The Unicorn Hunt

The Unicorn Hunt: Season 2 Finale!





I finally finished off Season 2 of The Unicorn Hunt! Ya, I did some major procrastinating/avoidance. I put off finishing videos that I'm just sick of, or when I'm just not in the mood to look at my own face. I finally decided to just use images from the Internet instead of my own drawings for PITCH, so that made it easier, but still tedious to edit. And then MAP was so much work filming, I was disappointed to see it's not even 4 minutes long. So much work, and it still sounds terrible because it was all outside on busy streets. OH WELL, it's DONE! ...Or is it...?

I still have ideas for The Unicorn Hunt, so there may be a Season 3 someday... But for now, I'm glad to have these done so I can just focus on Tish.TV and podcasts!

Don't forget to get your own Unicorn Hunting License! Happy hunting!

The Unicorn Hunt: Goin' Solo



So, you may have already noticed by the new intro and the video-diary style of introduction, that this season of The Unicorn Hunt, I'm going it solo. But just because it's not Kelsey and I as a team, doesn't mean this season is lacking friends.

In this episode, when Kelsey is busy planning her wedding, I turn to my other friends to see if they'd like to go looking for unicorns, but they're busy, too. It's like everyone has lives without me, and doesn't think finding unicorns is important... How odd.

Catch up on the series on YouTube, and follow the Tumblr for fun unicorn stuff everyday!

The Unicorn Hunt // Movie Reviews



It's slim pickings for unicorn movies out there. This isn't a 'best of unicorn movies' list, it's a 'these are the only unicorn movies' list. And, sadly, most of them suck. However, there are a few decent movies that feature just a little bit of unicorn.

Last season of The Unicorn Hunt was five episodes and three DIY videos. This season, I decided to do review videos instead of DIYs. I will also be reviewing some unicorn books and unicorn iPhone apps, so if you have any recommendations, let me know in the comments!

Go have fun watching some terrible unicorn movies! And stay tuned for more unicorn adventures!

The Unicorn Hunt is Back!


The Unicorn Hunt is back! I'm super excited, are you? If you don't know what The Unicorn Hunt is, hurry on over to the YouTube channel to watch what I'm calling Season 1 to catch up! It's my web series I started in October 2013. It all started with seeing Unicorn Poop Cookies on Pinterest or somewhere, which gave me the idea for the first episode. I was going to do just that one short sketch, but then I kept getting more and more unicorn clue ideas. I somehow convinced my BFF Kelsey to be in the videos with me, and we set out on The Unicorn Hunt! 

I was a little more ambitious writing these new episodes, including more people other than Kelsey. I decided to change up the format for this season, making Tish go solo, which means less Tish & Kelsey adventures, and more Tish & someone new adventures. Now, each episode starts with a video diary style introduction to the adventure. And, instead of DIY videos between episodes, I'm doing reviews of unicorn movies, books, etc.

I'm excited to be back into the unicorn mindset, and the consistent video-making mindset. I plan to keep up the same schedule as last season, a new video every other Wednesday, while also producing content for Tish.TV, my Doctor Who podcast & movies podcast, and this blog. Phew! I love to keep busy! 

Enjoy the first episode of Season 2 (aka Ep. 6), subscribe to the channel to keep up with my unicorn adventures, follow The Unicorn Hunt Tumblr for daily unicorn posts and find #TheUnicornHunt on social media for updates!




March Round-Up


Spring is in the air! Finally! Here’s what I was up to in March, while I impatiently waited for Spring to arrive…

Movies Watched
The Great Gatsby - Although I was listening to the soundtrack pretty much as soon as the movie was out, I took a long time to actually watch it. The story was not what I thought, but I only knew the gist of it. The music and the party scenes were great and overall it had that grandiose feel of a Baz Luhrman movie, but more tragedy than comedy.

Jack the Giant Slayer - This was a pretty fun adventure. They took the giant-in-the-clouds concept and made it so much better.

Cool Runnings - All that Olympics bullshit reminded me of one of my favorite classics, so I wrote about it for my first Recollections post.

The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones - Much better than the other teen fantasy novel-turned movie (Beautiful Creatures) that I watched last month. I want everyone's wardrobe. Black, leather, straps, buckles, metal, boots, bad ass. I am intrigued and actually anticipating the next movie!

Side By Side - Great documentary for anyone interested in filmmaking and the film industry. It consists mainly of interviews with filmmakers, directors, writers, actors, cinematographers, colorists, editors, etc. discussing film vs. digital. It also explains how film and digital work, gives lots of movie clip examples. I found it fascinating for the film nerd in me, and the film fan in me.

TV Watched
The Conversation -This was a re-watch. I think every woman needs to watch this show. The women discuss absolutely anything and everything. You will find something to relate to, something inspiring, something to make you pause it and think about your opinion on the issues. After I watched it all this time, I decided that I will give it to my mom and insist she watches it. We're not really close like we'd talk about this stuff, but I just feel like every woman should experience conversations like these. Lucky for you, you can watch the entire show, and extra interviews online.

Bunheads - As I was aching for Spring, I decided to watch this show that makes me feel very Spring/Summery. Ah, small town California. It's so idyllic. If you're a Gilmore Girls fan (I'm a massive one) you will enjoy Bunheads. From the same writer/creator, and featuring a lot of familiar cast.  It has more high school girl stuff than Gilmore Girls, but it doesn't get annoying like high school shows do. It's that pop-culture-reference-laden-fast-talking-humor that you love from Gilmore Girls, plus- dance!

Lost Girl: Season 4 - I discovered this show sometime last year, and I finally watched the latest season this past month. It's a sci-fi/fantasy show. Lots of adventures, fae, drama, sex, humor. I've come to love it, and the characters. My favorite in Kenzi (Ksenia Solo). She's smart and funny and has the most bad ass tough goth chick wardrobe.

Misfits: Season 5 - Sadly, the last season. But that means that you can snuggle in for a weekend and devour the entire series. What can I say to recommend this show? How about some keywords: British, superpowers, community service, murder, sex, loveable characters, hilarious, weird.

Web Series Watched
On Nerdist: Chris Hardwick’s All-Star Celebrity Bowling, Neil’s Puppet Dreams, Nerdist News
I've been listening to the Nerdist podcast for a while, and just recently checked out the YouTube channel. What a treasure trove of delights!

On Geek & Sundry: TableTop, The Guild, Co-Optitude
So much gaming! I'm not a "gamer" but after a few weeks of watching nothing but TableTop (board games) and Co-Optitude (retro video games) I filled up my Amazon wishlist with far too many board games and video games. I admit, watching these shows helped me have my big life revelation (that I wrote about here) about enjoying my life with my friends, instead of making myself feel guilty that I haven't achieved all my life goals yet. I want to have more fun!

Boozy Mom - This is just hilarious and how I imagine I will be as Crazy Aunt Tish when my friends' kids are older.

OMG We Bought a House! - I've been a Mr. Kate follower for quite a while now. I'm not always into her DIYs, but I love her new series about fixing up her new home. So many cool decor DIY ideas, and just fun to watch!

Music Played

The Glitch Mob, Bassnectar - I've been gettin' my dubstep on.

Pulses by Karmin -Love this whole album! So much fun dance music!

Run Run Run by Celeste Buckinham - A really fun, catchy song. I really love the line "You better know, know, know that I have conditions. I make the rules and make the decisions. And I want nothing less than what I deserve." I feel like I would straight up say that to anyone trying to start a relationship with me.

Charli XCX - Super fun dance-pop-bass-trippy-IdunnobutIloveit...

Games Played
 
My friends and I had our first (hopefully regular) Game Night at the end of March! After watching all that TableTop and Co-Optitude all month, I sent my friends a crazed Facebook message one night when I couldn’t sleep about starting a regular Game Night for board games, and maybe some retro video games. For our first Game Night, we all brought our favorites to see what we all like. We started easy with Yahtzee, then Linda had a fun game like Telephone/Chinese Whispers but writing & drawing which got very inappropriate very fast. (My friends have foul sense of humor and I ended up having to draw myself doing some unladylike things.) We tried playing Cranium but got bored/confused so we went right to Cards Against Humanity for the rest of the night. My friends' childish, disgusting sense of humor meant that the most vile card was always chosen, which made me mad because I thought my cards were funny yet made sense. Turned out we all tied in the end, so I pouted for no reason.

Cakes Made at Work

Videos Made
It’s the season finale of The Unicorn Hunt! Don’t be sad, though. I have some Fun Facts posts on our Tumblr going up every Wednesday, and we will be back with Season 2 before you know it. If you want to help us make Season 2, you can support us on Patreon.



Fun Had
I was so jealous of the photos Mandy was taking on Take Your Action Figure to Work Day because I did not know about it, nor did I own any action figures. I thought it would have been so cute to have a little Avenger helping me make cakes at work. Well, I liked this idea so much that I wouldn't let it go and it evolved into what I have named My Tiny Heroes. It will be an ongoing photo series, posted on my Instagram (#MyTinyHeroes) and also on its own Tumblr. I really wanted to start my action figure collection with an Avenger, but I found no appropriately pose-able figures at Wal-Mart that day, so I started with a no less awesome hero: Angry Raphael. He's angry. I can't wait to see what he does when I ask him to help me make cookies.

Link & Likes
Jimmy Kimmel Live turned viral videos into epic movie trailers. There are four altogether, but I think this interpretation of Charlie Bit My Finger starring the Hemsworth brothers is my favorite.

I love Lily Allen's video for Our Time. I can't wait for the album!

I've been happily dancing around to Pharrell's Happy this month, and I love this cover by Walk Off the Earth.

The ladies of A Beautiful Mess are always inspiring. I'm not always interested in their DIY or recipe posts, but they also post gems like this article about working in Young Industries (in their case, blogging). It's a good read for anyone pursuing an Internet-centered career, as it's all new and always changing!

February Round-Up

Movies Watched
Upside Down - The concept of two planets being so close together and their gravity applying only to their respective matter intrigued the sci-fi nerd in me. The love story was kind of sweet, but the flaws in the physics distracted me.

Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters - This is an example of my excellent movie instincts. I knew I wanted to see this movie as soon as I saw the trailer. Despite poor reviews and general lack of enthusiasm from the public, it stayed on my list. I loved it. It is so bad ass. I have a default interest in anything fairy tale or witches, so it already had those going for it, but that's not why it's great. It had cheeky humor when it needed to, it had a good back story revealed throughout, and it is just super bad. Ass.

Camp Takota - If you have not heard of this movie, then you're not an avid YouTube watcher. YouTube stars Grace Helbig, Mamrie Hart, and Hannah Hart got together to star in this movie that Mamrie wrote. It was not the laugh riot I expected of these hilarious girls, but I don't mean that as a bad thing. It was most definitely funny but not in an obnoxious way, like trying to shove in as many jokes as possible. It was smart kind of funny and was a really nice story. You can buy it on iTunes now!

Identity Thief - This is an example of going against my movie instincts. I was not too interested in seeing this movie based on the trailer. However, my friend insisted it was hilarious and the short scene she showed me was pretty funny, so I took a chance on it. It had it's funny moments and jokes. I love Melissa McCarthy, of course, but overall it didn't do it for me. And I hated the ending.

The Cell - Based on my love of The Fall and Mirror Mirror, I was interested to see this earlier film directed by Tarsem Singh as well. It had the cinematic beauty of The Fall, but much darker. I loved it. It's definitely disturbing, but just so incredible to watch.

The Fall - After watching The Cell, I had the urge to watch one of my favorite films, The Fall, again. I realized right away that this was my first time watching it since getting my HDTV because- Wow. It is so beautiful. And the story is so beautiful and heartbreaking. It's amazing to watch Lee Pace (yummy!) interact with the young Spanish-speaking actress, it's so realistic (because she really didn't understand English very well, a lot was improvised). This is a movie that I will always recommend to everyone.

Midnight in Paris - Nothing like a movie set in Paris to give your mind an escape for a couple hours. And Paris in the 20's? I die. It's all so lovely and such an adventure.

Beautiful Creatures - I was in the mood for a fantasy, so I chose this one. It was a little too familiar. High school kids, special powers, "But, I love him!". It was pretty cool, but the kind of movie you can tell is based on a book because things move along a little too quickly and feel unexplained.


TV Watched
Whose Line Is It Anyway? - Just background viewing. I've seen it all before, so I don't laugh out loud too much, but it's something I can ignore or just listen to without missing out.

Miranda - I've mentioned before my distaste for laugh-track sit-coms, but this is a big exception. Miranda Hart is hilarious. All the characters are hilarious, but not unrealistic caricatures. I love that she "breaks the fourth wall" by giving the camera looks or repeating jokes, she introduces each episode like she's catching up with the audience, and at the end of each episode everyone waves goodbye. It's not the usual "dry" humor you expect from British shows, it's a lot of physical comedy, actually.

Dead Like Me and Wonderfalls - Oh, Bryan Fuller... Why do they pick on you so? Does every Bryan Fuller show have to be cancelled so soon? The last one he tried to make didn't even make it past the pilot! (Mockingbird Lane) I love re-watching Bryan Fuller shows. They're funny and cute and just a joy to watch. But also, a little dark.


Web Series Watched
Friendship is Witchcraft - This is a genius parody show. The creators dubbed over episodes of the My Little Pony show, Friendship is Magic, to make it hilarious and weird. Like, really weird. It got taken off YouTube for copyright infringement, of course, but someone else uploaded it, thank goodness.

The Better Half, The Neighbors, and Kiss Her I’m Famous - I found some article on Buzzfeed about lesbian web series you should watching, so I checked them all out and these are three that I liked. They all have an effortless quality about them. The acting is just so natural. I particularly love The Better Half. The characters are adorable together.


Books Read
The Host - Okay, I've barely read any of this book, to be honest. I just haven't been in a reading mood, okay? I read this years ago when it was new, and after the movie came out I had to decide if I wanted to re-read the book before seeing the movie or vice versa. I decided to re-read it first, so I don't have any movie images or interpretations invading my reading. I remember when I was reading it, wondering how they could turn it into a movie (I often do that with novels) because the majority of conversations take place between two beings inhabiting one body. I guess I'll find out when I finally finish the book and watch the movie.


Music Heard
Once Upon a Dream by Lana Del Rey - It's sooooooo dreamy and beautiful. I just close my eyes and sway slowly while listening to it.

Take Me to Church by Hozier - At first listen it seemed like a love song, but after listening to it more, I decided it seems more like singing to one's muse, than a person. I love (attempting to) belt out the chorus, so I've added it to my list of songs to learn on the piano.

Say You’ll Be There by MØ - Why are there not more Spice Girls covers in the world?


Girl Talk by Kate Nash - I don't love the whole album, but there are a few fun songs like Fri-End? and OMYGOD!


Cakes Made

Videos Made




Fun Had
Over a year ago, I donated to a Kickstarter for a web series that I loved created by a girl I loved (Marissa A. Ross) called Tangents & the Times. The Kickstarter's success meant that we got more episodes of this great series. Well, they finally got around to mailing out the Kickstarter rewards, and I received my copy of the series on DVD, along with a personal note from Marissa. Aside from the excitement of having the series on DVD to watch (which I did that night, of course), the note from Marissa was really touching because she actually remembers who I am (and likes my cakes!). After a few weeks of shitty things happening, that note was just what I needed to cheer me up and inspire me. I think Marissa is a great writer and just an awesome person. She's the kind of person that serves as great inspiration for me, but not because I want to be just like her. Yes, I do want to pursue writing like she has, but it's seeing her do things like this web series and hearing about her writing a TV pilot that give me that "If she can do it, I can do it" lift I need. I'll stop gushing, now. You start watching.


January Round-Up

Movies Watched
Baraka and Samsara -I'd call these two films documentaries, but then you might expect something narrated by David Attenborough. But these films don't have narration. They just show you the world. People, nature, technology, life. You might not make it through one if you're a bit ADD, but if you can sit back and just enjoy, you will be amazed. The world is a wonderful place. (It's also a horrible place, though. I couldn't bear to watch scenes from factory farms and the like. But, hey, it made me feel something. And in my book, that's a movie worth watching.)

Hugo - If I had known that this movie was so much about early surrealist film, I would have been eager to see it much sooner! It was a beautiful movie, a bit of mischief and mystery, and some really cool old films which gave me film school flashbacks.

The Secret of Kells - The illustration/animation style is just beautiful. You must see it. It's not a grand, epic film, it's really just a fairy tale. It's lovely. And Irish. Don't you just love listening to Irish people talk? It's so musical. Sigh. I just want to exist inside this movie.

Sleepy Hollow - This was intended for pre-Halloween viewing, but I didn't get around to it until now. I think my favorite part was Johnny Depp's hair. But I also liked that the headless horseman was very real, and there was a very interesting story behind it. I always thought the headless horseman was like a ghost people see, but they never have any proof. But this story has a lovely, gory ending.

Jack and Diane - I'm still not sure what the symbolic purpose of the "monster" side of things was... Nevertheless, it was still what I thought it would be; a story of two girls meeting and creating a very strong connection, and then going through some shit. I like character-driven movies like this.

Mirror Mirror - I'm always right when I have a gut-instinct about a movie. This movie was not well-received when it came out, but I thought it looked colorful and cheeky. I was right, of course. It's absolutely stunning visually and it makes me laugh out loud at the adorable dwarfs. I highly recommend it for any fairy tale lovers.

TV Watched
Friends - This was my 'background watching' show for the month. I just always need something playing on the TV. Friends is one of the very few laugh-track sitcoms that I can watch. I generally can't stand that filmed-in-front-of-a-live-studio-audience style of show.

 Him & Her - I re-watched the third season and then watched the fourth, final, season. This British show makes me laugh out loud so much. It also taught me what being in a relationship in your twenties is like. I assume. The fourth season was a little different style, though. It gave me anxiety. I got very worked up. The hilariously awful characters that I never took seriously were suddenly in a very serious situation. But I still laughed a lot.

Books Read
Inferno by Dan Brown - I love Dan Brown's books. I have them all. I mean, they all pretty much do the same thing- there's a great mystery to be solved, the world is in danger, the stakes are high, etc. But that doesn't stop me from getting addicted to the story. I read most of this in one day. This one deals with the themes of Dante's Inferno and the problem of overpopulation- seriously, we need to do something about it and a character in this book makes a drastic, but effective, move to help the entire world. I couldn't wait to discuss the book and ideas with my friends.

Bossypants by Tina Fey - I've been reading non-fiction more than fiction lately. I thought I better read this one since I read and enjoyed others like it. It had it's humorous moments, but generally, I wasn't in love with it. It's a good read, but overall I felt like I didn't get anything out of it. I guess I'm just not that interested in Tina Fey's life story. (Also, she didn't mention a single thing about Mean Girls!)

Music Heard
Beyoncé - I finally bought BEYONCÉ early this month, watched the entirety, and have been obsessed ever since. I think I've had any/all of the songs stuck in my head everyday since. I came home and danced to it almost everyday for couple weeks. I really need to watch it again, too. Goddamnit, Beyoncé has out-Beyoncéd herself with this one. (And I haven't even had a Beyoncé album since Destiny's Child, just some singles.)

Chloë Howl - I'm anxiously waiting for her latest single, Rumour, to be available on iTunes. She just has a few singles out so far, but I am loving her Brit pop style and can't wait for more.

Cakes Made
(New Year's Eve)

(At work)





Videos Made






Fun Had 
We had a pretty mellow New Year's Eve at Kim's house this year. We were planning a masquerade party like we did last year, but no one could come. So, we just had fun playing my new game Catchphrase with Kim's family all night.

Kim, Kelsey, and I finally made it to Alight at Night. Upper Canada Village is a tourist/school field trip kind of pioneer village. For the Christmas season, they cover all the buildings in lights and open up at night. There really isn't much to it other than seeing the lights, but we enjoyed the night out.

I got my Camp Takota t-shirt and friendship bracelet in the mail! But I haven't taken a photo in it yet, oh no.

I painted some things that have been sitting around waiting to be painted. 

Way back in August, I submitted a piece about being an introvert to Hello Giggles, which they posted. Very exciting. It was the first of three that they've accepted. Last week I got a few messages from people about the article, which I thought was an odd coincidence. Turns out Hello Giggles re-posted it on their Facebook feed, so new people were reading it. I love reading the comments and getting messages from people about pieces I write. The Hello Giggles community is great. :)

I made the decision to simplify my Internet life by deleting my The Bakestress Facebook page, moving The Bakestress videos to my main YouTube channel, and, finally, importing The Bakestress blog back into this blog. I haven't been baking much on my own since I got a job as a cake decorator and I'm no longer interested in making cakes for people as a side business. I still love baking, though! I'm just not ready to commit to The Bakestress brand right now. I'm having too much fun writing lately and, of course, I've been busy with The Unicorn Hunt.  

We wanted a calendar at work, so I printed off Mandy's Man Calendar. Unfortunately, no one at work seems to know and/or care about the gorgeous nerdy men featured, but at least I will enjoy it. :)

Kim and I went to Milestones to celebrate her milestone and I chose to have a grown-up drink, a Lipstick Martini (aka a raspberry martini). It tasted like Swedish Berries, which I loooove. Adding raspberry vodka and martini fixings to my liquor store list.

The Unicorn Hunt // DIY: Unicorn Poop Cookies




Aren't they adorable?! Here's how you can make your own!



Here are some tips we left out of the video:

Chill your dough as often as possible. After you make the recipe, after you color it, and after you create your cookies. Cold dough is easier to work with and putting cold cookies into the oven stops them from spreading even more.

You may be tempted to flour your work surface when working with cookie dough, but in this case it will not help. Although the stickiness of the dough can seem to make rolling out thin logs tricky, using flour means that your strips of dough won't stick to each other when you try to roll them together into one cookie.

The long, thin strips of dough will break often. It's no big deal, just stick it back together and be careful as you roll.

You will find as you roll from one end there will be a point at which it seems like you're rolling the wrong way. You should start rolling from the other end, in the opposite direction. Your twisting will come together in the middle and your dough will be fully twisted.

You can try spraying water from a spray bottle onto your cookies to help small sprinkles stick. Larger sprinkles are easy enough to press into the cookie by hand.

The vegan sugar cookie recipe I used was from BettyCrocker.com.







Have fun and watch out for the next episode of The Unicorn Hunt on November 27th!