Wednesday, December 26, 2007

Nothing to post

It was a delightful Xmas. The SB was on good behavior. The cat slept soundly and all was right with the world.

I placed my first of what will surely be many seed orders. I am going to try to grow leeks with the hope that neither the deer nor the groundhogs will be interested in them.

The SB and I went to see The Golden Compass last night. Perfectly entertaining. The costumes were great and the BEARS were totally awesome. Can't wait for the next one.

Saturday, December 22, 2007

Christmemetime

Yes, my turn. This comes at exactly the time I am struggling with the holiday season. It isn't my fault though. I have been distracted. THEY used to wait until after January 1. I am distracted..... See, I said that already. I can't stop thinking about springtime now. I used to think the winters were manageable, much of that had to do with the time between when the catalogs arrived and when one could actually plant. They have just extended my winter by at least a week and maybe more. BASTARDS!


1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate?
Hot Chocolate. With the best ever made by the SB from the cream from the top of some un-homogenized milk I bought him. When you could still do that. BASTARDS.

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree?
Wrap. Except for the typewriter I got when I was about 7. Santa left it out with a typed note that said "Thanks for the cookies and milk. Next year, please leave salami and beer."

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white?
Um, colored I think. On the tree. House? I spend enough time on a ladder painting the stinkin' house that I don't feel the need to get on one to decorate. BASTARDS

4. Do you hang mistletoe?
Love the idea. Not so good with the implementation.

5. When do you put your decorations up?
Hopefully before the tree turns to tinder and I pitch it out as a fire hazard.

6. What is your favorite holiday dish?
My mom makes these Parmesan chicken wings.....


7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child.
Hmmm.Keeping my brother up all night because I was too wound up about Santa to sleep? Buttering the popcorn we were using to string for the tree. The year my step dad and mom put boot prints in the ashes in the fireplace? Having the guinea pig select the present opening time (Oh, wait, that still happens....)

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa?
The parents admitted it, but we already knew from kids in school. BASTARDS

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas eve?
Yes, all of them. It means I don't have to get up early on Christmas day.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree?
With a variety of things from jewel tone glass ornaments to beaded fish to plastic bugs

11. Snow! Love it or dread it?
love it, but living on the bus line, I never get out of work for it. BASTARDS

12. Can you ice skate?
A bit. It helps if I go really fast and if there aren't too many obstacles/people.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift?
Nope.

14. What is the most important thing about the Holidays for you?
Being with people I care about and having time to do nothing.

15. What is your favorite Holiday dessert?
Ditto Cho-girl

16. What is your favorite Holiday tradition?
Seeing which crazy stunt my step dad has invented for choosing what time to open presents. My favorites are the ones that involve explosions.

17. What tops your tree?
Um, it has actually been a while since I have decorated a tree. I don't remember.

18. Which do you prefer giving or receiving?
I love giving and I love making things for people. I wish I had more time....

19. What is your favorite Christmas song?
The Drummer boy sticks in my head most often. BASTARD.

20. Candy Canes! Yuck or Yum?
Yum but only with hot chocolate. See #1 above

Monday, December 17, 2007

C's New Dress


And speaking of not sewing for myself - My wee friend C, who lives much too far north in NYC, is my sewing muse. It is for her that I stitch.

The trim for this was lovingly rescued from some garment belonging to one of my mother's cousins. Rescued by my great aunt who lived through the Depression and kept everything forever more stashed in her attic in the event that those dark days might return. Freezers full of food, a pantry full of labeled canned goods, basement full of old and broken appliances, attics full of tiny clothes taken apart and kept for the fabric that might one day have been unavailable. Marge passed away many years ago. Her husband later, but not so recently. Now her children are cleaning the attic. There are some gems, though not so many as you might think.

I was so pleased to be able to find a new home for this vintage trim that has been so long at the ready.

Sunday, December 16, 2007

Sunday

Have I mentioned that I am often cranky on Sundays. So it is today. Too many obligations. Anywhoo. I made cookies for our annual neighborhood cookie swap and wrapping party. The 'hood adopts a family and we get together and wrap the gifts and exchange cookies. I made Cinnamon Nutmeg Cookies from Sweet Maria's Italian Cookie Tray cookbook. Being physically unable to not mess with a recipe, I added a 1/4 t. baking powder to the recipe. Cream 1 cup sugar, 3 oz cream cheese and 1 cup of sugar. Add one egg yolk and mix. Slowly add 2 1/2 cups flour (and baking powder if you wish) until combined (don't over mix). Make dough into 1 inch balls and roll in a mixture of 1/4 c. sugar, 1 t. cinnamon and 1 t. nutmeg then mash lightly to flatten just a bit. Bake at 375 for about 10 minutes.

While I was doing that, I decided to embark again on my quest for a decent chai recipe. I got a start from a friend who makes it so often, she doesn't really have a recipe - she just throws it together. I have a way to go, but today's was pretty good. I need to mash some of the cardamom I think. I'll post that when I get a little closer.

Oh, and I had company.

Saturday, December 15, 2007

Old Dogs

So I learned something today. It seems rare that I actually ever learn anything that changes my day to day life, but today, I did. Actually, perhaps it was just today that I internalized it. I had learned of it more than ten years ago. I had just never tried it.

What is it? Beeswax on sewing thread to keep it from tangling. I even had the beeswax from a million years ago but had never pulled it out. Today was the day. What a difference. No tangled thread. No accidental knotting. Um, remind me why I ignore all this advice from people who sew much more than I do... I think it is because I am an idiot.

I think how much pain and suffering this could have saved on the Stinking Dress Project. I weep to think of it.

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Free Time

The SB wings through town tomorrow for a night and then on to Maryland for work, then finally home on the 23rd. In no mood for Christmas I suspect. But seein' how he is flat broke, work is a good thing. I will just have to pine for his company a little longer. On the positive side, I have more time to work on Christmas presents.

Monday, December 10, 2007

For Me.



Because I usually sew for other people, I decided I should do something for myself. So, for the office holiday party this year, I tarted up my "little black dress" with some fun trim from my stash. Saved myself a little $$ with the renovation - which you have to appreciate at Christmastime. Here are some photos. I wore the dress with my favorite black Anne Klein shoes. The ones that make my ankles look super. I love them and they cripple me. Normally, I am a strictly Dansko girl. For these, I make an exception.

Sunday, December 9, 2007

Meme

Meme from cho-girl (with commentary)

Elsie likes to climb on thinks & can jump over a baby gate (well, it has been a long time, but I used to be able to clear a baby gate in a single bound)
Elsie likes to say that the work was done with great joy (I LIKE to say it, I rarely get the opportunity being an honest person)
Elsie likes to "Gimme five!!!" (that has been a while too, say since somewhere around 1975)
Elsie likes to keep her room clean and tidy. (Um, clearly the internets has some sense of humor as well as knowing all....)
Elsie likes to travel when holidays come around. (Not. I am looking forward to not leaving the house for 3 days at least.)

Here with the real name....

laura likes to pee in urinals. (I swear this is the first one that came up...I don't want to go anywhere near a urinal, especially with my pants down.)
Laura Likes to Eat (now we are talkin')
Laura likes to try and put a bit of a twist on things by experimenting (usually it is more in the vein of desperation when I experiment)
Laura likes to range about the high desert (I am sure I would like this)
Laura likes to begin each project with an information-gathering session (I luvs me some research! It is the doing something with all that info that usually throws me.)

And with that, I am off todays project of writing a paper for which I have done much research of questionable relevence a long time ago. cheers.

Saturday, December 8, 2007

Light at the End of the Tunnel

So, I completed exactly one of the three assignments I have to do for my class, all of which are due Monday. Remarkably, I am feeling pretty chippr about it even though I know that tomorrow is going to be miserable. Just knowing there is an end is remarkably freeing. Sort of like opening night at the theater. Ready or not, it arrives and you go on stage, or cower backstage like me.

And speaking of theater, the dress debuted last night in a Little Night Music. I can't wait to see it in action. Here is a poor photo. It is darned cute on the little cutie that wears it. And she likes it, which is nice. Not everyone loves their costumes in a show. I know that probably comes as a shocker to you ....


And in celebration of finishing one of my papers and having successfully finished the Stinking Dress Project (as it became to be know wen it ran over schedule by more than a week) I made Pumpkin Bread out of an old and familiar and wonderful book called World of Breads. Of course I have modified it some, so here is my version....

Mix 1/2 c. of melted butter with 1 1/2 cups of brown and white sugar and 1 3/4 cup of mashed cooked pumpkin. Add three eggs, a teaspoon of cinnamon, a teaspoon of salt. Add the finely grated rind of one lemon and some shredded fresh ginger (about 1.5 inches) Sift together 3.5 cups of all purpose flour and 1.5 cups of fine cornmeal and 2 tablespoons of baking powder. Mix it together with the wet ingredients, adding milk or condensed milk if it is too dry. Pour it into two loaf pans, let it sit for 20 minutes then bake at 350 until done. It is pretty tasty. It would likely have been puffier if I had left out the cornmeal, but I thought corn and pumpkin would be a nice American bread.

Sunday, December 2, 2007

Hatching a Plan

So, there are a number of women in my circle of fiends that have mentioned an interest in having chickens. I mentioned this to one of my fiends that I see less often than others, she is the very lovely, very talented and (currently) very pregnant JD - actress, maker of lamps and donuts and home schoolin' mama.

Over a delightful dinner of veggies and lamb, we hatched something of a plan.... The Chick Collective. Since what stands in the way of many a chick and her chickens is a coop (and a lack of expertise, money or a man to build one), we thought that it might work to have a collective where we get together and help each other build our own .... No waiting around for Mr. Fix it to be coerced or hired. Besides... If we all had basically the same design, we could go in on larger material and chicken orders. We could do some spring/summer "coop raisings" like the old fashioned barn raisings.... But with more wine at the end. JD is also an electrician, and might could wire the houses with light bulbs for cold weather and early mornings.

I saw Cho-girl this morning. I think she is interested. We talked about teeny camisole tops with Chickens on them for participants. And I thought of a tag line while driving around this morning... C'ville Chick Collective. "She's got eggs, and she knows how to use them" (from the song by ZZ Top)

Anyone want to throw in her hat?

We have a few folks in the neighborhood here with chickens. I am happy to report they are fat and happy.

Saturday, December 1, 2007

Learning a Few Things

So I started this project to challenge myself and to increase my skill level. The dress was supposed to be done last Sunday. I am REALLY hoping to be done tomorrow night sometime. I am hoping before the crack of dawn. I have class Monday and work the rest of the week and 2 papers to write and blah blah blah.

Of course, I began in the typical fashion by procrastinating. Getting scared that I couldn't do it and procrastinating more. Then I proceeded to dive in with an unrealistic expectation of the amount of time it would take. And with out the skills necessary (this was accompanied by shamefully frequent trips to the fridge to distract myself from the horror of my situation). I contemplated leaving a bag of half stitched crap-ola on the doorstep of the costume shop, ringing the doorbell (figuratively) and running. (Of course this was a VERY fleeting thought, bred of panic and despair)

Finally I showed up at the theatre where people assured me I was well on my way. They had faith that I could pull this off. Perhaps the sensed my willingness to bolt and were covering their own butts so that they didn't have to pick up the pieces. Whatever was happening, they managed to smoothly draw me back into the fold. Not by lying and telling me that that the was beautiful, but simply showing faith. You'll figure out how to make the seams lay flat on that cheap bridal satin. You'll figure out how to make it look like an elegant turn of the century party dress despite the flaws. You will figure it out. There was a lot of expertise. Some solid suggestions, some shaking of heads.... Yeah, that fabric looks great but it really sucks to work with (no, it wasn't solely my incompetence.

I don't believe that I will actually clear all the hurdles, but I do believe that I will be done at some point in the very near future and that the dress will appear in the show and that I will see more of the flaws than 90% of the audience. I will post pictures soon.

Saturday, November 24, 2007

Remiss

I have been remiss about this blog thing... But, the SB was in town for a few days for the holiday so I decided to spend as much time with him as possible. Last Sunday was beautiful and we spent the whole day in the garden planting, mowing and moving things. I planted some pincushion flowers and snap dragons that I started from seeds earlier. We went to dinner, ran into friends and made Thanksgiving dinner for 10 guests. I made the best turkey EVAR. Mom picked it up at Whole Foods and it was a real USDA organic thing. It was expensive, but out of this world great. I don't usually like turkey. I have to say the biggest hit were the chickpeas my friend from Bangladesh brought as an appetizer. They were spicy and mixed with potatoes and maybe a little spinach and we mixed them with puffed rice for crunch. I am definitely going to have to try this and I will post the recipe if I figure it out. I had asked for something festive and this is something she and her family eat often to break the day long fasts during Ramadan.

The SB left yesterday for DC with our friend and former C'villian D for fun and to check out a program in Alexandria where he might spend next year, or possibly some of the next doing an architectural internship.

So I am here, and I have to catch up on my dress project. I did a little work last night, but .... Today and Sunday are devoted. Except that I have to babysit today.

Sunday, November 11, 2007

Cranky

Man I am crank-ola. I forgot that I get this way when the weather gets cold. I resent the fact that I have to work tomorrow and especially that I have to think TODAY about having to work tomorrow. Blah. Add on top this is the very busiest time of the year for me at work and I have a presentation to give for my class tomorrow night. The entire week is full of things that I have to do. Mind you many of them are fun, but I need to plan some unplanned time where I can just mess around and get ready for the return of the SB this weekend sometime. And figure out what I am going to make for Thanksgiving dinner, and what I am going to get everyone for Christmas and when exactly I am going to do my Christmas shopping not to mention the 40 things I want to make for people.


I think there is a bit of an issue of expectation. In my dreams it is possible for me to have a house that is clean, debris free and infinitely inviting while working full time, taking classes and volunteering for the neighborhood association and the theatre. I can manage to make all my own meals thriftily and with joy and love. I don't throw away vegetables that have rotted in the fridge while I grab slices of pizza and dumplings on the run.... I make all the gifts I give to my loved ones from thrift store finds and scraps of broom straw and they are cherished by those who receive them. My garden is an oasis that blooms on all but the two coldest days of the year in a miraculous profusion of color and without unwanted grass and weeds. In my dream world I am fiscally responsible and purchase only those things that I know I need and want and will use to make my daily life more enjoyable and more productive. I help the SB begin paying off his school loans before he ever graduates. I am able to scratch everything off my to do list. In short, in my dream world I am a mixture of my mother, Martha Stewart and Alan Greenspan.

Saturday, November 10, 2007

Muddled

So my computer has been acting up lately and making everything more difficult that is strictly necessary. Anywhoo... If you have been wondering about the dress, it is coming slowly. I am afraid to do too much in fits and starts because I might forget how it is put together and never get it right. But, I have taken the bodice off of the skirt which including some ripping of seams and some ripping of material...

Between the bodice and the skirt (and also where the sleeves join the body) there is/was a folded ribbon. Looks like it had both a decorative purpose (like adding piping between the pieces) as well as providing some structure and support in areas that are vulnerable to stresses (bending at the waist, moving the arms about.) Pretty darned elegant and clever.

The bodice is lined with muslin to support the silk and provide some heft to the material. Without it, the top would be quite clingy and thin.... and perhaps a wee bit too revealing for the time.



I am taking apart the skirt now. Tearing out rows of machine stitching and finding the hand basting stitches below. I will be taking notes. This thing has a really interesting construction. What you see below is the front and right side. It is all one piece with some pleats. The back and left side are at least 2 other panels, maybe 3. It isn't symmetrical at all. Curiouser and curiouser.



I have this horrible fear that this will be like the Chinese Boxing Phenomenon.... Some how the Chinese have an additional dimension that they pack products in and then put them through some kind of portal. The result is the total impossibility of repacking anything packed this way back into the box in which it came. Unless you find the portal. Let me know how that goes. I would be interested in finding it so that I could pack all of my fabric and yarn into a couple of shoe boxes and make some space in my sewing room.

Saturday, November 3, 2007

Project

So, I have signed on for another project at my local community theatre. Not a huge one in the overall scheme of things, but one that will be a challenge for my wee skill set. And, as it coincides with another project that I have to do for my Survey Research Class, it will be a challenge for my time as well. No visits to the SB between now and Thanksgiving... That is most certain.

I thought I would blog about the project. Pictures, techniques, etc. But you can't tell anyone I am doing it...It might ruin the magic of the theatre somehow to see the costume in advance of the performance. So mum is the word friends. Mum. Is. The. Word.

Below is Point A.




Stay tuned.

Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Monday, October 22, 2007

I Has.....


Pumpkins! These came from the local farmers market. The big one is a Cinderella pumpkin - of French origin - I believe it is Musque de Provence (and I found this excellent resource for heirloom squash while I was at it...). The other is a Long Island Cheese Wheel or "milk pumpkin" and is supposed to be excellent for pies. I think they are both excellent for decoration, until I eat them.

Saturday, October 20, 2007

Tuesday, October 9, 2007

Spanish Love Song

My department is paying for Spanish lessons for some of the staff who want to take them. I figure one day me and the SB are going to go to Peru, so I will take whatever I can get. My Spanish professora has sent us the following link. I hope one day to know this many words...

Thursday, October 4, 2007

Waterin'

It is currently illegal in the ville to water plants with a hose due to our friendly neighborhood drought. My lovely, irreplaceable and expensive shrubbery are suffering. So I came up with a grand idea of punching little holes in the bottoms of my 5 gallon buckets with a nail set and a hammer. I pour water in the buckets and it slowly leaks out right next to the plant I am trying to resusscitate. It works pretty well but is slooooowww. I had been trying to water by pouring water on the ground but it is so dry the water just ran off. This is working much better.

My Sweet Baboo (SB) comes home for the weekend tomorrow. There will be much debauchery in the ville. Well, as much debauchery as can be had by a bunch of geezers anyway.

Sunday, September 30, 2007

Progress

It has been a bit of a busy week. Class and babysitting all week until Papa took me to dinner at Mono Loco on Friday and then i took him to see The Clean House at Live Arts. A very enjoyable evening all in all. Saturday I did a little shopping at the boutique (I bought a black wool suit and a summer skirt) and then went to Tractor Supply to get parts to fix my weedeater. Nothing complicated, just replacing the stupid bolt I lost last weekend and doing a little cheating by purchasing the pre-wound spool of trimmer twine..... I am afraid I am hooked (I spent about 40 minutes last weekend trying to wind the spool. I felt like Sisiphus as every time I got it almost done, I would drop the spool and it would entirely unwind.....)

Then more babystiting and some knitting. GAD, I am SO dull. I am working on a pattern for a shawl and I want to change the boarder, so I am trying to speed through the boring part and then try out this idea. Theoretically it will work, but......

Today I made chicken soup and dill bread and scraped a windowsill and then realized I don't have the sticky sandpaper to put on the vibrating sander that I use for prep, so I stopped pursuing the painting and did some weedeating (or more correctly, string trimming). In addition to losing the bolt the last time I did the string trimming, I also got poison ivy all over my chest. I got into a big patch of it and I washed the exposed skin well, but apparently some of the oils went through my shirt or were otherwise deposited on my skin. Luckily, I am not so allergic. I was only miserable for a couple of days. This time I put liquid soap all over me before getting in the shower. Crossing my fingers and hoping for the best.

For the Chicken Soup, I started with a whole lotta backs and necks and then took those out and added a whole chicken and some random potatoes and garlic and some onion. Cooked that for a couple hours then removed all the solid stuff and boiled celery and carrot and potato in the stock with some thyme and black pepper and then added the chicken in when that was all cooked. Yummers. Simple and delectable, the way I like it.

Sunday, September 23, 2007

Zuppa

I promise to one day post a picture. right now it all seems too great an undertaking though I will do just abut anything to avoid my statistics homework. This class is kicking my butt. Hard. I feel like I stepped off a cliff day one and am just waiting to hit the ground. Hard.

In avoiding stats, I made potato soup yesterday. I ran into my friend /neighbor Dr. H (he is a doctor of food. A chef. The guy that makes simple and delicious simple and fantastic) at the health food store Friday. He mentioned the lovely leeks. I agreed and bought some to go with the plethora of potatoes that I have been getting with my vegetable subscription.

Yesterday I made the simple delicious soup of leek and potato. Saute two washed and sliced leeks with 3 cloves of garlic and a big chunk of butter and a bay leave or two. Cut up 4-5 large potatoes. If the skins are thin I leave them on, if not, I peel them. I prefer yukon gold, but anything will do. Throw the taters in the pot and fill it up with chicken or veggie stock to about a half inch over the vegetables. Simmer until soft. You can either mash or puree or some of both. Then add some whole milk/half and half/whipping cream/creme fraiche - maybe half to three quarters of a cup and a big dollop of plain yogurt to add some tang. Serve hot or cold, with some parsley if you like or bacon if ya got it. Sooooo remarkably easy!!

Monday, September 17, 2007

Weekend of Domesticity

I headed to Blacksburg this weekend to see my Sweet Baboo. We didn't do much of anything, but had a nice domestic weekend. Friday we made stew from a chicken that SB had made in his crock pot and had a neighbor over for a late dinner. Simple chicken noodle soup and delicious bread from Albemarle Baking Company. This was just a chicken cooked with onion and bay and carrot. When I reheated it with some potato chunks added and then poured it over cooked noodles. Simple. Delish. Bread and butter really made it more wonderful. Also we managed to hit on a nice chilly night.

The next night I made a pasta with bacon, winter squash and fresh spinach over pasta. I cooked the bacon while I was baking the squash. Then I poured out most of the bacon grease (OK, some of the bacon grease) and added onion, cubes of cooked squash, some water from the cooking pasta. AT the end, I piled a bunch of fresh spinach on top of the cooking squash and let it wilt. I chopped a few pieces of bacon and folded it in. This got poured over pasts and we had butter lettuce and fresh tomato salad and fresh bread and butter.

The next morning it was leftover squash /spinach/onion/cheese omelet with wheat toast and lots and lots of coffee.

Cooking just isn't much fun by myself. Anyone up for food swapping? I make a big pan of lasagne and you make some chili and we swap? Anyone?

Monday, September 10, 2007

Blog for Peace Damnit

I joined. And not just because Starrhillgirl said so, though that would, of course, be reason enough ....

Sunday, September 9, 2007

Popcorn

OK, here goes. I feel like sort of an impostor here since I don't really do that much popcorn...Cho-girl and Starrhillgirl are both pros....

Microwave or pan-popped?
Microwave.... I like pan popped better, but I am lazy.

Dinner or snack?
Snack. To keep me from ordering a 16 inch pepperoni pizza as a snack.

Sweet or savory?
Savory although the occasional carmel corn is not unappreciated.

Eat out of a bowl, bag, or out of the pan?
The bag when I don't burn it. A bowl when I do so that I can sift out the smoking clods of blackened corn and put them on the porch so as not to set off the smoke alarm.

All popped or leave some kernels?
Usually they are all pretty well popped by the time it starts smoking.

During a movie, would you throw it or do you prefer to make out?
Depends on if you are at home or in the theater. That seat arm is a little awkward.

What is the weirdest thing you have put on your popcorn?
I am a traditionalist. I don't do weird popcorn.

What's the best popcorn addition experiment that worked out well?
When I was a kid, we made it in this great steel wok. It never burned that way. But then again, my dad was cooking it.

Who do you share your popcorn moments with?
The SB (Sweet Baboo) and my walkin' buddy P.

Dry

Man it is dry out there. The Ville is under water restrictions. Plants are going belly up left and right. The garden is a desert. The creek is dry. It is all very demoralizing. I keep checking the weather and we get promises of rain which then are withdrawn 2-3 days before they are to materialize. They are calling for it tomorrow afternoon. Earlier it looked like rain all week, now it is just a couple of days. At least it will be cooler.

I hate this. It makes me feel panic-y. Not just because we have lots of precious shrubs and plants that will die, but that we seem to be getting more and more droughts and things don't seem to be changing. People still take long showers, run tiny loads of dishes and laundry, and expect there to be water every time they turn the tap. It won't last, but we seem to be in the same denial that we are with oil.

Shocking.

Tuesday, September 4, 2007

Monday

Labor Day. I celebrated by doing as little labor as possible. My sis in law and I went to Joann's which was a mob scene of people buying Halloween stuff. Huh? It's like two months away, dude. Isn't the fun racing around at the last second trying to find a costume? But perhaps this is the reason people always ask me what I am supposed to be. I hate Halloween especially for this reason.

Also, at Joann's, there was wrapping paper. That would be Christmas wrapping paper, people. I am not kidding. It made me want to hide. Hide my checkbook anyway.

Today I started by Survey Research Class at UVA. I haven't applied to the program yet, but I have been merrily taking classes in program evaluation, research and statistics. Well, not merrily taking statistics but.....What is keeping me from applying... one stinkin' essay that I can't seem to get on the schedule. I am such a loser.

To combat my guilt from not doing what I was supposed to this weekend (you remember the "paint the house thing?) I have allayed my guilt by coming up with another project. Which I need like a hole in the head. I want to get the neighborhood involved in the Red Scarf Project. I think we have a couple of knitters around, and it would be a nice way to ease into the holiday season . Last year we sponsored a family and did a cookie exchange. I hope to be able to do that again, too.

With all the CRAP that happens in the neighborhood, I think it is nice to be able to forget our differences and come together to support folks who are less fortunate. I think it makes us remember how lucky we are to live in such a lovely and remarkable place.

Sunday, September 2, 2007

Step Away from The Man

On my good days, I torture myself over the choices I make daily, like buying lunch that comes in a disposable container, buying cheap yarn off the internet instead of visiting my local yarn shop, and drinking WAY too much seltzer water in plastic containers. I think it was about this time last year I was trying to start buying more stuff locally, even if it wasn't locally produced. You know, buying from the little guy instead of conglomerates like Giant and Food Lion (you know, The Man). I had success for a while, then went back to my old ways. Well, I am trying again.

My big success in my last round was getting fed up with all those yogurt containers that aren't recyclable. I bought a yogurt maker from Amazon (yes, Amazon is also The Man) and since then have made 95% of my yogurt. It is awesome and I love it. This time around, I have purchased a soda siphon. Yup. My very own homemade club soda- no bottle disposal required.

Now if I can just find a local purveyor of ground beef who is open on Sundays....

Saturday, September 1, 2007

CANNOT Believe This

How many times must one make the same mistake before one learns one's lesson? I cannot tell you how many times I have done this particular thing. The fact that it is simply more than one is mortifying enough. If I gave you the actual number you would laugh. Unless you had done it too. Then you would shake your head and say "Yeah, I did that once" and tactfully not stress the ONCE.

Once AGAIN, I have assembled a pair of pants I am making incorrectly. Sewing front leg to front leg, back leg to back leg down the inside seam. This is no big deal, other than I have made this particular annoying mistake soooooo many times. I will begin ripping as soon as I have a glass of wine.

Friday, August 31, 2007

Count me in

So, here I am. I used to be here where most excellent bro was recreating the wheel for fun and profit (see his first post - or thereabouts). Thanks for the good times. But now I won't have to hassle you guys to post my photos. Besides, everyone is doing it. Check out cho-girl and starrhillgirl.

As usual, my weekend list of things to do is so long that I can hardly look at it. It includes things like "buy milk" and "paint the house" - you see wherein lies (lays?) the problem. A girl could be completely overwhelmed by that tiny piece of the list. And that doesn't include some of the more interesting endeavors... or even the appealing ones.... Like removing the graffiti from the historic stone train underpass (a process I am going to be edu-ma-cated about - on the job training - it has something to do with a "poultice") and having my foot henna-ed. Things that MUST happen in the next three days for various and sundry reasons. Add to that the MOWING of the LAWN, by which I mean a portion of the lawn that has probably not been mowed for most of the summer. At least the weather should be nice - which makes it both better and worse. Who wants to work when the weather is beautiful? Who wants to work when the weather is bad? You see wherein lies (lays?) the problem.