Dungeons and Donuts

Dutch and I keep a regular game of DnD going with 4 of our good friends. We meet almost every weekend, and when we get together on Sundays we like to share a brunch as we get into the mix of things.

This week everyone was a little tight on cash due to the seasonal costs of knowing too many people, so we decided to keep it small and just do breakfast at the host's place. We all happened to also be together the evening before and I have no idea how I thought of donuts (though why I don't always think of donuts I'm not certain either), but the subject was broached and I mentioned a new donut shop that opened in Draper not far from us. Star Donuts. It's a small shop near Smith's and Petco and it is

open

24/7

all the time.

Not to mention that the donuts aren't the crud you get at grocery stores or the Lehi Main Street bakery. THESE ARE GLORIOUS GREASY SONS OF GUNS. Not overly greasy either. They don't keep a giant front display, so the donuts are constantly coming in and out of the kitchen fresh. We got 5 dozen donuts, picked by the owner himself (I didn't get his name but bless that young man for being there 6 days a week), and I let him know it's my favorite donut place in the state.

Let me explain. I'm not from this area, nor is Dutch. Where I am from, donut shops are family owned stores that will bribe you into coming back as often as possible. You ordered two donuts and a croissant? Here's an extra half dozen donut holes. Remember us the next time you want breakfast. You need a pick me up between early morning seminary and marching band practice? We're your place. Grocery store donuts, the semi-stale cakey butterless pieces of pumice stone that grate your stomach lining and chip away at your life expectancy... Those are for the lazy. You couldn't get a long well without finding your niche shop in even the smallest of towns. AND THOSE PEOPLE HAD TO COMPETE WITH KOLACHE SHOPS. It's not an easy market. I didn't realized till I moved to Utah that I had "unreasonably" high expectations from my breakfast pastries.

Nonetheless, I've found my new niche. Star Donuts is reasonably priced, and the staff is always delightful. They carry all my regular orders, from basic glazed to old fashioned blueberry cake, devils food, chocolate eclair, apple fritters, raspberry jam filled, even bagels and croissant sandwiches. I'm a happy breakfast eater once again, thank goodness.

As always, let me know what your experience is with donut vendors in the area. Share with us if you've tried Star Donuts for yourself, or if you are a true-blue fan of another shop around town.

Christmas Markets

Friendly reminder: We are not a traditional "family" and do not go places for "family activities". This blog is written to review our experiences from our own unique perspective, that of a couple in their late 20's and their small dog.

Christmas-Christmas Time is Here

Last weekend we went to the Christkindlmarkt SLC at Heritage Park. I can't talk Dutch into doing holiday stuff for the life of me. Last year his friends were BOWLED OVER by the fact he let me put up a tree and decorations. So being able to do this was kind of a big deal. I'd been gaming with some friends from Bristol earlier in the week and they were talking about the Christmas Markets they went to around London the weekend prior and all the good food and drinks and music, I got so excited, but I honestly shouldn't have expected a place so far from Bavarian Homeland to resemble what they described. We decided to go on Thursday night, since there would be a lantern parade and it being a school night, we assumed less people.

Boy. Were. We. Wrong.

The market wasn't close by, a 30 minute drive w/out traffic. It took us an hour to get to the park, and about another 30 minutes to find parking. We brought Sandor, thinking it would be delightful for him to come have treats and see the lights and music, but immediately realized our mistake when he could barely stop shivering enough to walk. We carried him up the hill from where we parked and entered the market.

There must have been at least 800 people at Heritage Park that night. It was 28F, dark, and the "heaters" scattered about were fires dying out quickly in containers not meant for distributing heat well. Children screamed and cried as their parents attempted to take photos of them in front of significant sites like the 14 foot Christmas tree in the courtyard, teenagers pushed violently through the crowds and lines, I think my foot was run-over by at least 20 strollers as entire families decided to pass right through the line for Hot Chocolate to get to their destination on the other side. That line, by the way, was about 40 people deep, as was every other warm treat vendor's stall. It took 20 minutes to get hot chocolate, and then they charged $5 a cup and wouldn't take debit for less than $20.

It was only 7pm and most of the vendors were out of their more popular wares. I was interested in buying a large construction from Candy Everything as a centerpiece for a Christmas party we plan on hosting for friends, but the largest pieces were all sold, including a 15" tall pirate ship that would have looked PERFECT next to our sidebar at the hot chocolate service table.

Dutch and Sandor towed behind me in absolute misery, so I finished my hot chocolate and we got the heck out of there. The night was a supreme failure. The market goers were rude, selfish people. The weather was too unexpectedly cold to be enjoyable. The vendor booths were too small to see at a glance and figure out the treasures inside without fighting the crowds to get in and too crowded together, so that one booth crowded the two beside it as well.

None of the vendors we encountered were doing anything "authentic", or being particularly cheerful. I was hoping to encounter people sharing century old hot chocolate with their customers, telling stories about how their Great Great Opa and Oma discovered the secret, and teasing the children about how they'd never figure it out in a hundred more years. No storytellers. Dancers, yes, but even they looked miserable. All this added to the blaring PA soundtrack of an OomPaPa Christmas made our trip a nightmare.

All in all, if you ARE a parent, uncle, aunt, grandparent, or older cousin and you plan on bringing children to a Christmas Market in the area, please send someone ahead to do research. Go during the daylight, dress for colder weather than predicted, and FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS HOLY DONT BRING A STROLLER. Get a baby backpack if you have to.

If you're like Dutch and myself, either make it to the earliest hours or don't go at all. Bring cash if you plan on buying ANYTHING and maybe take a Xanex before entering the grounds if that's your thing.

I know there have been/are other Christmas Markets around SLC, and I know not everyone's experience at them are as awful as I've described it. Tell me about your own trips to the Off-Bavarian Wonderlands, what did you like? What did you learn? What will get you back there next year or what will keep you away? I'd love to hear your stories!

Katchup

This is the first post re-formatting/re-imagining the blog. For those of you new to the community, please, call me Malus. I rent from a lovely couple in the South of Salt Lake County, as does my wonderful long-time boyfriend Dutch, who looks after our pup Sandor. Sandor will get his own blog post soon, and his addition to our little family means you'll also get anecdotes and reviews from our escapades at the local dog park(s).

A little about us as a couple. Dutch doesn't really like people. Well, most people. He likes me. And Sandor (who is his own person, though dog-person). We have a handful of good friends. We love video games and browsing Reddit. Neither of us are too fond of vegetables but I really love fruit. We're hard judges of food and harder judges of environment when it comes to going out to restaurants and festivals. We like to do things on a reasonable budget, as well, so these will not be Michelin Star places you'll see reviewed. At least unless Dutch surprises me.

--------PLACES WE LOVE ALREADY--------

We will still give stories and re-reviews of places we revisit, as sometimes quality changes depending on service, chef, and management. If you don't want to wait around for new reviews, here are some recommendations to go off of today.

Our Favorite ______________:

BURGERS:

Bruges Waffles and Frites

541 East 12300 South #A, Draper, UT 84020

Bruges is known for it's Belgian waffles and delightful fries. There are locations elsewhere, but we're pretty fond of the Draper location because it's not far from us and it's never been busy when we visit. Dutch introduced me to their Ricky Burger, steakhouse beef on with onion crisps and signature sauces on a kaiser roll. If you plan on eating this burger on a date, bring some gum, and grab some napkins. It's messy and greasy and delightful. Your onion breath will be overpowered by how happy you area after eating one of these. If you don't eat a lot in one sitting (like me) plan on sharing, but this burger is enough to fill the stomach of Dutch and other very hungry men like him.

Salt City Burger

9176 Village Shop Dr, Sandy, UT 84094

Salt City KNOWS burgers. The kitchen produces burgers made with 100% USDA choice beef. They cater to picky people. The staff is friendly and the environment is full of rich wood tones, soft lighting, and if you go the right night (Tuesday) it's usually not crowded. Our favorites here are the Sunrise Burger, Dutch likes to get the egg poached. I switch between the Smokehouse Bacon Burger and the Hawaiian Special. The Sweet Potato Fries HAVE to be mentioned as well. I have, on more than one occasion, opted just for a big plate of SP Fries when we went here, as the burgers are very large and I don't always have that much of an appetite.

BURRITOS:

Sweeto Burrito

487 E 12300 S Unit B, Draper, UT 84020

First and Foremost: This isn't Mexican or TexMex food here. Sweeto Burrito is a purely AMERICANA food provider. The tacos are similar to texmex street tacos, but if you have doubts, just look at their menu and how many items are made with Sweeto (Seasoned Fry) Sauce. Fry Sauce is about as Utahan as BYU itself. On to the food: I'm a breakfast burrito kind of girl. I could eat breakfast every meal if that option is on the table. I get the Break Neck burrito almost every time I visit, opting rarely to exchange it with the Buff Chick (pretty much Tater Tots and Boneless Chicken) or the All American (essentially a cheeseburger in burrito form). Dutch opts for the Carnivore, which is essentially a meet medley with white rice and siracha (there's other stuff but it's less important). The combos come with sides, but the burritos typically have sides INSIDE already. Tater tots, fries, white rice... Like how many sides does a person need? If you opt for a Chango (a strawberry and creamcheese chimichanga) try and get it on a real substantial plate and use a sharp knife, they're delicious, but messy, and hard to cut apart. You can try to pick it up with your hands, but it's covered in strawberry syrup, so that's a brave choice. Sweeto is a great go-to place for when you're really hungry and want to sit down afterward for a few hours.

BRAZILIAN FARE: 

Tushar Brazilian Express

1078 W South Jordan Pkwy (10400 So) South Jordan, UT 84095

Bacon Wrapped Chicken. Need I say more? Really??? Okay. Teriyaki Beef. ON STICKS. Grilled fresh made to order, served with black beans and rice. Maybe Fried Bananas for dessert. This place is fantastic, fast, authentic, and super affordable. Most people in these parts go on and on about Tucanos but it's not really a restaurant for two people, so what are you gonna do? TUSHAR. TUSHAR SHOULD BE THE ANSWER. I was surprised by the quality when they catered my last job and fell in love. Not only are the entrees delicious, but they make a passion fruit mousse I'd commit murder for. Seriously, the stuff is tangy and bright and perfect. Even if you don't want food, just go order a mousse cup. Do it. You will thank me.

We'll do more updates catching y'all up as we go, but for now I need to get to work-work. Have a wonderful day and remember, you don't have to put up with the bull crap of strangers in public. YOU HAVE POWER as a consumer. Choose places with both quality and environment. Say something to that guest about not ignoring their wildly screaming children who are running a muck about the place. If you leave a place, tell a manager on your way out why you left and that you're not likely to be back. And try and go during slow hours for the business (you can find these on google, they're useful as heck).

T-DAY COUNTDOWN - THE MONDAY BEFORE

Idk if you know how student housing works, but I live with 5 other women in their late teens/twenties. And I love/hate it. In recent developments:

We're hosting Thanksgiving Dinner. @_@

• None of us have ever roasted a turkey before.
• None of us have ever done thanksgiving without our mom.
• I'm the only one with any dinner party experience.
• The only ones staying in the apartment this week are me and 2 freshmen.
• We're providing dinner for 12.

...

I have this problem with over-committing.

BUT I AM A PLANNER AND I CAN DO THIS. Thank goodness for Pinterest. Here's a link to my board. There are some great nuggets of wisdom to be found there.

We're doing 2 turkeys, because our ovens are small. We're using a couple of different apartment's ovens to do all this. R's brother lives in our building and will be dining with us, so he's agreed to help, and their mother was sweet enough to offer to help buy the turkey(s).

Due to shared fridge/freezer space being super crowded, to save room we're COOLER BRINING thanks to abeautifulmess.com's Emma Chapman. She's walking us through that and possibly a couple of other things. I've taken the recipe and made a 1 page word document complete with ingredients in shopping list format, tools necessary listed, and easy to read and follow instructions, happy to share if there's any interest.

In Excel I've worked out a time table of what dishes we're making, how much time they'll each take, and when they need to be started in order for oven use efficiency. Practically an oven schedule. I highly recommend this, as cooking around a turkey in a small oven is not an easy task to do.

AND MAN OH MAN

While composing this little pre-post, our Bishop just sanctioned it the ysa ward thanksgiving dinner. Bad news - more people. Good news - budget.

HOW WE'RE FITTING (so far)

Our kitchen barely fits 4. Our living room fits 5 comfortably. They're open all the way across, so my idea as it stands is to by a folding long table and use it (smashed against our small dining table) and borrow some chairs to add to the arrangement to seat everyone. If more people show than we can fit, we'll do it asian style in the hallway. We'll take the foods and serving utensils and line the center of the hall, throw some pillows on the ground on the edges, and have everyone guard their cups in their laps. If we use the table, we'll use brown craft paper as a cover and put little mad-libs, games, and "thankful for" lists at everyone's seats. So far the menu goes as below:

Melody's Secret Holiday Hooch

-this isn't actual "hooch" but it's a fun mocktail. No recipe being shared. This stays a secret.

Tinsman Green Bean Casserole

Hodgson Turkeys

All Knight Stuffing

Corn bread

Cranberry sauce

Creamy Crock Pot Mashed Potatoes

Pumpkin Pie

Salad (which I would like to point out, I wont eat - but I will serve, as I know it's a dinner party necessity)

Bacon Wrapped Asparagus

Candied Sweet Potatoes

Dinner Rolls

Giblet Gravy

Some sort of cookies

Some sort of cupcakes

Egg nog

Sparkling Cider

All in all, we'll get through it somehow, and I'm sure it will be a whirlwind.

• Important things to remember - play music during prep to keep the mood up. Some subtle jazz intrigues the ears and keeps things positive and calm.
• Probably turn on A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving and set out the appetizers 20 minutes before you expect the guests to arrive.
• Keep the dishwasher empty so the clean-up moves faster and DONT LEAVE OUT INGREDIENTS when you're done. Whatever you can prep the night before, prep the night before. 
• Make sure you have all necessary bowls, pans, pots, tongs, and tools necessary to prepare and serve each dish. Maybe even make sure you have one of each required tool per dish that requires it.
• Delegate.
• Keep smiling - it'll keep everyone else slightly happier.
• Delegate.
• Light fall scented candles or use potpourri to set the atmosphere.
• Delegate.
• If space won't allow anything else, use a buffet style service. I think we'll do this for the non-finger foods anyway.
• Have plenty of ice on hand.
• Nothing is impossible. If dinner is late, it's late.
• Timers were invented for a reason.
• Keep your schedule close at hand and have all recipes printed so that wifi/phone service doesn't delay anything.

I guess we'll see how this is going tomorrow night. I'll be heading to the store after work, and I'm positive I'll forget stuff. Tell me about your thanksgiving plans in the comments! Any cool recipes or tips or traditions! I love this stuff.

Brovo, Utah

So this year, I've been learning to survive in the Wild Wild West,
                                                                            Mountains
                                                                           Brovosphere.
Utah is so full of adventurers and outdoorsy people. Every social media profile has a photo of the person either snowboarding or rock climbing or there's some majestic arch in the background. Cyclists and Joggers litter the trails and sidewalks at all hours of the day and night. Hot tub hopping is considered a widely acceptable social activity, and joining strangers in games of soccer, football, softball, and frisbee is not considered strange at all. Longboarding is a group activity. Hiking is a daily occurrence for many.

My phone is constantly being blown up by Gold's Gym on University inviting me to use my free guest day that my friends with memberships there keep signing me up for. My office has a volleyball court, indoor gym, horseshoe pit, ping pong tables, and pool table. Across the street, a local entertainment center (similar to Dave and Busters or Main Event) includes a ropes course and indoor surfing, but instead of a bar, they have an ice cream shop. The dance halls serve bottled water and powerade, as do the concert venues (where talking is discouraged during a performance, and wild movements can get you escorted outside).

Men here... We'll save that bit for later. Let's just say I won't be settling down with anyone from the Valley anytime soon ever.

Now this does not go for all of Utah. Nor for every native. I even believe that the majority of people who live in Utah Valley are transplants from other states or countries. The Provo/Orem area is constantly offering something fun to do, like new restaurant openings or the rooftop concert series. Bands that start up here have a tendency to be above average, like The New Electric Sound and Westward the Tide, and I'm sure you've heard of Neon Trees and Imagine Dragons. And there are food trucks EVERYWHERE. I'm eating Fiore pizza right now and it was worth the one hour line outside my office.

But a large percentile of the population do things a very different way from the outside world. Almost everything is closed by 11pm, and most places are open late only Friday nights, as Sunday mornings most everyone is at church. ComiCon SLC was vastly less scandalous than my own home state's. If you don't think BYU Creamery Ice Cream is the best, you're not American (as a southerner, I can't lie and say it's better than Blue Bell). All carbonated beverages are "pop." If you don't drive at least 20 over the speed limit, you drive like an old person. You have to drive out of state to see a decent baseball game. People CLAP at the end of movies - this drives me up a wall. Applause. In a cinema. Not just on premiere night. The prettiest plant life here is beautiful to look at, but get close enough to smell it and you're going to be sick. There are these trees with tiny little white blossoms that get everywhere and in the spring they smell like fish and ravioli. YUCK.

Where I'm from, confident men and women are considered a rarity and are usually well received and respected for their character. If someone walked up to me and made it clear with some degree of charm that they were attracted to me, they'd win some brownie points. Extra if I reciprocated said attraction. Here, if you approach someone and tell them how you feel, you're red flagged. Only players do that. Regular, good people beat around the bush and aren't bold in any way. YAWN.

The majority of the ladies I've encountered are very picky and have somewhat ridiculous standards for their eventual soulmate. I've heard everything from "He has to have all of his adult teeth and no cavities," to "He must know how to give a warm stone massage." To make things worse, many of the men who don't have equally strange and high standards ("She must weigh less than 120 lbs." or "She can't have ever kissed anyone else.") fall into the category of "Brovo." These young men are often summer salesmen (but not all salesmen fall under this category), have gym memberships they use daily, collect flat-brimmed hats and v-neck shirts, and a false sense of manhood they feel they've earned from the number of girl's they've had fall for them. They often are difficult to talk to about anything aside from work or working out. Deep conversations are unheard of with these types, and wit is wasted on them.

All in all, for young newly weds or families, Utah Valley is a WONDERFUL place to live. Your children will be safe and well educated, and there is plenty to do as a family. As a single student who wasn't raised in the suburbs and likes to live life a little closer to the edge, I can't wait to be done with school so I can get out of here. I work for a wonderful company and I've made a lot of great friends. Brovo is a wonderful place to visit in my opinion, but when I eventually settle down, I want my children to know what the rest of the world is like. I want them to be roudy teens, adventurers and travelers, well cultured and well educated and widely accepting of the way other people live. I want them to be proud of who they are, to know confidence and self-respect. Mostly, I want them raised in an environment that doesn't just nurture them, it tests them and strengthens them. My opinion - Provo is not the place for that.

These are my opinions, the bad seem to outweigh the good but I promise it's really equal, most of the good stuff is just generalized and the bad stuff I get specific about because I feel the need to. I know many friends who moved here and feel the same way I do, and I know many friends that may move here that would do well to be informed.

So You're A Stake Dance DJ! [Part 1]

For almost everyone in the LDS community, the idea of having to attend a Stake Dance for the YM/YW is often one of nightmarish proportions. I'm not saying every stake in the world has these issues, but from what I've witnessed in at least 30 different US stakes, it's a general problem.

For the youth - less than 5% are the outgoing type that thrive on social interactions and are good at getting the party started. The percentage of those who are willing to risk embarrassment to try and have a little fun is barely any higher. You either go because you WANT to have fun (which is the case for most) or because your parents/callings make you. Often, aside from large special functions like conferences, youth leave these events disappointed.

For adults - You're there for your calling or your kids. You watch the undead-like atmosphere jump to life during the line dances and occasional slow/swing song, then resume zombie business as usual when the song changes. You attempt to talk to the youth you know to encourage they interact a little with new people. If you're really dedicated, you even dance yourself or ask the DJ to (or as the DJ) start a snowball or other game to get things moving. Usually, this meets a lot of sour looks and disappearing teenagers. Man, you sure know how to clear a room, don't ya?

Fret no longer, friends. This Part the First of a series of posts to appear over time is chock-full of ways to pump life back into the heart of your Stake Youth's dance activities. Before I left my home ward to go back to school this year, I had the opportunity to "spin" for the youth of the Weatherford, Texas Stake for the last few dances of the year, and both youth and adult have been coaxing me to return for the summer dances to step up to the stage again. What set the dances I turned for apart from the others? I'll tell you, and I will tell you more every few weeks.

STEP ONE: DO YOUR RESEARCH.

I cannot stress enough how much a difference it makes when you stay up-to-date on Top40 music trends and the response the youth have to certain tracks. Different regions will have different trends, as well, so you have to go to the best source to figure out what drives the beat. The best thing you can do is talk to your youth. Make a suggestion box, facebook page or blog, or hand out your contact information to the youth and ask them what they like and dislike about the way dances are now. Granted, there are bound to be some contradicting results. If there is no majority one way or the other, my advice is to do what you yourself like, as you have to listen to the music you're playing, too. 

Use bilboard.com to stay current. A week before each dance go through the Top40 general list along with the top few of any genre that's particularly popular in your area or that fits the theme of the dance (ie: Top10 country songs for a Barn Dance) and review 2 things before adding them to the playlist. FIRST - Lyrics. They have to meet For The Strength Of Youth standards. SECOND - Rhythm. Don't bother with songs that have a mild beat. If it's too slow to be a fast song and too fast to be a slow dance, no one will know how to dance to it, so they wont. Remember to incorporate the new tracks with the tried-and-true tracks you already play that the youth still like to dance to.

USE I-TUNES. You can use iTunes to transition from track to track without a gap in between songs. Silence is not golden at these things. It's awkward in a bad way. Also, iTunes lets you keep track of songs by amount of plays, rating (I'll tell you more about that in a moment), decade, playlist, recently added/played, genre, and by using GENIUS you can create playlists based on a single track. Keep your songs rated yourself by paying attention to how many people dance to them. 5 stars is the best rating, and 0/1 is the worst. If not even a few kids dance for a little while to a track - it's safe to say that's a 1-star song. If more than 80% of the youth dance to it, go ahead and rate it 5 stars. This way you can clear out the poorly rated songs every few months to make room for new music. You can add comments to a song's information, too, so labeling them as a fast/slow/group/step song makes it easier to keep track of what you're playing. Time to slow things down? Find a 5 star song you labeled SLOW. Ready to raise the roof? 4-5 star FAST should do the trick. Need to encourage more people out onto the floor? A well-rated GROUP or STEP song (these are the ones people linedance to) will turn up the funk. 

A tip about researching lyrics and rhythm: Sometimes, a really really popular song will have just one cussword in it. If you don't find it against your better judgement, you could try finding an edited version of the song with that lyric changed or deleted. If the rhythm isn't dance worthy to your teens, but you know they love to listen to it, usually you can find a faster/slower (Always try slower first) cover version or remix of it somewhere on the internet. The youth will really appreciate you taking this extra step.

Any LDS DJs (actual career DJs or just called to serve) feel free to comment any input you like! It's a forever-learning process, I know. We'll progressively get more in-depth as we go along, but for now the above advice should make a very sizable difference. I know it takes time and effort, but you WILL see results from this.

Keep Spinning!

"Please, Captain, not in front of the Klingons."

Guys. Idk if you've realized this yet, but I'm super nerdy. I love really nerdy stuff. I can't help it. Today I get to share with you my tips on a costume I did a few months ago for a themed party that was almost as fun to put together as it was to wear.

Okay but really. It's a super easy costume. It's a super fun character. You don't have to worry about fussing over it all through your event, and EVERYONE wants to take a picture with you.

Okay. Not everyone... But all the cool people

Alright. Alright. Enough with the pictures, you all know what he looks like. Here's my version below!

That's my dad, the original Trekkie in my family. I have a lot of fond memories staying up late on school nights to watch Star Trek with him. I'd pretend to go to sleep, then when he'd start popping some popcorn, I'd grab my blanket and sneak out of my room, fix myself a glass of milk, and snuggle up next to my old man for an hour of sci-fi filled awesomeness. I was a Trekkie before I knew what it was, before I knew what a nerd was, and probably before I knew what Star Wars was. Enough backstory, I can hear you all yelling like a herd of Monty Python extras already.

"GET ON WITH IT." Okay, geez.

I made due with what I already had, and being a huge nerd I had a captain's tee, not the blue uniform Spock himself wears. You can purchase the same shirt here on ebay for roughly the same price I got mine for, off the back of a cereal box no less! If you search, they have the blue shirt, too. And the red shirt, but really... You don't want to wear that one, unless you're doing a Star Trek/Expendables mashup cosplay. You might notice mine is a tad more form-fitting, I did take it in with my serger, around 3 inches each side from the bottom to the sleeve. 

Here is the make-up tutorial I followed for the eyebrows. This girl KNOWS her stuff. I didn't use those ears, though. I didn't have any and I was in a rush. The make-up starts at 3:45 on said video.

For my ears, I followed another video tutorial here that just uses cello tape and make-up. It took quite a few tries to get right, but if you have someone help you it's a lot easier.

Okay, sorry, I know I said no more. (C'mon, though, it's Zachary Quinto, you know you liked it).

Back to the costume. That shirt, that make-up, and those ears, you just need black slacks and black shoes and you're golden. It held up really well, this last photo is after hours of dancing up a good sweat.

Don't forget to share your own costumes! I'd love to see what your version of any of these posts are, or even your original costume ideas!!! One can never have too many options when considering the age old question, "What should I wear?"

Live Long and Prosper ;)