I've got some costume-related stuff up on ebay, if anyone's interested. Just stuff that's taking up space here that I won't use again. It feels freeing to get it up there finally - I just can't wait until it's gone!
And it looks like the fridge can be fixed, though in my opinion, it's going to be more trouble than it's worth. Sigh. We may just buy a new one anyway.
Now, y'all know I don't normally do these things (partly because they are not, in fact, memes), but DKM invited me to, rather than tagging me, and hell, as I was reading it, I had already thought "Cool! I know the answers to these!"
So.
One book that changed your life:Another Roadside Attraction by Tom Robbins. I read it first when I was maybe 17, and I just never knew that kind of thinking was out there. I learned to live in the present from this book. I still think of this every time I walk in the rain:
I relaxed my neck and shoulders and turned my gaze into the wet. I let it do to me what it would. Of course, it was not trying to do anything to me. What a silly notion. It was simply falling as rain should, and I a man, another phenomenon of nature, was sharing the space in which it fell. It was much better regarding it that way. I got no wetter than I would have otherwise, and if I did not actually enjoy the wetting, at least I was free of my tension.
One book that you've read more than once: Just one? Let's go with Hogfather by Terry Pratchett. Maybe not classy or inspiring, but one of my favorite books. And it inspired our diorama, which we're preparing for again this year.
One book you'd want on a desert island:To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis. My favorite book. Funny. Smart. Long.
One book that made you laugh: Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead by Tom Stoppard (OK, technically a play, but too bad, I'm counting it). I could read this every day and laugh my ass off every time.
One book that made you cry: I find a lot of books make me cry these days, even stuff that I think is absolutely stupid. I think it's age and hormones. But let's go with At the Sign of the Naked Waiter by Amy Herrick.
One book that you wish had been written:(Um, OK, I don't get this one. So I'm going to read it as: One book that you wish you had written)Bloodsucking Fiends by Christopher Moore. The guy's a genius. I love his writing. I hate that I'll never be that good.
One book that you wish had never been written:Love Story by Erich Segal (I refuse to link to it on principle). It's stupid, and it made me cry (when I was 16), and I hate it.
One book you're currently reading:Farthing by Jo Walton. I'm not really enjoying it, though.
One book you've been meaning to read: Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden. Mom gave it to me a couple years ago, and it's still upstairs on the shelf.
Tag Five People: I won't tag, but I'll inviteLindsey, Keven and G. And yes, just three. Because I'm difficult.
I didn't shop properly last weekend, so foodstuffs are getting a mite thin around here. I mean, it's not like we're in any danger of starving or anything, but there's nothing I really could just quickly toss in my lunch box this morning.
Wholegrain tortilla chips with chipotle salsa; rich with tomatillos from the garden and red onion; a little packet of shredded cheese for the tomatillo stuff; and carrots.
I grabbed some tomatillos from the garden that had been sleeping in the fridge, waiting for me to figure out what to do with them, and cooked them slowly with some red onion and garlic. I wonder if it was the tomatillos that made the onions turn that beautiful bright pink? It was pretty tasty, in any case.
I forgot to mention yesterday: our fridge broke. Nothing major, just the magnet that holds it closed fell off and the screw holes are stripped. But damn - it's a pain in the ass to have a fridge without that tiny peice. We have a bungee cord holding it shut for the moment. Someone's coming out to look at it tomorrow, then hopefully, our home warranty will be buying us a new one. The broken one is as old as me, harvest gold, and so not energy efficient. We've kept putting off buying a new one in hopes that this one would finally kick it. Cross your fingers that this is finally it!
I made roasted veggies last night (another comfort food) and just tossed them in the bento for a quick lunch.
Roasted root veggies (yukon gold potatoes, turnips, parsnips, sweet potatoes, and carrots with fresh rosemary) topped by Gorgonzola with steamed green beans topped by shallot-pepper seasoning. But I ended up just mixing the beans into the roasted veggies. Pretty good!
Perogi with muchrooms and onion; the last of the TJ's carrots with green beans; carrots with herb dip; and sour cream for the perogi and dried cranberries.
Perogi are one of my most favorite and most comforting food. They may not look like much, but they're damed tasty! I just about lived on them my first couple years at OSU. If I can't get homemade ones (which are hard to find and much trouble to make), I eat Mrs. T's.
These are mini potato and cheddar, my favorite. The onions and mushrooms were sauteed in butter, then the frozen perogi were added and sauteed as well. When true laziness struck in college, I used to just boil the perogi and melt some butter with onions in the microwave. Took about 3 minutes after the water boiled.
Hmm. Gonna have to ask mom to be on the lookout for a sale at home so she can bring some homemade ones down with her when she next visits.
Thanks, everyone, who sent condolences about Indy. We really appreciate it. He was a good boy most of the time and we miss him.
sniffle. sigh.
On to lunch.
Salad with nasturtium, bread pudding, TJ's carrots with added green beans (upgraded to "eh" but I won't be getting them again), and roasted root veggies.
DKM sent me the link to the bread pudding and it was fantastic. Of course, I changed things a bit: used about 1/2 the bread and it was whole wheat, and used an "Italian blend" shredded cheese we had in the fridge. Left out the sugar, too; it was all the way in the pantry and I didn't feel like walking ten feet. :-) I think with a few more tweaks that this will become a comfort-food staple.
Jacques and Petrolina, our working fantail goldfish have come inside for the winter. The nights are getting colder, and they're really not bred for cold temps, like koi.
It took us two days to catch both of them since we replaced the 25 gallon little pond with a bigger 100 gallon one midsummer (I should probably get some pictures of that, huh? :), and Petrolina had no desire to be caught. Jacques? Swam into the net.
Their tank is a little bare at the moment, but I will get some plants and a hidey-hole or two for them this weekend.
Their bodies are about 2 inches long - easily double the size they were when we got them. They must have worked hard eating the bugs in the pond!
Petrolina is up top, and Jacques is at the bottom, where he's already learned to hang out by the filter for the food to get sucked onto the intake. Then he just has a buffet without having to swim around for it.
This is just one of those days that if I didn't feel the obligation to post a photo of my lunch here, I probably would have purchased something unhealthy. So ... yay me?
Rice with veggies topped with cheese, broccoli, faux-nuggets with kechup, and canned pineapple.
So you can see that I didn't put too much effort into it, but it's healthier than anything I could have gotten at the mall.
Sitting across the room from Jeff as he talks to his college roommates ... watching him smile like I don't usually see ... hearing him laugh ... wishing I could be where he is.
Even though I get to talk to all of them, it's nowhere near the same ... seeing him sitting in his big red leather "daddy chair" talking with his friends ... watching him laugh ... wondering if I've robbed him of something ... hoping I haven't ...
Kinda jealous seeing him so unabashedly happy talking to them ... But also just happy to see him so happy ...
For all the problems we might have, I think we're basically happy.
Man.
Is this growing up?
Can I just be so happy watching my husband talk on the phone with his college friends? Seriously, I smile just looking at him. Those who know me know how freaky that is. Is that happiness? It's not like we get a road map. Can it be something that small?
Why don't we get a user's guide for love? That would make it so much easier.
I love my husband, though I might not tell him as often as I should. Watching him happy talking to his friends makes me happy.
Would you buy that? Would you recommend those to friends? Would you buy them for holiday presents?
What else would you like to see? Felted catnip mousies (no photos, sorry. Unless DKM has one?)? Stuffed elephants? Travel art kits? Tissue covers? Something I haven't thought of yet but you've always wanted?
I'm aiming to keep prices reasonable while keeping quality high. Dog collars shouldn't be more than $10. Book covers no more than $7. Hildy owls no more than $10.
Should I do it? Would you? I'm not looking to make (much) money, just an outlet for my creative urges that won't bury my nieces and nephew in stuffed toys. :)
Not bad, considering I couldn't figure out how to fill three out of four containers when I blearily looked at them this morning.
Whole wheat rotini with faux meatballs & homemade tomato-spinach sauce, steamed carrots with honey, ginger & orange peel, broccoli with butter & shallot pepper seasoning, and Korean melon with grapes.
I'd hoped to go to the farmer's market at lunchtime today, but it's been pouring since eight this morning. Yes, I could have slogged the few blocks in the rain, but then I would be grouchy all afternoon. I'd so much rather save that for when I have to wait for the bus in the rain this evening.
Sigh. Welcome to central Ohio in the fall.
Grapes, sweet chili sauce, faux chicken nuggets, veggie wontons & goyza, and Trader Joe's soy ginger carrots.
I'd heard great things about the carrots, but ... meh. Maybe saute them with green beans.
Yeah, I know many of my lunches are Asian or Asian-inspired, but Jeff and I went a little crazy at the Asian market this weekend, so this one is all Asian.
The weekly stir-fry with tofu puffs, brown rice, wontons with sauces for them and the stir-fry and Korean melon.
It's a little bland-looking, but it was really good! The wontons were a last-minute impluse buy, but a good one. And the melon was really tasty. There's still half left in the fridge, so it'll probably show up again this week.
Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety. --Benjamin Franklin
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The Constitution of the United States, Amendments (the good bits)
Amendment I
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
Amendment IV
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
Amendment V
No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.
Amendment VI
In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defence.
Amendment XIV
Section 1. All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.
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[W]henever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. --The Declaration of Independence
I like to read books from the library on the bus, but I don't like that they get all messed up bouncing around in my bag. For a while now, I've been wanting to make a book cover, but today I got around to doing it. It only took about a half an hour. It's also really easy.
Materials
2 8" x 11.25" pieces of fabric (the outside and inside - they can match or not)
2 8" x 4" pieces of fabric (the pockets for the front and back covers)
matching and/or contrasting thread
iron
basic sewing materials, including a sewing machine
Directions
On both of the 8" x 4" pieces, fold under one long edge .25", iron flat, then fold the same edge over .25" again and iron, enclosing the raw edge. Sew both hems.
Put your inside 8" x 11.25" piece (the flowered print below) face up on a flat surface. Put the peices you just sewed (the pink fabric below) wrong side down at each end, sewn hems toward the middle. Top with the outer fabric, right side down. So your sandwich is the inside peice right side up, the pockets wrong side down and the outside peice right side down.
Sew around the outside edge with a 3/8" seam, leaving open the space between the flaps on one long edge.
Clip the corners (see photo at right) and turn the book cover right side out through the hole you left between the flaps. Use a chopstick or other similar implement to poke the corners out to nice points.
Fold under the seam allowences of the opening you left and iron the entire piece flat.
Using matching or contrasting thread, stitch around the entire book cover, 1/8" from the edge (see below).
You are now ready to insert your book! The front cover goes in one flap and the back cover goes in the other. Stuff the pages you've read into the flap, too, for an easy bookmark.
Happy reading!
(The observant might have noticed that the inside and outside pieces above are not 11.25" as in the pattern. That's because I, apparently, can't read my own handwriting. The smaller version - 8" x 10" - works for thinner books just fine, though! And now I have two book covers. :-)
Please join me in welcoming Ella, my newest niece! At 8 lbs., 5 oz., she's a big girl, but we suspected that was going to be the case. Congratulations, Josh & Laura!
Most everything in this lunch is chock-full of calcuim. Weird.
A spinach salad, whole wheat pasta, topping for pasta made with onions, roasted garlic, swiss chard, tomatoes & feta, and strawberry yogurt.
The swiss chard stuff was excellent! It was a "what do I have in the fridge" recipe and I can assure you it will appear again. The swiss chard stains everything bright pink, too, which is a cheerful bonus. :-)
My brother, his wife and kids are coming to Ohio from Washington in a couple weeks, and Alex is old enough now to really need stuff to keep him busy on flights. So I made him a travel art kit.
Outside:
Inside:
Now, the hard part: do I send it out before the flight or just give it to them when they're here for the flight back. Maybe I should ask my mom, who's flying with them and who Alex wants to sit with during the flight... :)
On Monday, I briefly mentioned that I scored big at the thrift stores. I so did. All outfits are modeled by Wiley, my ancient dressform. Click on any photo for a bigger version.
I love this skirt. It's wool, and the red stripe is velvet. The white is mohair. It's fabulous.
You'll note a lot of long skirts. I take the bus, even in the winter, so long skirts are a plus.
The colors in this are off because I had to fiddle with it a bit to get it look like what it was: a thigh-length pumpkin velvet jacket with a brown suede skirt. I just put these together on a whim, but I kind of like this outfit.
I unexpectedly like this outfit, too. The skirt is a very nubby fabric, and I really like the jacket, even though this is not usually my shade of pink. I really think I like it for the buttons:
And then, all black. Black velvet jacket, black leather skirt and black oversize handbag.
And I got tons more, too, but nothing else that photographed well. Been a long time since I had so much fun shopping for clothes. :-) -------------
