, hope you don't mind. Their beauty got my attention at the fruit counter and I had to carry some of them home. The very instant I saw red skies shifting with glowing stars in them, like miniature universes holding life inside of them. But much more scrumptious. 

(nailpolishes I used: GOSH, Night Kiss + Bottega Verde, Rubino Scintillante)

And now for the other Apple.

The Apple I'll be staring at school for the months to come whenever my other duties allow me to. This concerns my blog too, I won't be having as much time to update now so please bear with me darlings! I have a deadline lurking ahead of me and I need to finish my thesis and other courses or dig up a gaping hole, six feet deep, in the cold ground of unfinished degrees. 

This is the most important focus point in my life now, this is my conquerable Mount Everest and the battlefield I will fight through even if it requires sleepless nights and collateral damage of a social nature. The good news is I'll probably enjoy my ride since the thesis subject is so lovely! I'll try to post whenever I have free time, but as I already said, I'm short of that for the time being. 

Day 2: My favourite place (+Blacksad)

I was asked a long time ago to photograph my favorite place in the world, and the truthful answer is that I don't have just one. Does anyone? It changes quicker than the seasons, and right at this moment it's in the corner of our bed, under the glowing canopy of the mushroom lights. Safe from the deathly cold white world, softened with a  pile of pillows, great (comic) books, in today's case Blacksad, and a cup of soy milk chai. The perfect refuge from any roaring blizzard.

Blacksad is a magnificent comic, all the characters are anthropomorphic animals and amazingly fitted into their roles. And the drawing style is simply impeccable, almost out of this world! Detective stories always hit right into the nooks of my film noir adoring heart, I highly recommend this series for any comic book lover. :)

You were but a ghost in my arms

Perjantai-illan kunniaksi pientä epämääräistä tiivistystä kuluneesta viikosta! Olen:
A quick and very vague summary about the past week! I have: 

(He didn't want to show his entire face here, so the birthday card and one sleepy eye will have to do :>)

♥  Juhlinut vappua, ylläri! Vappu oli tällä kertaa normaalia isompi tapaus kun juhlistettiin samalla armaan avopuolison 30-vuotisuutta. Herraa ei ehkä kehtaa enää kutsua poikaystäväksi niin pitää alkaa käyttää termiä miesystävä, hoho. Tässähän tuntee itsensä melkein aikuiseksi, mutta onneksi vain melkein. ;) Tiivistetysti juhliin mahtui hyvää seuraa, litroittain skumppaa ja muuta kuplivaa, Commandon katsomista (oi kyllä!) ja loppuillasta vielä Black Sabbath-coverbändin keikalla heilumista. Kaikin puolin mainio ilta!

♥  Celebrated Walpurgis Night, Labor Day, whatever you wish to call it. This year was very special since my beloved turned 30! I guess that I can no longer call him my boyfriend, I'll have to switch it to my manfriend, haha. Gosh, how grown-up that makes me feel. There was a lot of great people around and gallons of bubbly drinks, we also watched Commando (oh, yes) and at the end of the night we went to see a Black Sabbath cover band. A very fun night indeed!

♥   Olen korkannut korkkarikauden  kipittämällä korkojen kera pitkin katuja. Kenkälaatikoiden esiinkaivaminen on yksi niistä harvoista kevään plussapuolista, lähes euforista kun asuihin voi taas yhdistellä muutakin kuin talvisia saappaita ja nilkkureita.

♥  The streets are finally dry and I've conquered them in high heels. Digging all the delicate heels out of the wardrobe is the moment that I dream of every winter. It feels so good to wear something else than boots for a change!

♥  Olen häseltänyt uusien derbykamojen kimpussa ja käynyt jo ulkonakin rullaamassa. Itärajan kylmä tuuli tärisyttää vielä luuytimiä mutta se ihana vapauden tunne ja tärinä voittaa flunssapelonkin.

♥  I got some new derby gear and have already tried my luck with outdoors skating. The cold wind of this city is still chilling the marrow of my bone but the feeling of freedom beats the fear of flu.

♥ Olen juonut liian monta pannua kahvia, siivoillut kotia hyperaktiivisena ja uppoutunut sarjakuviin enemmän kuin aikataulut sallisi. Olen vaan itsepetoksen mestari kouluhommiin liittyvissä asioissa, joten sarjiksethan on tietysti vain hienovaraista taustatutkimusta opinnäytetyölle joka sivuaa aihetta. Opinnäytetyö joka ei tällä tahdilla valmistu koskaan..

♥ I've drank too much coffee, cleaned the house in a hyperactive mode and read way more comics than my schedule allows. But I'm a master of self-deceit, so the comics are just some kind of background research for my thesis. The thesis that will probably never be complete..

♥ Loppuun vielä epäolennainen kuva tämän päivän naamasta ja sotkuisista hiuksista. Mitä te olette puuhailleet tällä viikolla? :)

♥ And finally one unessential photo of today's look and messy hair. So what have you guys been up to this week? :)

Bat Attack

Ensinnäkin on pakko sanoa että vau. Kummaa miten paljon lukijoita tummanpuhuvaan blogipahaseeni on eksynyt, mutta olen asiasta ihan uskomattoman iloinen ja hämmästynyt! Ihanaa että jaksatte katsella kuulumisia ja kuvia vaikka blogi onkin välillä torkahtanut talviunille, yritän palata vähän aktiivisemmin kirjoitusten ja kuvaamisen pariin kunhan kiireet hieman hellittää. Ja yhtään valehtelematta mulla on varmaan blogosfäärin mukavimmat lukijat, kiitos siitä ihanat! ♥

Viime viikko kului lapsuudensankarini Batmanin pauloissa, niin elokuvien kuin sarjakuvienkin osalta. Lauantaina vietettiin ystävän kanssa tyttöjen iltaa kera viinin ja Batmanin seikkailujen, hieman poikkeuksellista sinäänsä kun yleensä käsitykseni tyttöjen illasta on paljon olutta ja vino pino zombileffoja. Ylle eksyi yksi maailman simppeleimmistä asuyhdistelmistä ja lepakkomainen silmämeikki, jota tulee käytettyä erityisesti niinä päivinä kun meikkaamiseen ei ole paljoa aikaa ja haluaa nopeasti jotain dramaattista. Joustavat vaatteet pohjasivat hyvin sarjakuvasankariteemaa mutta jokaiselle sankarittarelle kuuluvat saappaat jäivät asusta pois kun baarin kutsu ei houkutellutkaan.

Saturday's outfit ~ Lip Service

Uusin lisäys Batman-sarjiksiin löytyi kirpputorilta, tarinat eivät ole Gothamin parhainta kermaa mutta piirrosjälki on loistavaa inspiraatiota hahmoluonnosteluun! Marvelin ja DC:n luoma vartaloihanne on kyllä niin utopistinen että naurattaa, mutta silti virtaviivaisten muskeleiden, valtavien reisien ja surrealististen mittasuhteiden piirtäminen houkuttelee kummasti.

Batmanin parhaita puolia on se ettei herralla itsellään ole kaikki lepakot kellotapulissa, vaan mielen kunto on miltei samaa luokkaa kuin Arkhamin naurufarmin asukeilla. Gothamin psykoottiset rikolliset ovatkin pahisten parhainta A-luokkaa, harmittaa muuten älyttömästi etten ole vieläkään päässyt pelaamaan Arkham Asylumia! En ole koskaan piitannut niistä puhtoisimmista Galahadin korvikkeista mitä popkulttuurilla on tarjottavanaan, mutta ankisankarit on ihan toinen juttu ja siksi Batman lukeutuukin suosikkeihin. Ja onhan se lepakkopuku ja tumma olemus vaan aivan järjettömän kuumaa.

Löytyykö lukijoista Gothamin kultapojan faneja?

Wow. I never believed that my blog would reach such many readers, but I'm very happy and surprised about that! I have without a doubt the nicest readers possible, so thank you so much for following me dears! ♥
      My last week was quite Batman-oriented, both in comics and in films. On Saturday we had a girls' night out indoors with a friend, accompanied with drinks and Batman, of course! I wore one of the simplest outfits possible and a bat-winged eye make that I usually wear when I want to get a dramatic look within minutes. We didn't go anywhere so the outfit is unofortunately lacking my superhero boots, but you'll see them in the future.
      The newest addition to my Batman comics came from the flea market, the stories aren't the crème de la crème of Gotham but the ink work is great inspiration for sketches! The body image of DC and Marvel is so unnatural, but it's pretty tempting to draw huge thighs and surreal proportions. One of the best things about Batman is that it's impossible to tell the difference between the madness of his villains and the tormented hero himself, they all have a side that belongs to Arkham funny farm. I've loved the whole Batman character since I was a kid, especially the incredibly hot bat suit! Any other fans of Gotham's golden boy out there?

And I was your undertaker, And I was your ivory girl

Eilisen asussa vilahti läpikuultavien kankaiden lisäksi pari matkalta mukaan tarttunutta löytöä. Tälläkin kertaa shoppailuosuus keskittyi budjetin puitteissa lähinnä kirppareiden penkomiseen, mutta onneksi on Valtteri. ♥ Huokailen aina sitä etten asu lähempänä tuota aarreaittaa, kunnes muistan että kyseinen kirppis veisi vuorenvarmasti talouteni perikatoon puolessa vuodessa. Löytöjä kerääntyy sieltä aina sen verran että kangaskassien natisevia kantohihnoja hirvittää, tässä muutamia löydöksiä viime kerralta.

necklace ~ Cybershop

Kassiin eksyi Sonia Rykiel pour H&M kiiltonahkakiilakorkokengät (yhdyssanahirviöiden aatelia) joita tiirailin jo aiemmin huuto.netistä. Hinta ei huimannut päätä ja käveltävyydestä iso plussa, jokin näissä kiiltomuhkuissa viehättää valtavasti! Platformeissa on aina soma ripaus nostalgiaa teinigoottiaikojen kilisevistä platformsaappaista, nykyään vain nautin platoni mieluiten hieman sirommassa muodossa.

mesh shirt ~ Monki / top ~ 2nd hand / necklace ~ Cybershop / mesh & lace skirt ~ Lip Service (2nd hand)
stockings ~ ? / shoes ~ Sonia Rykiel pour H&M (2nd hand)

Lunastin pikkukolikoilla myös parit korkkarit mukaan, mutta niittikorot jouduin luovuttamaan epäsopivina eteenpäin siskoni suureksi vahingoniloksi. Saman myyjän pöydästä nappasin peruskorkkarit arkikäyttöön, olen kaivannut tällaisia jo kauan mutta houkutus on aina vienyt erikoisempien kenkäparien ääreen. Järki ja kenkäostokset ei vaan aina sovi samaan lauseeseen, tunnustaako kukaan muu samanlaisia tapoja?

(I know it's kind of creepy to put photos of unknown, dead people on your wall,
but I just can't help myself!)

Kahmin lisäksi mm. vanhoja valokuvia, pokkareita ja koruröykkiöitä kirpparilta mukaan, ja Akateemisen kirjakaupan sarjismeressä kävin myös polskahtamassa. Sitä kautta pääsin vihdoinkin aloittamaan Walking Dead-sarjan läpikoluamisen ja sekä juoni että piirrosjälki näyttää zombifanin silmissä ihan hemmetin hyvältä! Vielä onnellisempi olin mukaan tarttuneesta Comic Book Tattoo-kirjasta, joka on eri taiteilijoiden luomia sarjakuvia Tori Amoksen lyriikoista. Tori-faneille suosittelen lämpimästi edes tämän tiiliskiven selailua, mieletöntä miten erilaisia tulkintoja ja piirrosjälkiä voi olla.

Parhaan kirppislöydön tittelin saa ehdottomasti tämä ihana vintagelipasto, joka lähti kuolinpesän myyjältä alle kympillä matkaan. Olin jo ostamassa mööpeliä kun eräs paikallinen mummo kiilasi töykeästi väliin taistelemaan, voi tätä nykyajan mummosoa. Milloin saat jonossa törkeää etuilua tai kuulla kuittailua silloin jos sanot jotain murresanoilla, tuntuu että pahemmaksi menee mitä lähempänä kehä kolmosta käy. Tai sitten tätä samaa tapahtuu ihan kaikkialla ja koen vain harhoja, luultavimmin olen katsonut liikaa Monty Pythonia. :D

Mummoista kukkaruukkuun, lipasto on vielä vailla pientä tuunausta ja uutta maalipintaa, kuten moni muukin pieni sisustusjuttu. Pientä postausta sisustuksesta siis luvassa joskus hamassa tulevaisuudessa, nyt palailen muiden kiireellisempien puuhien pariin. Ihanaa viikonloppua kaikille! :>

Yesterday's translucent outfit included some of the finds I did on my journey, the heart necklace being one of the very few things that wasn't second hand. (Well ok, I bought those comics too from a bookstore's comics section, also known as heaven.) There's this flea-market called Valtteri in Helsinki, and it's a true treasure hold for everyone with a passion for second hand shopping. This time I found Sonia Rykiel's platform shoes that I've been looking for, they remind me of the chinky platform boots I used years ago as a babybat. :> The bat hasn't flown far from the cave, but nowadays I like to enjoy my platforms in a more delicate form. 
     I also found basic high heels for every outfit, an armful of jewelry and many, many other things. The best find was that pretty little vintage drawer that cost me under 10e, though I had to fight with a feisty granny to get it. Some of the grannies these days can be such bullies, or then I've just watched a bit too much of Monty Python. ;) Anyway, I'm going to paint the drawer and fix a few other decoration things too, so there might be a small decoration post coming up. Now I'm going to return to some more urgent things, have a nice weekend darlings!