Awkward Moments

Earlier today, I remembered that AB's Fun Home reading would be happening this evening. Yes, I know I shouldn't forget something like that (especially since I had posted about it), but things happen. Things like going to the bar where Soozi was working and running into former scientist co-workers who were at the bar to see another former scientist co-worker play drums in her band. Just a bit awkward! I generally don't mix my work life with my personal life, and when I don't feel comfortable around co-workers at work, I definitely don't mix the two! So, it was like worlds colliding.

Actually, it wasn't that bad.

Anyway, so I remembered AB's reading tonight and thought I should read a chapter before going. Thinking I would just glance through the book while I drank my afternoon tea, I ended up reading the whole thing in a two-hour stretch. It's pretty good, unlike the reading, which was painfully awkward. The reading part was great, but the Q&A session was horrible! Embarrassing! Awkward!

I generally try not to complain about things on my blog because I don't want to be that blogger, but I can't help it. Here's a list of annoyances from the AB reading:

• The white sheet used as a projector screen. Come one, Left Bank Books, couldn't you have splurged and rented an actual projector screen? This would have prevented the embarrassing screen-falling-down-moments.


• The guy sitting beside me was complaining about having a hard time finding Bechdel's comic strip in print, so he said, to the folks sitting around him, "And, you know, I'm (ha ha) kind of embarrassed to buy Bitch magazine at a bookstore..." Dude, why're you trying to impress us with your knowledge of feminist mags? Especially since Bitch doesn't even run DTWOF.


• The woman talking to the guy above. For some reason, the woman felt compelled to out herself as straight to strangers! She said something like, "I don't know...I'm straight, but for some reason, I end up reading all the lesbian comics, like Hothead Paisan..." This comment elicited lots of eye-rolling from me.


• One of the two ladies sitting on my other side sat down and said, "I've just never seen a book like this [FH] before. All of these graphics and artwork." Yo, it's called a graphic novel, and it's an entire genre. Alison Bechdel is smart, but she didn't freaking invent the graphic novel. Seriously.


• During Q&A, a lady asked AB how AB's brother is doing. AB looked perplexed and uncomfortable.


• Also during Q&A, a lady made us all uncomfortable by saying, "Alison, I just want to say how brave you are for writing this book, and I really wish you would stop apologizing for it [AB previously said she was sorry that the book has caused so many problems for her family]. This is a story that needs to be told and you are just so brave for telling the story of so many of us..." The lady carried on, while AB was obviously thinking "what the fuck." It was horrible and awkward and embarrassing. Also, I kind of disagree with the lady. I mean, was this really a story that needed to be told? I enjoyed FH, but I seriously question the pressing nature of it. Maybe pressing for AB on a personal level, but for the rest of us....no, not really. It's not like it's the late 1970's and there's a dearth of coming out stories. Mainly, I'm just tired of audience members talking to authors like they (audience members) are personal friends of the author and/or feel like they're imparting a big pearl of wisdom that the author has never heard before.

So, those are my complaints.

Good things: AB looked super-cute with her little glasses and jacket.

For the Love of Tea and Oatcakes

**Disclaimer: If you do not want to hear me natter on about tea and oatcakes and Europe, this post is not for you. (But then again, if you don't like nattering, this whole blog is probably not for you.)**

Recently, a project manager at the center here returned from Uganda, bringing a box of Freshpak rooibos tea with her as a treat for staff. She and I spoke about our common love of rooibos. And, yesterday afternoon, I broke open the box and steeped a cup.

Yum!

I had forgotten what plain old rooibos tastes like with a bit of sugar and cream. I have to step back for a moment to explain this.

My First Taste of Rooibos, or One of the Most Important Nights of my Life
I spent the summer of 1998 in Europe, hanging out with my sister in Switzerland (where she was wrapping up a year abroad) and studying forensic anthropology in London. I will never forget the night that I was introduced to the wonder that is rooibos tea. We were having dinner at the apartment of one of my sister's Swiss friends, who served us rooibos after the meal. [In another post, perhaps I will tell you about taking a cable car to visit the same friend at her home in the Alps and having tomato-cheese fondue and sleeping in her basement, which doubled as a nuclear bomb shelter.]

So good! In love! With rooibos!

In Cambridge (where I spent a week living and studying at King's College and playing in private gardens), I stocked up on rooibos tea bags at a teahouse. In London, I bought a big bag of loose rooibos. I thought I was set.

An Empty Cup, or Mid-Missouri Sucked in the 1990s for Tea Drinkers
After coming back to the States and drinking the rest of my beloved tea, I was so sad. I could not find rooibos anywhere!! Ack! Mind you, I was in central Missouri and it was just the late 1990s.

A Better Day, or Celestial Seasonings Finally Test Markets Rooibos
Now, you can find rooibos in many places. However, it's usually flavored with something else.

So, you see, I had forgotten the simple joy that is plain rooibos.

Another Flashback, or Where are the Oatcakes?!
While I was enjoying my cup of rooibos yesterday, I suddenly had a flashback to my tiny dorm room at Nutford Hall in London..... Waking up slightly hungover, boiling up water in the electric boiler, making a cup of tea (with cream and sugar, natch), and eating an oatcake.

OATCAKES!!!

Another thing I couldn't find when I returned to the States. Not for lack of trying, mind you. I exhausted all of my resources back then.

I had kind of given up on this love. I mean, I always keep a partial eye out for them. I've looked at the international grocery in our neighborhood, and I asked Porkchop to look at the British kiosk the last time she went to Epcot. But I haven't been in super-seeker mode lately.

But yesterday was different. Drinking my cup of tea, I wondered, why haven't I looked online lately.

Lo and behold, here they are: Walker's Highland Oatcakes!

Porkchop has encouraged me to order 4 boxes. I will at least order 2.

The End, or Thank you for Caring and Reading to the End of this Post
So, that's that.

I will be ordering my case box of oatcakes soon. And enjoying them with rooibos tea.

Yum.

Also, have a great Friday afternoon!

P.S.
My favorite recent search-term hit..."hated grad school." Yes!

Not a Real Post

Just a quick note to say hello and how inspired I've been lately.

Saturday night was Amy Goodman and her brother David Goodman. So awesome! It was great to see such a huge turnout for an event advertised only through community and independent media outlets in town.

Amy Goodman is an amazing speaker. I don't know how she is able to remember dates, names, stories, and little details while building up big arguments. Looking forward to reading Amy and David's latest book.

[Also, I ran into an undergrad art buddy of Porkchop's. A lovely coincidence. I hope we can meet up with said friend again soon because she's such a good person.]

Today, I heard Mark Rank (a professor at Wash U's school of social work and author of this recent book) speak about poverty in America and how we are all directly or indirectly affected by it. Rank was a really really excellent speaker and delivered a quite rousing address.

The events for the Goodmans and Rank reminded me of how nice it is to be surrounded by groups of people who take certain ideas as foundational starting points. I love it when I don't have to argue with others about why America needs universal healthcare, or about how our current welfare policy is junk, or about how corporate media outlets - even supposedly liberal outfits like the New York Times - are keeping American citizens uninformed about what's really going on in the world.

Comfort zones. I like them, and I'm reminded that I need to seek these out more often.

In other news, I went to this reading tonight. It was enjoyable, except for the guy who kept asking questions like: "How do you start a blog?" Dude, you're at a book reading for a book that started as a blog....surely you should have already asked yourself that question and perhaps looked on the internet to find the answer. The same guy also kept referring to the internet as the "net." Does anyone really do that any more?? Web, maybe, but net? I don't think I've heard that in quite some time.

Saturday night, I'm going back to Left Bank Books to hear Alison Bechdel talk about Fun Home (see here for event info). Like my friend BD, I used to read Bechdel's Dykes to Watch Out For comic when I received the Lesbian Connection (oh my gosh! LC has a website!). If you ever attended the Michigan Womyn's Music Festival, you probably also signed up for a free subscription to the LC. And maybe you read DTWOF, too.

Anyway, I'm interested to read Bechdel's new graphic novel, since it's about her childhood and growing up with a funeral home in her house and coming out and suicide. Sounds like it will be quite uplifting!

But, seriously, Porkchop received Fun Home in the mail last week. A mysterious package that turned out to be a present. So, I really don't have a reason not to read it.

Have a good night!

Neighborhood Beats

Hi y'all. I love my neighborhood, I really do, but today's festival in the park across the street is quite distracting. I was enjoying the Tejano music, but it seems that a different band is playing now...one that relies on more bass than fun singing.

I wish the park's website had a comprehensive calendar of events. Instead, various festivals and concerts just seem to happen. Today is much better than the summer Saturdays, which often consist of bad "classic rock" cover bands. Blech.

Wait....why is "Wake up Little Susie" playing?? That's not Tejano.

Anyway....here's what I've been up to...

Wednesday
Before I left work, I was pulled into helping fake a work meeting for a group of documentary filmmakers from Hong Kong. Seriously. The filmmakers were documenting the center's role in helping develop IDAs (individual development accounts) in rural China. They needed some B-roll footage, so whoever was left at 4:45 got to pretend like we were having an important conference.

I guess I could end up on the cutting room floor, or I could be seen by a (probably) limited audience in China.

Thursday
Work work work. Went to bed super-early to compensate for the paltry amount of sleep I've been allowing myself lately.

Before going to bed, cried from laughing so much during the season opener of The Office. Porkchop and I got such a kick out of it, but in retrospect, I wonder if non-gay watchers found it funny for the same reasons. Anyway, I loved the ending.

Friday
New employee orientation at work! The best part: free lunch!

Did you know that Wash U's School of Social Work (where I now work) is rated second in the nation? It is. This makes me feel good.

Friday afternoon was crazy busy for me, since I had to cram a day's worth of work into 2.5 hours.

After work, Porkchop and I met for dinner and then went to see Little Miss Sunshine. Wow, what's with Steve Carell and the gay themes lately (LMS and The Office episode previously mentioned)? We thought the movie was fantastic. Yay! I loved how the family really rallied around Olive.

Today
In order to avoid the Sunday afternoon blues, I've already done my laundry for next week and straightened the apartment. I'm hoping that, by switching up my routine, I'll actually enjoy Sunday instead of dreading the work week. So, I've mainly done business things today - exercise, dishes, cleaning, and laundry.

I'm also waiting for my friends BD and BP to arrive from Columbia. We're having dinner and then going to hear Amy Goodman (of Democracy Now) talk at the Ethical Society of St. Louis. Should be good stuff.

Tomorrow
Soozi and I are going to Six Flags to visit Porkchop at the caricature booth. All employees receive at least 2 passes for family/friends, and since the passes expire October 1, we decided we should make a point to use them.

After riding a few rides, Soozi and I are then going to pick apples at Eckert's. Then we'll probably do some baking. With our freshly picked apples, of course.

Knitting Note
I really want to make the Steek Vest from Teva Durham's Loop-d-Loop, but Porkchop has issued an edict: no personal knitting until I make holiday presents for my sister and mom. *Sigh*

But back to the Steek Vest. Instead of calling it a "vest," I prefer to call it a "sleeveless sweater" because I generally abhor sweater vests. They are totally fine on other people, but I think I would have flashbacks to the 80s preppy styles if I wore a sweater vest. Sweater vests make me think of blonde-haired guys named Steve decked out in loafers and pleated pants. So, to circumvent these issues, I am calling the Steek Vest the Steek Sleeveless Sweater. I want to knit it because I think it looks fun, and I think it would be a good first step to sweater-making. Because, you know, I'll actually have to check my gauge, which (ssshhh!) I've never done before! Ack!

Loop-d-Loop has another sleeveless sweater that I want to make sometime, too. It looks all outer spacey with a slit-neck and a high collar. It think it was inspired by Victorian clothing, but it looks more like something from Star Trek to me. Anyway, that sleeveless sweater will have to wait until after the Steek Vest (I mean, Sleeveless Sweater). Must work up to things.

Speaking of outer spacey knitted items, check out this website for Skif International. Can you believe these freaking cool clothes are designed over in The Hill??! My next mission: save up some money and go to the Skif store.

That's all for now. Have a great weekend!

Stoplight Utterances

This morning, on my way to work, I pulled up by a Jeep bearing a bumper sticker that stated: Marriage = (man bathroom figure) + (woman bathroom figure).

I tend to mutter to myself in the car, so as I was sizing up the driver - a white guy decked out in bus-cas - I was talking to myself. More specifically, I clearly said "dumbass" just as this guy finally noticed that I was staring at him. And then I couldn't stop staring....I was transfixed and enraged by this totally bland guy with a stupid bumper sticker.

I might also be hopped up on frappucino. (Yes, I know it's sad that I can get hopped up on a store-bought, packaged "coffee" drink.)

Remiss

I am remiss in failing to mention in my previous post that Porkchop now has a kidney donation date scheduled.

October 25.

So soon! So scary! Yet, also, a big relief for Porkchop's dad.

Hooray for kidneys!

Chicago Fun Times

Hi y'all! I'm coming to you over my lunch hour to tell that our weekend trip to Chicago was fanTAStic. Yay!

Friday Evening
B came over from Columbia, meeting us at our house around the time I arrived home from work. We drove and drove and drove up Illinois. Chicago always seems so much closer than it actually is.

When we finally made it, I was pleasantly surprised by K&B's Humboldt Park digs. It's pretty! It has a bathroom that is not falling apart! And, no bug problems! Yay!! K&B deserve a nice place after living in their CoMo shithole last year. But that's another story...

K's birthday was on Sunday, but Porkchop and I went ahead and gave her our presents: a matching felted bag and wallet combo. Actually, the items were just sort of felted. I took the bag out after just one cycle because I was worried that it would shrink too much vertically. Here it is:



Saturday
We started our Saturday outing with super-yummy sustenance from Bleeding Heart Bakery. Oh my gosh! If I lived in Chicago, I would never leave this bakery!! It is so pretty, so tasty, and so politically right! I can't say enough good things. I wish I had brought my camera to document all of the achingly beautiful pastries. Sigh. While there, I settled on a salty caramel-chocolate mousse tart. Dang it, I wish I lived in Chicago so that I could try one of everything. Sigh again.

After snacks, K&B and Porkchop and I parted ways so that K&B could visit a friend who was in town from Minneapolis. That meant that Porkchop and I hit the Renegade Craft Fair by ourselves on Saturday. It was probably for the best - we were both overwhelmed by the visual stimulation.

What we purchased:

• A t-shirt for me from Mary Ink. So cute! I will definitely buy more online in the future.


• A t-shirt for Porkchop from a vendor that I don't remember. Will update later. [Update, it's by Alison Rose.]


• Soap from Biggs and Featherbelle. Smells so good!


• Map buttons from Emily Kircher, Recyling Artist. I was acquainted with Emily through a friend in Madison, and I love her rugs (already have one). She's got some fun stuff, and she's so nice. Check it out.

That's it. We saw tons more, but you know, one can't buy everything that one likes.

After craft fair shopping, Porkchop and I walked around the Wicker Park/6 Points area (I think that's what it's called). Our major stop was Quimby's, where I was fortunate to find the Doris anthology.

And now for an interlude...

Why I Love Doris, Why I Hated Grad School, and Why I Like My New Workplace
I didn't know it at the time, but when my friends and I were working on our zine in Columbia, I was really trying to do something like what Cindy does with Doris. Relating simple stories about everyday life to things much bigger than all of us. So, when I found Doris in Madison, I was floored: This is it!, I thought.

I love that Cindy doesn't write Doris like she's an expert on something, not even her own life. In the beginning of the anthology, Cindy writes about how she likes to learn dialectically. So do I, which is a big reason why grad school didn't gel with me.

In grad school, I had to sit in tiny rooms with people who, when they spoke, sounded like this to me: "Fwhah fwhah fwhah, I once read a book about Derrida, so now I'm an expert on everything. Derrida, Derrida! Let me bore you with my secondhand knowledge that I will pass off as my expertise!" Even though these classes were supposed to be seminars during which we exchanged ideas, the meetings usually turned into one-pony shows. There were rarely exchanges, just monologues.

The place where I'm working now is so totally the opposite. The center's purpose is to apply theory and research to the lives of real people. To make changes! To not just talk, but to do things and to listen to others! And they're working internationally and locally!

Anyway, I love Doris because it's full of vulnerability and secrets and knowledge. At the moment, I can't quite articulate why this is connected to grad school and where I now work. But in my head, it is. I guess because I might actually feel invested in my new workplace. I haven't felt very invested in anything (besides my relationship, close friends, and knitting) in quite some time. So, I think my new work and the Doris anthology are stirring up concurrently feelings that I used to have. It's nice.

Saturday Night
After K&B and Porkchop and I reconvened, we went to Treat, an Indian-Mediterranean restaurant in the Humboldt Park area. Yum! Curry shrimp!

At Treat, K gave us advice on how to pose for pictures. Instead of looking straight on at the camera, tilt your head down and to the side. Porkchop and I practiced (note my super-cute new t-shirt from Mary Ink - also, I think the massive power supply plug really adds to this photo):



After filling up on yummy food, we went back to K&B's, where we had to rest before enjoying a slice of K's chocolate cake with chocolate ganache (from the Bleeding Heart Bakery). Yum!

Sunday
Porkchop and I got up bright and early Sunday morning. After K&B roused themselves, we went to the Flying Saucer for brunch. Yum! The best brunch I've had in a while by far: crêpes with sun-dried tomatoes, goat cheese, pesto, poached eggs, and greens. With a side of roasted potatoes.

Afterwards, it was back to the Renegade Craft Fair. Porkchop and I mainly hung out by the dog park this time. Oh, and I bought a gigantic cookie at the Wicker Park farmers market. Happiness.

Later, we went to Filter for some cold drinks. There are some really funny and painfully accurate reviews of Filter posted on Yelp. I don't know....maybe I think they're funny because I think the hipster thing is just hilarious. I love it when K mocks the hipsters!

After Filter and after finally getting back to K&B's via bus and our legs, B, Porkchop, and I had to leave. *sadness*

But, all in all, a very good weekend!

(Don't) Mind the Gap

This is it, kids....

I've always been ashamed by my fondness for Gap clothes. Their jeans actually fit me, and I'm a sucker for little plain shirts.

But no more.

I wish I could say that I finally became fed up with their sweatshop labor policy, but it's actually the Gap credit card that has sent me over the edge.

We didn't receive a Gap bill in July or August. We're always on top of our finances, but we've had a lot going on over the summer, what with our move, job searches, and whatnot. So, when we didn't receive a bill, we assumed we had a zero balance. Because Gap doesn't send a statement if you don't have a balance.

Okay, fast forward to September when we finally receive a statement with 3 months of late charges!! (P.S. We received a bill in June at our new address, so that wasn't the issue.)

ACK!!

I was going to call up the customer service people soon anyway, but I received a call from their collections department last night.

I can't go into the details here without becoming super-angry again, but let me just say:

WE DID NOT RECEIVE A BILL FOR TWO MONTHS!!

What the freakity-fuck?! And now they're going to slap us with late charges and give me a mark on my credit report.

BASTARDS!
BASTARDS!
BASTARDS!

Of course, the guy on the phone was like, "Well, if a bill isn't delivered to you, we receive it back from the post office, but we have no record of receiving a returned bill from you."

And then I say: THAT'S BECAUSE YOU DIDN'T SEND US ONE!!!!

BASTARDS!

Also, I should add that, until this month, you couldn't pay your bills online or anything like that. So, if you didn't receive a bill, you couldn't just go online and take care of it. And, if you pay over the phone, you get charged a $10 service fee.

Not Alone
We're not the only ones with this story, my friends. Do a Google search for Gap card complaints, and you will find people relating this same story over and over. And over.

It seems that Gap, or perhaps more appropriately, Monogram Bank of Georgia, doesn't like to send people their bill.

What I Have to Say
Gap (and Banana Republic/Old Navy): HATE YOU!! Take your sweatshop-made, over-priced clothes and shove it!

Monogram Bank of Georgia: HATE YOU!! I know your out-sourced customer service reps won't help one bit. So you can shove your shoddy billing practices and poor customer service!

Will this Help Get the Word Out?
Gap Card Gap Card Gap Card Gap Card Gap Card Gap Card Gap Card Gap Card Gap Card Gap Card Gap Card Gap Card Gap Card Gap Card Gap Card Gap Card Gap Card Gap Card Gap Card Gap Card Gap Card Gap Card Gap Card Gap Card Gap Card Gap Card Gap Card Gap Card Gap Card Gap Card Gap Card Gap Card Gap Card Gap Card Gap Card Gap Card Gap Card

Monogram Bank of Georgia Monogram Bank of Georgia Monogram Bank of Georgia Monogram Bank of Georgia Monogram Bank of Georgia Monogram Bank of Georgia Monogram Bank of Georgia Monogram Bank of Georgia Monogram Bank of Georgia Monogram Bank of Georgia Monogram Bank of Georgia Monogram Bank of Georgia Monogram Bank of Georgia Monogram Bank of Georgia Monogram Bank of Georgia Monogram Bank of Georgia Monogram Bank of Georgia Monogram Bank of Georgia Monogram Bank of Georgia Monogram Bank of Georgia Monogram Bank of Georgia Monogram Bank of Georgia Monogram Bank of Georgia Monogram Bank of Georgia Monogram Bank of Georgia Monogram Bank of Georgia Monogram Bank of Georgia Monogram Bank of Georgia Monogram Bank of Georgia Monogram Bank of Georgia

Thank You
Dear readers, for your patience. Also, stand in solidarity with me and cancel your Gap card! And tell them it's because they've screwed me over!

BASTARDS!

Lunch Breaks

So, I'm sitting here at my new desk at my new job, hating the hour-long lunch break that I have. If I'm not going somewhere or actually doing something, I'd much rather have a 15- or 30-minute break and then get on with things. But, unfortunately, I'm hourly here and it's preferred that I'm here 8:30 - 5:00. And, by golly, I want to avoid working like I'm salaried if I'm actually not (even if I enjoy the work...workers have to stand up for themselves, you know).

I think I'll enjoy this position, except for two things:

• Parking at Wash U. Staff members have the choice between two types of parking permits: an >$800 one, and a >$300 one. Ugh! I'm going to try public transporation for a while because we get free Metro passes (and because it's less wasteful).


• The 8:30-5:00 bit. I appreciate the 7.5 hour work day, but I enjoy more autonomous schedules which allow me greater flexibility with arrival and departure times. I hate getting home after 5:00.

Other updates...

Knitting
I finished my latest project last night. It's not exactly what I pictured...but that's what happens when you stray from the pattern and use different yarn. Ah well. Maybe I'll post a picture later.

Manic Episodes
I talked to my sister last night for nearly an hour. Hearing about her boyfriend's little breakdown was much less traumatic coming from my sister's perspective rather than my mom's.

My mom has this way of speaking and delivering news that makes everything sound SO. BAD. For example, once when I was in high school, my mom accidentally turned a pot of beef tips onto high (instead of off) when she left the house for a couple of hours. When she came back, the house was full of smoke and everything stunk to high heaven. So, when I came home from school, she met me outside and said in a very low, grave voice, "Carrie, I need to tell you something." OHMYGOD! I thought: THIS IS IT...MY PARENTS ARE DIVORCING. OR, MY DOG DIED. OR, MY SISTER/BROTHER IS IN A COMA. But, no, it was just that the house was stinky. She could have just met me outside and laughed and said, "you're never going to believe this..." instead of scaring the daylights out of me.

Anyway, so my sister's version was much less stressful.

And it was actually quite comical.

I mean, you have to laugh about being at Atlanta's public hospital at 1:00 AM Saturday morning with your boyfriend who keeps running through the metal detectors and laughing while you tell the security guard that you are going to the 13TH FLOOR (i.e., the psych ward) and that you need an escort because of (nod nod to your boyfriend who is playing with the security equipment). And, once you get to the 13th floor, you find people who have been waiting in the lobby for more than 12 hours for a prescription refill. And that, when you try to leave the psych ward, the registration desk tries to stop you, even though they can't legally hold you there.

And, during all of this, your boyfriend keeps telling you about all of the fun that you all are going to have.

If you don't laugh, you'd cry, right?

Anyway, my sister is totally exhausted. But her boyfriend is safe in Florida with his mom, who is, quite coincidentally, a therapist of some variety. My sister says that he's on mood stabilizers, seems happy, but still seems to think that he proved the existence of 11 dimensions using quantum mechanics. Or something like that.

A New Blog
Check out our friend Kathy's blog, Five Months in Chile. Like the title says, Kathy has started her five-month stay in Chile, where she will be making all sorts of art (and learning more Spanish!). Yay!!

This Weekend
Don't forget! Renegade Craft Fair! Chicago!

Mistaken Messages

Within the past 24 hours, I have received the following messages, obviously intended for someone else:

• A text message reading "hola tio."


• An email message thanking me (or rather, Christena) for my interest in Campus Crusade for Christ and informing me of an upcoming informational meeting for potential student leaders.

I also received one message that I wish had been intended for someone else...my mom telling me that my sister's boyfriend (of nearly 3 years) had recently suffered a nervous breakdown. He's a biomedical engineering PhD student under a lot of pressure to write up his research. On Friday, he jubilantly told my sister that he had "finally done it"...finally solved some sort of mathematical equation that he had been working on for some time. When my sister asked to see his work, he showed her 7 pages on which he had written "I've finally solved it" over and over and over.

This makes me cry. I'm worried about him, my sister, and the frailty of us all.

Pretties

Before I get to my pics of pretty things, I should report that last night's Over the Rhine show was terrific! It was just Karin, Linford, and an upright bassist, so rather intimate. They played what I found to be a nice mix of songs, including several older ones from Good Dog Bad Dog, so I was pleased. I was doubly pleased and nearly teared up when Karin starting singing Emmylou Harris's "Orphan Girl." When I was a technical writer, I would listen to Gillian Welch's version over and over and over while writing release notes (hmmmm...maybe that's why I was so depressed at that job).

Anyway, I love "Orphan Girl," and I couldn't believe it when Linford started playing it.

The bad things about the show:

• We could hear people washing and knocking dishes around in the kitchen upstairs.


• Annoying, tall late-comers who stood right in front of Porkchop. Seriously, just like 3 inches in front of her. Don't worry, I asked them to move. Because, apparently, I'm one of those people now. Whatever... you can't drag your 5'8" ass in after the show starts and stand in front of Porkchop. So inconsiderate.

On to other things....

Edible Pretties
One of my favorite chocolate companies. Found at the Jonesboro TJ Maxx for cheap.



Porkchop made these cranberry-oat bars yesterday. I ate two too many today...so good! I will include the recipe at the bottom of this post (along with the recipe for the rosemary-citrus cookies).



Knitted Pretty-in-Progress
In this picture, my current project just looks like a tangle of electric green yarn. But it will be something soon. I can't say anymore or show another picture until the intended recipient receives it. I will add, however, that this project is HOT! I'm double-stranding Lamb's Pride Bulky, and, wow, I get really warm while knitting it.



Purchased Pretties
Porkchop picked these up at Trader Joe's earlier in the week. The roses are a bit droopy now (and the photo is blurry), but they're still pretty.



This afternoon, I went to Art Outside at Schlafly Bottleworks. It was nice to see some of the local artists. I'm usually not much into paintings, but I saw a few that I really really liked! But, of course, we can't shell out $300 right now for art. So I bought some cheaper things like....



The card and buttons were made by the folks at Fire Cracker Press. You might not be able to see the buttons so well....one is a robot head, the other says "South City," which is our part of town. Since I was by myself, I was able to engage in potentially embarrassing activities like asking the Fire Cracker Press guys all sorts of questions. Such as, do you rent press time? Do you know anyone who does? They were nice guys and said to stop by the press anytime.

Once I saw this pretty, I knew that it had to come home with me:



The dish that I really wanted was $135, so I settled for a $35 one. Because, in reality, I need another serving dish like I need another black t-shirt. But handmade pottery is so appealing to me, and I love this artist's designs. Her name is Carmelita Nuñez, and this is her website...it seems under construction still. Anyway, looks like she will also be in Chicago at the Renegade Craft Fair next weekend!

Pretty Recipes

Here's the one for the cranberry-oat bars, from Everyday Food's September issue (Hi Martha, love you! Don't sue me for reprinting recipes!)

CRANBERRY-OAT BARS

nonstick cooking spray
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 bag (10 oz) marshmallows
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 cups toasted oat cereal (we used multi-grain cheerios)
1 cup dried cranberries

Spray 10x15 inch baking sheet or glass dish with cooking spray. Line with wax paper, spray paper with cooking spray.

In a large saucepan (nonstick for easy cleanup), melt butter over medium heat. Add marshmallows and salt; cook, stirring until marshmallows melt (about 5 minutes). Remove from heat and stir in cereal and dried cranberries.

Transfer to baking sheet or dish. If you've made rice krispie treats, you know what to do.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

We made the following cookies for our trip to Jonesboro. Everyone - my parents, my brother, our friend V - agreed that they were yummy. Before making, note that the dough has to chill out in the freezer for a while before baking. Don't try to be all last minute like I tried to do. Also, this recipe came from a Glad advertising section in Everyday Food, so the official recipe calls for a lot of unnecessary Glad stuff. Oh yeah, makes 2-3 dozen.

ROSEMARY-CITRUS COOKIES

2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
pinch salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
2 tablespoons finely chopped rosemary
2 tablespoons grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine flour, cornmeal, and salt in medium bowl. Beat butter and sugar in a large bowl on medium-high speed until creamy. Beat in egg, rosemary, lemon zest, and vanilla until fluffy. Reduce speed to low; gradually beat in flour mixture until just combined.

Tear off around 14" of wax paper (or Glad press'n seal wrap). Spoon dough into a 10-inch log. Shape dough into a rounded 10 x 1 1/2" log (do the best you can...shape doesn't really matter!). Wrap well and freeze 4 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 F. Unwrap log and cut into 3/8" slices. Place slices 1" apart on non-stick cookie sheets. Bake until edges are lightly golden (15-17 minutes). Cool on a wire rack.

"All I Need is Everything"

Tonight, Porkchop and I are going to see Over the Rhine at Blueberry Hill. A show! Excitement!

I enjoy most of Over the Rhine's work, but it's Good Dog Bad Dog that really gets me. I still remember the first I heard it; and, even now, I have to stop whatever I'm doing and just listen to it when it's on.

It's sad. It'll make you want to cry and drink. And you won't be able to stop listening to it.

But on to other things...

Labor Day Weekend
We had a good visit with my parents - full of home made bread, talking, and tennis.

V came down Saturday night, and then Porkchop and I followed her to Memphis (only about an hour away) Sunday afternoon for a little tour of downtown (including the Lorraine Hotel - sad!) and good Vietnamese food.

My dad managed to embarrass me only twice during V's visit. Once, when he asked V if the person who wrecked her car was of "ethnic heritage." That is, he wanted to know if the person in question was black. So embarrassing!

I don't know what gets into my dad, but once he crosses into crazy land, there's no going back.

During these times, I just have to breathe deeply and remember that I cannot control my dad, and his actions and words have nothing to do with me.

The second sort-of embarrassing moment actually kind of amused me. We were talking about the filming of Hustle and Flow, and my dad said something like, "Well, I guess it isn't easy for pimps [in Memphis]." Of course, he was referencing the Three 6 Mafia song featured in the movie (and the Oscars). I'm pretty sure he wasn't serious because the comment was accompanied by a jokey smile.

I find the song in question quite atrocious because, hello!, I think it's infinitely harder for the pros who the pimps are exploiting. And the Oscar performance made me want to throw up. But, I found the pop culture reference quite amusing. I mean, does your dad reference Three 6 Mafia lyrics?

Tuesday
You've heard a bit of this already. Told my current workplace I was retracting my offer acceptance. Ha!

Very nervous, but everything turned out okay.

Wednesday
I started Wednesday morning with a 7:00 appointment for my life insurance health exam. The examiner, Odessa, came to our apartment. I learned two things: I have somehow grown over an inch, and our bathroom scale is indeed off by 5 pounds. After Odessa weighed me, I was commenting on how our bathroom scale is off, which I don't really mind. But I think Odessa thought I was complaining about how much I weigh, but I wasn't. I was just stating a fact about our scale, and I really wanted to qualify as a super-preferred life insurance customer. Anyway, Odessa said, "Well, Carrie, you've got some hips. But that's a good thing. Because when you put on a pair of jeans, it's like: Bam! If you don't want your hips, I'll take them."

So, even though I wasn't feeling bad about the state of my hips, Odessa made me feel pretty good. Of course, then Keetah walked out, and Odessa said, "Oh! That's a fat cat!" Y'all, lay off of Keetah! Don't give her a self-esteem complex, okay?! Keetah is just fine the way she is. But we are being stricter about her feeding schedule.

Okay, back to the point about my growth spurt. I have always been around 5' 5 1/2". Never 5' 6", mind you. Never. Suddenly, I'm nearly 5' 7"! I didn't believe Odessa, so Porkchop measured me that night and got a reading of 5' 6 7/8".

I attribute this growth to yoga. I've been doing a lot of back strength and flexibility postures, and I think it has helped to decompress my spine. Seriously. Don't think I'm crazy.

After work (which has kept me quite busy, as I'm trying to document and organize everything for the next person) on Wednesday, I went by CSD to sign my offer letter. I thought this would just take 10 minutes, but it turned into a 40-minute tour and meet-and-greet session. I was impatient to get home because it was also....

Knitting night! Or, Knittin' Night, as I've been calling it. You know, after a dip back into the mid-South, I can't put gs on my gerunds (or other -ing words). (BTW, I consider St. Louis southern Midwest. Anything below STL is northern-South; Jonesboro and Memphis are mid-South; and, below that, y'all're in the South.)

For food, we went quick with take-out (Qdoba for Porkchop and me, Rally's (Checkers if you're in the South) for Soozi). After eating, we zeroed in on knitting. Soozi had finished one purple garter stitch scarf using Lamb's pride. So, during Knittin' Night, she started a slightly wider one that will also be longer. I finished up my second gift bag and started on the I-cord for it. Porkchop knitted a couple more rectangles for the infamous baby blanket.

Thursday
Nothing super-exciting to note. Porkchop and I exercised together in the evening. Yay! And then we enjoyed soup at St. Louis Bread Company.

After that, we just kind of hung out at the apartment. Nice.

Today
I didn't want to get up at all this morning! So tired! Major eye baggage! So unmotivated to be here at work!

While lounging in bed, talking about how I didn't want to get up, I raised the blinds a bit so that Keetah could lie on the window sill.

That's when I saw a squirrel scurrying up to the bird feeder (BTW, see Porkchop's livejournal for more about our bird squirrel feeder). We all watched in horror as the squirrel drove away a female cardinal that was also trying to eat! So rude!!

Porkchop angrily went out onto the deck to drive the squirrel away, which lasted for like 5 minutes before said squirrel came back. Here, I would like to mention how many squirrels there are in our neighborhood. Just from my bed vantage point, I saw around 10 running through various trees in our yard and neighbors' yards. Squirrel overload!

Poor cardinals. They were hanging out, waiting for the squirrel to leave, but I think they finally gave up.

We ended up letting Keetah out on the deck, joking about she was supposed to keep squirrels away. Well! She surprised us and actually kind of cornered a squirrel. I say "kind of" because Keetah didn't mean any malevolence, she was just watching the squirrel, who was freaking out! The squirrel was frozen and emitting distress sounds. Keetah just sat and watched it. But, when the squirrel ran down from the deck post, Keetah chased it! Again, not out of malevolence, just out of curiosity.

Anyway, maybe the squirrels will stay away now. Or else we'll put our guard cat out.

Have a nice Friday!

Tuesday Morning Awkwardness

So, I just had to explain to a few people here at my workplace that, even though today was to be my first official day here, on Monday, September 11, I will be starting a different position. I feel kind of mean, but I didn't receive the new offer until this past Friday, after 4:00!

The new place is paying me a bit less, but it offers:

• Domestic partner benefits.


• Twenty-two days paid vacation.


• Twelve sick days.


• After a year, free undergrad and 50% off grad tuition for me. For domestic partners, 50% off undergrad. And, after 7 years, free tuition for children (not that I require this now).

Plus, the staff members sound really excited for me to work for them. Excited about me!

It makes me feel so special.

Hopefully, they will still like me after the 6-month probation period.

I still can't get over the vacation policy. Twenty-two days! For those of you who work in the private business sector, you know what I'm talking about! It takes most people 5 years to get 20 days. Crazy!

More updates later about our Labor Day excursion to Arkansas, with a side trip to Memphis.

Have a great Tuesday!

Juice

The Juice Lady has been one of my favorite birthday presents from my parents (they had hints and help), but I've been neglecting her lately. So, at WF, I picked up some juicing materials. Last night, I made my favorite: beet-orange-carrot-ginger juice. Known as the Ring of Fire in some circles.

Here's the prep work:



Of course, the photo doesn't show the true beauty of the beet. Sigh.

Here's the final product:



Again, our camera didn't capture the color gradations in the glass. Murrrr.

It was much prettier than that.

I should have used another orange, but it was still tasty.

Cookies
Before I started making the rosemary-citrus cookies, I realized that the dough had to freeze 4 hours to overnight before baking.

Darn! Why can't I pay attention to the details?!

Porkchop agreed to cook the cookies today. So we mixed up the batter last night. I'm so intrigued: rosemary (and lots of it), lemon zest, and cornmeal.

Should be interesting.

Yay!
For a holiday!

Wish I was getting a paid holiday. But it's still nice.

Have a great weekend! And drive safely if you're out on the road!

Cheese Heads

And, no, I'm not referring to Packers fans.

I'm referring to how much freakin' cheese I've eaten lately. So much!

Monday Night
Porkchop and I went grocery shopping at Whole Foods. As much as I sometimes make fun of Whole Foods...I really really enjoyed it. After grocery shopping most of the time at Shop 'n Save or the not-so-great Schnucks, going to WF was like entering a magical land of pretty produce, cheese, tapenade, bulk foods, organic frozen items, and gelato.

We bought a lot of good things for our $78, but we were most excited about the Saint André cheese. I went to sleep that night thinking of the triple cream goodness to come.

Oh, but before going to bed, I enjoyed a spicy cheese roll from the WF bakery. It took me back to Madison's farmers market and Stella's spicy cheese empenadas. Stella!!

Tuesday
Parts of my interview Tuesday evening were fabulous, while other parts were awkward. I only hope that they don't get turned off by my writing samples. Because, apparently, I can only write 20-page papers about feminist anthropology and female genital cutting. Or male circumcision. Or trans erotica. Actually, I only gave them the paper about FGC. And maybe they'll dig it because I discuss "development" programs in Africa and the political and economic aegis behind FGC "eradication" programs. Along with some stuff about the false dichotomy of universalism and cultural relativism. Anyway...

After the interview, I went home and made tomato-basil bisque, which I've posted about a couple times before, but I must re-iterate how absolutely wonderful it is. And, the meal was made even better by the accompanying Saint André on crackers.

This is where I must tell you how I nearly ate the whole block of cheese. It's so creamy (maybe because it's triple cream?) and tasty....the whole thing can disappear quite quickly because I HAVE NO RESTRAINT with cheese.

After the cheese and soup course, Porkchop and I rented Capote. Very good. Much different than I expected.

Wednesday
Knitting night.

Also, maybe...bail out on plans and go to a Cardinals game night. I won't name names here.

Soozi came over and made the most delicious 7-layer dip ever! All the ingredients were very fresh and organic. Yum yum yum...I wanted to eat more of it, but we also had....

Cheese! And more cheese!

Havarti with dill and a hard sheep's milk cheese from France's Pyrenees. I like to imagine the French mountain sheep being rounded up and milked and baa-ing in little French accents. Also maybe wearing berets. And eating crêpes and drinking red wine.

Soozi also brought over another TRIPLE CREAM CHEESE: Délice de Bourgogne (P.S., don't you love the description on the website I've linked to? I want to be a food writer!). For a few minutes, I had Soozi convinced that triple cream cheese is dessert cheese. It kind of is, in a way.

We also had chicken satay and my favorite salad of baby greens, edamame, red bell peppers, mandarin oranges and sesame-ginger dressing. I embarrassed myself by claiming that I could drink Newman's Own sesame-ginger dressing from the bottle. In reality, I wouldn't, but I really really like it.

Next knitting night, we're going to make easier food so that we have more time for knitting. I made more progress on my second gift bag, and I convinced Soozi to start a scarf using some Bernat Boa yarn that someone thoughtfully gave me for Christmas. I write thoughtfully sarcastically because I'm a bit of a yarn snob. Don't worry, it was no one here who gifted that yarn to me.

Soozi is a bit accurate when she describes the scarf as looking like purple kelp.

But don't fear, Soozi has big plans for a yarn shopping excursion after receiving her first huge paycheck in September.

Tonight
I'm making rosemary-citrus cookies. I'm quite excited.

Other Things
I am finally ready to transfer my car's title to Missouri and obtain a new license plate. Porkchop (who is technically co-owner of the car) said that she would do the paper work tomorrow. After living in Wisconsin and Iowa, where transferring a title and getting plates takes 2 seconds, it's rough to come back here. So many things to do: obtain a personal property tax waiver, get an emissions test done, have a safety inspection, and of course have car insurance.

I'm actually glad for the safety inspection, which I had done yesterday (you can't just walk-in around here - you have to make an appointment), because I had a cracked serpentine belt! That's no good! So, I feel safer traveling to Arkansas this weekend. Of course, I didn't feel unsafe before because I had no idea.

Someday, I'll get a Missouri driver's license, too. But I'll put it off as long as I can because I hate taking the vision test. My vision is fine, but something about my head doesn't fit the vision machines. In order to take the test, I have to shut one eye for one side of the grid, and then shut my other eye for the other side. And then I have to focus really carefully because the lights in the machine and the colors used for the grid hurt my eyes.

It's rough times. Porkchop actually got to witness this routine in Iowa. I think I kind of embarrassed her because I took so long.

But seriously, my vision is fine!

The Compton Street bridge re-opened yesterday!! 3 months early!! This shaves like 10 minutes off my commute. Seriously.

Sorry
For the no-picture posts lately.

Here's something for you:



Have a great Thursday!

Round 3

Job update: My off-site job prospect has asked me back for an interview with another project director and for a writing sample. Like I said to Porkchop and Soozi, if this doesn't pan out, I'm going to be super-pissed about all the time I've invested. Geez.

In other news, yesterday was nearly perfect in terms of my balance of activities. In the morning, I did yoga, 3 loads of laundry, and put dinner in the crock pot. Around 1:00, Soozi and I went out for lunch (at Sqwires), and then I returned home to work on one of my papers. Later, Soozi joined Porkchop and me for tortellini soup (see recipe below), and then they went to the ball game (yay Cardinals!...and some say I don't care) while I worked on my paper some more. I stopped at the bottom of page 18...now I need to reassess things, and I could really use some references to Bruno Latour's Pandora's Hope: Essays on the Reality of Science Studies. So I might be purchasing some books soon. And then re-selling them as soon as possible!

After accomplishing so much on my paper, I sat on the couch and read most of the current Bitch. Yay! What a great Sunday! Except for knitting, of which I did none.

That doesn't mean I wasn't thinking about knitting, however. I can't wait to purchase Mason-Dixon Knitting. I didn't believe the hype at first, but after skimming through it with Porkchop at Borders last week and laughing aloud, I can't wait! I'm already planning all of the band washcloths that I'll make. And rugs. And felted boxes.

Awesome.

I think that's it, y'all. Porkchop and I are working on getting our cars registered and licensed, but that's boring stuff. Not exciting like reading about my Sunday.

Upcoming Things
Maybe you will find some of this exciting:

• Wednesday: Knitting night with Soozi. I'm thinking we should also make some fun small dishes and maybe have wine or other libations.


• Labor Day isn't as fun when you don't get paid for the holiday, but maybe seeing V will make up for that. Porkchop and I are going to my parents' in northeast Arkansas, and V might drive over from Memphis for a visit.


• Renegade Craft Fair. I've been counting the days, and it's soooo close! Yay! We will be staying with K&B...that Sunday is K's birthday, so extra fun!

Note about Luna Bars
So, the Luna bar people have a new line out: Sunrise, morning nutrition for women. Does anyone else think this is kind of ridiculous? I love Luna bars, but I hate the "for women" thing. And now, morning nutrition for women?? Is that really necessary?

I had the Vanilla Almond bar, and I didn't really like it. It was a weird consistency.

The Recipe
I nearly forgot! But here it is! This recipe is for a crock pot, but if you don't have one, just simmer the soup for a half hour or so before adding the tortellini.

TORTELLINI SOUP

1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
2 14.5 oz cans vegetable broth
1 cup sliced green onions
1 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 tsp dried oregano
1 Tbsp fresh basil (or 1-2 tsp dried)
1 Tbsp white wine vinegar
1 lb cheese tortellini (or extra if you like)

Mix all the ingredients except the tortellini in a crock pot. Fire it up on HIGH for 4-5 hours or LOW 6-8 hours. During the last hour of cooking, add the tortellini.

That's it! Simple! I even wrote this recipe from memory!

Have a great Monday!

Busy Busy Busy

Oh my, the latter part of this past week was BUSY. So busy with the work at work and not enough time for writing or knitting. Murrrr.

On Wednesday, I had my second-round interview at my off-site job prospect. The interviewers were nice enough, and everything seemed to go well...even though two interviewers were looking at someone else's information for a while. After we got that straightened up, those interviewers' questions and comments made so much more sense.

Since I had to take skills tests and have an interview this week, I had to work longer hours to make up my time. So, I was at the workplace until 5:00-5:30 every day. Except for Friday, because I went in early. Work kind of sucked this week because some of the audiovisual equipment in the learning center auditorium is flipping out. This meant that I had to do a lot of equipment troubleshooting and think of crazy workarounds for some presentations and webcasts. Luckily, a service person made it out on Friday. Even though he couldn't fix the most troublesome problem, we at least know what's wrong and what needs to be ordered.

The executive assistant annoyed me as per usual with stupid comments and other crap, which makes me not so excited about the offer put forward by my current workplace. The money would be great - it's much more than I expected - but the EA annoys the hell out of me. Also, my current workplace doesn't offer domestic partner benefits. So stupid!

I will accept the offer unless my other job prospect extends an offer, too. Even though the other place could not match my current offer (not according to the posted maximum starting salary, anyway), it has better benefits. And, the EA doesn't work there.

Oh, here's an interesting story.... Wednesday around 5:00, the emergency alarm went off at work. It sounds like ERRRRRRRRNH! ERRRRRRRRRRNH! And, it's really loud! Speaker! Right! Above! My! Desk! After the alarm sounded, the security guard made this announcement: All non-involved parties, stay in your area. Your attention please, your attention please! There is an emergency situation on the central stairwell. Stay in your area.

Of course, my cube mate and I immediately left our area to scope out the central stairwell, which is in the middle of the 3-story atrium. We couldn't really discern what happened, but there were a lot of people on the stairs, running up and down and stuff. So, I left a few minutes later, and found out that a woman (someone who is really nice and answers a lot of my questions) had taken a tumble down the first half-flight of stairs. Her shoe heel got caught in her pant leg cuff, and down she went. That explained the thunk-a-thunk-a-thunk that I heard before the emergency alarm. Now the woman is all bruised up, but no broken bones or anything. She's lucky because those stairs aren't very forgiving: slate, metal, and glass. Ow.

Here are some other things that happened this week:

• Had dinner on Wednesday at Hartford Community Café. Yummy falafel, and their sundae list looks promising. I accidentally flicked cucumber-yogurt sauce on Porkchop's forehead, an action that was met with some huffiness. After dinner, we took a walk in Tower Grove Park. I ended up flipping off some assholes who were drive-by harrassing women. The harrasser yelled at me, "Lesbian!" Is that the best insult he could think of? Because, while I don't identify as lesbian and feel misidentified by it, I'm not embarrassed. I mean, duh, I'm not straight - I'll shout that out myself. Anyway, what was supposed to be a relaxing walk ended with me wanting to beat the crap out of a couple of jerks who felt entitled to ruin everyone's evening. Sometimes, I really really hate people.


• On Thursday, we bought life insurance. How crazy is that?! Next up, Roth IRA! Our insurance agent told us that we should stop by more often because we're really fun. He's so great....if you're in the area and need insurance, look him up (BTW, his photo must be a bit dated...he looks more mature now).


• Friday night, we went to see Invincible. Porkchop wanted to see it, and I didn't mind, so off we went to a fancy schmancy theatre. After settling into our seats with popcorn and a soda, Porkchop somehow knocked the soda so that it landed lid-side-down on my thigh. Cold! So! Cold! But, I exhibited role model behavior and handled the situation with grace. Of course, I lorded this over her the rest of the evening and compared it to the cucumber-yogurt-sauce-on-Porkchop's-forehead incident. In my book, sitting in cold, wet soda-pants for a couple of hours is much worse than getting a bit of yogurt on one's forehead.

This morning, after Porkchop left for the park, I exercised and then set out to mop the entire apartment. Oh my gosh! I totally underestimated the time/labor required for this chore! We have a lot of floor space! It took me well over an hour to move things, sweep, mop, and put things back. I'm pleased with the results, though. The place just feels cleaner.

After mopping and cleaning myself up, I went to Soozi's to keep her company while she waited for her parents' new refrigerator to be delivered. The delivery people barely made the 4:00 mark in the noon-4:00 delivery estimate. While waiting, we knitted and talked and knitted. I started a new gift pouch and made considerable progress.

After the delivery people left, Soozi and I set out to put things into the new fridge. That's when Soozi noticed that cold air wasn't really entering the refrigerator part (freezer was okay). We determined that the air vents were blocked with styrofoam. So, Soozi started hacking it out....because what sort of refrigerator uses styrofoam as an integral component? After a while, we removed the central console and found more styrofoam and some wiring instructions. Hmmmmm.....so we took out the rest of the styrofoam that was blocking the vents, but we left some of the other styrofoam. Because, hey, we're not refrigerator experts, maybe styrofoam is used these days?? We do, however, know a blocked air vent when we see it.

Hopefully the refrigerator doesn't fall apart because of missing styrofoam.

Tomorrow, Soozi and I are to have brunch together to make up for not having time for dinner tonight..

Right now, I'm waiting for Porkchop to get home. Maybe I'll knit a bit more and listen to a This American Life.

Sigh.

Have a good night!

Ten Dollars of Fun

Actually, only $9.13 of fun. After a nice walk in Tower Grove Park, Porkchop and I hit Jay International Foods for treats. Here's what we came away with:



Not pictured is the second Thai Tea bottle. The pumpkin chips are super yum! I thought so anyway; Porkchop spit hers out. Whatever.

I enjoyed my ginger beer and Porkchop her Jarritos while sitting out on the deck this evening. This is the sort of weather I like! Low humidity!

If you ever see these little chocolate cream wafers, buy them! They are the best! Here's a closer picture for reference:



At JIF, Porkchop and I noticed that Nutella now makes a little snack pack: nutella with dipping sticks and what appears to be peach tea! The peach tea thing seems weird....that's just what I'm piecing together from the picture of a peach above the words something-the.

Before our trip to JIF and before our walk, we made garlic-rosemary marinated grilled chicken. I've written about this dish before, but I feel the need to mention it again. So good!

Porkchop did most of the labor. I mainly minced the garlic.



Have a great night!

Drinks, Giant Pretzels, and Knitting

So, after my fringe debacle Saturday evening, Porkchop and I met Soozi and her manfriend at MoMos. Good hummus and yummy drinks. I felt a bit tipsy because...pick one:

1. I'm a lightweight.


2. The guy bartender at MoMos makes them strong.


3. I am maybe a lightweight.

Seeing how I was all a bit fuzzy when I went to bed, it was especially difficult to get up and go to Gus' Pretzels at 8:00 am. But it was worth it. I brought back these for a certain someone:



Those pretzel numbers are 15 inches high. We're talking big pretzels here, folks!

Knitting
I had decided to finish the flower washcloth on Sunday, even though I did not have a set of size 6 double pointed needles. That's right....I decided to finally try the Magic Loop method!

So crazy!

It's actually not that bad, but I highly suggest watching the instructional video on this website. Magic Loop is a lot like using 3 dpns...if you imagine the cable on the circular needle as one dpn. However, Magic Loop requires shifting your yarn around A LOT; and, like using dpns, you have to be careful to avoid those gutter seams that sometimes form where the dpns meet (know what I mean?).

I'm not totally happy with the result...you can definitely see where I switched from in-the-round-with-a-circular to the Magic Loop. The stitches aren't quite as tight and pretty. See what I mean:



Maybe you can't see it so much in the picture, but you can in person. I will definitely be purchasing a set of size 6 dpns.

Also, here is a pic of my first finished gift pouch. Note the fancy fringe work:



After Knitting
To take a break, I walked down to Hartford Coffee Company for a decaf latté. When I was across the street from the coffee shop, a kid yelled out to me: Hey! Do you know how to fix a bike chain?

To those of you who think I'm only a Knitter or Someone Who Cooks, you should know that I am also a Fixer of Bike Chains. Of course, it was an easy fix, but I still enjoyed assisting a 10-year-old-ish girl with her bike.

Unfortunately, the chain was more than a bit rusty, so my hands became quite dirty. Since the coffee shop's bathroom was occupied, I had to order with dirty hands. I felt so embarrassed when the barista handed me my change because I couldn't hide my dirtiness! And then I had to explain that I just fixed a kid's bike. But I don't think the barista knew what I was talking about because she just looked at me like I was crazy.

Oh, also, on my way to Hartford, I realized that I left my cell phone in my car, which was then parked at Six Flags. Murrrr.

Since I couldn't make a few intended calls after my coffee break, I did things like: laundry, make orange-almond shortbread, do yoga, and wash dishes. What I did not do: work on my school paper.

All in all, a very good Sunday.

Until that Night
Sunday night, I couldn't sleep at all! I was so wound up thinking about work things and the skill tests that I was scheduled to take for my off-site job prospect. My current workplace is supposedly making me an offer sometime this week, but I'm also continuing to pursue my other job prospect.

So, the skill tests went fine. I don't know why I was nervous. Actually, I do know why: I get nervous about things. That's just who I am.

Anyway...work has been busy. For a change.

So that is all for now.

Have a great day/afternoon/night!

Making Fringe is Tiring

I just spent nearly an hour making the fringe for my first gift pouch's I-cord.

I hate making fringe.

Whenever fringe is involved, I find it the most tedious and often most challenging part of the project. This evening, I had to redo my work twice because I messed it up. I nearly gave up when my I-cord started unraveling. Apparently, when I was cutting (yes, cutting!) one of my mess-ups away, I inadvertently snipped part of the I-cord.

But it's okay, I recovered things and fixed it right up.

I will post a picture tomorrow of my gift pouch in all its glory. Possibly a pic of my first flower washcloth, too.

Anyway, making fringe is tiring. Keetah thinks so, too:



Since I've started with the cat photos, here's another one:



It's not easy to knit with so much cat on your lap, but I somehow manage.

Have a great night!