Juggling Scarves

Useful (to me) video

2012-01-07T11:15:00.001-05:00

I've been doing a lot of crafty-type stuff this week, since I've been parked on the couch with a foot in the air. Most of it was embroidery, but the day before yesterday I knitted a cowl. I'm about to make another one.

I don't knit in the round very much, mainly because most of the time the place where I joined the stitches looks ghastly. I've been using a method that I learned from "Knitting for Dummies," whereby you cast on one extra stitch, transfer the last cast-on stitch to the needle next to the first cast-on stitch, then knit them together. Most of the time it leaves a funky gap that I just can't get rid of. I always thought I'd make more socks if I ever found a better way to join things.

Guess what? I just did. I tried starting the cowl and was disgusted with the join. Since I had the lap top open (listening to Middlemarch some more) I decided to take my problem to Google. Here's what I found:

So simple! And works so very well. I am very grateful to whoever this woman is. There's nothing to keep me from making socks now except my own inertia.

As soon as I finish the second cowl I'll show you both.

Helloooo 2012!

2012-01-03T12:01:00.010-05:00

So, how was everyone's December? Sorry I disappeared there, right after Thanksgiving. I got all involved in gift-shopping and wrapping stuff. Then my colleague retired and we had a party for her. Then there was more gift-shopping, gift-wrapping, gift-sending (to Virginia and California), cookie-baking, and bam! It was Christmas.

That's "bam!" literally, by the way. I woke up Christmas morning in the dark with a leg cramp. Just walking to the kitchen to get ice to put on it made it go away. That should have been the warning that things were not going to go my way that day. Did I heed said warning? No, I did not. Later on that day, while sitting in my sister's basement rec room and still in my jammies, I took a mouthful of coffee and choked on it--sort of. I tried to swallow at exactly the same moment my body decided to cough. Turned myself into a coffee fountain. It made a mess of my clothes, so I went upstairs to change and throw things into the washer, which is kept out in the garage.

The floor of the garage is lower than the floor of the rest of the house. It's too steep for a regular step, so to mitigate this some previous owner (or maybe the builder) put in a little step between the door sill and the garage floor. I've been in this house a number of times before and never had trouble remembering it was there. This time I missed it completely and went "bam!" right down. Actually, I'm not sure if I missed it, slipped, or only caught half of the step. It all happened very fast. I was talking over my shoulder to my Mom, with one hand on the door, when down I went. Pulled the door shut behind me with extreme violence, slammed into the metal cabinet that was to the right of me, screamed out, "Son of a b!tch!" (but apparently no one heard that over all the other noise) and then just sat there on the floor, stunned.

Mom came to see why I'd slammed the door so hard and found me sitting on the step I'd missed, rubbing my right ankle. I asked for ice, which she went and got while I sat there listening to the memory of my voice screaming "Son of a b!tch!" It started me giggling (every time I remember it, I giggle again. I did just now, writing that). This turned into full-blown hysterical laughter, complete with tears. I'm glad my default reaction is to laugh in situations like this. My mom came back with the ice, and we both sat there: me laughing and icing my ankle, she rubbing my back and (probably) wondering if I needed an X-ray. It was mentioned a few times, but I decided against it. My sister loaned me an Ace bandage (which I'm still wearing), and I spent the rest of the day either hobbling around or sitting somewhere with my foot in the air. The next day we went to New Jersey to have lunch with my Dad's brother and his family, then on the 27th we all went home.

Here's what the ankle looked like two days later:

Pretty, no? I think Crayola should make a crayon color called "Ouch, My Ankle!" (not pictured: other side of ankle, which looked pretty much the same as this)

Since then I've been (for the most part) hanging out on the couch with my foot in the air, either watching TV or listening to audiobooks while I embroider. Right now (well, not right now, obviously) I'm listening to Middlemarch, as read by Juliet Stevenson. She's excellent. I did make a couple of excursions outdoors, mainly to get necessities (milk, coffee filters, lunch meat), or, once the ankle felt strong enough to use, to take myself to lunch on New Year's Eve. I thought I'd better go out then, because the bus wouldn't be running on either the 1st or the 2nd of January and I really should see a person or two before holing up for a few days. I was going to go out today as well, but they're calling for snow, with a wind chill of 0 or even -5, so I'm staying right here, thank-you-very-much. I might go to the mall tomorrow, mainly because I can (I'm off until next Monday) but also partly to buy calendars from the calendar-and-game kiosk that pops up every November and disappears by mid-January. I need two wall calendars. I never think to ask for them as Christmas presents.

So how was your December? And your New Year's Eve? Did anyone make any resolutions? I can't without breaking one a I made a long time ago never to make another new year's resolution. I have some things I'd like to do this year, but I'm not serious enough about them to be "resolved" to do them. I'd like to post more often than I have been. And I'd like this year to be "Handmade Christmas," since I kind of fizzled out last year around February. I ran out of ideas. I think I have a better handle on it now. We'll see.

At the post office

2011-12-04T08:54:00.000-05:00

You know how I know this house isn't really clean? Because I can't find anything. I know I have envelopes and stamps, for example. I've seen them. Recently. As in, a-few-days-before-Thanksgiving recently. They're probably upstairs now, in one of the two messy catch-all rooms that will someday (soonish, I hope) actually be a craft room and guest room in more than name only.

Just about everything portable is upstairs in those rooms, because I didn't have time to put it somewhere permanent in the getting-ready-for-guests rush. Since Friday was the first of the month, I needed both envelopes (for my owner's association dues) and stamps (for the dues and the mortgage payment). I took one look at those rooms Friday morning, said, "Yeah, right," and decided to go buy more somewhere.

"Somewhere" turned out to be on campus. I got envelopes at the student book store and stamps at the on-campus branch of the post office.

Mike the Mailman is a fixture on campus. He's been here since before I was a freshman, back in 1986. He loves his job, loves the school, loves students. The guy in front of me in line follows him on Facebook, which is how he knew it was Mike's birthday. Mike joked that he looked pretty good for forty, huh? I took up that part of the conversation when I got to the counter.

"So, Happy Birthday! Did I hear you say you were forty? Forty-and-holding? Me too."

"Oh," he said confidentially, "I haven't seen forty in a very long time. So what can I do for you?"

"I need stamps."

He scooped up and spread out a bunch of different books.

"They don't have to be pretty. It's just for the mortgage."

"Okay," he laughed, and pulled out some more.

"Actually, you know what? I think I'll go with Madonna and Child. Might as well be festive, huh?"

"Yeah, those are nice." He handed me back my change and wished me a good afternoon. I stood a little to the left to get the stamps on the envelopes, headed for the letter-box near the exit.

"Hey!" He called after me. He was holding up his hand-made "You're next!" sign to the next person in line. "Thanks for paying your mortgage!"

"Um. You're welcome?"

It wouldn't occur to me not to.

Done!

2011-11-30T19:28:00.000-05:00

Woohoo! Made it to the end of November!

I know this whole NaBloPoMo thing is about quantity, not quality, and all I can say is that it's a very good thing the posts don't have to be both numerous and interesting. I need to find some sort of middle ground between posting everyday about nothing in particular and posting maybe twice a month about...nothing in particular. Hmm.

I used to do more interesting things. I wonder what happened?

I know what happened. I bought a house. Unlike the dark, dank, moldy hole-in-the-wall where I used to reside, I actually like living here. This means I don't flee from home into the world to go do something, anything, so long as it keeps from that depressing little glorified dorm room. Good for me, bad for the blog.

I guess I need to go do more stuff, huh? I was thinking of taking an art class at the Arts Center on campus next semester, if I can find something interesting to do. I'd like to learn to make mosaics, or maybe play around with stained glass. I took a drawing class from them a while back and surprised myself when I found out that yes, I really can draw. Remember this? I learned to do that at the Arts Center. They don't offer the mosaics class very often, though. I think the stained glass class shows up every semester. I guess not many people are interested in tiles. I'll have to see what next semester's course guide looks like. They probably won't publish it until the end of December.

One thing I won't be doing is going back to the Embroiderer's Guild. Those ladies are whack-a-doodle. Well. Not all of them. Just the charter members. The newer, younger ones are great. But the older ones run things, and they're the people that give me agita (and call me fat. In a roundabout way. Ahem).

What I probably should do is take a look at my life list and start working on some things from it.

Actually, what I really should do is make a shopping list for Christmas and get my hindquarters in gear. I have to send stuff to California and Virginia, and soon.

This year was supposed to be Handmade Christmas, but that fell apart somewhere around March, when I couldn't figure out what to make for everyone. Perhaps while I'm making the shopping list for this year, I should make the project list for next year.

Well, whatever I'm gonna do, first I'm gonna hit the "Publish Post" button, and then I'm gonna get back to my embroidery. Buh-bye, National Blog Posting Month 2011. Don't let the door hit your bum on your way out.

Decorating for Christmas

2011-11-29T21:43:00.000-05:00

I wonder if this is the year I will finally break down and get a tree. Every year I think about doing it, and every year I balance the expense of buying an artificial tree against the cost of the presents I want to buy, and the tree idea gets scrapped for another year.

This year, however, I got a little something back from the mortgage company--interest from the escrow account that I guess they're not allowed to hang on to. It isn't much, a little over $70, but it might make a tree look not-that-expensive.

Hmm.

It'd be nice to finally have something upon which to hang all these ornaments I've amassed over the years. It doesn't have to be some huge monster of a tree--maybe something about four or five feet tall? I'll take a look when I go out shopping, see if I can find something that won't break the bank.

Of course, I could use that extra money on presents...

Lazy Monday

2011-11-28T15:08:00.000-05:00

When I scheduled this day off originally, it was with the intent of going Christmas shopping. I've decided to spend the day on the couch instead, embroidering and listening to the laptop read me The Fountainhead, which I am thoroughly enjoying.

Weird weather we're having for November. I'm pretty sure the landscaper our owner's association contracts with didn't expect to still be mowing the grass this close to December. They're out there doing it right now, though. And since I finally managed to clear out my flower beds, they can finally get at a bit of grass that needs cutting but has been blocked by my top-heavy, blown (or fallen) down cosmos. The landscapers are very scrupulous about not touching something that looks like it was planted intentionally, which I appreciate.

I hear some child or other screaming in the distance. It's hard to tell whether that's anger, pain, or just over-excitement until you hear another child shout back. All three noises sound the same to me. But then, maybe if I were someone's mother I'd be able to tell the difference.

Well, back to the embroidery. Maybe I'll be able to finish it in time to frame it and give it away as a Christmas present. If not this year, then next one for sure.

'Nip

2011-11-27T15:34:00.000-05:00

I found one of Delilah's old catnip toys and decided to see what would happen if I gave it to Sophie. Lolly wasn't terribly active on 'nip. She'd rub her face all over it, then go take a nap. Sophie? She bats it across the room, rolls around on the floor with it, bites it, rabbit kicks it, grabs it with her paws and rubs her face all over it, then goes to take a nap.

Ah, drugging the cat. Wonderful Sunday pastime.

Just me and the cat again

2011-11-26T10:16:00.000-05:00

My sister and her dog Daisy just left here a little while ago. My brother-in-law and his folks left yesterday morning after breakfast (which was had at Perkins, down the street from the hotel where they stayed). Mom, Ditter, and I went to a little yarn and quilting shop the next town over, ostensibly because Mom needed a particularly large size of double-pointed needle, but mainly to drool over, maul, and eventually buy yummy, fancy-schmancy yarn. Mom and Dad and Pip left when we got back from that little trip.

Ditter and I hung out on the couch, she knitting, me petting the dog and/or the cat (whoever demanded attention at the time), watching movies (In Her Shoes, The Family Stone, 27 Dresses), and eventually ordering a pizza. Yes. All this food in the house, and we ordered in. What? She offered. I couldn't remember the last time I'd had pizza. Did you know that the big chains have online ordering? All you need is a computer and a credit card and bam! Pizza. This is probably news to no one but me.

I only made it partway through 27 Dresses before I succumbed to a wave of tired, tired, tired and went to bed. It was maybe 9 o'clock. Lame-o. I spent most of yesterday in a dazed stupor, like someone had whacked me over the head. Come to think of it, that may be why I leaped at the offer of a pizza. I'm pretty sure if I'd tried to cook I would have set the house on fire.

Today? Feeling much better. That determination to keep the house clean(ish) is still with me. Let's see if it lasts. Time to start acting like a damn grown-up. Right? Right. First order of business: dishes. Dishwasher needs unloading and reloading.

I'm having trouble believing it's only Saturday. It feels like Sunday. And I have Monday off, which is the day I plan to start my Christmas shopping.

Well, anyway. Time to go clean up.

Next year's target

2011-11-25T21:40:00.003-05:00

Next year's goal: to have the place clean before my parents get here, so my mother doesn't have to help me clean before the rest of the guests arrive. I'm forty(mumble) years old. Why do I still approach the idea of housework like a sullen thirteen-year-old? I'm ashamed of myself.

Which is part of the problem, I think. Part of the reason the house is usually so messy is because I am so messy. Part is because I am lazy. And part is because I'm comfortable living with disorder. Then when Thanksgiving appears on the horizon, I see the place through other peoples' eyes and am horrified. That's when I panic, but not the kind that makes one go "move! move! move!" It's the deer-in-the-headlights, stare at the problem and wonder what to do kind of panic. I don't get spurred into action until a day or so before people turn up. And, since my folks arrive first, that means Mom winds up helping me clean.

I can't let that happen again next year. Her hands hurt her. I forgot about that. It's a relatively new problem, so I can maybe kinda sorta almost be forgiven for forgetting. She wears these blue elastic (?) braces for support with some tasks. She said she should wear them more often, but she doesn't want to call attention to herself.

Anyway. The cooking part of Thanksgiving went fine. I just need to do better on the cleaning front. A whole lot better. Like, next year my folks will come in and not have to do anything but put their feet up, that kind of better. That's the goal.

Also? The public areas of the place look great, but there are two rooms that are complete chaos. That's where I dumped all the stuff I didn't know what to do with. I have no idea where anything is any more. Christmas vacation (well, the bit between Christmas and New Year's Eve, I guess) is going to be spent unloading and sorting out the "craft room," aka lumber room #1. Then I'll work on the little lilac room in the back (aka lumber room #2). If I do that, then hopefully by next Thanksgiving everything will have a place to live.

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T22:58:00.000-05:00

I was up around 4 or so. The combination of that, the turkey, the wine...I'm tired, y'all. I'm headed to bed. See you tomorrow.

The parents are coming! The parents are coming!

2011-11-23T10:16:00.000-05:00

Just got the call (that I asked for last night) telling me that my parents have left the house and headed my direction. They expect to be here by 1 pm--they have to gas up the car, run some errands (like, "throw some books at the library," according to my mother. I suggested she slow down and make sure they catch them all), and then they'll be on their southeastward.

What am I doing sitting here blogging? I have bathrooms to clean, a bedroom to tidy, a bed to make, all sorts of junk to clear, iced tea to brew (because I just realized that even though I bought stuff for lunch, the only thing I have to drink in the house is tap water. I don't go in for other beverages much when I'm alone. Except coffee in the morning, out of necessity), laundry to do, floors to sweep and some floors to wash! Gaah!

Bye.

Oh, hey, one more thing. At some point this week I hit 500 posts. I'm not exactly sure when, because there are a couple of drafts lurking around, and Blogger counts every entry, not just the ones you post. Anyway, yay, 500!

Internal monologue at the grocery check-out

2011-11-22T14:38:00.003-05:00

Oh, crap. She's a chatty one. She's taking forever with these people. And of course they're chatting back. Well, maybe they're the ones who initiated it. They've spoken to me every time we passed each other in the aisles....and they just noticed I'm behind them in line.

"Ah, we meet again!"

[I nod and smile]

Yes indeed we do. And for the last time.

"Are people coming to you for Thanksgiving?" Please don't talk to me. Please just grab you stuff and go. Please?

"Yes. Dinner for seven. And two dogs, but I don't know whether they'll get table scraps or dog food. Depends on their owners."

Why am I encouraging them? Tick-tock, people. I have a bus to catch. Oh, Hallelujah, they're leaving.

"Happy Thanksgiving!"

"You too." [I wave.]

Nope, it wasn't just them. She's chatty. And she keeps calling me "my dear." What is that about? Do I know her? I don't think I do. I just wish she'd stop asking so many questions of me: What am I doing with the rest of the day? Do I have people coming for Thanksgiving?

Look, I understand it's a boring job, and that standing there silently while things go "beep" maybe feels awkward. But please, if you can't talk and move at the same time, don't try it. Don't scan something, ask me a question, and then pause while I answer it. No, please, don't open my egg carton to make sure they are all unbroken. Hello? Do you think I'd put them in my cart without checking? I know you think this is customer service, but you're slowing me down, here.

Aaaand there goes the bus, right by the front window. Dammit.

Sigh. All right, lady, talk to me. I have a forty-minute wait in my immediate future, I might as well spend as little of it as possible in the rain.

Forging ahead

2011-11-21T22:10:00.002-05:00

There's a woman at work whose family owns a farm. Every year she takes orders for sausage and scrapple right before pig butchering time. I keep thinking about buying some, and this year I finally remembered to do it.

Today was pick-up day--I had to go in to work to get it. I now have 3 lbs of loose sausage and a 3 lb package of scrapple. The sausage is getting used for a cornbread and sausage stuffing. Which reminds me. I need to take the turkey out of the freezer tomorrow and put it into the fridge. It's a big 'un this year, so I think it needs more time to thaw. I wonder if I should make the cornbread tomorrow, too, so that it's nice and old, ready to be made into stuffing on Thursday.

All right. Off to bed. More work tomorrow.

No picture today

2011-11-20T21:27:00.001-05:00

Well, this was supposed to be another snapshot Sunday, but I can find neither the data card nor the USB attachment that lets me download pics from the card to the laptop. Tried to use the camera on my cell, but the battery has died. And then the picture I was going to take (of the cat being all cute and wide-eyed, chasing something I can't see) fell apart, and another opportunity hasn't presented itself.

Ah, well. Maybe there'll be a snapshot Monday instead. Plugging in the phone now and going to bed. It's been a semi-productive weekend. I got a few things accomplished, but not as much as I intended. Of course. Have to do better tomorrow.

'Night y'all.

All we need are a few tumbleweeds

2011-11-19T22:35:00.017-05:00

Man, this town is empty. I like it. It's nice to be able to buy a trash can at Wal-Mart and schlepp it home on the bus without worrying that you're taking up too much room.

Took myself to lunch at Eat 'n Park, which I haven't been to in forever (apparently, because I didn't recognize a single thing on the menu), and there were only three tables in use. Wow. That place is normally hopping.

Today was "get supplies" day. Tomorrow we straighten. The goal this year is to be done before my parents get here on Wednesday. We'll see how that goes. I tend to dither and procrastinate, and then I run around like a maniac cursing my propensity to dither and procrastinate. It appears to need a deadline breathing down my neck to get stuff done.

Wish me luck! And now I'm going to bed.

Out after dark.

2011-11-18T23:20:00.001-05:00

The students have left town for Thanksgiving break. This means that for the next 10 days or so the townsfolk will be able to go places they can't normally get into without long lines or waiting to be seated. Taking advantage of this fact, a group of local folks with whom I have made friends over Twitter decided to gather at a downtown Mexican restaurant for happies at about 5:30 or so.

Things were in full swing when I got there. Some people I already knew, some I'd only spoken to online, some I've never seen before in my life. One person I talked to is going to be running in a marathon in Philly on Sunday, in the freezing cold. I finally got to meet face-to-face with the meteorologist I've been tweeting back and forth with for months. He's the husband of someone else I follow, and together they own three cats and two rescued greyhounds. Someone else showed me pictures from her trip to Rhinebeck with some other folks we both know, and recommended that if I want to go to a knitting convention, Maryland Sheep and Wool is more organized. Rhinebeck is where all the celebrity knitters show up, though.

God bless Tim, our server. Every time he came to the table (which was often) it was larger and composed of more people. We kept co-opting other tables in the area. He managed to keep us all straight in his head, and things were still going strong when I left around quarter to 8. I sure hope everyone gave him a good tip. I sure did.

There was talk of going to another bar and watching some local blues band perform, but I begged off. I needed to come home and draw up my battle plan for the time I have left until Thanksgiving.

Never mind that when I did come home all I did was play Plants vs. Zombies. I was strategizing as I was planting puffshrooms and spud mines (or whatever they're called). Sure I was. Can't prove that I wasn't. I'll write it all out on paper tomorrow.

Hey, guess what! We're creeping up on my 500th post!

They're still here

2011-11-17T23:18:00.003-05:00

Well, it's been fairly quiet around here all week. There are still news vans all over town, and little tents pitched for "on the scene" correspondents making their reports back to their stations. What they're reporting on, I have no idea.

As far as I can tell nothing has happened of note since Saturday, when both football teams, their coaching staffs, and tons of alumni players gathered in the middle of the field to pray before the game. Fans after the game were subdued, thank goodness. Apparently our students are aware now that the world is watching and are behaving with a little more decorum. I'm sure the media are disappointed no one's acting up over here.

Is it wrong to wish that a scandal breaks somewhere else soon so that these vultures will go away?

Not even close

2011-11-16T06:18:00.004-05:00

Who's Susan?, a photo by JugglingScarves on Flickr.

I have an email account on AOL that I haven't used in forever. I check it from time to time because sometimes my family forgets my current email address and sends things to this one. And it's also an address I've used to give to companies who won't let you do something like get a member card without giving them an email address (I'm looking at you Panera. You too, Eddie Bauer). I should probably just close it. It does afford me some amusement sometimes, though.

For instance: whenever I check the account I make sure to look at the spam folder, in case a piece of "real" mail accidentally got filtered into it. Somewhere along the line some spammy genius decided that a potential target might be tempted to open the message if their name was in the subject line. Problem: the name they're using to reel me in? Susan. Not mine. It's like cold calling someone to sell them a newspaper subscription or solicit a donation and mangling their name beyond all recognition.

Who the heck is Susan?

Not to mention the fridge still needs cleaning

2011-11-15T23:15:00.010-05:00

So much for this evening. I dozed off tonight in front of the TV and just woke up. Whoopsie! And, being sleepy, I really can't think of anything to write. I have just enough energy left in me to drag myself upstairs to bed. See you tomorrow.

One more thing checked off

2011-11-14T22:16:00.001-05:00

Booked the room for my sister's in-laws to stay in when they visit for Thanksgiving. I tried to make a reservation using the website for the place, but there was nowhere to request a particular type of room, so I wound up having to call them. Mrs. S. needs a downstairs room. She has trouble with stairs.

My sister has said something about staying behind an extra day after everyone left, just so we could spend some time together. I wonder if she's still going to do that. That would mean travelling in a separate car. Unless she's taking a bus back, which I can't imagine she'd want to do. I hope she doesn't change her mind. We haven't seen each other since...geez. Easter?

Tomorrow is National "Clean Out Your Refrigerator" Day. Well, all right. Something I need to do anyway.

Thor

2011-11-13T21:06:00.001-05:00

So I watched Thor this evening.

I really wanted to like it. I like the Ironman movies, and funnily enough, the only reason I watched the Ironman movies is that I wanted to know what was going on once I got to Thor (they all take place in the Marvel Comics universe). I got interested in Thor because Kenneth Branagh was directing it, and I like him.

It was...meh. Not bad. Visually very appealing, but just a little...thin? I think that's the word I want. I can't really pinpoint what was wrong with it, it just wasn't very interesting. The one character I really liked, the only one who seemed to have any depth, was Loki. And he was the bad guy. Sort of.

Oh, well. Maybe the second one will be better. Because of course they're making a sequel. All these superheroes are eventually going to meet up and work together in The Avengers. Which reminds me, I still need to see Captain America. He's part of the story too.

Even though I didn't really like the movie I originally wanted to see, I got drawn into the bigger story. Now I need to see where it's going. And that's mainly because of Ironman, and the reason I like those is probably mostly because of Robert Downey Jr and Jon Favreau. I think if anyone else were directing it or being Tony Stark I wouldn't like it nearly as much.

You know, someday I should try reading the comic books these characters all come from. Just to see what never made it to the screen.

Audible and kicking the TV habit

2011-11-12T18:55:00.001-05:00

This past summer I joined audible.com, mainly because of a Hulu ad that would give me an extra credit for signing up. Since then I've been having my iPod, and later my laptop (when my iPod died) read to me while I embroider. It's much more satisfying than watching TV, because with the TV you have to stop and look up from time to time. Not with an audio book.

So far I've been read The Help (which, if I do say so myself, was an excellent choice. The story is told 1st person, from three different perspectives. They used three different actresses to record it.), Wicked, Pride and Prejudice (twice), Waiter Rant (most of it), and The Secret Language of Bees. Today I started The Fountainhead. I've never read anything by Ayn Rand, and all I really know about her is that our politics probably don't agree. Haven't gotten too far into the story, but so far I'm liking it. Though a little voice in the back of my head keeps saying, "That man has Asperger's Syndrome" when the main character is described as not reacting to things the way most people do. I know he doesn't. It wasn't even an acknowledged disease when this was written, and really, at this point the action's taking place more often with people who aren't Howard Roark. I haven't had much of an opportunity to see into his head.

I've been subscribing to Audible as part of an ongoing effort to get myself weaned off the TV. I pay way too much money to the cable company for something that I've noticed in recent years that I'm not using very much--except for when I catch a cold and camp out on the sofa, that is. Except for the aberration in usage last week, I've found that I get along just fine with a combination of Hulu, network webpages, and Netflix. Last month I dropped down to a lower tier on the cable subscription, eliminating the big movie channels (HBO, Showtime). The next step is to drop all the extended channels that I'm not watching, like BBC America, TV Food Network, and HGTV, along with all of the music channels I forget are there. The plan is to eventually work my way back down to basic cable. I'd get rid of that, too, but I want to keep my local channels. If I ever get an HD antenna or a new TV, I probably won't need the cable at all any more.

I've been resisting this next step. I don't watch them very much any more, but I like knowing that I could. The last, irrational reason I was using for hanging onto them was that the Rose Parade only gets broadcast on HGTV, but guess what! I found a Pasadena TV station that streams the parade, so there goes that excuse.

We'll see how it goes. I'm not going to drop it until after Thanksgiving. Probably not until the new year. See? There's that resistance. I started this post thinking, "end of November." Now? "How about February?" Pathetic.

Call your girlfriend

2011-11-11T08:26:00.002-05:00

All right, I admit it. I'm a fan of Gwyneth Paltrow. I follow her on Twitter, even. A couple days ago she tweeted a link to a YouTube video, saying it made her happy. "I could use a little happy right now," I thought, so I clicked it. And for the past few days, I've been going back and clicking it again. And again.

I'd never heard the original version of the song until Wednesday, when I went and Googled it. It's some sort of heavily techno club song by a singer I've never heard of named Robyn. I like this YouTube version so much better. I hope these girls get a record deal out of this. Their harmonies are so pure. And I just love that their percussion instruments of choice are empty cottage cheese containers.

Two weeks and counting

2011-11-10T21:58:00.005-05:00

Thanksgiving prep has started. I've bought an 18 1/2 lb bird, some mix for cornbread (for stuffing), and the makings for pumpkin pie. Tomorrow I'm ordering sausage and scrapple from someone at work--her family has a farm and they sell those things once a year in November. I've never bought anything from her, but a lot of folks at work have done and like it.

This weekend I'm going to start straightening up this place. Considering how crowded and possibly rowdy it's going to be in town this weekend, it's probably a good idea not to go anywhere. I also need to mend a chair, but I'll need to go out Sunday and get the supplies for that.

I know I've tried to be a little coy about where I live, but I don't think I'm fooling anyone. I work for a university in "Central Pennsylvania" that has an incredibly popular football team? Yeah. You know where I live. We've been in the news all week. I really don't know what to say about the situation, aside from the anger and disgust I feel towards the "alleged" perpetrator. All the rest of it? I don't know what to think. Most of us are in a bit of a daze. And I don't care what you saw on TV about a riot, there were about 4000 (out of a possible 42000) that took to the streets last night, and most of them were peaceful. The group that got violent has embarrassed all the rest of them.

I am worried about Saturday, though. All those people crammed in one place, emotions running high, add a some alcohol and a whole lot of out-of-towners. Things could get bad. And? The bloody idiots of the Westboro Baptist Church are coming to town to picket something or other. Media whores. As if we don't have enough problems without them sticking their oar in.

Oooh! Did I say that out loud?

Good.

Edited to add:

Even though I haven't mentioned my employer outright, I should probably add the following disclaimer, just to keep myself from getting into hot water: These views are my own and do not represent those of my university.

The program needs to relax a tad

2011-11-09T19:56:00.003-05:00

So when I logged in this morning and reported my weight to the Weight Watchers online site, the program threw a tiny little fit. It told me I'm losing weight too fast, offered to show me how to slow down, suggested that maybe I should consult my doctor. It was all worried about me losing muscle mass.

I really wish I could talk to it right now, so that I could tell it to chill the hell out already. I lost three pounds this week because all I could eat that I could trust to stay in my system was tea, saltines, toast, diet soda, and (when I was starting to feel better) some orange juice. I weighed myself on Monday, and I'd actually lost four pounds at that point, but then I started eating like a normal person again and found a pound.

Though it is coming off quickly right now. I've lost 10.8 in 4 weeks. I also bumped down to a different point target, so I have a few less points to worry about using.

Which reminds me. I need to go find something worth one point and shove it in my mouth. I bet a wedge of Laughing Cow cheese would do it.

So much for not turning this into a weight loss blog.

Quick one tonight

2011-11-08T23:06:00.001-05:00

I spent the whole evening embroidering and watching "The Big Bang Theory" on TBS, and now I'm too sleepy to write a proper post. And my eyes won't focus correctly (too much close work, though my optician says they're fine. I think I need to go buy eye drops again).Better post tomorrow, I promise.

I promise this isn't turning into a weight loss blog

2011-11-07T22:52:00.003-05:00

I've been sitting here staring at a blank screen for about 20 minutes now, watching the cursor flash. I've got nothin'.

I think this NaBloPoMo thing was a bad idea. I really just don't have anything to say anymore. I've been more than half tempted lately to just shut this blog down. There really isn't all that much going on with me that's too terribly interesting to read about. The only thing I've been really concentrating on lately has been losing weight. I don't want to turn this into a weight loss blog.

I suppose I could talk about Weight Watchers for one post, though, couldn't I? I've enrolled in the online program again, and I seem to be doing a lot better this time around. They've changed the program a bit--altered the formula for calculating points. They've added protein and carbohydrates into the mix, and they no longer figure the calories. Say what? I don't get that. Some of the foods have higher point values now but--and here's the part I really like--fruit no longer have any! Well, fresh fruit, I should say. Bananas used to be 2 points. Now they're 0. First time I entered a banana into the form and it told me "0 points" I was like, "Baby's gotta get some more bananas!"

Also, since they reconfigured the points and made things "cost" more, they give you more points to work with. And here's where I'm going to tick off all the thinner weight watchers. I'm a big girl. So, since they assign you points based on your weight range, I get a lot of points to use per day. And I'm having trouble using them up. I know, thinner weight watchers, I know. You now want to find me and kick me 'til I'm dead. Sorry. But I get to about 8:30 every evening, have 9 points left, and am more than a little frustrated because, aigh! I don't wanna eat anything else!

I know I should use them all up, because I don't want my body to go into starvation mode--if there's not enough stuff coming in, it'll slow down my metabolism and start converting whatever it gets into fat, because it's not sure when it's going to get food again. Oh, the fun stuff you learn about the way your body works when you join Weight Watchers.

The reason I'm doing this online instead of in person is because the leader I really liked retired. I used to attend the "At Work" program, and though I liked the leader who replaced her, it started getting difficult to attend. That was mainly a work problem. The crazy people I used to work for would make me feel guilty for leaving the building on my lunch break. They wouldn't openly criticize, they'd just let me know "something" happened, I couldn't be found, no one else knew what to do. I realize now that they probably manufactured the "crises" to force me to choose them over what I was doing. Oh, dysfunctional department, I do not miss you at all.

So anyway, I started going to the regular center. The only class that fit into my schedule was led by this skinny, bouncy, far-too-chirpy-for-me little thing who became a lifetime member after losing 20 pounds. I know that's an accomplishment, I really do. But? It's a drop in the bucket compared to what I need to lose. I couldn't relate to her. And the giggle/hair-flip thing she had going made me want to smack her with my shoe. Not exactly a morale boost, you know?

So, now I'm online. Taking it seriously this time around. It's only been a couple of weeks, but this feels different than the last time I tried it online. I guess maybe I wasn't ready yet. Or something.

Looks like I had more to talk about than I thought. All right, I'll keep the blog up a little longer. Must dash. I need to throw a glass of milk down my gullet before I go to bed. I'd better go do that now. 'Night everybody.

Snapshot Sunday

2011-11-06T19:18:00.002-05:00

Berries, a photo by JugglingScarves on Flickr.

Proof that I actually made it out of the house today.

Maybe I'll get out of the house tomorrow.

2011-11-05T21:47:00.001-04:00

Gentle readers, today's news is that even though I haven't left the house yet, I do believe I'm well enough to try sleeping in my own bed. Alert the media.

Dunno why I feel the need to camp on the couch when I'm sick. Maybe it's the TV? And being closer to the kitchen? Not that I've had much to eat that isn't toast, crackers, or tea.

When I'm feeling better, remind me to tell you about the time I got hit by lightning. Right now I'm going to bed.

And again I say, blurgh

2011-11-04T23:45:00.013-04:00

Day Three in the nest on the couch. Drifting off to sleep with CSI on the TV (I know, strange way to lull myself to sleep, and I'll probably wake up because of disturbing dreams), I jolted awake when I realized I almost dropped out of NaBloPoMo on the 4th day.

So here's my post! It's more of a place-holder than anything. Still hopeful I'll be able to poke my nose out the door tomorrow to get my rump to Wegman's. Though it turns out tomorrow is the day they're broadcasting "Siegfried" live from the Met to the theater downtown, and I think I'm going to have to miss it. I don't want to risk the displeasure of the opera buffs around me, should I start coughing uncontrollably at some part of the performance. Ah, well. Maybe I can listen to it on the radio? Though on advantage of the live performance is that they flash the words at the bottom of the screen.

Anyway. Let me get this posted. More tomorrow.

Blurgh

2011-11-03T20:16:00.001-04:00

Decided to spend the night on the couch, as that seemed to make sleeping sitting up more feasible. Woke up this morning with just enough voice to croak my name and the phrase "not coming in today" into the phone, then curled up under a blanket 'til about 9 AM.

I'm feeling better now, but not well. Sure hope this clears up by the weekend. The football team has no game this Saturday so the town? Is. Ours! Mwahahahaha! I'd hate to have to stay inside on a nice weekend when I'd be able to get to wherever I want to go with no traffic problems to worry about.

I'm planning on picking up the Thanksgiving turkey on Saturday. Wegman's has their turkey special again this year: buy $25 in other groceries and use your shopper's card and you'll only pay $.49 a pound for turkey. I guess I'd better start putting together a list of the things I need for Thanksgiving that I can buy ahead.

Provided I'm not hacking up a lung come Saturday.

Today's silver lining, though? While surfing channels last night (which I haven't done in a while because I'm trying to wean myself off of TV. But that's another post) I bumped into back episodes of The Big Bang Theory and fell in love with it. How did I miss this show? Apparently it's been around for years.

How are you guys doing?

Looks like tomorrow's gonna be a sick day

2011-11-02T21:32:00.001-04:00

I think somebody with a cold breathed on me.

Pretty much the only time I haven't been coughing today is when I had a cough drop in my mouth. Seriously. I had about a 5-minute window of calm before I'd start up again, at which point there'd be a mad scramble to find the bag,unwrap another drop and toss it into my mouth.

The coughing itself is enough of an irritation, but here's the kicker: I've had bronchitis so often, any significant amount of coughing makes me toss my cookies. My cube is in the middle of a rat's maze with no clear path to the ladies' room. Hence the panicked race to stop it, stop it, stop it!

Yup. Pretty sure I'm staying home tomorrow.

Crap. Finished the drop in my mouth about 10 minutes ago and I thought the ginger ale was helping to keep that feeling away. Nope. Sleeping's going to be interesting. If I get any at all, it will have to be sitting up.

Stay well, you guys. Type atcha tomorrow.

Once more with feeling

2011-11-01T23:30:00.000-04:00

Aw, what the heck. Let's give this NaBloPoMo thing another whirl.

So now that I've gone and joined the blogroll for November, I can't think of anything to write about. The writing prompt for today was: what do you like best about writing?

Let me see. I think the thing I like best is when I write something and show it someone else and they point out things I didn't even notice--unintended symbolism, for example. That used to happen in fiction workshops. We weren't supposed to say anything when our pieces were up for review. We were to just listen to the feedback and judge for ourselves whether we got the results we were intending. I'd sometimes be surprised by what I heard, wondering if they'd read the right story. I kind of miss that. I'm also glad I don't have to do it any more.

I was thinking about that on the bus ride home from work today, watching the kids gear up for mid-terms. I am so glad I don't ever have to go back to school. Four and half years were plenty. I liked the "college experience," but classes? Not so much. I think I would have done better if my professors had just gave me a reading list and told me to come back and talk to them, one-on-one, after I'd finished reading.

And that's about it for today. Will try to write more tomorrow.

Little victories, little irritants

2011-10-31T11:48:00.000-04:00

When I went to my O.D. earlier this month for my yearly allergy meds, he asked me what else was going on in my life. Well, of course he did. He's an O.D., not an M.D., so visiting him is more than just here-are-your-pills-here's-your-bill. And, because he's a disarming sort of guy, I chatted a little bit with him. Mentioned that as soon as I remembered to check to see what kind of batteries my scale takes, I'd be starting Weight Watcher's online.

Tippy-tappity-tap.

Crud, I thought. He typed that into his laptop. It's in my file. I guess I really have to do it now instead of just talk about it forever. Dammit.

Well, I did finally remember to get batteries for the blasted scale. I've been on program about 2 1/2 weeks, and as of last Wednesday lost 5.6 pounds. I've lost a little more since then, I think, because this morning? I put on the belt that I always wear with these pants and put the buckle through a notch one tighter than I've ever used before! And I didn't snap in half when I tried to sit down. Yaaaay!

In other news--the water-in-the-closet thing seems to have vanished. It slowed when the rain stopped, sped up when the rain came down pretty hard about a week ago, and then dried up altogether. The association manager is puzzled. As am I.

But now? There's a mouse in one of the walls. I think so, anyway. The cat has developed quite an interest in one corner of the living room. There are no holes in the wall (yet), but I'm pretty sure that soon I'll be finding out whether a declawed cat can catch a mouse. She's eager to try.

And hey! Tomorrow's November!

I don't think I'm going to try NaBloPoMo this year. I really didn't have much to say last year, I have even less to say this one, and Thanksgiving is bearing down on me like it's a train and I'm a silent-movie heroine tied to the tracks. Help!

Let's see if I can post more than 4 times in a month though, shall we?

Neighbor dodged a bullet too.

2011-10-14T09:44:00.002-04:00

Well, it's not the neighbor's water heater. They've checked, their closet is completely dry. The last thing the manager can think of it that it might still be coming from mine, from some sort of release valve at the top. I've put a bucket under the valve to see if it catches any water. I'm thinking it won't, because right under that valve is pretty dry.

I wonder if there's a blockage farther down the line in the drainage pipe, and it's backing up from there?

Bullet: dodged. I hope.

2011-10-13T17:22:00.001-04:00

Around 4 o'clock the association manager came and looked at my situation. He's pretty sure that the water's not coming from a busted main, given where the mains are located (he checked the plans for our building) and where it looks like the water's coming from. Thank goodness. They would have had to tear things apart in here to get at it.

He then checked the little meter-reader thingie attached to my pipes (don't you love when I get all technical?), and it wasn't reading like there was any water running. To test it, I went and turned on the kitchen tap. Nope, there's no water running unless it's been requested. So it's not coming from any of my plumbing.

Then he wondered if it was coming from my water heater, because it was feeling a little wet on the floor around its base. He asked me for a clean, dry, old towel--what he was about to do was going to pretty much destroy it. I found a tea towel that I don't care if I never see again, and gave it to him to dry the floor around the water heater. If water started showing up again in a few minutes, that's where the problem is. Boy, howdy, did that thing come back filthy.

A few minutes later: no water around the water heater. So he thinks that the problem is next door. He thinks my neighbor's water heater is leaking, and that the slope we've been built on has the water running into my unit, using the drain in my closet. Unfortunately, my neighbors weren't home to confirm this, but he's left them a note. I hope they come home soon.

I've asked him to keep me posted, so that I know when I can stop worrying the problem is on my end. He said he would. Though I suppose if I don't hear from him again, that'll be an answer too. Of sorts.

And now back to straightening up the downstairs. Though I have a bunch of junk in the living room that used to be in the closet. I'm not going to put it back in there until I know that I won't have to drag it out again. And besides, it's wet in there.

I could do with things being a little less interesting

2011-10-13T12:17:00.006-04:00

My parents are coming tomorrow morning to drop of Pippin, my Very Hairy Little Sister (aka their dog). They're visiting my aunt in Virginia this weekend, and they're pretty sure Pip would have a miserable time. Not that she would have all that much of a better one with me. She's bound to be depressed, pining for my Dad all weekend. But at least here she won't have to deal with my aunt's youngest grandchild, who is a bit on the rowdy side. Pip doesn't like children as a rule, and she likes active ones even less, I think. All that quick movement bothers her.

I took today off to clean. Not that the dog will care what things look like. Really, I should clean, though, and this is a good excuse. I'm off tomorrow through Monday to stay with the dog, just because she's a bit sensitive and probably won't like being alone. Yes. I am pet-owned, and not just by my own pets.

Turns out it's a good thing I'm taking the next few days off, because things at home just got more "interesting."

The night before last, I noticed a weird isolated wet spot on the carpet. My first thought was that the cat had done it, but no, there was no smell. And then I thought, well, maybe I put something really wet there? Couldn't remember doing that. I put a towel down to blot things, and went to bed.

It was still damp yesterday morning. I changed the towel, wondering what the heck it was. It was a little wet by the door as well, and my early-morning, not-much-coffee-in-me-yet logic thought maybe all the rain we've been having has caused the slab foundation to reach critical mass, and I was taking on water? I went to work, and didn't think about it again until last night, right before bedtime, when I finally figured out that the water wasn't coming from outside. It was wetter by the steps. Besides, this isn't like my old place, where the threshold was level with the pavement outside. There's a fairly decent step up into the house.

I checked the floor of the closet under the stairs, and it didn't feel wet. Worried and tired, I went to bed and lay there a bit wondering what was going on before eventually drifting off to sleep.

This morning I finally found my flashlight (I'd looked for it last night and couldn't find it. Today? It was in plain sight. I swear, someone plays swapsies with my stuff at night) and looked in the closet. Yep. There's a water stain down the middle of the floor, well away from where I felt it last night. I think the pipe broke in the foundation.

I looked around me at the state of the house. It's more of a mess than it was yesterday, because when I clean things get more messy before they get better. Then I did a mental list of all the things I need to do that use water. Dishes. Laundry. Cleaning the downstairs powder room. I desperately need a shower.

Then I wondered, who fixes this? According to the agreement with the owners' association, I'm responsible for everything from the studs inward. The association takes care of the other stuff. What if the problem is in the foundation? Is that my responsibility? Theirs? The water authority's? If it's mine, how much is this going to cost? I haven't received a pay raise in two years, and prices keep going up. It's chipped away at my savings "cushion" bit by bit, and there's not much left. Will homeowner's insurance cover this? Or is this part of that "act of God" thing? It's not a flood, but it does have to do with water.

I have been running around all morning trying to make the place presentable for the strangers I'm about to call in. I'm also doing all of the water-related stuff now, because I have no idea how long I'll be without it. I also don't know how they're going to get at this pipe without breaking up the foundation and/or knocking down a wall.

The first step is to call the fellow who administers the association and ask him whose responsibility this is. I am really, really hoping he says it's not mine.

And? The dog is coming. There's a crate coming with her, so I'm not worried about her getting underfoot. Hey, it'll make for an interesting weekend for her, right?

Off to take a shower. And to fill up a bunch of bottles with water. Wish me luck. More news as it happens

Another one in the eye

2011-09-12T11:52:00.004-04:00

I've been having an eye problem since Thursday, and I told myself if it got no better by today I was calling my optometrist's office. It didn't, I did, and they'd like to see me pronto.

There's this weird shadow in my field of vision in my right eye. You know that after-image you get when someone takes a picture with flash? It's kind of like that. I don't notice it all the time, but it really shows up in bright light. It moves with my eye--I noticed that when I tried to focus on it and it shifted away.

The fellow I spoke to this morning (the optician/office manager, married to the optometrist) said it could be one of two things: a new eye floater, in which case there's not much they can do but at least it's not dangerous; or, my retina's detached itself a little bit. If it's that, they're going to want me to see a retinal specialist right away. Like, today. Like, call a cab, shove me in, and get me to the Eye Dude with the LASERs. Who will apply implements to the area and (hopefully) fix it.

I am remarkably calm at the moment. I think that's because I already suspected that these were the possible causes and outcomes. I am not the first person on the planet to get a detached retina, they already know how to fix 'em. It seems like a fairly common procedure.

It doesn't hurt at all, it's just a bit distracting. And? I keep taking off my glasses, wiping them, putting them back on, and saying, "Nope. That still didn't help."

I also have been using eye drops to moisturize things, and I don't know whether I'm imagining it or not, but it seems to be helping a little. But only a little. And so we go to the optometrist. Wish me luck.

Hey! Maybe I'll get an eye patch. I can be all, "Arrrrr, matey!" on the bus.

Edited to add:

Well, it's not a detached retina, just a great big honkin' floater. Apparently floaters like this are once-in-a-lifetime -- for each eye. So, look out, left eye, you're up next. The optometrist said that these kinds of floaters can cause retinal detachment, but that my eyes look fine -- no tears in the retina, no bleeding in the eye. The thing should break up eventually, and gravity should pull it out of my field of vision somewhere between 6 weeks and 3 months from now. In the mean time, I'm supposed to be on the look-out for it getting bigger, or if I start seeing flashes. I should call her then.

So no eye patch, but I am wandering around all squinty and semi-focused. She had to dilate my eyes to get a good look at what's going on back there, and for a while I needed to keep my sunglasses on indoors back at work. Because yes, even though I can't see, I thought I should go back to work. I'm hoping my typing skills are better than I imagine, and there aren't too many errors in this last bit of the post. Just going to have to take that one on faith, at least until I can see to proofread.

A rambling chatty bit of fluff

2011-09-09T21:34:00.007-04:00

I just found this in my drafts. Apparently I found it once before in my drafts, commented on its still being there, added some more, saved it, and forgot about it again. I really need to check that drafts tab more often.

This part is from the beginning of August:

My Mom came down from the mountains on Friday. We went out to dinner at a local, semi fancy-schmancy restaurant. She stayed overnight on my capacious pillow-back sofa (once you take all the cushions off the back of it, this sofa's as large as a twin bed, and it's über comfortable), then the next morning we boxed up the cat and headed north to the wilds of Pennsylvania. Sophie begged to be let out the whole way there.

It was a good vacation. There was a slight bobble Sunday into Monday (I think. I lost track of time there for a while) where the generator did something weird and it looked like we were going to have to last the week on 100 gallons of water in the holding tank. That got sorted out, though. I'm kinda disappointed that I didn't get to try the dry shampoo we found in Rite-Aid that we thought we were going to need. But? I'd rather use soap and water.

Anyway.

Kitty and I got brought back about a week later by Dad, Mom, and the dog. You should have seen the dog when I put the cat in the carrier Sunday morning. She (Pip, not Sophie) was outside on the porch with Dad. It took Mom and me both to get Sophie into the carrier--she's a pretty good fighter, even without front claws. We got her in, I shut the door, and turned around to see Pip staring at me through the screen door, astounded. The look on her face quite clearly said, "But I thought you liked that cat!" It was as if I'd suddenly sprouted horns or something.

I had taken Monday the 8th of August as vacation as well, because the original plan had called for Mom to drive me back Sunday afternoon, stay Sunday night, and go home Monday morning. Did I mention Mom retired back in July? No, I see that I didn't. Yes, well, Mom retired back in July so now she has the time to do all the stuff she wants. I'm trying very hard not to be envious.

---

And that's about where I saved this post, lo these many weeks ago. I have no idea where I was going with that last paragraph. I don't remember doing anything especially meaningful with the extra day that I had on Monday. As a matter of fact, I'm pretty sure I spent it lounging around on the couch, reading and embroidering.

Couple of things I did want to mention:

Last year I crossed "grow a tomato" off of my life list. Well, I decided I didn't do a very good job last year and I wanted to try again. I bought a seedling from some Ag Department grad-student run produce stand that pops up on campus in May. They had a bunch of different varieties available. I chose one called "Muscovich," because it was described as cold-weather hardy, and not minding a lot of rain. I don't know how it was where you were last spring, but over here it was extraordinarily wet in May. I was this close to having moss growing on my upper lip. I figured a plant that liked wet cold weather just might work in my patch.

Here's a picture I took of it last August. [imagine there's a picture here] Bit of a monster, no? It's gotten taller since. When they dropped me off the Sunday of vacation, my parents took a walk 'round to the side of the house to take a gander at my wee garden. Dad had to look up to see the top of the tomato. Dad is 6'6". I think the plant is at least seven feet tall -- a far cry from the stunted little things I grew last year in pots.
I'd say I've gotten about 30 tomatoes from it so far, and the ones I ate instead of froze were pretty tasty.

We had some pretty strong thunderstorms about a week later, it broke a off a couple of the branches of the vine. There were a lot of little green tomatoes on those branches. I turned them into a pretty tasty spice cake, using a recipe I found online.

And that's when I saved it the last time I tried working on this. Well, they say three's the charm. There's a picture I want to attach to this (that would be the tomato plant), and then I really, really need to hit publish. Then I can talk about the rest of August (while I still remember it) and how I got bit by the Canning Bug.

I know. Canning. Squee. But at least I'm trying to blog again.

Here's that tomato:

Damp grump

2011-09-08T13:26:00.000-04:00

I have to get this out before I bite someone. There's a woman in another team who's currently driving me a little nutty. Let's call her Wanda, shall we?

Wanda's retiring later on this month, but she's acting like she's left already. She just kind of wanders around and gossips (she's doing it right now outside of my colleague's cubicle, next door to me). Her team is consistently backed-up with work. There is a ton of stuff on her desk that needs doing, and I'm willing to bet it'll be there after she leaves. I so very much want to ask her to get to work but a) I'm not her boss b) I'm not even on her team and c) I don't feel like starting a fight today. Well, c) isn't strictly true. But she's a big woman, and she'd probably clean my clock. So instead I'm just going to sit here and silently resent her. Grrr, Wanda. Just...grrrr.

The rain might just be affecting my mood a little. Have you been watching the news? For those who haven't, it is currently raining pitchforks and hammer handles (that's even harder than "cats and dogs") on the northeast coast of the United States. A bunch of counties in Pennsylvania (mine included) have declared flood emergencies. The Susquehanna river is dangerously high and isn't expected to crest until tomorrow. It's getting a bit scary out there.

How are you-all today? Staying dry and/or above water?

What it's like inside my head

2011-09-02T12:17:00.005-04:00

First thought upon finding $10 in a pocket of jeans after I put them on: It's gonna be a good day.
Second thought: Pretty sure that's not what "money laundering" means.
Third thought: I should tweet that.
Fourth thought: And this is why I haven't blogged since April: stupid Twitter. Try thinking in more than 140 character bites, for a change.
Fifth thought: Damn, I'm judgmental. Why don't I just back off? Geez.
Sixth thought: And now I'm having an argument with myself. I need to get out more.
Seventh thought: Why? So I can argue with myself in public? Do I really want to be That Lady on the bus? The one people are afraid to sit next to?
Eighth thought: What makes me think I'm not that already? And besides, what's wrong with having a seat to myself?

[shrug]
Fair enough.

Fear and surprise

2011-07-14T11:28:00.001-04:00

I am still here and I will write something soon. But for now, watch this. I rented Eddie Izzard's "Live from Madison Square Garden" a while back, and this bit was one of my favorites:

Auntie Em! Uncle Henry!

2011-04-27T16:24:00.000-04:00

My co-worker just told me we're on tornado watch until ten PM. Tornadoes? In April? In central Pennsylvania? Is Mother Nature off her nut?

In case of tornado, you're suppose to go somewhere low to the ground with no windows, aren't you? I have no basement. That leaves under the stairs with the water heater (and the spiders) or the downstairs powder room. Luckily the cat likes to stick close by, so should the sky turn green, it looks like I'm gonna tuck her under my arm and head for the teeny tiny powder room just off of the kitchen.

Sheesh. This morning they were calling for thunderstorms with hail. Now it's tornadoes. What's next, poisonous toads?

Checking in

2011-04-12T13:04:00.002-04:00

Let's see, what's going on around here? Well, according to someone pitching to Blackbird, it's National Licorice Day. Google says it's the 50th anniversary of space flight.

It's also National Library Worker's Day, and of course my library is making a fuss. There are two parties scheduled so that no matter when your work day starts or ends you can make it to one of them. I was stopped on my way in from lunch by the receptionist and told I should "hurry up and get some cake." My response surprised even me: "It's just cake." Did I say that? And it appears I meant it, because I'm still on my lunch break (the tail end of it), sitting at my desk not eating cake.

Also? Sophie has worms. You know how cats are always sticking their bums in your face? She did that this morning, and I saw a worm. Uh-oh. How the heck did she get worms? She doesn't have fleas (I don't think she does. I never see any), she doesn't go outside, I've never fed her raw or undercooked meat, and I have no other pets that she could have gotten them from. I wonder if a flea hitched a ride into the house on my shoes or socks or something.

So tomorrow afternoon we go to the vet. Huzzah.

Bats

2011-04-01T20:51:00.004-04:00

A long time ago my great-uncle Bill told me a joke. I enjoyed it. A lot. I enjoyed it so much that I started telling it to people, and much like Arlo Guthrie's "Alice's Restaurant," the joke got a little longer and more involved with each retelling. Between the first draft of this post and the second one it grew some more. It's almost a short story now. It involves bats. And men (or women) of the cloth.

Once upon a time there was a little town. In this town there were three churches: a Lutheran church, a Catholic church, and a Methodist church. The pastors and the priest associated with these churches were friends and used to meet weekly in a booth at the local diner to drink coffee and talk shop. One summer morning they found that they were all having a similar problem: bats.

"Honestly," said Father Mike, "this is getting out of hand. One of the boys in the choir had a bat get tangled in his hair, and now they all flatly refuse to go near the loft. They sing from the back of the nave."

"Tell me about it," Pastor Owens commiserated. "I was locking up after the United Methodist Women's group last Wednesday and noticed something fluttering around the lectern. I thought it was a bird until it smacked into a window and started to climb up it."

"Ugh." Pastor Larssen shuddered. "Ours get disturbed when the pipe organ plays. One blast of that thing, and they dart among the rafters in a frenzy. I need to do something. I really don't want to call an exterminator, though."

"No, me neither," said the priest. "They are God's creatures, after all."

"He can have 'em," Pastor Owens muttered into her coffee mug.

"Why don't we try getting rid of them ourselves?" suggested Pastor Larssen. "How hard can this be? We are intelligent, resourceful people. I'm sure we can figure it out."

The other two agreed. They would each make independent attempts at bat-removal, with an eye toward reporting back to each other about successes and failures. After draining their mugs all three stood up, grimly wished each other luck, and marched off, determined not to be bested by winged rodents.

A week later they were back in the diner.

"I really thought noise would work," Pastor Larssen groaned, head in his hands. "They hated the playing of the organ so much, I thought if I made a whole lot of clamor they'd decide to move to a quieter neighborhood. But it didn't matter what I did -- organ, cymbals, air horn, none of it worked. Finally, in frustration, I went up there with a shotgun; not to hurt them, mind you. I just thought the explosion would scare them off."

"And?" Asked Father Mike.

"Now I need an exterminator and a roofer. And my wife thinks I'm an idiot."

"I decided to try trapping them," said Father Mike. "Humane traps. My sister's husband knew where to get them and how to use them. He helped me set them up. We even managed to catch them all! Then I borrowed his truck, put the bats in the back, and scouted around for likely place for them to live. I drove for about an hour, I'd say, until I found a spot that looked just perfect! It was a meadow full of wildflowers, with trees round the edges of it. I figured they could live in the trees, eat the bugs from the meadow. Right? So I let them loose." He stopped to take a swig of coffee. "Those bats made it back to the church before I did."

The Methodist minister sat quietly sipping her drink, and only looked up when she felt both pairs of eyes on her.

"Well?" asked the priest. "How did you do?"

"Oh, I got rid of mine," said Pastor Owens.

"What!?! Well don't just sit there, Susan, tell us what you did!"

She sighed.

"I thought this over for most of last week, wondering what on earth I could do to make them leave my church and not return. This past Sunday was the day we graduated our most recent Confirmation class...I told you, didn't I, that my dad is a minister too?"

The two men nodded.

"Thought so. Methodist ministers get moved around a lot, but my Dad was Episcopalian. He's being serving the same flock for almost forty years. Seen a lot of kids grow up in his church. Anyway, as I was looking at these teenagers and listening to the rest of the members welcome them into the congregation, I heard Dad's voice in my head. It's something he says when he's on one of his rants, lamenting the lack young people at church. Suddenly I knew exactly what to do.

"Monday morning, I went up into the rafters with a bucket of water and the United Methodist hymnal. It's just like Dad's said: first I baptized them, then I confirmed them, and I haven't seen one of them since."

Cue: rim shot.

Okay, really it was more about church than bats.

Okay! Bats it is. Watch this space.

2011-04-01T14:50:00.000-04:00

And in the meantime, give a little listen to this:

Jake Shimabukuro - While My Guitar Gently Weeps (Solo)

I'm know this guy's made the round on blogs and YouTube before, and it may have even been this song, but I just bumped into it yesterday on Coverville's "Top 40 of 2010" podcasts and was struck (maybe not for the first time. Can't remember what I heard him play the first time, it might have been this) by how talented this man is.

What's next: you decide

2011-03-31T20:48:00.000-04:00

Well hello there, readers! Miss me? Do you still stop by in the vain hope that I might write something? Sorry about that. My well seems to have run a little bit dry lately.

But! Now I have not just one but two, count 'em two ideas for posts, and I can't decide which one I want to write first. And so I've decided to stage an informal poll. Tell me in the comments section which you want to hear about first: bats or lightning.

If it turns out I'm talking to myself (in other words, if no one answers me because they've all gone away to read the blogs of people who actually post on a regular basis, dammit), I'll probably just flip a coin. Please don't make me go dig a coin out of my purse.

An exercise in restraint

2011-03-18T15:37:00.005-04:00

I found coconut M&Ms at Target this week. I bought a bag to bring with me when I go visit my parents at Easter. Easter is four weeks away. What's the likelihood that bag is gonna make it that long without getting opened?

Well, until I publish this, not very good. As soon as I do, though, the chances of this bag making it into and Easter basket in upstate Pennsylvania will increase astronomically. Here's why:

My Mom and sister both read my blog, and I'm pretty sure I'll be seeing both of them in 4 weeks. So they know these are coming.
This is a holiday-specific flavor--like the mint ones that show up around Christmas--and they only make a limited amount of them. I think they first made an appearance last Easter, and they went very fast. I only heard a rumor of them but never found any. Buying a second bag should the first on disappear down my gullet? Probably not an option.
I'm going to pack them into the bag I'm taking with me just as soon as I get home. So I might forget I have them until it's time to pack for the trip (scoffs internally at one's naivete).

I love playing mind games with myself. I must. I do it all the time.

Public service announcement

2011-03-15T16:15:00.002-04:00

We interrupt this blog for a public service announcement:

Why are they still using lead in paint? Especially in things that go in the mouth, for pity's sake? What surprised me is that it isn't all from China, either.

I guess the cat is safer playing with my wool and alpaca yarn, which she seems to prefer anyway.

No noodle soup for me, thanks

2011-03-15T13:04:00.007-04:00

When I leave for lunch I usually go down the center aisle and either into the break room or out the front door, depending upon whether I've brought my lunch or am eating out. On my way I pass lots of people in their cubicles, in various stages of eating lunch. Yesterday as I was making my way to my yogurt and soup I was struck by a bizarre sense of despair right there in the middle of the aisle. It only lasted a moment. It slowed me down for a second, but I didn't stop and evaluate. It was over almost as soon as it started. I think I would have forgotten about it if it hadn't happened again today in exactly the same spot.

Back when I'd just graduated college and was trying to simultaneously keep body and soul together, pay rent, appease the student loan people (who wanted their money right! now! dammit!), and find full-time work, this stuff was a huge staple in my pantry. And by that I mean it was practically the only thing in my pantry. I lived on it. It's easy to make, doesn't require much in the way of kitchen clean-up afterward, and (most importantly) it's dirt cheap. I think I used to get them 4 for a dollar at the local grocery store. Some weeks they were all I could afford.

This almost two-year state of lack of money/constant fear of illness/job-hunting/keeping the loan folks off my back felt like a deep dark hole I was never going to get out of. Some days it was all I could do not to throw back my head and howl with frustration, despair, and rage.

It's exactly how I felt when I walked past Hui's cubicle yesterday, and again today. I figured it out though. Guess what she was eating for lunch?

Yup. Ramen noodle cup-a-soup. Come to think of it, I've never bought one pack of those things in the almost 20 years it's been since I could afford other food.

Talk about smell being a powerful memory aid. Ugh. I think that until the weather gets warmer and it's too hot for soup, I'm going down the side-aisle to get out of the work room. Don't want to burst into tears in the middle of the room just because of ramen noodles.

Very glad to be here

2011-03-04T13:34:00.003-05:00

I had my annual review meeting on Wednesday, and I just got the written results about an hour ago.

The phrases "great skill," "strong contributions," and "I am very pleased" figure strongly in the letter from my department head (my supervisor retired in December, so our head is doing these all by herself. I do not envy her). There's a lot of "very" in there, and "excellent" shows up at least half a dozen times. I'm over here blushing.

Yay!

To celebrate (even though I was gonna do it anyway, before she gave me my letter) I'm going to the $1 cinema tomorrow to finally see the latest Harry Potter movie. After that I'm buying myself a book at Barnes & Noble--The Langauge of Bees, by Laurie R. King. I was going to wait until the one after it was available in paperback and get them both at once, but I just decided I want it now.

I am constantly surprised by how easy it is to please my current boss(es). Points out to me (again) that the place I used to work, where they treated me alternately as an idiot or a very bright 8-year-old, was right smack in the middle of Crazytown.

Happy 1st day of spring!

2011-03-01T22:05:00.001-05:00

Someone I follow on twitter is a meteorologist. I don't know if he works for Accu-Weather or is part of a university meteorology department, but today he wished us all a happy first day of meteorological spring. It seems that we don't have to wait the 20th or 21st for spring to start, it just did. Huzzah!

I'm starting to scheme about my garden. A woman at work is selling Easter candy and flower seeds/bulbs as a fundraiser for her daughter's elementary school, and I bought some. Flowers, I mean. I bought one of those seed mat things, where you cut it out to the shape you want and just lay it out in your garden, water it, and stuff grows. You know what I mean? I got the one for the butterfly garden. Going to plant it under the living room window, give Sophie something to look at all summer.

I also bought ranunculus bulbs. Really pretty. They look to me like a cabbage rose. Here, I went Googling and found some pictures. Here's what I mean. They're perennial, and they take sun and partial shade. And apparently they taste nasty, so the chipmunks (or whatever's been munching on my garden) will leave them alone. Sounds like a keeper to me, provided they'll grow for me.

I'm also thinking of planting pennyroyal in the bed, to keep beetles and ants away. I have no idea if it'll work.

I just went and looked up pennyroyal. Maybe I won't be planting that. It's a touch too poisonous. Don't want to accidentally kill a neighbor's dog.

Anyway, spring fever has set in over here. Looking forward to the day I can turn off the heat. How is everyone else?

365 project so far

2011-02-11T12:58:00.001-05:00

Well, I'm still taking pictures every day. Some of them are good, some just so-so. I'm developing my eye, though. I also find that I'm looking at things more closely, trying to decide what would make a good photograph.

Here are some of my favorites so far:

Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer

Cover songs, classically done

2011-01-29T10:11:00.005-05:00

I love cover songs. Something about a person taking an established work and putting their own spin on it really attracts me. I have a huge playlist on my iPod that is solely covers and remakes. I'm always looking for more; the odder, the better. That's why I started listening to the Coverville podcast two years ago--Brian Ibbott collects cover songs too, and twice a week he puts out a podcast--usually themed--that's 45 minutes of cover song heaven.

Coverville is how I found Janice Whaley's The Smiths Project (she's done, by the way, and now getting ready to release everything in a CD box set). It's how I found Pomplamoose, that duet that was all over the TV this Christmas with Honda ads. Cool thing about that? The camera crew came to their house to film. How'd you like to see your garage on national TV?

I love strings as well. I played viola in third grade for a few months, until I couldn't stand the noise I was making any more. I sounded like I was hurting the cat. I gave it up and decided to sing instead, because at least I could control my voice. What those few months did do for me was instill a love of the string section, probably because I know how difficult it is to do, and how much time and patience it must take to become an expert.

So when Coverville played Elton John's "Little Jeanie" by the Vitamin String Quartet, I immediately went looking for them. They're a group of session musicians in LA who remake popular music into string quartets in their "spare time." They are very prolific, and they play anything from Elton John to Pink Floyd to Oingo Boingo to My Chemical Romance to Madonna, and all the spaces in between. Here they are doing Lady Gaga's "Telephone:"

And this is their version of "Grand Theft Autumn" by Fall Out Boy:

Good, no?

Here's one more string cover song. This was tweeted to me by a friend. It's dueling cellists performing "Smooth Criminal."

And there's your musical interlude for the morning.

Semi-Sophieversary

2011-01-15T23:11:00.001-05:00

She showed up on a Thursday evening in mid-July. There she sat in my flowerbed, meowing up at my living room window--lost, hungry, unarmed, afraid. I let her in for what I thought would be a couple of days while I got her back to her home.

I told myself not to get attached. She belonged to someone. She had to. She was declawed, after all, and spayed. Those are alterations you make to a cat you're planning to keep, right?

I told myself it was too soon. Delilah hadn't even been dead six months yet. I wanted to wait at least a year before even thinking about getting another cat.

Then that Sunday I looked at her, and the name "Sophie" came unbidden to my lips. And she answered to it. And I realized that when her owner answered the ads I just put in the paper I would be really sorry to see her go. It didn't occur to me at first that no one would answer. She's a sweet-natured little thing, of course someone was worried and missing her.

Fast forward six months--she's still here, and here for good. She has settled in. I believe she thinks of this as her home. We're past the getting-to-know-you phase, working on the this-is-our-routine phase.

She doesn't like:

Being alone for any length of time
The sound of tinfoil rattling
Water in her bowl that's over a couple hours old
Being carried around
Dogs (yet. I have a sister with a cat-loving dog named Daisy. I'm sure Daisy would love to win over Sophie)
Sitting on my lap
Static shock (well, who does? I'm sick of the snapcracklepop that goes on all winter too)

She does like:

Cardboard boxes (empty or full)
Having her face and/or belly rubbed
Yarn (if it's animal-based)
The round ends of knitting needles
Pretending to scratch the furniture
Mouse-shaped cat toys
Kneading me anywhere she can (arm, leg, chest...)
Sitting in a fleece bed by the sliding glass door to watch the world go by
Smacking little fuzzy balls under furniture for me to fish out and give back to her
Sleeping on my furry red bathrobe (provided it's folded and lying on the rocking chair)
Me.

At bedtime she prefers to sleep next to me rather than on me, which at first hurt my feelings but now I find I like. This way I don't have to worry about disturbing her if I change position. Also? She's not completely settled for the night until she has her face resting in my cupped hand. All together now, "Awwwwww." I know. Precious.

She's talkative. I think she may be even more talkative than Delilah was, if you can believe it. She doesn't have the Siamese yowl, though. When she meows, it's like she's asking a question: "Meowwwooo? Meowwooowoo?"

Six months already. Hard to believe. Even harder to believe that someone abandoned her, discarded her like a toy that the novelty had worn off of. I do not understand people who act like that. As far as I'm concerned, when you take on a pet you are making them a promise that for as long as they live they can depend on you for protection, food, warmth, and love. It's a long-term commitment, a contract. It looks like these people (whoever they are) dumped her because she was no longer convenient to keep. It makes my blood boil.

Their loss is my gain. Big time.

Come out, come out, wherever you are!

2011-01-14T15:53:00.002-05:00

Average Jane pointed out that it's Delurking Day. If you do pop by today on the off-chance that I may have actually posted something, please do stop and leave a comment.

I am writing something that will hopefully go up before I get too much older.

I was going to find a clip of Glinda the Good singing, "Come out, come out, wherever you are..." but I can't find it at the moment. Hard to do when you're at work, pretending to do your job.

Plinky prompts

2011-01-06T10:36:00.003-05:00

A while back I signed up for something called Plinky, a website designed to help people write more by giving them a new writing prompt every day. I haven't used it much because most of their questions I don't really have answers for, or don't want to write about. I've been noticing lately though that I don't have much to say over here. My story-telling ability seemed to desert me right about the time I started NaBloPoMo this year. Oy, what a slog that was. I think I may be done with that for a while unless I can get some zing back into my writing.

So this morning I wandered on over to Plinky and looked at some of the recent prompts:

"Share a memorable job interview." Um. The jobs were memorable, but the interviews all seemed to blend together. Though here's a question I have vowed to never ever ask: "What's your greatest strength? And what's your greatest weakness?" Oh, come on. What does this tell you about the person you're hiring except that they're really good at BS?

"What are you looking forward to this year?" I haven't really given it much thought. It's only 6 days into January. I don't have plans yet for anything special this year. I'm kind of looking forward to next Christmas, provided I get all of my projects done. I'll bet by November I'll be shaking my fist at the calendar, wondering why I ever thought giving everyone a handmade-by-me present was such a bloody fantastic idea. I think my mother's going to teach me how to lay tile this year as she finishes their upstairs bathroom, I'm looking forward to that. I'm already trying to plan the garden for this spring. I'm sure as the year progresses there will be more planned things to look forward to, but at the moment the calendar is wide open.

"What does your home say about you?" Bwahahaha! My homes says that I'm scatterbrained, untidy, that instead of putting things away when I'm done with them I leave them right where I last used them, and that I'm not all that bothered about living from boxes. I have some furniture, but not a lot. I need shelves and cupboards and more comfortable chairs (for company. We can't all sit on the sofa at once, you see). I clean in spurts, so the place looks great for about a week and then slowly devolves into the Trash Heap from Fraggle Rock before I wake up, look around in surprise, and have another mad cleaning frenzy. It'd be easier if I just kept on top of it, doing a little at a time. I've tried that and I can't make it work. I'm not built that way. Lucky for me I live alone. I don't think a roommate or spouse would put up with this.

"Would you ever get an e-book reader?" A few years ago I would have said, "no." Now I'm not so sure. I think if I did, I'd probably get a Nook, not a Kindle, and that's mainly because of the little trick Amazon played with, of all things, 1984. They promised never to do it again, but still. Sellers can't do that with a paper book. Once you buy it, it's yours. I don't understand why they thought it was different with an electronic version.

Nothing will replace the feel of a book in my hands, though. And? If you put a regular book down on a table in a restaurant and go up to pay your bill (which is what I do to signal to whomever was waiting on me that I haven't left without tipping them), you won't find it missing when you come back. I wouldn't ever try that with an e-book reader.

Apparently there was more on Plinky that I wanted to answer than I thought. I guess I'll keep subscribing. It doesn't cost me anything, and it does occasionally give me something to write about.

Project 365

2011-01-04T11:29:00.001-05:00

Thanks to Dana at Feast after Famine I just bumped into a website called Project 365, dedicated to these 365 photo projects. I'm still going to put my photos on Flickr, but I've also started one on this site. Go take a look if you'd like.

While you're there (if you go), take a look at some other people's albums. There are a lot of really good pictures. I'm trying not to be intimidated by them. I always thought my eye was pretty good, but yowza. That site really points out (to me, at least) how much of an amateur I am. I think this project will improve my photography quite a bit--partly from looking at everyone else's work and partly from the constant use the camera will be getting this year.

So I found my camera charger...

2011-01-01T18:05:00.000-05:00

And a good thing too, since I just (as in just 30 minutes ago) decided to do the 365 challenge: one picture a day for the whole year. Let's see how long this lasts before I forget to do it.

Here's the first one:

Also, I went downtown yesterday and took some pictures of the ice sculptures they were making as part of the First Night activities last night. Here's a good picture of the rooster in front of a local bar:

There are more over on my Flickr page, if you'd like to look at them. That's where the bulk of my 365 project will be too. I may occasionally drop a photo from that into the blog, but I won't be putting them all on here. That'd get old quick.

Happy New Year, everybody! I suppose by now some of you are working on 1/2/11, aren't you?

Santa brought me a freezer!

2010-12-29T17:57:00.000-05:00

Okay, technically I've had this since the day after Thanksgiving. Dad and I went out to Home Depot, used his veteran's discount (10% off anything, all the time. I later found out that Lowes does it too, they just don't advertise the fact) and a Black Friday sale to get me a little chest freezer.

I washed it out with baking soda and water a couple of times, but couldn't get rid of the "new freezer" smell. I could only air it out when I was home. I had visions of leaving the top up and going out, only to come home and find that the cat had tried to leap up there, fallen in, had the lid close behind her and suffocate her. Who's a worry wort? This girl!

I finally plugged it in yesterday. Bought some stuff for my little New Year's party-of-one and put the frozen things in there (mozzarella sticks, jalapeno poppers, things like that) along with a box of baking soda specially designed for fridge and freezer use. Have you seen these? They have tear-away sides with fine mesh underneath them, so that all the funk can get right in that box. Nifty!

In other news, this may be the last picture I take for a while with my Lumix camera. I have now lost the replacement battery charger, which I bought to replace the original battery charger that came with the camera. Here's the kicker--they are both somewhere in this house, dang it! Last time I saw the replacement charger was when I juiced up the battery right before Thanksgiving. It must have been stowed somewhere in my cleaning frenzy. I did the same thing with the cord that connects the iPod to the computer. Found that this morning. Sigh. I know where to get another replacement, but I want to do a more thorough search of this place before I give up on it completely.

So until then, let me leave you with a couple of pictures I took over Christmas:

The top of my sister's tree. I think my aunt gave her that a few years ago, but I may have just made that up.

Same tree, a bit farther down.

Daisy, in a rare moment of rest, next to a sign inviting Nature to do her worst. Two days later the Eastern seaboard got smacked with at least a foot of snow. We got a fraction of that, but the wind was fierce.

You'll need a tray.

2010-12-22T17:31:00.001-05:00

Warning. The f-bomb gets dropped throughout these videos, so you might not want to play them at work or around your kids.

Ran across this a while ago, loved it, bumped into it again recently and thought I would share:

Eddie Izzard as interpreted by Legos. After looking at this one, I found a ton more:

Cake or death:

Not that Eddie isn't fun all by himself:

It wasn't raining when Noah built the ark

2010-12-17T12:53:00.001-05:00

I've decided that next year's big project is crossing off #37 on my Life List: handmade Christmas. Every person on my Christmas list will receive a present handmade by me. There will be other things going on, I'm sure, but #37 is the big goal right now.

To this end, I've started compiling a list of who's getting what. I haven't sorted that out completely just yet, but there's one project I know I'm doing, and for whom. In the next 5 minutes I'm going to start casting on stitches to work this wrap with this yarn (color #2, fawn) for my aunt.

And no, I haven't forgotten about/given up on the sweater. I need something portable to work on for the next week or so, though, as I make my way to and from my sister's house. This project will do nicely.

I know, I know. Isn't it a skosh early to be thinking about Christmas 2011? We haven't even gotten to Christmas 2010, for pity's sake. Yes. Yes, it is. But I just bit off a very large piece of something, and it's going to take a while to chew it thoroughly. I have an awful lot to do; might as well get started.

There will be updates throughout the year (with pictures) except for things being made for people who read this blog (I'm looking at you, Mom. And you, Ditter). Don't want to spoil the surprise.

Wish me luck. I hope I don't drive myself crazy. Though that might be fun to watch too, huh?

Christmas baking for my colleagues

2010-12-13T21:42:00.000-05:00

First I got organized:

Then I got busy:

Biscotti


Peanut butter cups (1st half of batch)


Raspberry bar cookies


Peppermint meringues

At some point I went out and bought maraschino cherries, only to come home and find I didn't need them:


My cabinet shelf isn't really this bowed. It's the angle I was holding the camera. I hope.

Then I got ambitious:


I call these negative chocolate chip cookies: white chips in chocolate dough.

Then I got tired, and didn't make cookies out of the dough in the picture above. I abandoned my original plan, which was to give two types of cookie to each person based on what I'd learned of their preferences over the past few years. Instead, I decided to give everyone some of each.

And tomorrow I get to play Santa. Provided I don't trip on my way to the bus, land on my packages, and create 6 containers of tasty crumbs.

No tree this year

2010-12-13T16:11:00.007-05:00

And this cartoon should explain why:

I think I need to wait until the Gray Fuzzy One is just a little bit older than 1 and 1/2 before I attempt a Christmas tree.

Christmas season, Delilah, and Sophie

2010-12-12T13:09:00.002-05:00

Last year, Delilah's failing health made it really hard to get into the Christmas spirit, or stay there very long when I did get there.

An example: all throughout Christmas Day, I kept forgetting to open the contents of my stocking (Yes. At forty(mumble) I still get a stocking at Christmas. What? Don't you?). After dinner, I went to the room the cat and I were sleeping in so that I could fuss over her a bit, and to get her to maybe eat some canned salmon I'd bought for her. She ate a little, then went back under the futon to lay on the heating vent. I went out into the kitchen to put the plate in the sink and bumped into my mom.

"You never opened this," she said, holding up my bulging stocking.

I burst into tears, said something like "I can't do this anymore!" and fled back to the bedroom. That was it, I was done. No more Christmas, please.

She and my sister followed me, let me sob it out, fussed over Delilah some (she came out to see what all the noise was about, I think, and to see who had come to visit) and eventually did get me to open my stocking.

I never got any cookies baked for the same reason. The thought would cross my mind to do it, then the cat would come into the room with her poor little face, hop up into my lap, and I'd decide to just stay put. One time she climbed up my chest and stretched out, chin on my shoulder, purring in my ear. I sat contorted for her maximum comfort for over an hour, tears streaming down my face, thinking this is probably the last time we'll do this. I was right.

It took a lot of effort to do what I considered the bare minimum. I'm surprised people got presents at all, the way I was feeling.

This year is better. I'm glad Sophie's here, because otherwise I'd be doing a lot of moping and remembering last year--more than what I'm doing right now, that is. Sophie's interested in all the the goings-on. She inspects the results of every shopping trip, and I fully expect her to supervise present-wrapping when I start that.

Just as soon as I post this I'll start making cookies. A lot of these first batches are getting wrapped up and given away. The raspberry bar cookie from 2 years ago is making an appearance. So is a peppermint meringue cookie that someone I work with really, really likes. I'm going to make a peanut butter cup cookie that uses itty bitty muffin tins. I'm going to try biscotti too, and that means the very first thing I have to do is toast almonds. Well. The very first thing I have to do is look up how to toast almonds, because they don't give instructions in the recipe. Google, here I come.

If I don't run out of steam, I'll be trying a molasses cookie recipe that I found through the Pioneer Woman's Cookie Week. As soon as I check for my cookie cutters, that is. I think I have Christmas ones. I used to. Maybe. I know I gave some cookie cutters away, but I don't think it was all of them. Ah, well. I can always use the mouth of a glass, right? I'm also making something called chocolate-covered cherry cookies, but not today; I forgot to buy the cherries.

After I finish making the ones I'm giving as gifts, I'll go make a second set to take to my sister's. There will be more raspberry bars (last time I brought them Ditter told me they tasted like an Entenmann's raspberry danish. For those not in the know, that is high praise indeed), those chocolate cherry things, and the molasses cookies (by then I will have either found or bought new cutters).

Wish me luck! Some of these I've never tried before. I'll photograph the results.

Edited to add: Didn't have to go as far as the Internet to find out how to toast almonds. There are instructions on the package. Yay!

Missed me by that much

2010-12-06T13:37:00.011-05:00

Every year my old place of employment (which I've affectionately nicknamed "Hell") invites my fellow escapee and me to their holiday luncheon. Every year I react like someone left a dead fish on my desk.

I've often said (and I may have said so here already, but I'm too lazy to go check) that I can map the decline and fall of the morale in my old department based on the holiday celebrations.

We used to have a party in someone's house. We'd get all dressed up for it. There'd be food--potluck, but being a college town, it was funky potluck. Mexican hot chocolate, olivada and crusty French bread, curried chick peas, things like that. There would be music--Jimmy would bring his keyboard, Max his guitar, and those of us who could would sing along with whatever they played. People's kids would run around and play together. There was a gag gift exchange.

Then one year the gift exchange was dropped, as it was deemed "silly." The next year the instruments stayed home. The one after that instead of an evening in someone's home it was lunch out somewhere one day during the work week. Then a few years later it was a potluck in the staff room. Then it was cookies by the coffee pot. Then it was bagels at the staff meeting, and bring your own coffee.

Since the department split into two, the one group has revived the go-out-to-lunch thing. The other, the one I worked for until I moved to where I am now, holds a luncheon in their staff room. It's semi-potluck, meaning they all cook but guests from outside the department don't. They invite a lot of people, and most of them come. This group does know how to throw a party, I'll say that for them. If I had never worked there I might actually want to go. As it is, I notice things that make me uncomfortable:

The people they invite are generally people who can do things for them: deans, associate deans, department heads, people in other departments with whom who they think they have "special relationships."
The conversation always wends its way around to work somehow. They always have an agenda, an angle, are looking for information and a way to push what they want forward.
They may be friendly and chatty with their guests, but they don't have much to say to each other. If you see them all together and they don't know you're there, they all sit silently munching, their eyes on their plates or the floor.

This year I have a prior commitment so I won't be able to attend. I did a little dance of joy when I saw that on my calendar. Otherwise, even though I really don't want to I'd have to go. Unless I suddenly [cough, cough] got sick [feels forehead] right before the party [ohh, my throat's so scratchy!] and had to go home.

Threepeat!

2010-11-30T12:59:00.005-05:00

Whoo! Made it to the finish line! The posts got a little thin there towards the end, and I apologize for that. Some days the brain just cramps up, you know? But I did it! And now I'm going to go back to blogging haphazardly, but I will try to post at least three times a week. Let's see how long that lasts.

I can't imagine attempting National Novel Writing Month. I think there's an actual word count involved with that. No, thank-you. Well, maybe if I ever get serious about writing a novel, I might try it. Emphasis on might.

And now, back to work. I'm currently haunting the area where my part-timers pick up their work because I need to talk to one of them about something. As I type, I'm keeping an ear out for him.

Oop! There he is. Bye!

The news from my end of the swamp

2010-11-29T20:06:00.003-05:00

The good news: I bought three Christmas gifts today at the mall.
The bad news: That's not even a drop in the bucket.
The sad news: By two in the afternoon I was back in PJs and on the couch.
The meh news: I go back to work tomorrow.
The welcome news: NaBloPoMo is over tomorrow. I'm getting sick of the sound of my own voice.

And that's about it from over here. How are you?

Post-Thanksgiving Pre-Christmas recharge

2010-11-28T19:59:00.005-05:00

I've been sitting around with my brain off all weekend. Just chilling on the sofa with the cat and my knitting, watching movies and TV shows I've DVR'd and haven't been able to watch yet. So far I've watched: 2 episodes of Medium, Coco Before Chanel, Love's Labours Lost, a couple of weeks' worth of In Treatment, and Moonlight Mile. In an hour or so I'm going to do something I rarely do anymore--I'm going to watch Boardwalk Empire at its actual air time.

I took the day off tomorrow. I'm using it to start Christmas shopping. I have no ideas at the moment. I'm hoping something will leap out at me when I'm at the mall and declare itself for someone on my list. I'm also hoping the piped-in Christmas music doesn't drive me batty by noon.

I don't have a snapshot for today because I haven't so much as looked out the door since my parents drove away Friday morning. Not to mention that I'm not quite sure what I did with my camera. Can't find anything on the hard drive that looks good either.

Recipe reviews

2010-11-27T08:43:00.006-05:00

I made that Bob Andy Pie I mentioned a few days ago. After everyone called or texted in to say they made it home OK I sat down and had a slice. Boy is it good. It's a custard pie with a very thin layer of cinnamon on top and another on the bottom. I couldn't see how the cinnamon stayed on the bottom, considering that it floats so well, but I think I just now figured it out--you brush the crust with egg whites. The cinnamon probably sticks to that when the custard gets poured into the shell.

The three recipes I introduced for Thanksgiving were all greeted with general success. Mom and my sister really liked the corn with sage. After Mom took a bite, she told me that she'd been a little worried about the amount of sage in it, because sage can be so strong. You don't add that until the very end, though, so I guess the affect is minimal (or do I mean "effect?" I can't decide). She copied down the recipe before she left yesterday. Here it is, along with a few comments:

Sweet Corn with Sage

3 T butter or margarine
1 medium onion, finely chopped (1/2 c.)
2 bags (12 oz each) frozen corn
1/4 c. half-and-half
2 T chopped fresh sage leaves
3/4 tsp salt [I used kosher salt]
1/4 tsp coarsely ground black pepper

In a 10-inch skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Cook onion and corn 10-12 minutes, stirring frequently, until onion is tender. [I wound up turning the heat up to medium high after melting the butter because it was taking forever for the corn to thaw out. I'd suggest thawing the corn ahead of time, and then maybe cooking the onion first before adding in the corn.]

Stir in remaining ingredients; reduce heat to low. Simmer uncovered 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until flavors are blended. [Turn the heat down before adding the 1/2-and-1/2, or you'll have to add more]

I think this recipe's a keeper. And I thank my sister for finely chopping the onion. I don't chop things fine, and I said so. She heard me from the other room and offered to do it for me. I watched her, so I think I know how to do it now.

Pie, anyone?

2010-11-26T19:29:00.002-05:00

Apparently I fed my family so well yesterday that no one had room for dessert. They all wanted to go to a local waffle house for breakfast this morning, so my suggestion of pie for breakfast got rejected. I tried to get my Mom to take home the pumpkin pie, but she didn't think it would travel well.

So now I'm sitting here in houseful of food, two pies calling my name, and no one else to feed them to. Dear me. Someone's gonna be a whole lot fatter come Monday.

2010-11-25T21:49:00.003-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving!

I am whipped. Combination of work, wine, L-tryptophan, and allergies. I'll write more tomorrow. I hope everyone is having/has had a great day.

Extra post--the ranting edition

2010-11-24T06:34:00.006-05:00

I am getting really mad at the radio right now. As I was drinking my coffee and trying to organize the day, John & Yoko's "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" came on the radio. It didn't register for a moment, and then...what? Christmas music? It's not December! We haven't even gotten to Thanksgiving yet! Dammit, marketers, quit rushing Christmas!

And then I calmed down. This station is on a satellite feed until 6 am. Maybe once the DJs come on we'll get sensible music.

Nope. Ten minutes ago they played some schmaltzy pop-duet version of "Silver Bells." That's it. I'm going to iTunes, where I can control the play list.

Look, I get that the economy stinks, and that retailers are running in place waiting for Black Friday to get here to save them. I have to say, though, that the more they ram this "Christmas is coming! Buy! Buy! BUY!" crap down my throat, the more I want to give everyone homemade cookies, handmade soap and scarves I knit myself. Part of it is the mulishness that is me. I find that even if I'm half inclined to do something, if someone tries to push me into doing it I will balk just to prove I won't be pushed. This got me teased a lot in high school. I didn't dress "cool." I got teased for it. So I went out my way to not dress "cool." Screw them, I thought. Same with music. I liked classical music. In middle school someone found out about it, and passed the word around. I then refused to listen to anything but WFLN (which was Philly's classical station at the time) or WXPN (for The Thistle and Shamrock, or for their in-house folk program called The Unicorn).

But another part of it is that I'm really tired of all the tinsel and the sparkle and the plastic and the piped-in music. "Victorian" Christmas may be more picturesque, but I'm sick of that as well. That's just commercialism from 200 years ago. It looks more dignified because it's older, that's all.

I used to think of Halloween as the last firewall between Christmas and the rest of the calendar, but that's not true any more either. It's starting to bleed through. This year I saw a lot of Halloween and Christmas displays side by side.

Maybe I'm just grumpy because I'm tired. I don't know. I do know that I'm not ready for a month of Christmas carols, and now they're starting early! I want to smack someone.

I guess I'll go scrub the tub. I'm in a bad mood anyway.

Thanksgiving Eve

2010-11-24T04:59:00.004-05:00

It's 5 am. I have a lot to do today. Sophie, for reasons known only to herself, is tearing around like a mad thing.

I'm going to spend 15 minutes with my nose in my coffee cup and then it's back to putting the finish touches on the house. My parents will call right before they leave home, at which point I will keep one eye on the parking lot, ready to chase off anyone who tries using my parking space. It's not likely to happen. The lot (the whole town, really) is pretty empty since the kids have a week's vacation around Thanksgiving. When I was a student (back when dinosaurs roamed the Earth), they only gave us Thursday and Friday.

The cat's last dose of eye medicine is this morning, and a good thing too. I think she's getting pretty tired of this.

All right. Breakfast time. Enjoy your day, folks!

Busy

2010-11-23T08:14:00.013-05:00

The plan today: get some coffee in me, medicate the cat, then finish this house. Not much to blog about at the moment.

Here's another picture I pulled off my hard drive from 'way back:

Background: I was at a crafting day thing in a friend's basement, which she had made over as her workshop (jealous!). A bunch of other people were over as well, some that I'd never met before. One of the women made miniatures--for dollhouses, I think.

Aren't they amazing? I took a close-up of the cutting board to emphasize how very small these things are. That olive jar was pretty neat, too. I cannot for the life of me remember their creator's name. Maybe the Chief Loon knows--she was there too, and I think she knows these folks better than I do.

All right, that's enough fun. Time to go squirt ointment at the cat. Whee.

Countdown begins

2010-11-22T17:35:00.005-05:00

It's Thanksgiving week! That means I'm furiously cleaning and stressing about my house in preparation for the feast on Turkey Day. The parents arrive on Tuesday evening, Wednesday is for shopping for the stuff I need to get and any prep work that needs doing. Ditter arrives Wednesday evening. And then it's Thanksgiving Day.

I think I'm ready. Sort of. Maybe. Well, no. I forgot to ask my Mom what time to expect them tomorrow. Same with my sister. Also, I need to rent a carpet cleaner. Though I may wimp out and use Resolve or something. The downstairs is still a bit untidy, same with my bedroom and I just now remembered I need to do sheets and towels. I think next year I'm going to ask Mom & Dad to come on Wednesday.

Actually, between that last paragraph and this one, I did call my Mom and ask them to come Wednesday. I think I can handle the shopping and prep work by myself this year. There are only four of us this time around so I don't feel quite as liable to burst into tears or flames at the thought of pulling this off. Turns out Wednesday would suit them better anyway. They can get a good night's sleep and leave in the morning instead of leaving after work and driving in the dark when they're tired. Good idea, me!

Now I need to give myself a stern talking to about not relaxing because I just got a little more time before company shows up. Must keep going at this pace (or a little faster) if I am to get done what I intend to. I really wish I could work at this pace all the time, but apparently I need the panic of a looming deadline to get the lead outta my keister. Sigh.

Well! Back to work! Fridge to clean! Junk to stash! Laundry to do!

Snapshot Sunday #3

2010-11-21T16:13:00.007-05:00

I went out really early this morning to get things at the grocery store. I wasn't thinking about the blog so I forgot to bring the camera. So instead I dug through the huge file of pictures I have on my hard drive to see if there's anything there worth showing.

Okay, here we go. I managed to grow tomatoes this year. I didn't get many of them, and that's partly my fault. I was weeding at one point this past spring, stepped back, lost my balance and fell splat! Right on the tomato. That set back growing time, though the plant did bounce back. Just in case I'd killed it I went out and bought another tomato plant, a Roma tomato (which is what I thought the first one had been, but it turned out it wasn't). A good thing too, since the first plant developed blossom end rot. Again. That's the same thing that happened the last time I tried to grow tomatoes.

The Roma was okay, though. I got some tomatoes off of that one, but there was some animal in the area that beat me to most of them. Here's the first one I managed to get to before whatever that critter was:

The same weekend Mom taught me how to make jelly, we picked elderberries from the bushes down the road. Then she taught me to make a pie. Now that I've made a pie from fruit I picked myself, I think I'm going to stick to making them from fruit I pick out myself. Note to self: elderberries are a pain in the tuckus to stem.

Here's another picture of Sophie. She likes sleeping on towels. She also really, really likes my furry red bathrobe. It's sort of become her blankie now. Yes. She is that spoiled.

And that's about it for now. Time to go check on the tomatoes. I froze a whole bunch of CSA tomatoes this past summer, and now I'm thawing them out to make soup of them. They're really easy to skin once they're frozen. Now I need to seed them.

Menu for Dad

2010-11-20T19:49:00.002-05:00

My Dad just got all of his teeth removed in anticipation of getting dentures. The dentist removed them one-quarter at a time. He said if Dad wanted them all out at once he'd have to go to an oral surgeon. This probably has something to do with Dad being on blood-thinners. The last quarter just got pulled earlier this week, I think.

This presents an additional challenge for Thanksgiving this year. I'm trying to avoid serving chewy foods or anything with sharp pointy bits (the sweet potatoes have chopped pecans in them. I think instead of putting them on top of the casserole I'll put a little bowl of nuts on the table). And I think instead of the apple or cranberry thing I was going to do, I'm going to try this pie from Three Many Cooks (and I thank the Pioneer Woman that link. She's doing Pie Week this week, and she mentioned them). It's a cinnamon-flavored custard pie. No sharp or chewy things there.

I called Mom tonight to see what she's been feeding him, and to see if my ideas were right: I have oatmeal to serve for breakfasts, and I'm going to buy fruit and yogurt for smoothies for him. Dinner on Wednesday will probably be spaghetti. I definitely need to make that tomato soup. I think I'll do that tomorrow.

One for the wall

2010-11-19T22:20:00.007-05:00

I found a photo hanging out on my hard drive that I really like. I took on campus a few years ago:

It's cropped from a larger picture. I like this one because it looks I got a lot closer to the rabbit than I really did. Pretty good, I think. Then I ran it through the watercolor filter on Adobe Elements:

Suddenly I want to take it to Kinko's and have them print it on watercolor paper, like I had them do for the picture of Pip that I then framed and gave to my Dad for his birthday. I know exactly where I want this to go, too. I'm pretty sure my bedroom wall color is in there among all those shades of green, and my walls are still bare. I think a big framed bunny will do quite nicely.

I don't have time for this

2010-11-18T06:18:00.002-05:00

One of my part-timers took off on Tuesday because he was sick. He came in yesterday, and when I asked him if he was better he croaked, "Not much," as he grabbed his cart and headed for the stacks.

Well, apparently that brief contact was enough to make me come down with a sore throat and stuffy ears, dangnabbit. I cannot get sick. I don't have time. Argh!

Maybe if I stay home and take care of it instead of ignoring how I feel and going to work I can nip this right in the bud.

T minus one week and counting

2010-11-17T14:54:00.003-05:00

By this time next week I should be in my kitchen, unloading perishables into the fridge and prepping for The Big Day.

I am so not ready.

Also? Even though I really have enough on the menu, I sorta kinda want to make this as well as a pumpkin pie. I must be nuts. But it looks really, really good. Doesn't it? It'd have to be an "as well as" pie because my dad's blood thinner reacts badly to cranberries, and if I just did this one he'd have no dessert choices. Or maybe I could do this one, and no one would be excluded. I can always do the cranberry one later.

I should stop piddling around and get stuff done, is what I should do. Tonight's mission: find the kitchen table under all the junk. And clean the fridge. And maybe the freezer.

Brought down by a sleeve??

2010-11-16T08:54:00.014-05:00

If you're not a knitter you might want to skip this post. It's full of jargon which I may or may not explain. Instead, why don't you go look at this for a while? His stuff is pretty cool.

The sleeve of this gansey is giving me more trouble than the whole rest of the sweater combined did. I have unknitted, recounted, reknitted, recounted, sworn, and unknitted again so many times I'm afraid my yarn's gonna break. I unknit rather than rip out (called "frogging" by those who use the lingo--for "rippit, rippit, rippit"--adorable, no?) because I can't guarantee finding all the stitches I need to put back on my needles when I get it down to the point where I want to start over.

It shows in the picture and the drawing that the pattern on the sleeve mimics the one on the body, and that it stops a few inches before the end. I'm supposed to go back to stockinette stitch for a while before I end with some ribbing at the wrist. She never says this in the instructions. If I follow the instructions the way they're written, I'd have pattern all the way to the ribbing. Since she doesn't say how many to make, I don't really trust the line drawing (it's written for all sizes), and the photo doesn't show the sleeve very well, I have arbitrarily come up with the number 10 for chevrons on the sleeve.

Also? When I finally decrease the stitches enough that I have as many as she wants me to before I change to smaller needles (she says to decrease 2 stitches every 5 rounds for the size I'm making), I have 1 3/4 more inches of sleeve than I should. I'm torn about how to fix this. I could either go back to the tenth chevron and decrease more often while doing the stockinette stitch or I could take it all the way back to the end of the underarm gusset and decrease 2 stitches every 4 rows, the way she instructs for the smallest size. I think I should probably do the latter. It would create a gentler line than the former, which might have this funky falling-off-too-quick look to it. But it means taking out an awful lot of what I've been doing for the past week and a half.

I realize that for a lot of you this all blahblahblah yarnspeke and I apologize for that. I'm thinking with my fingers, here, trying to set out in print what my options are for what to do next. Whatever I choose, sleeve number 2 should be a lot easier. I hope.

Oh, hey! For Marnilla, who wanted the pattern I'm using--I found out that for $5.50, Interweave press will let you download the Muted Musician Gansey pattern from their website. Click right here if you're interested. And good luck with the blasted sleeves!

Edited to add: I got tired of unknitting, so I'm only taking it back to the tenth chevron and then decreasing faster. I'll see how that looks before I decide to go aaaaaalllll the way back to the end of the gusset. That was a lot of work I don't really want to redo if I can avoid it.

What's the opposite of cyberstalking?

2010-11-15T22:28:00.012-05:00

For reasons I should probably talk to a trained therapist about, I go online and look up old boyfriends from time to time. It isn't because I want to keep in touch with them, or that I care about their well-being; I have no warm fuzzy feelings of nostalgia about these men. I want to know where they are living because I want to stay well away from them. One of them is in North Carolina, and I don't think he'll be moving any time soon. The other one I haven't been able to find an online trace of at all.

Until today.

I wasn't sure at first that it was him. He has a very plain, common sort of name. There's no picture on the entry I found. There might be one that's suppressed until you join the site (reunion.com, I think), but I'm really not that keen to see him. I know his mother's name, though, and that was on this listing too. It also had the right age, the place where he grew up, and named a couple of the other places where I know he has lived.

I'm not going to describe the relationship except to say that I never want another one like it. He used to reside in New York City, moved there right after we graduated college. I have been abnormally paranoid about visiting that city for 20 years. I was convinced that even though the odds of it happening are incredibly long (how many people live there?), I'd run into him somewhere--that he'd walk right up to me and say hello. Sort of like When Harry Met Sally on crack, where instead of the story ending with a New Year's Eve declaration of undying love, I'd wind up arrested, with my face splashed across in the New York Times the next morning: "Tourist kicks ex-boyfriend to death at FAO Schwarz," the headline would read. Or something like that.

Are you remembering that BlogHer was in New York this summer? I was secretly afraid to leave the hotel. I was also secretly afraid that he worked for the hotel, and that they'd find his body stuffed in a laundry chute shortly after I checked out. But now, if I can believe this search I performed over my lunch break, visiting New York City is no longer a problem! I can go there every weekend if I want to. He's on the west coast now, living in a suburb of Seattle.

Damn. I wanted to see Seattle. I guess I'll have to wait until he moves again.

Snapshot Sunday #2

2010-11-14T22:17:00.011-05:00

These aren't pictures taken with my camera, they're scanned. A long while back I took a drawing class through the arts center on campus. Our first project was to take some image out of the newspapers and sketch it. I chose an oxford shoe, and shocked myself when I found out I really can draw. I don't have a scanned image of that.

Not quite as far back, a blogger I used to be in contact with named Anna suggested we each do that same thing again and post our results. We shared our drawings with each other, but we didn't post the results on our blogs. I don't think she was happy with how hers turned out, and I didn't want to publish mine without her publishing hers.

Her blog has been inactive for years now. I think her life got very complicated and she didn't have the time or energy to both live it and then write about it.

So anyway, here's the picture I drew from. I can't remember what the ad was for, or what magazine I tore it out of:

And here's what I did with it:

And now I want to dig out my sketch book and draw again. Like I have time for that right now.

Feeding frenzy (Warning! Contains grumbling)

2010-11-13T18:10:00.012-05:00

Today I went to Wegman's and bought most of the things on my "Buy Ahead" list for Thanksgiving. I got an almost 14 pound turkey for about $4, because I had a shopper's club card and bought at least $25 dollars worth of other stuff.

The whole store was crazy. It appears everyone picked this weekend to do the same thing I was doing, and probably for the same reason: the football team has an away game today. You can't get a thing done in this town on a home-game Saturday. The store added to the crowd by scattering Pilgrim-hatted employees around the place to hand out samples, coupons, sweepstakes entries. There were also random stockers with their big rigs parked right smack in the middle of aisles. Because it's imperative to get more fish sticks into aisle 7 at one o'clock on a Saturday afternoon, I assume.

People amaze me sometimes. This woman and her daughter pulled their cart right in front of the frozen turkeys, looked at them all without choosing one, and then just parked there. There were three more of us trying to get in and out. These two just hung out, oblivious. It reminded me of Jelly Man from a couple years back. One woman tried to squeeze past the daughter to get at the turkeys behind her, and that girl didn't budge an inch. She just kept staring at the cupcakes in her cart (because purple frosting is so hypnotic), completely unaware of anything else. And no, there were no earbuds to blame, pouring loud music into her head and obliterating all else. I checked. She was clueless all on her own.

After a couple of minutes of politely waiting for this pair to get their shit together, I gave up. Muttering "Excuse me," I pushed past the mother and started looking for a good turkey. She got out of my way (barely), but then stood blocking my exit. I so dearly wish I'd had the nerve to say, "Really? You have a whole bloody store to zone out in, you have to pick the turkey case? In mid-November???"

While I was trying to get round her another woman was trying to get in, giving me dirty looks because it looked like I was causing the hold-up. I shrugged and gestured over my shoulder to the living statues behind me. She glanced where I pointed, assessed the situation, nodded an apology at me, and transferred her stink-eye to them.

If this is what shopping for Thanksgiving is like, can you just imagine how Christmas will be?

But! I saved about $11 on my turkey! Silver lining!

Today's brief musing brought to you by...

2010-11-12T22:45:00.006-05:00

...conjunctivitis and the differences in personality between Delilah and Sophie.

If Delilah had ever had pink-eye and required antibiotic ointment be applied right in the eyes three times a day, by the end of Day Two she would have been watching my every move. She would've hidden from me, run by me on her way from one end of the room to another, and treated me with suspicion no matter what I had been doing. She would have slept with one (infected) eye open. I would've been treated to long, deep scratch marks on my neck, chest, and probably my arms.

Sophie? Well, she has no front claws, but her back ones are still there; and her teeth work. She hasn't used either yet. She fusses when I put the stuff in, makes noises to tell me this is not her idea of a good time. She tries to get away by backing out from under my arm. Afterward she eats the cat treats I provide as a sort of apology/reward, she sulks for a moment, and then it's as if she shrugs and says, "Ah, whatever." Next thing I know she's looking up at me with her poor little greased eyes and saying, "You're my best friend. Even when you do crap like that. Can I come sit up there with you?"

Yes, Sophie, of course you can. And I promise I won't do that again for another eight hours or so.

Which unfortunately for one of us is right about now.

Produce fatigue

2010-11-11T20:00:00.010-05:00

The final pick-up for my CSA half share was last Friday. Thank heavens. I don't think I'm going to renew next year.

Don't get me wrong, this whole support-the-local-economy-while-eating-healthier thing is great. I cooked a lot of new things, like a spinach, onion, bacon, and chard quiche. I pickled beets. I did a lot of stir-frying. I made more pesto. I experimented with things that I thought might go together, with general success (a weird take on chili, for example -- chicken instead of beef, garlic, onion, greens instead of beans, a ton of spices, and egg noodles. Looked strange, tasted great). I have a ton of tomatoes in the freezer at the moment that I want to turn into tomato soup before my parents get here in two weeks. I'm seeing homemade tomato soup and grilled cheese as lunch for that Wednesday. If I can get around to it.

Problem is, I'm still not using everything I'm given before it goes bad. I didn't get a freezer this year like I thought I would--money was a little too tight--so I couldn't blanch and freeze things as much as I would have liked. Mom and I experimented with fava beans and failed. I'm up to my eyes in potatoes. Before I started freezing the tomatoes they were attracting fruit flies.

And the eggs! Dear Lord, the eggs. That was new this year. They started a co-op or a trade or something with some other farms, and now we get eggs every couple of weeks. I didn't realize how little use I have for them until I started to get so many. There was a three-carton pile-up in the fridge at one point this August. I mean, a girl can only eat so much egg salad before she starts to smell like a sulfur mine. I made that quiche, I baked a little bit, I scrambled a few, but the eggs just kept on coming faster than they were leaving. Eventually I just gave the new cartons away to my neighbor when I brought my share home. She tried to pay me for them. I had to assure her that she was doing me a favor by taking them off my hands.

I really don't have the money to shell out on something if I'm not going to be able to use all of it. And this year they didn't offer a discount for next year to renewing members. They haven't sent out an email about renewals at all, come to think of it.

I'll do this again in a few years, when finances are better and I have a little more cooking experience. And a chest freezer. Definitely need one of those.

I think what I'll do instead is go to the farmer's market every Friday next season and buy a smaller, more manageable amount of produce. Then I'll work with it over the weekends.

Cat's eyes, pilot programs

2010-11-10T19:58:00.005-05:00

Sophie's had something funky going on with her eyes, some sort of infection. I took her to the vet today to see what it is and what they can do about it. The vet says she has conjunctivitis. He gave me some ointment with erythromycin in it that I have to apply to her eyes three times daily for two weeks.

It's gonna be a fun two weeks, but her eyes will thank me for it when we're done. I have no idea how she caught this. Maybe it's leftover from being out in the Big Bad World before we met? I don't know. Delilah never had it.

That presentation I mentioned yesterday went really well. A lot of people were interested, which was a nice surprise. I was expecting screams of rage. We did get some people who didn't like the idea we had, but about 90% of the room agreed that now that we've seen whether this thing we're attempting can be done, it's time to test it out. That way we can decide whether it should be done. The task force is now going to design and run a pilot program with a few interested campuses. Part of me is excited. Part of me is saying, "Oh great, more work."

Favorite part of the whole day: calling the taxi to take me to the vet's. The dispatch operator asked how many were going and I replied,

"Just me. And a cat in a carrier."

"Okay," he said. Then to himself, in that voice people use when they're writing things down (I pictured a clipboard): "One person, one boxed cat."

A little nervous

2010-11-09T21:59:00.004-05:00

I got named to a task force earlier this year whose charge was to look into doing something very different with regard to our libraries' collections. We met all spring and summer, took the fall to write our report, and tomorrow we are making a presentation at a yearly two-day retreat for all the librarians from the satellite campuses.

When we're done we're going to be greeted with either be applause or pitchforks and torches. Or maybe stunned silence. In any event, I'm a wee bit nervous and preoccupied right now, so I can't think of anything to write. So here, look at some pretty pictures I took of the garden this summer:

My big purchase this year, garden-wise: a climbing rose called "Joseph's Coat."

The lone sunflower to make it to adulthood. Everyone else either died off or failed to thrive.

Bought a morning glory seedling at a craft fair. I had no idea what color I was going to get. Happy that it's deep purple.

Cat. Bag. Out of.

2010-11-08T22:30:00.006-05:00

So my Mom saw the online pictures of the gansey in progress and got all excited. She can't wait to get here for Thanksgiving so she can touch it. Exactly what she said. Myself, I'm hoping that I'm done by Thanksgiving so that I can wear it. Though, knowing my propensity to wear my dinner on my chest, perhaps that's not such a good idea.

A few hours later Mom emailed me to say she'd been looking on Amazon for copies of "Knitting Ganseys," quoted me a price she saw advertised for a used one, and wanted to know if the one I got was at a similar price.

I said yes, and then went on to explain the whole used book/higher price/better condition thing. Then I wrote:

Uhm. Having said all that, can I just say please don't buy the book because...well...Christmas is coming...and...yeah. I've started my shopping early. :)

Hint received, rejoicing commenced. Oh well. She's getting more than just this, so I guess it's okay that she knows about it. I'm not saying what else I'm giving her, though, 'cause she swings by the blog from time to time (Hi Mom! [waves]).

Folks, please try to remember that Christmas is if not right around the corner at least in the same county by now. Don't buy stuff for yourselves. Point out what you like and then walk a discreet distance away so we can get it for you. Wouldja? Please?

In Thanksgiving prep news, I've taste-tested the wild rice dressing recipe (thumbs up), the sweet potato recipe (thumbs way up), and the apricot relish (thumbs sideways). I think I'm going to buy some mango chutney or something for this year and substitute that for the cranberries. The taste of the apricot stuff was good, but the texture was unappetizing. Mushy. I have an idea what's wrong--the recipe calls for canned apricots. I think fresh (or even dried but soaked in something like orange juice) would be better. I'm going to play around with this over the summer and see if I can't fine-tune it into something usable.

Snapshot Sunday: The Gansey

2010-11-07T13:02:00.005-05:00

So here are some pictures of the sweater I'm working on:

Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer

I'm pretty pleased with it so far.

Success on the horizon

2010-11-06T20:52:00.004-04:00

As soon as my battery charges up, I'm taking a picture of the sweater-in-progress and posting it here. I just joined the front to the back and tried it on. It fits! Huzzah! Next I work on the sleeves and the collar.

I'm so pleased with myself. I think this is something I would actually be happy to wear in public.

Of course, since I want to take a picture before I do anything else to it, that means I have to hold off on starting the sleeves. Well, maybe I'll work on another project for a while tonight.

#12, you are in my sights. I should have you crossed off before Thanksgiving!

In a bit of a rut at the moment

2010-11-05T20:16:00.010-04:00

So here's the kind of day I've been having lately:

I wake up on time but take about 45 minutes to talk myself out of bed.
I turn on the coffee pot and then run back upstairs to take a shower.
By the time I'm out of the shower I realize I have just enough time to do any three of these things: eat breakfast, drink coffee, get dressed, brush teeth, catch bus that gets me to work on time. The bus usually loses.
I spend my work day feverishly trying to catch up with all the work I should have been doing over the past three months but didn't because I got press-ganged onto a project for another department. It started by doing something for them as a favor and rapidly turned into the Beast That Would Not Stay Fed. Now that it's over they at least have the decency to be grateful about it, but I still want to stab them all repeatedly with a dull pencil.
While working, I hum softly to myself in an attempt to keep the running commentary in my head from leaking out of my mouth. No one would want to hear what's going on up there right now.
Lunch is had hunched over my desk. I then either read my non-work email or do a few rows on the gansey I'm trying to knit (if I remembered to grab the bag it's in on my way out the door that morning). I shave about ten minutes off of my lunch to make up for not getting to work on time.
At some point during the day I catch sight of myself in the ladies room mirror and wonder what the hell happened. When I left the house, I looked fine. By the time I see myself in the mirror, I look like someone dragged me through a hedge backwards. The hair in particular looks ridiculous.
I come home to a cat who is absolutely thrilled to see me. While I change into pajamas, she rolls around on the bed and meows at me, no doubt telling me how many skeins of yarn she subdued that day.
Dinner is usually something so unremarkable I can't remember what it is ten minutes after I put the plate in the dishwasher.
After an hour of surfing, I admit there's nothing on TV. I go to bed obscenely early. Like, old-people early. I drift off to sleep only to wake with a jolt about half an hour later, realizing I haven't blogged yet and that I'd better get on that if I'm serious about NaBloPoMo.
I get up and write.

I just realized, writing that, that while I can't get myself out of bed to go to work I practically leap out of it to write a blog post. What's up with that?

Here's hoping my behind drags a little less after we turn the clocks back. I do better in the morning when it's light out. And now I'm going to bed.

Turkey Day for 4

2010-11-04T20:28:00.004-04:00

My sister just emailed me this morning to tell me the Lancaster contingent will be just her this year. Hubby has to work Thanksgiving Day (he works at a lab. They can't shut down for a day, they have delicate procedures going on that can't but put on hold. I think holiday time off rotates. I'm betting he's off next year, 'cause he was off last year), so his parents are staying there and the three of them will be having their own Thanksgiving. Ditter's coming to my place.

My parents are coming Tuesday evening so Mom can help me do some prep on Wednesday. Though you know what? Prepping for four doesn't sound nearly as difficult as prepping for seven. I'd better not get too relaxed, here, or I'll be a maniac on the day itself. Who am I kidding? Of course I'm going to be insane on that say. Ditter's coming Wednesday evening, after work, I think. I don't know how long everyone is staying. It'd be nice if they could stay until Saturday or something. There's a football game here on Saturday, though, and they might want to get outta Dodge before all that madness starts.

It'll be like old times. Except that instead of at Mom's (where it used to be while I was growing up) it's at my house. Which is still a horrible, horrible mess right now but hey! I have three weeks. Oh, crappydoodle. I only have three weeks. Exactly three weeks. If you'll excuse me, I think I'm going to go clean something now.

Oscillate Wildly

2010-11-03T15:25:00.010-04:00

I have a new musical crush. Janice Whaley is working her way through the Smiths' catalog, hoping to record covers of the whole thing by December 31, 2010. She uses only her voice and some software. She calls this scheme (and her blog) The Smiths Project

Her latest offering made me want to make out with my headphones:

I need to go lie down.

P.S. To hear the music, just hit the little "play" button. You don't have to buy anything. I think I'm going to be buying some stuff to download to my iPod, but that's mainly to make sure she has funds to continue.

Election Day 2010

2010-11-02T22:00:00.005-04:00

I voted. And all I really have to say is thank heavens that's over with for another year.

I am so sick of the sniping, the back-stabbing, the name-calling, the out-and-out lies candidates tell about each other.

"He's an out-of-town transplant!"

"She wants to raise your taxes!"

"He did raise your taxes!"

"He wants to make all guns illegal!"

"He wants to make your kids pray in school!"

Next campaign season I fully expect one candidate showing pictures of the other one in kicking puppies or passing out crack pipes to small children. And then the other guy will retaliate by showing a video of his opponent having a kitten for breakfast. On toast.

I think what bothered me most this season were all the computerized campaign phone calls I received. Didn't they used to do these in person? Are people not volunteering like they used to? It's a weird mixed message I'm getting: "Look, we want you to vote for our guy but we're tired of saying it. So here, listen to this recorded message from the candidate's wife/mother/imaginary staffer named Dave."

It is so unsatisfying to scream "F--- off and leave me alone!" at a computer. You know? But I guess it's an even trade. I wouldn't hear their message, they didn't hear mine.

Ow

2010-11-01T07:24:00.009-04:00

I woke up a couple hours ago with a vicious headache that nothing has been able to tame. Aspirin? It caught the aspirin one-handed and tossed it aside. Caffeine? It swatted that away and kept coming. Allergy medicine (because maybe it's sinus pressure)? It blew a raspberry at my Allegra. Multivitamin (maybe it's lack of iron)? "Nice try," it said with a sneer, lunging at me with both hands.

I've called in sick to work and plan to sit here bundled up on the sofa with a cup of mint tea for a while. I have some sort of brand X excedrin that I'm going to try later. Can't use it until this aspirin I took wears off. There's aspirin in the brand X stuff. Don't want to thin my blood so much that my ears start to ring. (Yes, I did do that once. Not my idea of a good time). Meanwhile I'll just sit here and pinch the area between my thumb and index finger with my other thumb and index finger (old acupressure trick Mom taught me. Sometimes it works) and wish this beast with my head in its fist would just go away.

Deep breath before the plunge

2010-10-31T10:22:00.011-04:00

Well, tomorrow is November first, which means the start of National Blog Posting Month. This will be my third time through. Expect it to be heavy on Thanksgiving angst, as I'm once again having six people and two dogs over for dinner and my house is once again a total mess. In fact, I should be cleaning it now. I'll try to keep the online fretting to a minimum.

Tasks I've assigned myself to get done before this Turkey Day include:

sorting out the craft room
rearranging the living room
cleaning out the freezer
shampooing my sofa as well as a perfectly good (but a little grubby) La-Z-Boy rocking recliner that I rescued from the trash this summer. It wasn't in the trash, mind you, just right next to it. I noticed it one day on my way to the bus stop. Bunch of boys who moved out of the end unit the night before trash day had set it by the dumpster with a "free to a good home" sign on it.
shampooing the area rug in the living room. Or maybe I should just replace it with something that doesn't look so haphazardly installed. This thing is a remnant the last owners bought and hacked down to a size that almost covers all the living room floor. It was tacked down at the doorways with clear packing tape. Classy, no? Maybe when I'm out getting a strap clamp and some wood glue I'll start pricing area rugs.
repairing a kitchen chair -- hence the need for a strap clamp and wood glue. I broke a kitchen chair last winter with my big toe. Don't know my own strength, apparently. I was sitting in it, feet tucked under, and when I got up I must have hit the piece that connects the front and back legs together in a weak spot with my toe, 'cause it went "crack!" And I said, "Are you kidding me?!?" Then I went online to look up how to fix it. According to the webpage I need: wax paper, cord, wood glue, and a strap clamp. Looks simple enough, I just haven't gotten around to doing it yet.
refurbishing two old kitchen chairs that now live in my craft room. They are part of a second-hand three-piece dinette set that I used to use in my apartment at as a kitchen table. Years of abuse from the various cats in my life had left them tattered and without stuffing in the seats. Now that I have a cat who can't shred things (but she tries! Boy does she ever.), I might as well put new cushions on them. This is one reason to sort out the craft room. The supplies to do this are buried in there somewhere.
testing some Thanksgiving recipes. Dad can't eat cranberries because he's on coumadin for his heart, so I looked up some alternatives for cranberry sauce and emailed them to Mom for her opinion. We're trying one that made with apricots, an orange, ginger, cilantro, dry mustard and turmeric. I'm gonna test it first. If it tastes nasty, I'll look for something else. Actually, I'm testing it today, if I ever get my rear end in gear. I'm also testing a crockpot stuffing recipe with wild rice in it, some corn dish with fresh sage, and a sweet potato recipe. I'm going to use a rotisserie chicken from the local grocery store to eat with all this stuff instead of trying to cook another turkey. We'll save the turkey-roasting for Thanksgiving Day. I'm crazy, not stupid.
trimming back the tree in my flowerbed. Again. I'm this close (imagine a finger and thumb held very close together) to asking a male family member to bring a chainsaw with them at Thanksgiving and take that tree down. I don't know whether it was planned to be in the flowerbed or if it's a volunteer that someone decided to keep, but either way it was a bad idea. It's too close to the house. It's always pushing on the windows. I cut away the bothersome bits, they grow right back. The only thing that's kept me from doing it sooner is that robins come nest there in May. It's not the only tree in the neighborhood. They'll find somewhere else.

So anyway, NaBloPoMo. Posting everyday for a whole month. The annual experiment to see how long it takes me to get sick of the sound of my own voice. Wish me luck. Just in case I get stuck, there's a Twitter feed I'm going to follow that supplies daily writing suggestions.

Anyone want to join me? Misery loves company, after all.

Better late than never

2010-10-30T18:03:00.000-04:00

By the time I got around to uploading by pictures from 10/1o/1o, they'd closed the group on Flick'r to new entries. Ah well.

Here they are anyway:

Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer

Number 12, and where I've been

2010-10-18T11:42:00.003-04:00

I'm trying to tackle #12 on the life list -- knitting a sweater. I wasn't terribly specific on the list, but what I really want is to knit a sweater I am willing to wear in public. I've decided to knit gansey, because hey, why start easy?

Ganseys (also called guernseys) are sweaters that were traditionally knit by the wives/mothers/sisters/daughters of the fishermen of the Channel Islands (most notably Guernsey, hence the name) and worn by said fishermen. They were usually dark blue. I don't know why that color in particular, unless it's because it was the most practical one. These sweaters were all about practicality. They were knit in all in one piece from the bottom up, had a section at the bottom that could be torn out and reworked if it wore out, had gussets under the arms to save wear and tear on sleeve joints (thereby prolonging the life of the sweater), usually had the initials of the wearer knit into it somewhere (I'm thinking that was to ID sweaters and match them back up to owners on washing day--you have 4 men in the family all with similar blue sweaters, you're going to have a hard time telling them apart otherwise) and had some fancy knit/purl designs and simple cables in them. The plainer ones were work sweaters, the fancier ones were for dress. Wikipedia does a much better job of explaining this, if you want to know more.

I got interested in ganseys when my Mom mentioned she was looking for a good, free pattern for one. Being a library employee, I put my little research cap on and started digging around on Ravelry and coming up with some good book titles. I mentioned them to her and suggested she take some of them for a test-drive through interlibrary loan before she decided to buy some. And then I started to ILL them, myself. Borrowed one called "Knitting Ganseys" and after reading it decided that yes, I could probably do this.

Wish me luck. I've been thinking that knitting a sweater in the round might be easier than knitting it in pieces and then sewing it together. I've tried the piece-it-together way before and was disgusted with the results. Let's see if this works better.

Thing is, I can't knit and type at the same time. This is why things are quiet right now. Though I can't use that excuse next month--I'm going to do NaBloPoMo again.

And I just realized, I crossed off making a pie from my list but never wrote it up. So I need to do that. Maybe I can write the post in my head while I'm knitting.

Edited on 10/18/10 to add: Just found this in my drafts. So far the sweater is going well. I've gotten about 1/2 way up, and am now working solely on the back. It looks pretty good so far, if I do say so myself. (And I do...)

As soon as I get home (provided I remember) I'll post my 10/10/10 pictures and at some point this week I'll talk about making the pie. Maybe. Well, the pictures definitely, but I'd rather knit than write right now.

Oh! And the opera was really good. They used this interesting set design, called it "The Machine" -- a bunch of planks that could be raised, lowered, tilted -- with them they got the Rhinemaidens to swim by suspending them on cables, made the gods look like they were flying, made a staircase to Niebelheim, all sorts of things. It was almost like the set was another cast member. It reminded me a little of the way they used a rotating stage in Les Miserables. There are so many more things you can do with a stage like that than a traditional set of flies and curtains.

Now I'm all excited for Die Walküre in May.

Juggling Scarves

Useful (to me) video

Helloooo 2012!

At the post office

Done!

Decorating for Christmas

Lazy Monday

'Nip

Just me and the cat again

Next year's target

Happy Thanksgiving

The parents are coming! The parents are coming!

Internal monologue at the grocery check-out

Forging ahead

No picture today

All we need are a few tumbleweeds

Out after dark.

They're still here

Not even close

Not to mention the fridge still needs cleaning

One more thing checked off

Thor

Audible and kicking the TV habit

Call your girlfriend

Two weeks and counting

The program needs to relax a tad

Quick one tonight

I promise this isn't turning into a weight loss blog

Snapshot Sunday

Maybe I'll get out of the house tomorrow.

And again I say, blurgh

Blurgh

Looks like tomorrow's gonna be a sick day

Once more with feeling

Little victories, little irritants

Neighbor dodged a bullet too.

Bullet: dodged. I hope.

I could do with things being a little less interesting

Another one in the eye

A rambling chatty bit of fluff

Damp grump

What it's like inside my head

Fear and surprise

Auntie Em! Uncle Henry!

Checking in

Bats

Okay! Bats it is. Watch this space.

What's next: you decide

An exercise in restraint

Public service announcement

No noodle soup for me, thanks

Very glad to be here

Happy 1st day of spring!

365 project so far

Cover songs, classically done

Semi-Sophieversary

Come out, come out, wherever you are!

Plinky prompts

Project 365

So I found my camera charger...

Santa brought me a freezer!

You'll need a tray.

It wasn't raining when Noah built the ark

Christmas baking for my colleagues

No tree this year

Christmas season, Delilah, and Sophie

Missed me by *that* much

Threepeat!

The news from my end of the swamp

Post-Thanksgiving Pre-Christmas recharge

Recipe reviews

Pie, anyone?

Extra post--the ranting edition

Thanksgiving Eve

Busy

Countdown begins

Snapshot Sunday #3

Menu for Dad

One for the wall

I don't have time for this

Missed me by that much