Omnivore's dilemma...

Here’s what I want you to do:

1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) italicize any items that you would never consider eating.

The VGT Omnivore’s Hundred:

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos Rancheros
4. Steak Tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9.Borscht
10.Baba Gahnoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13.PB&J Sandwich
14. Aloo Gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom Tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie Gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna Cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken Tikka Masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly Pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S'mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggins
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. lapsang souchong
80. bellini
81. tom yum
82. eggs benedict
83. pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant.
85. kobe beef
86. Hare
87. goulash
88. flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. lobster thermidor
98. polenta
99. Jamaican blue mountain coffee
100. Snake

turkey lurkey doo...

so I can't forget it for next year, here's this years turkey recipe!

Brine:
Kosher salt
2 bay leaves
1 can chicken stock
brown sugar
maple syrup (the real shit, not the fake corn syrup stuff)

dissolve everything in hot water in the bottom of a cooler. I usually do this with the cooler sitting right in the bathtub. If you're going to do this, warn the other inhabitants of your house that the shower will be out of commission for 24 hours or so...

Add cold water and ice, enough to make the water very cold, and add the turkey. close the lid and leave it alone! I usually check the ice right before bed, add more if needed, and call it a night.

Next morning, drain the turkey, and rub with:
1 stick softened unsalted butter
kosher salt
dried thyme
dried sage
cracked pepper

rub under the skin, in the cavity, and outside the skin.

bake at 425 for 40 minutes, then 375 for an hour and a half or so, covered with tinfoil. (note, this is all for a 12 lb turkey)

let rest for about 20 minutes, or until you've finished the sides that you couldn't be bothered doing earlier because you were too busy stuffing your face and watching movies.

one fish, two fish...

baked stuffed fish! (and there's way more than 2 kinds of seafood involved here...which is part of what makes it so damned good. Almost nothing remotely healthy about the stuff, but who gives a damn!)

Enter, dad's baked stuffed fish recipe, immortalized for all time on the intarwebs. And seriously, this shit's GOOD. He came up with the recipe basically by himself, with a little help from me, which makes it even more impressive, given the fact that he almost NEVER cooked unless it involved fire or clubbing a fish to death on the side of the boat when i was a kid...so. here' goes:

Stuffing:
1 can cream of celery soup
2 sleeves ritz crackers, smashed within an inch of their buttery, flaky little lives
1/2# crabmeat (frozen is fine, imitation is NOT)
1/2#scallops, cut up into smallish pieces
1/2# shrimp, cut into smallish pieces (I usually use native Maine shrimp..the teeny guys usually used in popcorn shrimp)
1 stick butter, melted
parsley (if you want/remember)
garlic powder
onion powder
(these last 2 are to taste...i usually use a quarter teaspoon each or so...As for the garlic, dad and I have discussed the merits of using the new Ritz garlic and butter crackers, but so far have stuck with the original)

Mix everything together (I usually just dive in with both hands...works best. Oh, but put your fish in the baking pan first, then you can just scoop the filling right on top!)
As for the fish, I usually go for whichever sturdy white fish is on sale (9 times out of 10, it's haddock. you can use cod if you want, I just always use haddock...I tend to have it on hand for chowder most of the time anyway, so...), about a pound to a pound and a half of it, depending on how many people you're trying to feed...
Place the fish in the bottom of a baking dish, scoop the stuffing on top. Yes, you'll notice there's a hell of a lot more stuffing than fish. that's the plan. All of this will fit rather nicely in an 8x8 baking pan. Bake covered at 350 for about 40 minutes, then uncovered for another 15-20 or so. the boy likes it paired with some steamed broccoli, I like it with a little salad. Either way, delicious!

non-dairy potato leek soup

so after going to the last Portsmouth farmer's market of the year, I was struck by a craving for potato leek soup. I can't ever have it without making it myself, because most places put milk or heavy cream in it, and dairy and I just aren't friends. So I bought some potatoes and leeks, and made my own. It's a riff off of a friend from high school's mother's AMAZING potato leek soup...it's nothing close to hers, but tasty nonetheless, with good texture and flavor. here it is!

2 smallish leeks, washed and cut into half moons (thin-ish)
2T unsalted butter
1lb white potatoes, cut into half moons (skin on) (again, thin-ish)
1 1/2c water
2c chicken stock (you can use vegetable to go vegetarian with this)
salt and pepper to taste

soften the leeks in the butter, let them caramelize a teeny bit. add water and stock, let come back up to heat, add potatoes (it was just over 4 cups sliced, all told). Allow to simmer until potatoes are soft. Take the potato masher to the whole mess, and slightly break up the potatoes. Then beat the tar out of about a cup and a half of the potatoes. Add the mashed potato mixture back to the pot, stir. Add salt and pepper. Voila! non-dairy potato leek soup! I like mine kind of chunky, so i didn't smash the potatoes too much. if you like it smoother, puree or just smash more!

recently heard at home...

while discussing the fact that my beloved UMass minutemen TROUNCED Providence College in hockey this weekend...

me: UMass TOTALLY had their number this weekend!
him: If they had their number, they should have called them and told them to show up for the game!

*sigh* and that's why I love him!

Rhinebeck Recap

So, this past weekend was the New York Sheep and Wool festival, affectionately known by yarnies and fiber freaks the world over simply as Rhinebeck. 7am Saturday morning found Kate and I, yarn, overnight bags, and baked goodies packed in the minivan and headed for upstate NY. A mere 3.5 hours later, with one misdirection (Google Maps epically fails at saying which direction to go off of exit ramps where you have a choice. Seriously.)
Saturday we were entertained by the bathroom attendant (seriously, she was awesome. But it's VERY hard to pee while giggling. I'm just saying.), went to the Ravelry meetup (met the lovely Jesh, IslandGirl, and ZantiMissKnit (and Mr. Zanti!), bought some yarn and my first spindle and roving (yes, I've gone over to the dark side!). Saturday night found us at the Ravelry party at the Elks Club (fun, but COLD) and dinner with Barb and her mom.
Sunday morning we grabbed breakfast at a local diner, then headed back to the fairgrounds where we lasted all of about 2 hours. Tired and overstimulated, we grabbed lunch (Kate had fried artichokes and I had awesome pierogi) and headed home.
Pics of new goodies and people we met in real life to be added later...

courtesy Tim Robbins

"I just want a smart person to run this country!"

A-effing-men.

Farmer's market chili

So today K and I took the kids to drop stuff of at a friend's, go shopping for winter coats, and lay siege to the Portsmouth Farmer's Market. Among other tasty things picked up, I got half a peck of macintosh apples, potatoes, corn, tomatoes, peppers, onions and garlic. The vegetables (except potatoes) went into chili, the recipe for which is being posted here for posterity (and so I can make it again!)

1/2 an anaheim chile (don't get any ideas and put the whole one in...it's quite hot when you do!)
1 sm red onion, diced
1 red pepper, diced
1 green pepper, diced
7 or so smallish beefsteak tomatoes, diced
1 ear of corn, cut off the cob (i picked up butter and sugar corn today..yum!)
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 chicken breast, cut into small pieces
1 small can tomato paste
cumin
red pepper flake
Worcestershire sauce
salt
pepper

sweat the onions and peppers in 2T vegetable oil. add garlic, tomatoes, corn and beans. Add tomato paste. Add spices (a dash of worcestershire, about a teaspoon of salt, a few grinds of pepper, a few shakes of pepper flake, and a little cumin (i didn't measure, just kind of dumped in). add chicken, and stir everything together. let simmer on low (very low!) for a little over an hour. Done!

More fun with music!

Thieved from the lovely Jamie Sue!

Here's how to "play" along!

1. Put your i pod on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. You must write that song name down & the artist, no matter how silly it sounds.


IF SOMEONE SAYS "IS THIS OKAY" YOU SAY?
Lucy in the sky with diamonds - Bono

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOURSELF?
Dancing Nancies - Dave Matthews Band

HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY?
Feel - Rustic Overtones

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE?
Walkin on Sunshine - Me First and the Gimme Gimmes

WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
Happiness is a Warm Gun - Joe Anderson (dear lord, I hope not!)

WHAT DO YOU OFTEN THINK ABOUT?
Think - Aretha Franklin

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LOVE?
Army - Ben Folds (huh??)

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
Sleep All Day - Jason Mraz

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
Man It's So Loud in Here - They Might be Giants

WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LOVE?
Run - AIR (again, I hope not!)

WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
Shit Towne - Live

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST FEAR?
When the War Came - The Decemberists (eerily true)

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?
One of These Things First - Nick Drake

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
Clubbed To Death - Rob D (only in that we always played this at the Whately diner!)

WHAT DID YOU SEE OUT YOUR WINDOW TODAY?
I was Wrong - Social Distortion

WHAT MOTIVATES YOU?
Jimi Thing - Dave Matthews

WHAT DO YOU DREAM ABOUT?
Chelsea Dagger - The Fratellis

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR HIGH SCHOOL YEARS?
Kolapot - Amiina

WHAT ARE YOUR HOPES FOR THE FUTURE?
Rainbow Connection - Me First and the Gimme Gimmes

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THE WAY YOU LOOK?
I Will Follow You Into the Dark - Death Cab for Cutie

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF YOUR BLOG?
The Island - Come and See - The Decemberists

WHAT GOAL ARE YOU CURRENTLY WORKING ON?
Winding Road - Bonnie Somerville

WHAT WILL THE TITLE OF THIS POST BE?
Selfish Man - Flogging Molly


Gee, I was hoping for a little Dr.Horrible's Sing-A-Long Blog in there somewhere!

Music meme!

Stolen from the lovely Trillian42

The rules:

A.) Go to musicoutfitters.com
B.) Enter the year you graduated from high school in the search function and get the list of 100 most popular songs of that year
C.) Bold the songs you like, strike through the ones you hate and underline your favorite. Do nothing to the ones you don’t remember (or don’t care about)

(eta: I have to use colors for mine...stupid blogger. So blue for ones I liked, orange for hate, and green for favorite. )

(eta again: damn the music when I was in high school was total shit. Realistically most of this list should be orange. I'm just lazy. )

1. Candle In The Wind 1997, Elton John
2. Foolish Games/You Were Meant For Me, Jewel
3. I'll Be Missing You, Puff Daddy and Faith Evans
4. Un-Break My Heart, Toni Braxton
5. Can't Nobody Hold Me Down, Puff Daddy
6. I Believe I Can Fly, R. Kelly
7. Don't Let Go (Love), En Vogue
8. Return Of The Mack, Mark Morrison
9. How Do I Live, LeAnn Rimes
10. Wannabe, Spice Girls
11. Quit Playing Games (With My Heart), Backstreet Boys
12. MMMBop, Hanson
13. For You I Will, Monica
14. You Make Me Wanna..., Usher
15. Bitch, Meredith Brooks
16. Nobody Keith Sweat
17. Semi-Charmed Life, Third Eye Blind
18. Barely Breathing, Duncan Sheik
19. Hard To Say I'm Sorry, Az Yet Featuring Peter Cetera
20. Mo Money Mo Problems, Notorious B.I.G.
21. The Freshmen, Verve Pipe
22. I Want You, Savage Garden
23. No Diggity, BLACKstreet Featuring Dr. Dre
24. I Belong To You (Every Time I See Your Face), Rome
25. Hypnotize, Notorious B.I.G.
26. Every Time I Close My Eyes, Babyface
27. In My Bed, Dru Hill
28. Say You'll Be There, Spice Girls
29. Do You Know (What It Takes), Robyn
30. 4 Seasons Of Loneliness, Boyz II Men
31. G.H.E.T.T.O.U.T., Changing Faces
32. Honey, Mariah Carey
33. I Believe In You And Me, Whitney Houston
34. Da' Dip, Freaknasty
35. 2 Become 1, Spice Girls
36. All For You, Sister Hazel
37. Cupid, 112
38. Where Have All The Cowboys Gone?, Paula Cole
39. Sunny Came Home, Shawn Colvin
40. It's Your Love, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill
41. Ooh Aah... Just A Little Bit, Gina G
42. Mouth, Merril Bainbridge
43. All Cried Out, Allure Featuring 112
44. I'm Still In Love With You, New Edition
45. Invisible Man, 98 Degrees
46. Not Tonight, Lil' Kim
47. Look Into My Eyes, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony
48. Get It Together, 702
49. All By Myself, Celine Dion
50. It's All Coming Back To Me Now, Celine Dion
51. My Love Is The Shhh!, Somethin' For The People
52. Where Do You Go, No Mercy
53. I Finally Found Someone, Barbra Streisand and Bryan Adams
54. I'll Be, Foxy Brown Featuring Jay-Z
55. If It Makes You Happy , Sheryl Crow
56. Never Make A Promise, Dru Hill
57. When You Love A Woman, Journey
58. Up Jumps Da Boogie, Magoo And Timbaland
59. I Don't Want To/I Love Me Some Him, Toni Braxton
60. Everyday Is A Winding Road, Sheryl Crow
61. Cold Rock A Party, Mc Lyte
62. Pony, Ginuwine
63. Building A Mystery, Sarah McLachlan
64. I Love You Always Forever, Donna Lewis
65. Your Woman, White Town
66. C U When U Get There, Coolio
67. Change The World, Eric Clapton
68. My Baby Daddy, B-Rock and The Bizz
69. Tubthumping, Chumbawamba
70. Gotham City, R. Kelly
71. Last Night, Az Yet
72. ESPN Presents The Jock Jam, Various Artists
73. Big Daddy, Heavy D
74. What About Us, Total
75. Smile, Scarface
76. What's On Tonight, Montell Jordan
77. Secret Garden, Bruce Springsteen
78. The One I Gave My Heart, w Aaliyah
79. Fly Like An Eagle, Seal
80. No Time, Lil' Kim
81. Naked Eye, Luscious Jackson
82. Macarena (Bayside Boys Mix), Los Del Rio
83. On and On, Erykah Badu
84. Don't Wanna Be A Player, Joe
85. I Shot The Sheriff, Warren G
86. You Should Be Mine (Don't Waste Your Time), Brian McKnight Featuring Mase
87. Don't Cry For Me Argentina, Madonna
88. Someone, SWV
89. Go The Distance, Michael Bolton
90. One More Time, Real McCoy
91. Butta Love, Next
92. Coco Jamboo, Mr. President
93. Twisted, Keith Sweat
94. Barbie Girl, Aqua
95. When You're Gone/Free To Decide, Cranberries
96. Let Me Clear My Throat, DJ Kool
97. I Like It, Blackout Allstars
98. You're Makin' Me High/Let It Flow, Toni Braxton
99. You Must Love Me, Madonna
100. Let It Go, Ray J

Dear Daily Show,

Thank you for pointing out hypocrisy on both sides of the aisle, and helping us to laugh about all of it.

I could go off on a rant here, but won't. Mainly because my politics are none of anyone's business.

Aaaaaaand....we're back.

A little sunburnt (surprise surprise...or not), but if that's the worst thing that happened this weekend? Fine by me! Kate and I returned home today from 3 days on Martha's Vineyard, sans kids and significant male partners. Lovely, relaxing and fun doesn't quite seem to cover it. We stayed here which was just a stone's throw from a million places to eat, and the beach! (room 10 was our room..very cute, just the right size).
We spent quite a bit of quality time checking out the island's transit system (well run and low key, as far as I'm concerned), went to a couple of different beaches, saw Cordelia and Andy, and went to the agricultural fair where we saw piggy races! (truly, you haven't lived until you've seen little baby pigs race around a track for an oreo. really.) We went to the cliffs at Gay Head to see the colors and the sunset a bit, and walked a TON. We walked most of Edgartown, and a fair bit of Aquinnah (from Gay Head to the Chilmark police station, where we finally found a bus stop.) The great part about all the walking was the cool stuff we got to see that we would have totally missed by just taking the bus. We poked around an old cemetery, and walked past a Cattle Pound. We saw GORGEOUS houses and over all had a grand time. I'll hopefully have pictures up as soon as my camera pulls it's head out of it's digital ass.
For now though, check out Kate's blog. I'm sure she'll have much better pictures with her recap than I will!

Globe Trottin'

Ok. Maybe not *globe* trotting...more like upper Atlantic Coast trotting...but hey, I'll take it. Saturday begins the end of the summer weekend trips for me, with a day trip to Boston with Kate, Mary and the kids. Should prove to be a good time, and nice to get out of the house. The Boy comes home from CA that night, which will be wonderful. The following Friday Kate and I depart for the "no boys no kids just beach" Martha's Vineyard trip. Then a potential trip to the Highland Games again this year, probably some hiking in the Presidentials with the boy (I'd like to make an afternoon at Franconia Falls an annual thing...it's lovely there), and then October brings Rhinebeck (NY Sheep and Wool). So while I've had a reasonably low key summer, things are just about to ramp up...and not a moment too soon!

blueberry pie

Dan, Duane and I went blueberry picking on Sunday, just before heading back to NH. We got just over 7 cups of fresh berries in no time, thanks to antique blueberry rakes hiding out in the shed. Dan's first request for berry use was pie. Having never made a blueberry pie before (can't stand blueberries, personally) here's the recipe, just so i can't lose it. (ETA: Dan liked the pie. Guess the recipe is a keeper!)

5 C blueberries (fresh or frozen)
5 T sugar
4T flour
juice of half a lemon and a little lemon zest
1t cinnamon
1/4t nutmeg (really just a couple of shakes...didn't measure at all)
by rights there should have been a little butter under the crust, but i forgot it...

I used frozen pie shells, mixed everything together, dumped it in the crust, covered it, cut vents, sprinkled with sugar. Bake at 400 degrees for 50 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.
The end!

some news...

For those of you who don't know yet, the boy and I are engaged to be married. No big plans have been set, but it's looming. It'll be heavy on the DIY (too damn many crafty people around for it not to be! His mom bakes cakes, my mom is doing my dress, ciocia Theda will likely do flowers...) and very low key, hopefully. We're both very happy, and looking forward to this new chapter in our lives. We've actually been engaged for a little over a month at this point, but wanted to tell a bunch of people in person, rather than have them find out via the internets.
So...yay!

braised chicken and pasta

Posted here, mostly for posterity...

K and I went to the farmers market this morning in Portsmouth and picked up some awesome fresh produce. Dinner tonight involved a fair bit of it..

Ingredients:
5-6 baby carrots (real ones, not the machine made ones), sliced
6 roma tomatoes, diced
handful of cherry tomatoes, cut up (they were in the fridge...)
5 garlic scapes
2 breasts of chicken, sliced
splash balsamic vinegar
shake of onion powder
2T olive oil

combine everything except chicken in a saucepan, let simmer for about 2 hours. Add some water if the pot seems to be drying out. Put a little sauce in the bottom of a casserole dish, layer chicken on top, cover with the rest of the sauce, and bake, covered, at 350F for about 40 minutes. It won't hurt it any to go longer though. cook whatever kind of pasta you want, and serve the chicken over it.

Enough, already!

They say deaths come in threes or sevens....we're headed squarely for a seven at this point, as we are now at four major celebrity deaths in just over a week....
Tim Russert, host of Meet the Press, and a fixture of the American political landscape. And a devoted father, son and husband, and a heck of a writer.
Tasha Tudor, author, who wrote WONDERFUL children's books.
Cyd Charisse, dancer/actress. Best known to me as the dancer love interest in a couple of scenes in Singin' in the Rain with Gene Kelly.
and last, but certainly not least, George Carlin. He changed the face of American comedy, and was a legend.

All four will never be forgotten, and sorely missed. Here's hoping it stops at 4, rather than 7...we don't need to lose any more talent!

and one more, for good measure.

You Are Kermit

Hi, ho! Lovable and friendly, you get along well with everyone you know. You're a big thinker, and sometimes you over think life's problems. Don't worry - everyone know's it's not easy being green. Just remember, time's fun when you're having flies!

The Muppet Personality Test

a few good quizzes...

36 As a 1930s wife, I am Poor Take the test!

Well, thank the gods it's not the 1930s anymore! :)

You Passed 8th Grade Science

Congratulations, you got 8/8 correct!

Could You Pass 8th Grade Science?

Well, at least I passed 8th grade, right?

your random quote of the day..

me: yes, we have gone from beans and clear water to coffee...magic.
him:whoever came up with coffee should win a Nobel prize. the Nobel Peace Prize. Because if it weren't for coffee, I would kill a frickin' lot of people.

An open plea...

To whichever guardian angel watched over Dad while he was in the hospital:
If it's not too much trouble, do you think you could swing down to Boston and keep an eye on Nikki? Ash says she's not doing too well, and you seemed to help give me my dad back....I just hope the same for Ashley and her mom. You'll recognize the situation when you see it; it's an awful lot like Dad's. So please, if you could, make sure Ashley gets her mom back for me?
Thanks,
An extremely grateful daughter and worried friend

A well timed dose of cute

I've been sick for right around a week. Finally on the other side of things (getting better, instead of getting worse), but things tend to improve slowly in my lungs. Yesterday Kate asked if I might be interested in taking her kids to the evil mouse place for dinner and general chatter. I'd initially thought I wouldn't be up for anything, as I had totally lost my voice the night before. However, when the new day dawned, my voice had mostly returned from it's vacation. So I extracted myself from my couch (where I've been pretty well entrenched when not at work lately), put on clean clothes (a miracle in itself) and headed southward. I made a stop at work to get a little paperwork done while waiting for Kate and the kids, and to try and make up a little time from when I left sick last week.
Upon seeing Kate and her kids, I instantly felt better than I had in a few days. Maybe it was the human contact with someone different. Maybe it was the adult conversation, plus knitting chatter, over mushroom pizza which loomed large. But not a small part of it was due to a certain 3 and 8 year old duo...game tokens in hand, scurrying off for adventure. Something about those two just brightens my whole mood. So, thanks Kate. and J and E...you guys are better medicine than anything I can get at the drugstore. (now, if we can just figure out how to bottle J's energy...)

effing spring

So, just as I get promoted at work (Assistant Store Manager, thankyouverymuch), and thus can't take as much time off, I get sick. Thought it was allergies, then had to have strep throat ruled out, and have now summarily lost my voice. damn it. I'm mildly cranky about it, simply because I'm just not in the mood to be sick. My allergies are bad enough without being sick on top of it.


There. just needed a pity party for a second. On to happier news. I got my swap package from my lovely knitty sp (I *think* it was Criosa, but she has yet to confirm or deny that fact). Got some yummy chocolate, even yummier misti alpaca laceweight yarn, some alpaca sock yarn, and some awesome bath and body works japanese cherry blossom body wash, lotion and body spray.
I also made my very own wrist row counter/abacus. Took some fiddling, and I need a few more beady type accessories (as well as a pair of pliers that don't SUCK), but the first go round was pretty good. Pretty blue beads and necklace gauge wire. Pics when I find new batteries for the digicam...

single word challenge

Memed again…Again, totally Kate's fault. Another word-restrictive format, this one:

Only.

Type.

One.

Word.

Not as easy as you might think. Change the answers to suit you and then pass it on. Remember: one word answers.

1. Where is your cell phone? Bookshelf
2. Your significant other? studying
3. Your hair? soft
4. Your mother? loving
5. Your father? caring
6. Your favorite thing? yarn
7. Your dream last night? unknown
8. Your favorite drink? pepsi
9. Your dream/goal? ph.d
10. The room you’re in? living
11. Your ex? depressed
12. Your fear? snakes
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? museum
14. Where were you last night? chair
15. What you’re not? fashionable
16. Muffins? corn
17. One of your wish list items? laptop
18. Where you grew up? island
19. The last thing you did? drove
20. What are you wearing? khakis
21. Your TV? on
22. Your pets? non-existant
23. Your computer? pc
24. Your life? contented
25. Your mood? calm
26. Missing someone? Mom
27. Your car? awesome!
28. Something you’re not wearing? earrings
29. Favorite store? bookstore
30. Your summer? busy
31. Like someone? yep.
32. Your favorite color? ocean
33. When is the last time you laughed? evening
34. Last time you cried? yesterday
35. Who will repost this? Dunno

6 word memoir

Sent to me by the lovely Kate
The challenge is to define your life in 6 words. Sum it all up, your whole existence into 6 words. There is, in fact, a newly published book with a great many of these in them. Some are pithy, some are deep...all are thought provoking. So how does one do it? I'll do mine via the Wheel of Fortune final puzzle method...throw crap out there, see what sticks.

attempt 1:
Hockey, geekery, work, pilates, sleep, eat.

Nah, too much like a list. and you don't get a real feel for who I am through it.

Therapy can't fix everything. Helps though.
hmmm...better.

One for the news from today:
Promoted to Assistant Store Manager today.

Eat, sleep, watch hockey. Sleeping optional.
Well, there's college for you. Throw a little studying in there...



There must be more than this.
Nah...too discontented. Which, really, I'm not.

New friends. New experiences. Wonderful boy.
Not so bad.

I can see i'll need to think on this some. But first, I need to finish watching the 3rd period of the Notre Dame-Michigan semifinal game!

rainy day meme

**edit** time to lay out where the rest of these quotes came from!

1. Pick 10 of your favorite movies.
2. Go to IMDb and find a quote from each movie.
3. Post them on your blog for everyone to guess.
4. Strike it out when someone guesses correctly, and put who guessed it and the movie.

And one rule for those of you filling it out:
5. Looking them up is cheating, please don’t.

1. I'm Ralph Cox. I'm from wherever's not gonna get me hit.
Lisa got this one first, it's from Miracle.
2.I need to call a phone. Do you mind if I use your cab?
**IQ, line is Meg Ryan to Tim Robbins
3.It won't affect me, I'm already a woman.
Mary gets this one...Hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy (one of my favorite lines from one of my favorite movies!)
4.That's life. If nothing else, its life. It's real, and sometimes it fuckin' hurts, but it's sort of all we have.
**Garden State
5.You've got red on you.
**Shaun of the Dead
6. I'm calling the organization of the United Brotherhood of It's None of Your Damn Business, Lewis. I'll be with you in a second.
Kate got this one first, with the American President
7. Savvy?
JML got this one, it's the Pirates of the Caribbean movies.
8. Are you a god? No...
Willem was the first for this one, Ghostbusters.
9. Mother, you've copied me on the financial standings of this company for 17 years. You just assumed I couldn't read.
**Sabrina, the new one with Harrison Ford, Greg Kinnear, and Julia Ormond
10. Seville, like an orange. And something of that genus complexion.
**Much Ado About Nothing, Kenneth Branaugh version.
So start your guesses! I'm not going to tag anyone...just do it if you want to, and tell me if you do!

The gods must be crazy...

It's March 28th, and it's snowing. Thus keeping up with the tradition of it snowing enough that I will be summoned from my bed by a man honking his suv horn to move my car so that they may plow on my day off. again. dammit.

Sweet beyond words

So, I've finally gotten sick. Made it almost all winter, but a nasty stomach flu is going around work, and I'm finally getting the beginnings of it. Was sick last night, went out to run errands and have forced relaxation with Kate this morning (my toes are pink now!), and after trying to eat some lunch, discovered that I was still feeling pretty wretched. I decided to leave work early, since being sick in a public bathroom is not high on my list of things I'm in the mood to do, and ran into Kate outside the store. What did she hand me? A bag with saltines, gingerale, peanuts, and a treat. *sniffle* super sweet of her...and very very much appreciated. I'm now home, in pjs, on the couch, sipping gingerale...and smiling, thanks to a very sweet friend. I can only hope I didn't pass the stomach cooties on to her, just before her big adventure trips!

I hiss in your general direction!

OK. So you all remember the whole debacle with my sisters package. Well, I'm still waiting to hear something, ANYTHING, about what's going on...the person I'm waiting to hear from can't seem to be bothered to call me back, and isn't ever in when I call....So I hiss in the general direction of the post office.

getting off my butt...

So I've started taking Pilates classes at a studio in Dover. The instructor is really great, and the atmosphere is fun. So far I'm enjoying it, if for no other reason than I'm getting out and getting some exercise. I even went tonight despite feeling tired and lazy (hey, going to Kate's to watch Grey's TOTALLY counts as going out and doing something). But I'm glad I went to class anyway. I'm working on knitting a hat for myself, and starting therapy on Tuesday...maybe this whole "doing-stuff-just-for-me" thing isn't so bad....

Postal Gnomes

Clearly, the Postal Gnomes have been at it again. A couple of unacknowledged gifts (Christmas and baby arrival) [And let me state for the record, i'm not looking for gushing or parades...I'd be happy with a "hey, we got it, thanks." Anyway.] and the final proof of their existence? Today I received back a package I'd sent my sister while she was in Germany. Nothing special, a couple of magazines, a couple of books (stuff to read on the bus) and 2 big bottles of rolaids and tums. Upon return receipt of the package (which, incidentally, looks like it's been to hell and back...several colors of tape, about a dozen stickers, many in languages I don't read, and thus don't understand what the particular box that was checked means, etc) I opened it (hey, I can always use rolaids at work) only to discover that what I sent was not what I received back. Oh no, not even close. Not even empty rolaids bottles. Nope. 2 replacement parts for A LAND ROVER. Bhuh?!?!

So I took it to the post office...and am now waiting for resolution....damned postal gnomes. Keep yer mitts outta my stuff!

Insufficiency

Ever have days where you just don't quite feel good enough? At anything? I've been having a spate of those lately, culminating in my breaking down in tears in my doctor's office on Tuesday. We agreed that upping the dose of my Lexapro, and seeing a counselor might not be a half bad idea. There's a lot of residual garbage left over in the nooks and crannies of my brain, a lot of it from 3 summers ago, when Dad had his accident. And a lot of trouble letting go of guilt (something I've long had trouble with). So I think this will be a good thing...maybe not initially, but most growth has a little pain associated with it, no? And maybe, just maybe, I'll start to see myself as Kate does.
I sure hope I can...but this time, I'll do it for me. Not anyone else.

oh holy productivity...

So today has been the most productive day off I've had in a long while. I didn't even take a nap today (I usually do...)! I've scrubbed the kitchen floor, done 2 loads of laundry, 2 loads of dishes, cleaned the tub and toilet, made curtains for the living room, and made part of mom's birthday present. woo! Lets hope this trend lasts through the end of the week...I have plenty to get done at work, too!

Tag, I'm it!

meme'd from Kate:
Turn to page 123 in the nearest book, go to the 5th sentence, and then type the next 3. The closest book in front of me is Grendel by John Gardner. So, here we go...

I made him what he is. Have I not a right to test my own creation? Enough!

And in case you couldn't tell by the title, it's a retelling of Beowulf, and not Frankenstein.

I don't even have anyone TO tag, so..uh...talk amongst yourselves...or do it yourself, if you like! (and then comment here, so's I know you did it...)

A minor miracle...

...for the first time EVER, I walked out of an eye doctor appointment without a new prescription. My eyes didn't change, which is shocking, since I've gotten a new 'script EVERY TIME I've ever gone to the dr!

The only sad thing, they dilated my eyes, which means no knitting until it wears off...boo.

Motivation, or the lack thereof

Go ahead. Ask me what I should be doing today. The answer, of course, is go buy stuff for dinner and more garbage bags, tidy up the living room, clean up the kitchen, wash and put away over the fridge the old dishes, and was and put away the new ikea dishes in their new home. Plus I have an eye appointment this afternoon, so I really ought to get moving and do stuff. But I don't WANNA...I'd rather sit like a lump and knit for a while. And this is after sitting and watching crap tv at kate's last night for a few hours and knitting...I just love this sweater too much.....

a whine and a cheer

Ok, first, the whine. Bought some new lotion for my face the other day from my favorite cosmetics counter at Macy's (shut up, I do too own makeup...I just never wear it!) that's supposed to be lighter for daytime wear than my usual moisturizer. Well, after 2 days of use, it turns out I'm horrifyingly allergic to it. It was on my face approximately 5 seconds before it felt like my face was on FIRE. 14 hours later it still hurts, even after washing it off immediately and putting some calming lotion on it. ah well. At least I can return it (mom checked for me today)

Now for the cheer. Big big cheers to Kate Gilbert, for her damned clever pattern, Cardigan for Arwen. I'm presently knitting the left front, and was a little verclempt over having to keep track of two different cable rows (so I thought). But I was wrong. I misjudged the pattern, and her cleverness. The first part of the sleeve is shaped by short rows. By the time the short row shaping is done, both cable panels are on the same row. Just damned clever. Much love to Kate, and the pattern.

new skills and an update

So last night I learned the fabled "cabling-without-a-cable" trick from the lovely Kate. What makes this even more impressive is that she was able to deftly show me how to do it, despite the events of the earlier part of the day.
The super cool thing about this is that I no longer need to worry about having a spare needle with me to cable, nor juggling 3 needles at once. Truly, a cool thing. Yay, Kate! (she didn't invent it (right?) but she was patient and gracious enough to show me how to do it!)

I've also TOTALLY thrown the resolution out the window. I've already accepted 3 projects for other people, and we're only 3 weeks into the new year. Granted, one is for a friend's wedding (how can I turn something like that down!?), but still. Craziness. Though my Arwen sweater is coming along rather nicely...and much faster with the new cable skills.

In other knitting excitement, one of my pictures was chosen to be used on the Ravelry website! It's the picture of the elephant pacifier clip. Hooray! (and it's not even the original pattern..it's modded!)

(ok. I think this is disjointed and random enough...no more blogging first thing in the morning...)

A year of knitting for me...

I'm not usually one for new years resolutions...too easy to break, and usually fairly trite. I'd rather get my act together and fix things that need fixing, simply because they need fixing, or changing, not because I've hung a new calendar on the wall.
Anyhow.
As a result, I suppose, of not one, but TWO trips to Webs for their annual sale, I now have two sweaters worth of new yarn...for me! I've spent a lot of time over the last couple of years knitting for others, and knitting almost nothing for me. (Even stuff I've knit for me I don't get to keep...see people's exhibit a, my lavender socks. Mom has them now.) So this year I'm going to try and knit more for myself, and a little less for others. Not because I don't enjoy gift knitting, but because maybe it's time I get something out of this too (aside from enjoying the process of knitting itself).

I'm already feeling like a terribly productive knitter, and the year is only 6 days old. 2 projects done and another cast on (for those of you keeping score at home, the double cable scarf for Molly's birthday, and an Odessa hat for me are done, and I've casted on the Arwen cardigan in dark blue....very excited!)

here's to another year of knitting, only this time around, more for me, and less for others.

Odessa hat...

== love. that is all.

It's the biggest Dick's I've ever seen!

As said by me while leaving Peabody tonight with Kate and Sarah after dinner. I was, of course, referring to Dick's Sporting Goods, and the one there appeared to be 2 stories...just huge. Though really, it's funnier without the explanation.

Today was my second trip out to the Webs sale in Northampton. Saturday was spent with Carol, obtaining my Christmas present. Today was spent with Kate, spending more money on yarn. I now have enough yarn for 2 sweaters, and 2 hats, plus a new set of addi turbos and a sweater defuzzer. I also got yarn for a present which won't be given until the second half of the year, but the yarn I wanted was too good a deal to pass up (over 50% off regular price. SOLD.)

Following the trip to Webs (which was lovely and child-free, though I had, once again, a fiber overload and was a bit overstimulated...as cool as it is to be able to wander in the warehouse, it's a bit dangerous for me...the shelves are high, and piled with yarn, and there isn't anything in my immediate view that isn't yarn and I sort of OD...) we headed out to find some lunch. We'd originally decided on Bertuccis in Amherst, then decided to try Spaghetti Freddy's, and was thwarted there by their lack of lunch. In navigating Kate towards Amherst Center, we passed the Hangar. Yes, that would be much better for lunch. So I got yarn and wings from 2 of my favorite places, with one of my favorite people. Yup, successful afternoon.

We headed back east after lunch, collected the lovely Sarah from Logan, and headed northward for dinner. After some awkwardness on the part of the young man seating us (us: hello. him: did you say you wanted to place an order for take out? us: no. we want a table. him: what? kate: we'd like to eat now. him: oh. (sprinkle in some obvious flirting with Sarah, even after he mentioned the fact that he had a girlfriend ("my girlfriend has that shirt" yes, thank you.) we had a perfectly delicious dinner at Vinny T's, and headed home. All around, a good day, and I've just finished stringing beads on for an Odessa hat....but i think I need to sleep off some of the yarn coma first...