FIGMENT Boston 2013, a set on Flickr.
Cocktail: Blueberry-Lemon Tart
“Infusion.” I try to infuse film, music, and literary analysis with political theory, and with this post I continue my fixation with infusing alcohol. I like to think that with every creative endeavor, as we absorb the influence of those who have come before us or work among us, we seek to infuse who we are, our souls, into the world around us. With my infusions, I try to both add complexity and uncover an essential idea – whether its the godliness (or lack thereof) within humanity or the tartness of blueberries. If you’ve stumbled into my experiments, I hope you stumble out inspired to experiment with a creative infusion of your own – alcoholic or otherwise.
Origin Horror Stories: Men, Gods and Monsters
For many of us, “monsters” are shadows on a child’s bedroom wall; aliens only exist in the imaginations of “pathetic low-lifes with boring jobs,” as cartoon child Lisa Simpson says. While these creatures’ real existences are debatable, they are essential elements of our stories. In the sci-fi horror genre, monsters and aliens are not only for good for tingling spines and jump scares, but also to stand in for much less tangible, yet more real, sources for anxiety – fears rooted in the human experience. In certain circumstances, characters’ tumultuous encounters with monsters and aliens in our horror and sci-fi favorites reference our relationship with an entity whose existence is even more hotly contested, whose actions may appear even more twisted and mysterious – God.
I’m Not a Snowflake, I’m a Cog: Individuality in Fleet Foxes’ “Helplessness Blues” and Plato’s Republic
So Plato, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Robin Pecknold of the Fleet Foxes and I walk into a bar…and discuss how we can embrace human individuality and the common good of society at the same time. Continue reading
Cocktail: Blood Orange Revolution
A couple weeks ago I celebrated my birthday with a few different treats, including a wonderful barbeque with Jesse and his wife Prathima. In exchange for their hospitality, delicious homemade food, european-style cakes and oysters, I brought over my most recent cocktail creation. Serendipitously, the aperitif paired extremely well with the Rhode Island, Wellfleet, and Blue Point oysters that we shucked ourselves.
“To Respond to Terror and Fear with Music and Laughter”
I struggle to find the words to express the sorrow, grief, pain, “whys,” and the fear that consumed so many of us this week, especially those of us living and working in Boston and its surrounding communities.
The Coming of Lip$ha
When Flaming Lips frontman, Wayne Coyne, participated in a Reddit AMA last Wednesday, he announced that his band will collaborate with Ke$ha again (see “2012 (You Must be Upgraded)” from the Flaming Lips’ Heady Fwends and “Past Lives” from Ke$ha’s Warrior) for an entire album entitled, “Lip$ha.” When asked what it was like to work with the pop songstress, Coyne responded, “She is a blast on all levels. She’s funny, she’s humble. She’s badass. She’s everything. She’s awesome.”
Cocktail: The Kinky Rickey
This concoction is simple. Well, after you spend a couple weeks in your laboratory kitchen creating your raspberry-infused vodka, this is simple. It’s a reminder not to over-complicate things – from figuring out what you’re going to do with your life to mixing a drink.
Infusing Vodka (Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Being a “Hipster”)
When it comes to food and drink, I tend to skip over bare necessities and indulge my creativity. My favorite culinary adventures lie in a very frivolous category – cocktails. As I told a friend recently, I am not an alcoholic, but I am addicted to mixology. Ogling cocktail recipes ranks high on my top ten uses for the internet. Fortunately for my liver, I spend much more energy into dreaming up cocktails than consuming them.
Fated to Pretend
Hi there! Let me show you why I’ve started this blog with a little adventure through MGMT’s “Time to Pretend.”
KristenRose 