Steampunking It

I almost had a heart attack when I found out Monday night about the Edwardian Ball that's being held in San Francisco in January.

Of course, if you didn't know already, I'm a steampunk fanatic. I really wanted to go to SteamCon in October but getting my costume together that quick is a little much for me. However, this time I'm ready, this time I've got it. I'm going with my sister and a friend first to the Edwardian World's Faire and then to the Edwardian Ball in the most beautiful red dress and (hopefully) a parasol.

The dress looks like this and is from http://www.retroscopefashions.com/images/gallery/gallery130.jpg








Anyway, it's Dead Week in school, the week before finals, and the word "dead" is taking on a new definition for me this week. First, it's definitely much colder here than it was in the bay area, where I used to live, so I actually broke out my heavy black jacket, the one I wore to Chicago for the band trip my junior year of high school and felt warm for the first time here in weeks. On the other hand, even though it's cold, the sky is a crisp blue color that you would otherwise ignore on a hot day, and, though it stings your nose, when you breathe in, you can smell every little icy scent going on around you. In a way, it brings me back to my childhood, living in the mountains of Tehachapi, in my parents' house, sitting in front of a blazing fire that my father had stoked up to be so hot, so intense, that it was impossible to stand in front of it for more than a couple of seconds without feeling overwhelmed. I missed that fireplace...