Theoriesofpersonality

Final countdown

2009-09-03T07:32:00.000-07:00

I have less than a month. My living room looks like a warehouse, the 30 day notice has been given, and the u haul is reserved.
I'm really looking forward to the point when we are moved in, unpacked, and settled. I have so many balls in the air right now and I'm constantly paranoid about keeping on top of things.
What I really need is a completely uneventful boring week. Now, more than ever, it feels like a hurry up and wait situation. Wish me luck.

post

2009-08-07T05:32:00.000-07:00

The inspection went really well. Al (a really great guy) uncovered a few things we didn't know about but, there was nothing major. Our agent will discuss any issues with the relocation co. and we'll move from there.
Now, I'm waiting (impatiently) for the bank appraisal.

Pre-Update Update

2009-08-06T07:36:00.000-07:00

Where are we...oh, yeah. Inspection. As I write this, the home inspector is at the house poking around and whatnot. He gave me the option of being there for the whole 3 1/3-? hours but, instead I'm going to head over there in an hour and half to take measurements while he finishes up. I guess it varies from location to location but, the norm here is to go at the end of the inspection and go through the report with the inspector.
The relocation co. wants a quick and easy process, and have had their own inspections done and repaired what they felt were possible issues. I'm not going to jinx it by saying that this inspection isn't necessary, but, I think it's 40% inspection 60% peace of mind.
I'm still keeping fingers crossed* and rubbing my mini garden gnome**.
I'll have a post-pre-update update either this afternoon or tomorrow.

* The home buying process really brings out what little superstitions I have.

** not a euphemism.

When you get to the bottom You go back to the top of the slide And you stop and you turn And you go for a ride*

2009-08-02T05:21:00.000-07:00

Escrow. Eeep!

It wasn't supposed to be this quick. I thought, wouldn't it be nice to find the home and close in October? It would give us time to cull thru our belongings, freecycle items, pack in a leisurely pace. That didn't happen. We did a second walk through of our top two contenders on Thursday. The first one was a reluctant "no". The location and amount of serious TLC required were just too much. The second one was number one in our minds, we basically saw other homes and compared them to this one. The location, the price, the features (partially finished basement, hardwood floors, big kitchen, large yard, corner lot, leaded glass windows, etc)were knocking out the other options.

It's a slow market. We thought we had time. Trouble is, our number one was on the market due to relocation. This meant that a relocation co. was handling the details. The company was marketing aggressively, they changed agents frequently and dropped the price every 30 days. When we saw the list of recent showings, we knew we had to act. The home was already listed at around 20-30 thousand less than comparable homes in the area. I think the only reason it didn't sell before the last drop is because of it's one major flaw-only one bathroom.**
Bargaining with a relocation company is also different. They want to sell quickly but, may not get back to you right away. If you make a low offer and in the three or four days it takes to hear back, they receive a better offer, they have no reason to counter. We were lucky to hear back from them so quickly.

I'm excited but, mostly nervous. I'm waiting for something to fall through. I have a hard time working with a time line that I can't control. We need to have a termite inspection and a home inspection before the end of the month. We close on September 24th. Keep your fingers crossed that everything goes smoothly.
If everything goes as planned we'll be in our new home with a rescue dog*** by October. Don't people that rescue dogs deserve to have a smooth home buying experience?
* Do I lose points for using the "we" of U2's cover instead of the "I" from the Beatles original?
** the basement has a rough in (emphasis on rough) for a bathroom, and we plan to renovate upstairs. The master bedroom has what was the walk up to the attic and it shares a wall with the smallest bedroom. The smallest bedroom shares a wall with the bathroom. We plan on re-creating a walk up (and possibly working on the attic), pushing thru the shared bedroom wall to create a master suit with walk in closet and full bath.

*** Petfinder is my new crack. They have videos of some of the dogs and that's just not fair. I want to adopt them all.

Fell in love with a girl*

2009-07-29T06:14:00.000-07:00

* "girl" is actually a house.

The monkeys and I toured a home yesterday. It's a large (Second Empire Style- I think?)103 year old house. It has amazing original features. I loved the leaded glass windows,original hardwood floors, transom windows, pocket doors (functional!), herringbone brick floors in the basement, and an amazing stairway to the attic.

The back yard had plenty of space for a garden and patio, it's on a corner lot, and close to downtown and the bike trail. It's also a lot of house for the price and about 1000 more square feet than the other home we're considering. The electric, furnace, water heater, and roof have all been upgraded recently.

However...

Location is a bit of an issue. The one thing we can't change. The corner is adjacent to a very busy road. It's zoned for a less than stellar grade school (Caleb has one year left) and it doesn't feel as safe as the other area we're looking at.
It also needs a lot of work. The windows are original and the house would be very drafty in the winter. Both bathrooms are in need of renovations, the garage has lawn and not a driveway in front, and the kitchen needs to be renovated as well.

The good news is that we've found a Realtor we want to work with. We're going to do another walk-through of our top contender house this week with him, and we'll go from there. This feels like a roller coaster when you're slowing clicking up to the top before a drop, rush of wind, and adrenaline.

I almost bought a safety orange vest today.

2009-07-27T13:38:00.000-07:00

For house hunting. Real Estate agents like to see you coming.

This has been a fascinating process. When it's all said and done I think I'll offer up my services as a consultant to each of the local real estate offices in the area.

We looked at two homes on Saturday and two more on Sunday. The first house on Saturday was just too new, and I had more interest in the agent than the house. She might just be our agent; it would be really nice to check that off my laundry list of house buying to-dos.
The second house was a flip. The agent told us this fact, enthusiastically. I don't know why. I think it's well known that a flip house is purchased cheap, usually without an inspection, dolled up, and sold for as much profit as possible. It has some "features" that would be good, if they had been properly executed. But, it was mostly a lipstick on a pig situation. We're looking mostly at older homes and one of my inquiries is always about plumbing/electrical updates. I asked the agent and instead of an "I don't know, let me find out and get back to you." I got an "You could get an inspection." Could I? Really? Given the un-sanded but painted trim, cheap carpet over (possibly damaged) hardwood, and potted plants used as "landscaping", I think I'll pass.
The first house on Sunday was amazing. It had a ton of character. A vestibule, built in bookshelves next to the fireplace, a cute little nook in the dining room, original hardware on the doors, and cute quirky closets. It also had a high price for the amount of work needed to make the (very spacious) basement functional. It's also between homes, and has a smaller lawn. It's a pity; I really like the neighborhood and the awesome remodeled kitchen.
The second house on Sunday was cute, and had wonderful light but, it felt like we would outgrow it very quickly and it also suffered from Crammed Between Neighbors syndrome. I'm liking corner lots more and more.
The good news is that we've narrowed down our search area and have really focused in on want vs. need and must haves. Tuesday I'm killing two birds with one stone by viewing a home on my list with an agent I want to interview. Right now, it's tied with another home we've seen. By Tuesday afternoon I'll know which agent I'm working with. And, unless the Tuesday house* blows my mind, I think I'll know which house I want. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

* I think (if I buy it) I'll name it Tuesday house. It's very Martha Stewart to name your house.

p.s. Why does everyone have boob lights** in their homes? I have yet to see a home without at least one.

** large dome, finial in the center. I have one in my flickr stream titled "Mother"

That's not lingonberry jam

2009-06-28T13:31:00.000-07:00

Apparently, pumpkin french toast* smells like Ikea. Both kids, without first hearing the other say so, walked into the kitchen and said "It smells like Ikea in here".

*recipe from Isa Chandra Moskowitz and her new cookbook Vegan Brunch. I'd buy a copy if I were you.

Speaking of Ikea, I've been flipping through my catalog and drooling over Ikea-laden images at Apartment Therapy. Why? Because I've also been looking at houses. I've only toured two so far. This one is a no. House number two is very nearly perfect. It is move-in ready, it's affordable, it's on a corner lot, has a two car garage, room for a garden (and possibly a green house), has finished space in the basement, and tons of potential. It also has only one bathroom, and both the bath and kitchen are due for renovations.
I think we have a realtor that we'd like to work with, I just wish there were a way to speed up the whole process. It's not easy to house hunt when you're picky and impatient.

In other news, Katie, my baby, will be starting Jr. High in the fall. Caleb has only one year left in grade school, and then I will have two tweens. It's bittersweet. It's easy to miss all the cute little kid experiences, but they're also turning into such awesome people. Katie is going through her pretentious I-can't-believe-you-cal-that-stuff-you-listen-to-music phase. She's been listening to Japanese death metal and a handful of Finnish bands. She's also been adding the White Stripes to her cello practice sessions. Caleb spends most of time reminding us that he's too old for things. I think the next few years will be very interesting.

I guess I shouldn't have opened the big giant bag of I don't care..

2008-11-24T12:39:00.000-08:00

So, yeah, NaBlo whatever. I, perhaps, should rethink the reflexive sign up urge that happens each November. Must be the overcast weather.
Anyway...

I have prints in my ity bity hands* and will put them on my Etsy site shortly. Stay tuned.

*not actually-that would make typing rather difficult, no?

A flow of fetid matter from the fundament

2008-11-19T09:10:00.000-08:00

No time for a real post. For you, a book recommendation: Bonk by Mary Roach

So much for NaBloPoMo, eh?

2008-11-18T12:15:00.001-08:00

Anywho... I though I'd share some links that I have yet to add to my sidebar.

Angry Chicken
How about orange
Berniebirney

Have a fantastic rest of your Tuesday-I need to listen to Mike doughty and make vegan cupcakes and rolls for a luncheon.

NaBloPoMo day 15

2008-11-15T06:27:00.000-08:00

It's photo post 'cause I have a yoga workshop. See you tomorrow!*

*Why do I have this sudden asterisk fetish? Anyway, when I get back I'll talk all about the photoblog that I'm going to set up and the prints I'll be offering on Esty**. Seriously, by the end of the month I'll have both up and running. I've had some opportunities lately to move forward and I need to stop being chicken shit and take advantage of them.

** I've had the Esty shop for a while- I have yet to post any items. Bawk bawk bawk

Vacation re-cap

2008-11-14T08:05:00.000-08:00

(I'll try to finish this today)

After yoga, we went to Early Girl Eatery http://www.earlygirleatery.com/
Also, on Wall St.

Caleb was camera shy

Katie was blurry. (she's still raving about southern breakfasts)

I had tofu scramble*

I also tried the vegan sausage. Yummy.

If you find yourself in Asheville, I really recommend Early Girl. The coffee was really good, the service was great, and the restaurant is full of art by local artists.

Dinner was at Rosetta's kitchen (not on Wall St.!) http://www.rosettaskitchen.com/index.html
I had the famous peanut butter tofu-it came with kale and mashed potatoes

The monkeys had nachoes- Rosetta's has vegan and non-vegan (but still veggie) versions.

You'll note the lack of lunch. Breakfast was too big every morning. Even with hiking and being touristy, we couldn't each lunch.

And the hiking? *sigh* I miss the hiking. We went along the Blur Ridge Parkway and hiked Mt. Pisgah.

After hiking we ate at the Asheville Pizza and Brewery-another one of the many vegan friendly restaurants. http://www.ashevillepizza.com/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5DoFk4RwW8

We shared the hummus platter:

Katie had a William Shatner** (we were sitting at the Shatner table)

I had the mad mushroom sans cheese and the Shiva ( I should have tried the rocket girl instead)

We also went to the North Carolina Arboretum.

I can't wait to go back. There are so many other places I'd like to go, other mountains and trails*** I'd like to hike, and next time, I will definitely make the drive to Durham to see pants and auntnanny.

When I grow up, I'll open a vegan B&B just off of Merrimon Ave. I can walk or bike downtown and teach yoga at the studio down the street. You're all invited.

*The tofu scramble was a stir fry. One of the waitresses said the tofu was un-scrambleable. I would happily teach them. The stir fry was good-just not very breakfast-y

**a shatner is a quesadilla made with "nutthin' but cheese"

*** http://www.mountaintravelguide.com/Hiking%20Trails/North%20Carolina/yancey/Big%20Butt%20Trail.htm Big Butt Trail *snicker*

Vacation day one (cont.)

2008-11-13T11:09:00.000-08:00

Dinner was at the Laughing Seed on Wall St.

The menu was 100% vegetarian and about 90% vegan. I wanted to move in.

I found a great little yoga studio the next morning:

I went back every morning.

Tomorrow- Early girl Cafe and pictures of the non-flatness.

Vacation: Day one

2008-11-12T07:54:00.000-08:00

(better late than never, eh?)

We drove to Louisville to stay for the night ('cause it was half-wayish) The hotel was a nightmare, BUT, I found Ray's Monkey House and Kid Cafe They had fantastic fair trade, roasted to perfection coffee *and* all of the baked goods were vegan!

After a soy latte and vegan banana chocolate chip muffin, we drove to Asheville.

I'm twelve

2008-11-11T12:27:00.001-08:00

and in ten days* I'll be taking my eleven year old to see Twilight. Yeah, we've both been sucked in with the tween series. Whatsittoya? **

*more like 11- we'll probably go to the Saturday matinee. I don't want to go with a bunch of tweens (my tween is better***) and I have an Ashtanga workshop on Saturday and Sunday.

**This lame blog entry brought to you by the Plauge. I'm about 99% better but I still can't stand coffee. Coffee! At this point, my blood is actual blood and not a 70/30 blend of caffiene and blood. *sigh*

***She could not be more awesome if she tried. Seriously.

NaBloPoMo should have a time out

2008-11-10T08:14:00.000-08:00

or two. Sorry I didn't post. I had the Plague.

A Photo Share!

2008-11-07T09:33:00.000-08:00

Drive-by posting

2008-11-06T10:21:00.000-08:00

So, I kinda forgot that I signed up to bring a monthly treat to the Staff/Teacher breakfast at Le singe école. Today, instead of coming up with a witty post, I'm just going to post a picture of a food item that I may or not take tomorrow.

Happy Happy Joy Joy

2008-11-05T10:25:00.000-08:00

Four years ago I was filled with dread. Four more years? No. Not that. Anything but that. But now? I'm so very, very, very, very, happy.

Note to self: *

2008-11-04T09:10:00.000-08:00

Make this for dinner.

*sorry for the lame entry.

VeganMoFo

2008-11-03T07:50:00.003-08:00

Someone once said that if a cookbook provides you with one really good recipe then it's worth buying. I don't know if I agree completely, but, that's what I end up saying to myself to stave off cookbook retail therapy related guilt. Towards the end of Summer (that phrase makes me wince)I picked up Vegan Lunchbox and a couple of laptop lunch boxes. There have been some hit and miss recipes,but, all of the bread recipes have been awesome. The blue ribbon bread was so good that I made it once a week for a while. Yesterday, I made her veganized croissant recipe. So. Very. Good. And, worth the cost of the book.
Want a picture? Here you go!

VeganMoFo

2008-11-03T07:50:00.001-08:00

NaBloPoMo day two

2008-11-02T05:45:00.000-08:00

This is the first year (excluding illness) that Katie didn't dress up for Halloween. She tossed around some ideas. For a while she was going to be Tina Fey as Sarah Palin. She thought about being a beekeeper (when just read the Secret Life of Bees)or a vampire (we also just read the Twilight series*) but, in the end she decided to stay at home and hand out candy.
Caleb was a dark wizard. I don't know what he thinks that means-I'm just glad to be on his good side.
Here's a picture of some super scary yard decorations:

and a shot of the dark wizard:

NaBloPoMo day one

2008-11-01T05:48:00.000-07:00

And I remembered!
I had a post planned about In Defense of Food but, I have to head to yoga a in a few minutes so I'm giving you a placeholder post about a dream.
Last night (this morning?) I had a dream that I was in a large pavilion that was floating aimlessly in the ocean. This was unnerving at first. Then, I noticed, a friend and that calmed me down immensely. He and I would look over the railing at the water and dolphins would come up and lick us like puppies. After a few rounds of dolphin licking we moved off to the side. You would think, more of the same, right? Nope. Off the the right side there was a monkey habitat. In the pavilion. In the middle of the ocean. Wonder was Freud would say about that?

Pssst

2008-10-28T08:39:00.000-07:00

Yeah, you there......I'm guess I'm back.

SO I did a blog posting after I returned home from vacation (In JULY) and it was a tragic fail. None of my photo links wanted to play nicely so I decided to come back and redo it later. It's later-it's also very close to November and I'm really good at blogging everyday for a month and then only three more times a year. It only makes since that I should sign up for NaBloPoMo again. I guess I'll see you (expect a lot of cop out vegan MoFo posts) in a few days.
Buh-bye

Note to self

2008-05-15T07:48:00.000-07:00

veganize these

i.don't.think.so.

2008-04-21T11:33:00.001-07:00

I guess I should have deleted my images from Treemo. I just got an e-mail notification that this :

nymfoguy says:

crystal:
show.me.some.sexy.pics.sexy!!!

was sitting in my Treemo mailbox.

dude.

He's punny

2008-03-05T09:18:00.000-08:00

Caleb: Mom, I know why Katya is fast.
Me: Why is Katya fast?
Caleb: Because she's Russian.

Things

So I just got around to photographing the last of my Thing-a-Days. I'd post them to Flickr if I could actually upload.*

I made a "Jones'n for Om" shirt to see if the process would work on bamboo**. It does!

Did I tell you how much I loved that you could cook for your Thing-A-Day?
On day something or other I made Indian food:

Say what you will about Miss Martha but, her website is great when your brain is broken and you need and idea. I found the pattern for this hat there:

More food:
I had leftover pizza dough and some cherry tomatoes that needed to be used right away. It made for a rather tasty foccacia:

The kids each made a self portrait at school. I copied off of them:

I also made a stupid sock creature one thing a day was the legs (which I screwed up):

I eventually made the rest of him:

I also made another Martha thing:

It's a shirt for Katie.

Remember the cherry tomatoes from the foccacia? The cute little container makes a wonderful seed starter. :

And I took a picture of Katie's favorite tree (in the hopes that it would also be a photo of our last snowfall):

* New cable co. = no longer able to upload to Flickr. I hope to have this fixed soon.
** it's a bamboo/cotton blend

Thing a Day

2008-02-20T09:27:00.000-08:00

Monday's Thing a Day was a freezer paper stencil of Calvo's doodle

Trying to be more like Caleb

2008-02-18T12:17:00.000-08:00

The other day Caleb was working on his valentines, he stopped, looked up and announced, to no one in particular, that "I'm a get things done kinda guy." and then went back to work.

As promised, my thing a days from the past several days.
On day four I made a loaf of pumpkin whole wheat bread:

Day five was a Valpak collage:

Day six was harira:

Day seven naan:

Day eight was Sriracha man:

On day nine, I finally(the ninth was the deadline for mailing them out) got around to making my valentines for a flickr swap:

Day ten was a phoning it in sorta day, sorry:

Day eleven I made a sponge for bagels-this takes two hours in warmer weather. In February, in my house, it takes 24 hours:

Day twelve I was inspired to make a doodle from the song treehugger:

On Day thirteen, I made heart tarts from veganomicon:

Day fourteen was bagel day (they need another 24 hours to proof in the fridge):

Day fifteen was a shrinky dink day:

I turned it into a necklace:

Day sixteen was instant karma in a can:

and Day seventeen I continued my month long affair with peanut butter (I've been a soba noodle with peanut sauce fool) and made cannonballs-which you saw yesterday!

Spitting in a wishing well

2008-02-17T13:55:00.000-08:00

Today I made cannonballs for thing a day:

Post of the other thirteen things coming tomorrow- I promise

Back from hiatus

2008-02-03T08:46:00.000-08:00

I had no idea I was on one until I logged in and saw that I last posted on November 30th. So, how've ya been? I've been.....here. December was December-y and January was a month long. Thanks to rakka-I've signed up for Thing-A-Day. I'll be posting the items here and linking, I guess.

Day one was a paper om

which I left at my yoga studio yesterday. I hope it finds a good home.

Day two was a painted wren:

and today I made pizza dough:

See you tomorrow.

Dear Jesus Claus

2007-11-30T11:28:00.000-08:00

I would like this light fixture for Christmas. (I'd also like a kick ass house surrounding that light fixture)Thanks bunches!

It's this week's favorite- A VeganMoFo review

2007-11-28T08:13:00.000-08:00

I've been going back to The Candle Cafe Cookbook again and again over the last month. I've made the savory vegetable pot pie:
Phyllo Triangles:

and for Thanksgiving I made Yellow Basmati Rice pilaf and Channa Masala (mise en place photo above).
I have yet to find a recipe that wasn't awesome.

Who you callin' Pollyanna?

2007-11-26T11:46:00.000-08:00

Today could have been a bad day, but, it wasn't.
I woke up to the sounds of sleet outside my window (also known as hateful balls of slush.)
The gym had an issue with their pipes which meant that instead of a warm toasty shower in the locker room, I got to drive home all sweaty and gross. Then Caleb woke up with a sore throat ("My neck hurts!")and the grumpy little monkey had to stay home from school. And, I had to schlep out in the cold weather to take Katie to a dentist appointment.
But, I have better water pressure in my shower at home. (and, I don't have to wear flip flops) By mid-day, Caleb declared himself "100% better!". Katie was in and out of her appointment in thirty minutes (no cavities!) and while I was waiting, I came deliciously close to finishing a scarf that I've been knitting for two years now. And, I just got an e-mail from my yoga studio letting me know that they'll be having an early morning Ashtanga class starting in January!

VeganMoFo

2007-11-25T12:19:00.000-08:00

I'm a bit of a NaBloPoMo slacker, aren't I?

So, Jessica Seinfeld was on Oprah and I and five billion other Mommies went out and bought her cookbook. Here, for your perusal, are photos of the purees and brownies made with the purees. I also veganized them. (at this point, I'm pretty sure I could veganize steak.) They were good. I may have used a bit too much pureed tofu in place of eggs. The resulting brownies were very fudgy. I think I'll try Ener-G Egg Replacer next time.

VeganMoFo Pumpkin Waffles

2007-11-21T07:18:00.000-08:00

I had really good waffle iron juju this morning.

I love it so

2007-11-19T09:20:00.000-08:00

can you blame me ?

Happy Sunday!

2007-11-18T05:40:00.000-08:00

?

2007-11-17T17:32:00.001-08:00

They make extra small and they make extra large-why don't they make extra medium?

Tofurkey Day Menu

2007-11-16T07:53:00.000-08:00

I've been scanning my cookbooks for appropriate dishes to take on Thursday. I thought it'd be nice to make something universally appealing but, have found a huge gap between items that your average meat and potato-er would like and those that I want to eat. (especially since the food I bring will be all I can eat-with the exception of the crudités)I do hope people try and enjoy what I bring. If not, well, they can suck it.

Recipe

2007-11-15T10:40:00.000-08:00

Peanut Butter Soup*

4 ounces tempeh, cubed**
1/4 cup tamari, divided
2 tablespoons molasses, divided
1 1/2 tablespoons garlic, divided
3 tablespoons peanut oil, divided
2 cups chopped onion
1 large red bell pepper, chopped
1 small green bell pepper, chopped
2 teaspoons ginger, minced
9 cups light vegetable stock
1 dried ancho chili, softened in hot water
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
1/4 teaspoons chili pepper flakes
1/8 teaspoons turmeric
3 tablespoons raisins
1/3 cup sushi rice, uncooked ***
1/3 cup smooth organic peanut butter

1 Place the tempeh in a small mixing bowl and marinate it in 2 tablespoons tamari, 1 tablespoon molasses, and one teaspoon minced garlic. Set aside for about 30 minutes.
2. Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons oil in a large saucepan, and saute onion for 2 minutes. Add bell peppers, ginger, remaining garlic, and stock. Cook about ten minutes, or until the onion is very soft.
3. Drain the ancho pepper. Tear off and discard stem end, then slice pepper open. Scrape out and discard seeds, chop pepper and add it to the soup. Stir in cumin, coriander, pepper flakes, turmeric, raisins, and rice. Cover and bring to a boil, then simmer until rice is tender, about 35 minutes. Remove from heat.
4. Add the remaining oil to a saute pan and cook tempeh, tossing frequently, until lightly browned. Place tempeh on a cutting board and chop into small pieces before adding to the soup.
5. In a small bowl combine peanut butter with the remaining tamari and molasses. Wisk in enough warm broth to thin to a smooth paste. Stir into the soup and serve.

* From the Jan/Feb 2006 issue of Yoga Journal.
** I used extra firm tofu in place of the tempeh. I also didn't marinate it. I cut it into batons and sauteed it with sate seasoning Towards the end of cooking I drizzled a small amount of the molasses, tamari, and garlic mixture into the pan to glaze.

*** I didn't have sushi rice on hand. I replaced it with arborio.

Peanut Butter Soup

2007-11-14T11:40:00.000-08:00

Photo only -recipe soonish. (if you like soba noodles in peanut sauce, you'd like this)

VeganMoFo

2007-11-12T07:05:00.000-08:00

Katie's (awesome) teacher has been combining her love of cooking with the classes Social Studies curriculum. Last week she brought in scones, which reminded me that I had a recipe for the Top Secret copycat of Starbuck's Pumpkin scones. (You can find the recipe here.) I've never had the Starbuck's scone, and I veganized it-I replaced the egg with pureed 'fu and I used soy milk in place of cream. I also replaced some of the white flour with whole wheat. T'was yummy.

2007-11-11T10:37:00.001-08:00

NaBloPoMo just got a little better.

2007-11-08T12:19:00.000-08:00

I was drooling over Veganomicon at the Post Punk Kitchen, when I found out about the VeganMoFo group at Flickr.

This should be fun.

Chaos

2007-11-07T07:13:00.000-08:00

We made pies!

2007-11-06T08:54:00.000-08:00

"We" being Caleb and myself. I cut carrots, celery, potatoes, and tofu into batons and he diced them. He also chiffonade'd (totally a word) basil. He's eight. When I was eight, I could on occasion, make toast without burning it. He's quite the rock star.

BTW, when we were making pot pies, Katie was on the computer making a PowerPoint presentation. She's ten. I'd be extra nice to her if I were you. She'll be taking over the world soon.

low light

2007-11-05T09:12:00.000-08:00

I had a post planned for yesterday. A real post. With text. Our power went out at around 4:30 and didn't come back on until around eight-ish. It was no big deal, at first. Katie and I we're just on the couch doing division flash cards. (I'm trying to convince her that multiplication flash cards with help with this, too. She doesn't believe me.)

What do you do when the sun goes down and you have no power?
You light all the candles in your house, set them on the kitchen table, and take pictures of a honey bear.

Natch.
You can play "Hey, Man!" *

Also, shoot your cuter than words monkeys.

Then, the candles.

*this is an Eggcorn

I should really get these out of the way in the a.m.

2007-11-04T19:10:00.000-08:00

more NaBloPoMo somesuch

just under the wire

2007-11-03T19:18:00.000-07:00

a turtle- get it? 'cause I was so slow to post today's entry? Yeah, clever and whatnot.
See ya tomorrow.

One of the least-blurry Halloween pictures.

2007-11-02T07:28:00.000-07:00

Enjoy!
(BTW, Katie was Violet Baudelaire and Caleb was a ninja

Damn you, George Michael

2007-11-01T10:42:00.000-07:00

So I'm driving in the car and I've stopped listening to Jesca Hoop's CD just in time to hear a local radio station's "Back in the Day Cafe". They played "I want your sex" by George Michael. Now, normally, the songs of my youth bring back happy or at least bemused memories. Not this one. I was raised Nazarene, and we weren't supposed to listen to secular music. It was a struggle to get my Mom to agree to change the station. I lived in fear of this song, as well as "The search is Over" by Survivor and "Freedom" by Wham!.
Now, If you'll excuse me, I'm going to go add an 80's chanel to my pandora.

Octvember

2007-10-22T08:21:00.000-07:00

Eden mentioned NaBloPoMo over at Fussy.org, and, I decided that I would give it another go. It's been in the back of my mind that I need to actually sign up, but, I've been under the impression that I had one more month. You know, between October and November.
This year, I have topics in mind. I wont just be randomly posting. Well, not every day.

Has it been a decade already?

2007-09-13T09:53:00.000-07:00

Yes, yes it has.

Katie is ten.
She's very excited. Her friends will be coming over on Saturday for a party. We're making it a Lemony Snicket theme. We'll be watching the movie and I plan on making pasta puttanesca (to go with the pizza we'll be ordering). I need to find a dreadfully awful craft for the girls to do while they're here.

I sent her off to school with Vanilla and Chocolate Marble cupcakes. They're vegan!

Isa recommends a simple star of frosting for the top-so you can see the awesome marble effect. These are going to a group of 9 and 10 year olds so I frosted them liberally. (I still have a big bowl of leftover fluffy butter cream frosting if there are any takers)

Shed's birthday it is. Wish him well you must!

2007-08-26T12:41:00.000-07:00

mailcall

2007-08-13T11:18:00.000-07:00

Dear unfortunate couple,
I was surprised, when I first saw you jogging, to see that you were holding hands. The second time I witnessed this somewhat odd behavior, I thought how wonderful it must be-to be so in love- that you feel the need to be in constant physical contact with your beloved. A few weeks later, when I saw you hold hands while riding a tandem recumbent bike, I knew the truth. You weren't madly in love. You poor people had an unfortunate super glue incident. Good luck with that.
Best,
Not jealous of your undying affection anymore

Dear weather,
Please rain. I am far too cheap (and busy) to wash my car, and it's getting icky.
Thank you,
My basil will benefit, too

Dear Utata,
Thank you for inspiring me I was happy to participate in the latest project. It has given me a renewed zeal for photography. I have a new big personal project in the works that I'm really excited about. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Yours,
I couldn't do this without you

Dear Rakka,
Thanks for showing me how to shrink some dinks I'm going to go raid my recycling container.
Yours,
I also *heart* that your one of the three people that read this blog

Dear Shed,
I can't look through your photostream without smiling.
Yours,
Really wants to visit Wales one of these days

Dear third grade,
Please be nice to Caleb. He doesn't share Katie's love of writing and may resent you for not giving him enough math homework.
Sincerely,
Worries about him more than you could imagine

Dear Travel Channel,
Lay off the Rick Steves for a while, if you don't mind. Every episode makes me want to move. Amsterdam! Germany! Greece!
Sincerely,
Can't afford to move to Europe

Has it been that long?

2007-08-07T11:40:00.000-07:00

I missed my veganversary. It was July 26. I was going to celebrate by baking cupcakes from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World. I settled for pumpkin dough nuts:

I started with a two week trial and was really surprised that it wasn't more difficult. and I've learned a few things...

1. You can't assume anything. I should have learned this lesson as a vegetarian, but, you need to really be diligent when checking labels. I had no idea how much dairy is present in most food.

2. When going on an outing, take snacks. I'm sure this would be less of a problem in a larger city. Finding vegan-friendly fare when out and about can be a challenge. G.O.R.P. is your friend.

3. Everyone will ask you what you eat. Everyone. When you give the answer "anything that's not meat, dairy, or eggs", they'll ask again.

4. Road's End shells and chreese is really quite good. (I like to mix it with leftover channa masala.)

5. There are some really awesome vegan websites.

6. I should have gone vegan a long time ago.

head over heels

2007-07-01T12:57:00.000-07:00

I have a crush on the song "Forsaken" by Steve Reynolds.
That is all.

Ahh, crap.

2007-06-27T12:35:00.000-07:00

Caleb is sick this week. Also,his left eye,it has le pink, so, in addition to both kids being boooooooooored, I have to somehow get drops in his eye (which I keep typing as "yey") every three hours. Good times.

School's out for summer

2007-06-07T13:31:00.000-07:00

as of yesterday.
We went to the school so the kids could pick up their report cards.

and say goodbye to their Principal.

Caleb skipped home.

We went downtown for a lunchtime concert. The band was the New Prairie Ramblers.

This guy watched me take a picture of Katie and her dimples:

We went to the library to sign the kids up for the summer reading program. Looks like there will only be one tie-in with the new Harry Potter book.

Caleb camouflaged himself in the stacks.

And, Katie found a Warriors book that she hasn't read yet.

We hung out in the quiet room for a while. (because *my* kids know how to be quiet in the library)

Then we went to the beach!

Except it was actually the park.
I took advantage of the available light to get a picture of my new bag. It was only 4.99 and it's big enough to hold two books, a magazine, my camera and a spare lens, all of my usual crap, and have room to spare.

Caleb did the ooh ow oooh ow oooh walk with a bucket of water.

and then we played a little soccer.

And then we went home and watched The Simpsons. Hope your Summer is getting off to a good start, too!

This may or may not be in order

2007-06-04T08:09:00.000-07:00

Did you know computers can chortle? Mine can. When I slide in the memory card from the camera it actually chortles. Bastard.

I was going update much more frequently but, due to the bastardness of the aforementioned PC, I'll be doing one large photo entry.

We found out that the sprayground was open early:

We'll be spending a lot of time there this summer.

The kids also went to the farmer's market with me:

Did you know that eating too many beets can make your urine pink?
(I don't have a picture of that)
They have hydroponic tomatoes there. Perfect for making a T.L.T. :

I feel like I should wait for the organic heirloom tomatoes, but it was a really long winter and I *needed* that T.L.T.

( recipe )

We went to the zoo.

the animals let us get very close.

The red panda stuck his tongue out at us.

So did the tufted deer:

We went to Utica:

This picture made my day:

This will be hanging on my wall soon.

Caleb had a Spring Celebration at his school:

Multimedia message from Crystl on Vimeo

And yesterday the kids and I went to Japan:

Katie tried to watch herself on tv:

We had tea:

I didn't steal this bowl:

Caleb shared some sushi:

I didn't steal these, either:

We thought about having a pretend Hello Kitty picnic:

I shot myself with the sakura tree:

Katie tried on a kimono:

My batteries were rather low-I'll have to go back to get more pictures.

spamoetry*

2007-05-18T08:40:00.000-07:00

bone a smile
be not side curtain
physical the girl
but leather it's feeble see?
bee not angry!
minute be scissors and short may egg in knot and match a tin
what minute are damp
you decide
doing hand here
asked the count, seeing
I think tail forgot

* poems from spam-brought to you by gmail and C1all!s

I'm a bad mother. And, not the good kind like Shaft.

2007-05-14T09:58:00.000-07:00

Each year, the elementary school has a "spirit week" where the kids can really let loose and do wild and crazy things like wear at hat to school or dress backwards-you know crazy. Anyway, the only non-lame day is wacky hair hair day. The kids didn't inherit my messy curls so we usually go with a bed head+spray dye look.
Last Wednesday I took the kids out on the deck, sprayed their hair in these fantastic swirls. A bit later, on Katie's advice, I checked the Spirit week flyer to find that last Wednesday was in fact, not, wacky hair day. Twenty minutes before we had to leave for school, I had to help both kids get a super quick shower.

If this blog were a plant, it would be dead by now.

2007-05-10T10:08:00.000-07:00

Ready for a list?

1. I can't listen to regular radio. When I do, I talk back to it. Maybe if Beyonce didn't insist on having a replacement man right away she could figure out why she keeps dating the same guy over and over again.

2. Thinking about that upsets me because it's just a song.

3. "To the left" is really better as an Andrew Bird lyric

4.
I turned twenty-nine on Tuesday. It feels much older than twenty-eight.

5. I went to Europe the other day...

6. This picture totally made my day:

7. seven, seven for no tomorrow.

8. eight, eight, I forget what eight is for.

Donnie D's on the back up Drug free so put the crack up No need for speed I'm anti d-r-u-g-g-i-e

2007-04-15T08:57:00.001-07:00

That line is stuck in my head. It's only fair that I share it with you.

So, lessee. How about a list?

1. Dirty Dancing is going to be back in theaters for it's 20 year anniversary. I think a group of us should get together, dress like characters from the movie, and participate just like Rocky Horror I already have white Keds and Jennifer Grey's original nose.

2. Top Design was kind of blah. I loved Carisa's bed. The rest of the design felt boring. I thought Matt's design was just o.k. I guess I was expecting more from the finale.

3. You should head over to Utata. This Thursday was the 52 Thursday walk. I love the idea behind the Thursday walk and, now that it's getting warmer and sunny (it will be getting warm and sunny, right?) I'll be going on more of them. Here's a link

4. You should also check out The Paper Crane Project I've received my crane and have taken some shots of it. I want just the right mix of sunlight and crispness in the final product. I'm really looking forward to see Liz's installation when she's done with all one thousand cranes.

5. five, five, five for my lonely.

6. There is no six.

Not quite a month...

2007-04-09T07:48:00.000-07:00

since my last post. But, I was busy, with......stuff.
The kids had Spring break ( I never had spring break in grade school) and I was sick. So sick, that one day I had the kids make themselves frozen waffles for lunch.
I'm the best mother ever.
Anyway, I'm so sick of the inside of brain, no, house, yeah, house and the cold weather with the gray and the no sun that I'm in a bit of a mood. I want to spring clean everything. I find myself wanting to dust the beams in the basement, give everything to Goodwill and completely overhaul the whole house.
I'm starting with my Flickr account. It has less dust and is less likely to make me sneeze. Any respectable type A would use the tags properly, you know, or, at all. I've begun a bit of a clean up and re-org that may very well take me a month. (or, until I'm bored with it) Wish me luck. See you soonish.

You need to move on.

2007-03-16T10:25:00.000-07:00

*sigh*
You're really going to make me say this? O.K.
I know, I'm the one that began this relationship. I saw you and found you interesting. I began to know just where I could find you when I went out. I looked forward to seeing you-especially on weekends. I also know that even though you were pushing for it, I'm the one who decided to take our relationship to the next level. I don't know, maybe we moved too quickly into a commitment we weren't ready for? Maybe I just wanted it to work out so badly that I looked past your flaws? Finding little idiosyncrasies to be more endearing than annoying. I take full blame for that. I also take the blame for the length of our liaison. I had been thinking about getting out for a while. I guess I was hoping for a spontaneous improvement from you.You had so many good qualities. You were always punctual. I'm sorry. You know that. When I broke it off, I thought you understood. We made a clean break. I moved on and thought you would have, too.
That's why I was so surprised when you called me the other day.
I think I handled your call well. I was friendly, but, not too friendly. I let you know that there was no reason to call me again.
But, you did. Why did you call me again? A second and third time? It's sad really. So, Pantagraph I'm writing this in the hopes that you'll stop calling. I no longer want home delivery. I don't even pick up the Sunday edition when I'm out running errands. Please, lose my number.

Typing to keep from getting an impulsive and far too short hair cut.

2007-03-14T11:37:00.000-07:00

The weather yesterday? In the 70's. 70. I wore shorts, and rode my bike, and took pictures of crocuses (croci?). Not all at the same time, mind you, but still, it was wonderful. I'm a permagrinning fool. I'm also a pasty fool. I guess it's time to break out the tan-in-a-can. Oh, to have melanin of my own......
How was your Tuesday?

an open letter

2007-02-22T09:31:00.000-08:00

Dear inventor of the windshield washer fluid injector thingy,
I don't love you but, I would like to give you a hug and a cookie.
Crystal

I'm a slacker

2007-02-19T13:37:00.000-08:00

but, you knew that already...

Why is it I can find the time to

Impersonate fictional characters,

make freezer paper stencil t-shirts
and

make and eat crack but, I can't do things I should be doing. I'm gonna go ahead and blame winter. Feh. Maybe I should make a list like Jamelah and Caryn ?

Well, yeah...

2007-02-16T12:38:00.000-08:00

J- They dematerialize when they cover their eyes with their chins.
C- I do that, too!
J- I know.

Fauxstess Cupcakes-a review

2007-01-30T08:50:00.001-08:00

Yum?, originally uploaded by Crystl.

Hey there! I'm still alive. really.

I made the Fauxstess cupcakes (seen above) from Vegan with a Vengeance a few weeks ago. This was sort of a trial run to decide if I should buy Isa's other book. These were very good and, had I spent more time, or followed directions, they also would have been nice to look at. The cake portion is nice and dense and has a wonderful not-too-sweet flavor. The ganache was a bit of a challenge but, I'm used to a more traditional version, or was, until I decided to be vegan. The white frosting for piping really does need to be thick like toothpaste before use. I figured it would thicken when set, and applied it when it was still quite thin, only to find it absorbed into the ganache a few minutes later. I think my only issue with the recipe is the filling. It calls for superfine sugar instead of powdered sugar. I didn't like the grainy texture that the sugar gave to the mixture. I'll definitely make these again.

x o x o

2007-01-28T09:32:00.001-08:00

x o x o, originally uploaded by Crystl.

I heart the interwebs

2007-01-16T10:31:00.000-08:00

Where else can you find things like this:

roses are red
with thorns that are sticky
i like you a lot
cause you are not icky

I may have to steal that for the valentines I'll be making for this

Baby's first abacus

2007-01-09T12:50:00.001-08:00

Baby's first abacus, originally uploaded by Crystl.

test

Yin Yang

2007-01-09T12:30:00.000-08:00

Dear UPS,
You may want to go over some basics with your drivers. Like, say, the difference between a three and a four. I know the three is all curvy and wonderful, and the three that my neighbors have is much shiner (it's new) than the four on my door, but, that doesn't matter when it comes to actual delivery. Work on it, could ya?

Dear Resolutioners,
Thanks for not sucking as much as last year. That whole wiping off your machine thing? Very cool. Go you!

Dear Water Wheels,
I love you. *LOVE*
(o.k., for those of you that may be thinking that I just professed my love for these , water wheels are actually a thing we did in yoga class on saturday. My abs still hurt. It's a good pain.)

That is all.

3/365

2007-01-03T09:27:00.000-08:00

I've joined the 365 day project over at flickr. I'd given it some thought before. I have several contacts that are in the group and every once in a while, I think about doing it. Being the anal, type a person that I am, I decided to put it off until the first of the year. I think it will be good for me. I can be really critical of my photographs in general and pictures of myself specifically. I think it will be good to create a new image every day. In any other project, I would take my time and create a backlog of usable images. Not being able to do that will be a good kick in the pants, methinks. Like, right now, the computer is having USB issues and I can't upload. I've yet to take today's photo and I haven't uploaded yesterday's. Normally, this sort of thing would make me all twitchy. Actually, I'm only three days in, so, I am in fact, all twitchy. But, I can assure you, it will get better. Really, it will. (right after I stop self medicating with commas) So, I give you day one's image with the promise that I will not go completely nuts around day 82 and start doing nudes. I also promise not to criticize myself. I can't tell you how often I cringe at perfectly good photos because they are captioned or tagged with self deprecating words.

Year in Review

2006-12-31T06:52:00.000-08:00

So, here it is, the last day of the year. Lets (like everyone else-I'm nothing if not original) re-cap my 2006.

January
I was cold, a lot.
I thought mean things about all the resolutioners at the gym. Where were they in November, huh?

I took part in Utata's Nocturnal Photographer Project

I celebrated Trogdor's birthday. Anyone know of a good vegan creme brulee?

I spent a lot of time in Utica.

February
I saw some really lame tagging downtown (which was recently renamed "uptown" cause it's fancy)

I found an awesome architectural salvage store downtown.

I found Caleb's favorite new restaurant.

I tortured a grapefruit.

I made play d'oh!

and a play doughnut.

March
I got crafty.

I discovered Neanderthal Spongebob and his rage issues.

I told you what I'm listening to.

April
I exchanged Swaptata photos.

I drove around with a shark and a pirate.

I put out my garden.

I received a swaptata photo from The Pack.

I went to Atlanta. Atlanta, Illinois.

I made, what is now, my favorite pizza.

I received birthday burn cd's from Kim and rakka.

(I still listen to them)

I celebrated rakka's birthday.

I ate my first sno cone of the season.

June
I grew Nasturtiums.

I went on a Thursday walk in Mohomet, and found Seuss-like plants.

I played with toys.

I found out that ROUS's really do exist.

I made homemade "fakeon".

I got sick.

I got the kids their first slip n slide.

July
We had a great view of the fireworks.

I tried a fluffernutter for the first and lat time.

We went swimming.

I got a bike.

I made naan.

This year in review is making me hungry.

I made my top ten stranded on a deserted island songs list.

I drank a lot of iced green tea.

I got sick, for the third time. I had an allergic reaction to the meds and decided that perhaps, I should do something about getting sick. I began a trial vegan diet.

It worked. I'm still vegan.

I took a gross but pretty shot of a bug.

August
I fell in love with the Weepies.

I also fell in love with the lower dells.

I got punny.

I went to Chicago.

I picked my first tomato.

I found my new best friend, or, at least, their car.

I made super yummy vegan pumpkin cookies.

I found some favorite photos on Flickr.

September
I found even more reason to like Esther and Calvo.

I resumed a regular yoga practice.

I made fancy pants vegan vittles.

I showed you my ass.

I did a DILO.

October
I spent a lot of time on the bike trail.

I started baking bread again.

I received my moo cards.

I played with ginger.

I made berbere and Ethiopian food for the first time.

I went to Utica, again.

I took the monkeys trick or treating.

and made a mangolantern.

November
Caleb earned an award. For being quiet.

We had the first fire of the season.

I got this awesome shirt from Bunchofpants.

I had an "incident" with a squirrel.

I decorated my Christmas tree.

I went to my Grandma's house for Thanksgiving.

December
Brrrrrrrrrrr

We had a snowstorm. The store lost power.

I received Edwin. The BEST. PRESENT. EVER.

We went sledding.

Took silly pictures of the kids.

Found cute little bird footprints in the snow.

Made a Decemberween ornament and cookie.

I did the winter solstice DILO-and neglected to post pictures of all of it.

I went to the store and found some yummy (?!!?!?!?!?!) flavored coffee.

Went back to Trevett Finch park in Champaign.

and wrote this year in review.

See you guys next year! I need to go buy some black eyed peas.

I am a genius

2006-12-28T13:59:00.000-08:00

The other morning, post gym but pre coffee, I had a brilliant idea. I was looking at the kid's box of Annie's Bunny Grahams and thought hey, they should make religious snacks for sunday school. They could make little graham cracker men and call them "Billy Grahams". Genius, pure genius.

He's quite the romantic

2006-12-18T07:26:00.000-08:00

They make a two person mitten. It's called the smitten.

That's cute.

Yeah, it's red, and kinda heart shaped and has two openings for the hands.

They could also use it for prisoner transport in the winter.

According to Gifts.com...

2006-12-12T11:49:00.000-08:00

I'm The Natural Woman
"A typical Saturday for The Natural Woman begins at sunrise, when she brews a pot of tea while doing her yoga stretches on the living room floor. Afterwards, she'll hop in her hybrid car to run errands—Whole Foods for organic groceries is usually on the list—before heading to her favorite local hiking trail, nature walk or park to read. In the evenings, she likes getting together with other eco-conscious friends for a powwow on the latest energy crisis or political debate, or to take in an indie film and a vegan meal. Then it's off to bed—the earlier the better—for a good night's sleep.

Famous Example: Jane Goodall, Daryl Hannah, PETA Member"

Let's Stay Together

2006-12-11T10:34:00.000-08:00

You know what I love? When the W burns out on the Walgreen's sign, and instead it says "algreen's". I would probably shop there if it were Al Green's. Just think of the piped in music and the greeting card section. *sigh*

Wrapping paper, Top Chef, and Christmas pictures.

2006-12-08T07:29:00.000-08:00

Dude,have you seen the Space Invader Wrapping Paper??

Bravo sucked me in (and then pissed me off) with Project Runway. Now, they've sucked me in with Top Chef. I'll probably watch Top Design, too.
I was a little disappointed with the last two challenges on TC. I'd like to think that top chefs could do more with fresh, raw food. Maybe they should check this out for inspiration.
Also, why was it so hard for them to create a breakfast without eggs?

Last night, I shot some holiday pictures of the monkeys. I think this is a clear winner:

So much better than jesus bells...

2006-12-05T12:05:00.000-08:00

So, the first Christmas that Sweetie and I shared, came only two months after we began dating. Sweetie, bless his cotton socks, had no idea what to get for me. He sought advice from his mother. She reasoned that, a girl he met at church, would enjoy a church themed present. So, on Christmas morning, I opened a box and found three ceramic jesus bells.
Three. Ceramic. Jesus. Bells.
*ahem*
He more than made up for that this year.
Meet, Edwin:

*sigh*
Isn't he beautiful?!?

Day thirty-two

2006-12-02T09:19:00.000-08:00

It felt weird, to not blog yesterday. Did you miss me?

So, lets talk Treemo...

I have an image on the front page. It's not great but, it's good. The trouble is, if you click on "explore" to see what other people are uploading, you'll see this:

Nice, huh?
*gags*

We had not only snow and ice but, SNOW and ICE. This is what my car looks like:

I went to the grocery store, and it looked like:

I'm going to be staying in, and eating soup. I hope your day will be just as thrilling-if not more so.

It's the last daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay

2006-11-30T07:08:00.000-08:00

Day 30! Well, I did it.

Yesterday, I was wearing shorts *SHORTS*, and today? Sleet turning to snow, which is good, 'cause I like having a nice thick layer of ice underneath snow.

Happy day thirty-have a vegan chocolate chip cookie.

Maybe this should be my New Year's resolution?

2006-11-29T11:00:00.000-08:00

I was in traffic behind a car whose license plates read "ROCK 247" and it dawned on me- I don't rock 24/7. I maybe rock 11/3 but, not 24/7. Maybe, if I put my mind to it, I can get up to 19/5. Yeah, I can do 19/5.

b side

2006-11-29T07:40:00.000-08:00

I * heart* this U2 tape.

28

2006-11-28T06:16:00.000-08:00

Day Twentyseven!

2006-11-27T07:12:00.000-08:00

The end is neeeeaaaaaaar.

So, I'm lounging about on the sofa, when i see a commercial for Lowe's hardware store. It suggests that, to make the holidays more bearable, and lessen the complaining and jabs of in-laws, you make some improvements to your house. This made me wonder, why do people put up with behavior like that? In every other normal healthy adult relationship, you do not complain about and disparage someone's home. At least, not to their face.
We're so programmed that the holidays should be spent with family, no matter what, that we put up with things that we shouldn't.
A few semesters ago, I had an assignment for my Psych course that involved a parent interview. It was Easter weekend and I was really not looking forward to it. If not for wanting to see my siblings and grandmother, and the assigned interview, I would have skipped out on the visit. One of my sisters, a Muslim, wasn't there. She later explained that our mother was disappointed that she didn't show, but, Easter isn't a holiday they celebrate, so why should she be expected to join in the festivities?
This was a major, Ah ha, moment for me. (Oh my god, is that an Oprahism?)It was the first moment that I realized that I'm an adult and can decide how I want my family to spend the holidays.
We spent Thanksgiving with extended family, and Christmas Eve will be spent with "Pop-pop", but Christmas day will be all ours. We will remain in pajamas and eat cinnamon rolls, while opening presents. We will, if there is any, play in the snow. We will make lunch together, and watch DVD's. This is what I want my kids to remember, not the travel, stress, and rushing about.
The Christmas I remember, putting on footie pajamas and lip syncing to The Carpenter's, no longer exists at my Grandmother's house. There have been too many additions to the family, too many changes, to allow those things to continue.
Don't get me wrong, I love visiting with my siblings and my grandmother(and one of my aunts and a handful of cousins and my niece and nephews) but, I don't want to do it out of obligation. And, I don't want to put up with the negativity that seems to seep out of certain relatives. I talk about running, and hear a diatribe about the damage to ones knees. I talk about no longer eating dairy, and hear about how I'm surely ruining my bone density. I marvel at the warm weather, and hear that it's only acting as an incubator for the Flu. Being around that much negativity, is not healthy. If I can, actively lessen it, then why not?
Because everyone else shows up? Because it's expected of me? That's not reason enough.

Day Twentysix

2006-11-26T11:32:00.000-08:00

I was just outside. I was wearing a t-shirt. I wasn't cold. I *heart* this weather. :)

Five more days.................................

2006-11-25T12:15:00.000-08:00

I guess santa and the baby jesus are still a feudin'

Wha????

2006-11-24T05:46:00.000-08:00

I bring a cd player to the gym, for, I am a dinosaur. I use aforementioned cd player to block out the sounds of the piped in music. Occasionally, something will grab my attention, and I'll have to pull off the headphones to make sure I'm hearing what I *think* I'm hearing. Today it was the remake of the song "let's do the twist" by Chubby Checker and The Fat Boys

I'm thankful it didn't explode

2006-11-23T05:48:00.000-08:00

I've done it a million times-set my coffee on the wee little ledge in front of the TV. The wee little ledge that is in really close proximity to the rest of the components. The wee little ledge that isn't *quite* wide enough for my coffee mug. Yesterday I managed to knock over the mug. The majority ended up on me and the carpet...but, a little, just enough to cause a fatality, ended up *in* the receiver. It could be worse. It could have exploded. And, hey, I have a blog entry today. Yeah, me!

Meme!

2006-11-22T08:06:00.001-08:00

Bunchofpants,and Rakka both did this meme. You expect me to resist the meme-y goodness? Gosh, you're silly.

1. Julian Bream- Finale-Toccata
2. Hootie and the Blowfish- I Go Blind *
3. Rachael Yamagata- Be Be My Love
4. The Pogues- Lorca's Novena
5. Beastie Boys- So Whatcha Want
6. Journey- Lovin',Touchin',Squeezin'**
7. Janice Hagan-Why Don't You Do Right?
8. Tool-Sober (acoustic)
9. James Taylor- October Road***
10. Joe Satriani-Cryin' ****
11. Dave Matthews Band-Trippin' Billies
12. Kermit the frog- Rainbow Connection*****

* Okay, so I'm in high school, and I have my very first cd player, ever. (it was a christmas present) I use my babysitting money to sign up for one of those 12 cd's for a penny! mail order dealies. This song was on the "Friends" soundtrack I ordered. It was 1995, I was so very young, and everyone at my school was covered in flannel and moodiness.

** You know you sing along when this is on the radio.

***Confession: I think James Taylor is hot. I'd make out with him.

****There is a story that goes along with this song. A story about doing something for the first time. A story that you will not be hearing (reading?) *blush*

*****This song makes me cry.

The Day before Thanksgiving

2006-11-22T07:02:00.000-08:00

As of today, half of my *total* posts will be from NaBloPoMo.

I had this teacher in high school-Mr. Romer. Every year, on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving break, he would bring in a turkey. A live turkey. The turkey was kept in the back of the classroom. Mr. Romer spent the entire class period encouraging us to feed the turkey, in order to fatten it for the next day's feast. It never occurred to me at the time, but I later figured out, Mr. Romer was a vegetarian. His little show was intended to make us think about where our food came from. I wonder how many kids refused to eat turkey the next day because of Mr. Romer.

AWSUM!

2006-11-21T10:46:00.000-08:00

I need better plates.

focus, composition, proper exposure? This lacks all three!

2006-11-20T09:47:00.000-08:00

I haven't taken any meds for this cold,(I consider the coldeeze to be a dietary supplement)but, my head is still all fuzzy. A fuzzy head that has caused me to ponder things in a rather loopy, round about way. I thought I'd share a few of theses meanderings with you:

1. I know I should never use zinc on an empty stomach. I have orange juice that has zinc *in* it. Can I drink the juice with nothing else and be safe from the rather unpleasant side effects of zinc? The zinc gum supplement warns that I should not consume it within half an hour of ingesting citrus fruits. Does citrus make zinc ineffective? Are the orange juice people blowing smoke up my ass?

2. Is a ribbon too wide to be a string? If a ribbon is too wide, does that mean a thread is too thin? (this thought brought to you by the Utata Iron Photographer project)

3. If I were a macaroni-and-cheese-is-a-vegetable-and-bacon-should-be-used-as-a-garnish-for-everything-type, what vegan dish would I happily consume as a side dish on Thanksgiving?

4. All those people at the grocery store, the ones that appear only at this time of year? What do they eat during the rest of the year? Do they really only cook once a year? How can they pull off a fancy pants multiple course meal for dozens of people when they can't seem to navigate a super market? Is there any money in marketing myself as a Grocery Store Sherpa?

5. As always, there is no number five.

Day Nineteen

2006-11-19T13:28:00.000-08:00

Is anyone else having issues with Flickr and Blogger? They wont play nice for me...