Wednesday, June 28, 2006

Oh so many things.

Let’s see…this weekend I managed to watch TWO movies. The first was The Princess and the Warrior, directed & written by Tom Twyker, who also wrote and directed one of my favorite movies, Run Lola Run. I really liked it. I’d say I enjoyed it but it’s a hard movie to enjoy. Still, it was beautifully made and beautifully acted. It is, however, kind of the polar opposite to Lola. Very slow moving and tragic. But if you are into slow and sad and German…then it might be right up your alley (heh, I said “up your alley”).

I also watched Madagascar, which was, much to my surprise, not terrible. I liked it well enough and to be honest, I didn’t expect to like it at all. But there is was, not offensive and some parts were even funny. I have no real love for Ali G but Sacha Baron Cohen was very entertaining as the lemur king and the character design for the little lemur, Mort cracked me up every time he came on screen. So over all…it’s fine. Entertaining even.

On Monday night I realized a dream and finally saw Eddie Izzard. Do I love me some Eddie? Yes, yes I do. Sadly, he was not in drag. No one makes high heels look as sexy as Eddie but he did look darn cute with his scruffy little beard and all. And he was brilliantly funny. It was a “work in progress” show so there were some uneven bits and some very extended pauses but he can tell a Jesus joke like nobody else. And bees, he tells great bee stories. Bees…

Anyway…um…let’s see. There are no vegan scones this week, it’s back to the couscous, which is nice in hot weather. And last week there were some decidedly unsatisfying lemon walnut scones so…eh. I guess I have burned out on those. Perhaps some more chocolate espresso muffins are in order.

Oooh, over at the Felt Club blog they have posted the recipe for the excellent tofu brownie that I had at the last Felt Club and I am very excited to try it out. YAY TOFU! No, seriously, it’s some good stuff.

Finally, some entertainment.

Monday, June 26, 2006

Nosegay.

I was cleaning out some files and came across three bits of poems that I couldn’t recollect writing. Only one of them was complete and after some thought, I realized that it was something I had written in response to a challenge to use a specific word. Nosegay, I think.

Anyway here it is:

When the dress is wilted,
The ribbons no longer bright.
When the slightly ratty faces
Are not softened by the light.
When the cheery nosegay
No longer seems so gay.
And all the celebrations
Seem many years away.
The harshest of reality
Has clearly come to call.
And the wallflower-y girls
No longer press the wall.
The one shining moment
Has surely come and gone.
But the marriage license, darling
That will linger on.


I rather like it. But I feel the need to defend it by saying it was written in five minutes, so it’s not…well, it is what it is. And on re-reading it, I realize that it can go both ways. I think I intended it to be a snarky, Dorothy Parker-esque comment on weddings. How the wedding day is all flowers and ribbons but when all that is gone, you’re still married. And maybe all you really wanted was the flowers and the ribbons. On the other hand, I suppose you can read it as a comfirmation of that fact that once all the pretty stuff is gone, it’s the important stuff that sticks around.

You decide..

Tuesday, June 20, 2006

YAWN!

Talk about involuntary reflexes! I was drawning a picture of a character yawning but I was concerned that the action did not read clearly as "YAWN" and might be misconstrued as "YELLING." I did a Google image search for "yawn" and immediately began to yawn myself. And now I can't stop!

Don't call.

Hey, dude that sat at the table next to me last night—while I am well aware that slurping your noodles is perfectly permissable. And I am really not all that bothered that you are so afraid of eating alone that you feel the need to talk on your phone through your entire meal. Really. It’s kind of sad. But if you called me and slurped while talking, I’d totally hang up on you. Just so you know.

Monday, June 19, 2006

Get your Marple on!

Once again, lots of baking over the weekend. A lemon cake mailed off to dad for father’s day. Lemon walnut vegan scones for breakfasts. Baked eggplant parm for dinner and sandwiches and the dough was made for tortillas but they never did get pressed. I was just too tired. They will just have to be my new experiment in how long you can refrigerate tortilla dough before it won’t work anymore. Although I did discover in with the last batch of tortillas that half white flour/half whole wheat pastry flour and transfat free Crisco make for some tasty and reasonably healthy discs of goodness.

This weekend the husband type was incredibly busy with work but there was one thing I knew would get him away from the computer. And it is not at all what you think…it is far more disturbing.

We are old. We are sad little old people who hole up in their apartment and watch way too much t.v. But there is one show, one above all others that trumps everything. Oh, we like your Battlestar, we have secret resources to indulge our Doctor Who fetish. He is even kind enough to tape Lost and let me watch pretty much anything else but if you mention to him that there is a Miss Marple on tonight all work must cease. Dinner must be eaten and out of the way by 9 p.m. Bladders must be emptied because the PBS, it don’t cotton to no commercial breaks.

I don’t know how we got to this point. The show is really good. And other people must have thought it would be because it’s had absolutely stellar guest stars. Guest stars that make me think that someone, somewhere, still loves me. And Geraldine McEwan…brilliant. But when the husband notices that there is an episode on he will declare that is is time to “Get his Marple on!” and settle in for the next hour. I know, it sounds cute and charming and all. It’s actually quite…yeah. Still, it’s a damn fine series. So is Foyle’s War. And I just watched my first episode of Rosemary and Thyme and quite enjoyed it. I suppose it’s time to start supporting public television. Although I never need to hear anyone say “I’m getting my Marple on” again.

An excuse to be a pain.

All right, I know I said I wasn’t the commenty type and that I really don’t like to talk to people so much but I have been making an effort. I have been expanding my horizons. I have been…commenting. Well, sometimes. If I have something to say. AND I have been emailing strangers too! How’s that? You know, just to comment on something they wrote or a piece of art or something. I am making an effort. Oh, except on Jodi’s blog. I don’t make an effort there at all.

Heh. A whole post just to pick on Jodi. Totally worth it.

Friday, June 16, 2006

One Bag, Lots o' Stuff.

the stuff in my bag

I wanted to play along with all the cool kids but I haven’t had a chance to photograph the contents of my purse yet. However, since I do normally carry three bags (why yes, I do have back problems, however did you know?) to work, I did capture the contents of my “satchel”, as I call it. I guess it’s kind of like carrying a brief case but I don’t have any briefs in it. To be fair, it’s not always this full but I do usually travel with some stuff to read, some stuff I am working on and…a lot of other junk. The other bag (other than the purse and this one) carries my lunch and my bottles of iced tea (made at home and transferred to bottles) so it’s not really that heavy. (You can click through to see the notes, if you care.)

Just wait until you see all the stuff in my purse!

For My Dad

My dad's father's day card from me. Well, he'll find it funny even if you don't. And it does say something sweet inside. Sort of. I love my dad. He's awesome.

Monday, June 12, 2006

Active Culture

This was a very cultured weekend. Friday night I went to an art show. OK, that wasn’t so cultured. But it was a nice change of pace and I got to show a little love for the LAVA BEAR. Actually, it was an interesting venue and and interesting concept but there was too much noise and um…no, I am not paying $3000 for your senior project for your art school. Gotta say, Lava Bear’s art certainly stood out as the most interesting and original of the night.

Saturday I visited the FELT CLUB and took in a little outdoor art and a really, really good tofu brownie. Oh, I was mocked. Yes, I was. But it was a fine, tasty treat and now I need to find out how to make them.

Saturday night involved a little Doctor Who, a little pizza and quite a lot of whiskey. Don’t let other people pour for you, that’s my advice. After re-watching the second episode of season two of Doctor Who (Tooth and Claw) and watching the third episode (School Reunion) for the first time I have to say, I am so impressed with the writing on that show. And now that I have said it, I know I will live to regret it but man is that some fun stuff. If you are a Buffy fan, you may be happy to know that Anthony Stewart Head makes a special appearance in episode three. He is actually a friend to the whole Doctor Who thing, having played roles in the audio dramas previously. I, for one, am always happy to see him in anything. (Also, also, if you are a just plain Doctor Who fan, you may be happy to see some other old friends make an appearance).

Sunday was a trip to the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion to see an opera. I am happy that I got to go but…well…Grendel was just not good. There were some strong and lovely performances, some nice costumes and set pieces and a lot of crap besides that. The book was boring and confused, the modern dance pieces were predictable and the music was tedious. But hey, I like an experiment. Still….I think I need a classic next time.

So, busy weekend. Lots o’ culture and one really good tofu brownie.

Friday, June 09, 2006

I am...kind of bored.

Blogger has been flaky lately. I filled this out a while ago when I was bored and it's just been sitting on my desktop moldering.

I am: not interested.
I want: to go home.
I hate: very little but I dislike a lot.
I miss: sleep.
I fear: giant fish breaking through the aquarium glass.
I hear: that I can be a real bitch.
I wonder: how to make really good icing.
I regret: very little.
I am not: not interested. Just not interested all the time.
I dance: rarely.
I sing: out of tune.
I cry: only slightly more often than I dance.
I am not always: angry.
I make with my hands: bread.
I write: with many revisions.
I confuse: affect and effect.
I need: tea.
I should: be more original.
I start: fights.
I finish: with a flourish.

All Grown Up

One of the greatest explanations of adulthood was given to me in a supermarket. The guy I was shopping with stopped in the jams and jellies aisle and said “I guess you really know that you are a grown-up when you realize you can choose any kind of jelly to go on your peanut butter and jelly sandwich. I choose apple.”

I thought that was pretty deep. And kind of gross too. Ew. Who wants a peanut butter and apple jelly sandwich. Yuk.

I choose grape. Obviously we didn’t speak much after this. Really…apple jelly? That’s just wrong.

Tuesday, June 06, 2006

Still Nerdy

I got called a food nerd today. I was singing the nutritional praises of my couscous breakfast (It has soymilk! And whole wheat! And Almonds and cranberries that have special omega 3 things done to them! IT IS A NUTRITONAL POWERHOUSE!) and I got called a nerd. I am used to the nerd title but still…a food nerd.

Then I went to get some lunch and picked a salmon and avocado sushi roll because…NUTRITONAL VALUE!! And watermelon because it’s better for you than you think (LYCOPENE! VITAMIN C!).

Man, I can justify anything! Ice cream? You need the calcium, you don’t want a broken hip when you are an old lady? Chocolate? Oh yeah, that’s got all kinds of good stuff in it. Pizza? Lycopene! Calcium! Put some mushrooms on it and you are fighting cancer and getting some potassium. Fried chicken? Um…protein? And…OK, look, this only works sometimes.

I guess I am nerdy in more ways than I could ever imagine.

Faker

I once read this article in some women’s magazine.

That’s all.



No, really, that was a terrible beginning to a story but I am going to go on with it anyway. I once read an article in some women’s magazine about how many women don’t feel like they are…hmmm, what’s the word here…capable? Basically the article was about how some women, although I do not doubt for a minute that this is also true for some men (but I’ll come back to this in a moment), feel as if they are “faking it”. Faking their competency, really. They feel as if they aren’t really all that sure of what they are doing at work, at home, taking care of the kids, pretty much anywhere and they are all waiting to be found out. Waiting for someone to say “Hey, you really DON’T know what you are doing, do you?”

What struck me about the article was that Jodi Foster said that she felt that way. Jodi Foster, fluent in French, writer, director, actor, possible Academy Award winner but I don’t really know because I am really too lazy to look it up right now, said that she felt like she was going to get “caught” faking it. That made me feel better. Not so much because it’s Jodi Foster, but hearing that from any well respected person kind of takes the sting out.

So, you know, it’s not just you and it’s not just me. It’s Jodi Foster too.

Monday, June 05, 2006

A Very Quiet Girl

I am going to write something here that may cause some controversy amongst the people that know me. Maybe not though, I find that when I make what I think is a radical statement about myself they all say “Yeah? And?” but here it is…
I don’t really like to talk all that much.
I suspect there are at least a few grade school teachers that would argue that. And if I had said that to my dad when I was 16 and had just gotten my own phone line he would have laughed himself sick. But in general, I just don’t really like to talk. I am not willing to raise my voice to be heard over some loud-mouthed idiot either. And it’s not that I think what I have to say is of less value than what anyone else might say, I just really don’t have all that much I NEED to say.

I also have a distaste for commenting on blogs. I really, really like when people comment on mine, but I am very hesitant to comment on someone else’s blog. And when I do, it’s kind of a big deal. In fact, I very often go so far as to write the comment, revise it several times and then I don’t post it. I worry that whatever I say will be taken out of context (easy to do when you can’t hear the inflections) and I would hate someone to be bothered by what I might say. So generally I just keep to myself. But I do read your blogs. All of your blogs. Every single one. Really.

Pretty good.

Friday, June 02, 2006

Wheat Meat

I try things so you don’t have to. Aren’t you lucky? Although I suspect the odds of anyone I know trying “Veggie Rib mix” is pretty slim. Still, I wanted to know what it was like so I tried it. You don’t have to. They were…ok. I can’t say OH MY GOD DON’T DO IT! Because they were just fine. If you already have a fondness for wheat gluten, go for it. I had actually never had it before.

These were really simple to make. Mix with water, blend in some melted margarine and peanut butter (I don’t know why the peanut butter. I actually thought it was kind of a distracting taste) bake, baste with BBQ sauce and bake some more. Easy Peasy.

I actually liked the “end bits”. I always like the end bits (stop it!). But they got really chewy and crunchy and good. But the middle parts were too…wheaty for me. So if you like meat, and you are ok with eating meat, then just eat the meat. If you are not eating meat and you like wheat gluten, try them. If you have never had wheat meat, I’m thinking that this is an easy way to give it a try. Mine were fine. I don’t imagine I will make them again since I know there is NO WAY that James would ever eat these and I can’t eat a whole pound myself. But I will consider it a worthy experiment.

Thursday, June 01, 2006

Why didn't you say?

I know that everyone is more cleverer than me…than 1…but why didn’t anyone tell me that whole wheat couscous, made with soymilk then tossed with a little brown sugar, cinnamon, toasted almonds and cranberries, made a really nice breakfast? Jerks. You should have told me. (It’s good cold, by the way, you don’t even need to reheat it.) And you could have then mentioned that the mixing possibilities are endless. Why, I bet you could make it with any variety of juice in place of the soymilk, throw in what ever spice you like and add some fresh fruit and it would be just as lovely. And you should have said how high in fiber and whole grains it is! And that by adding soymilk and almonds you get some protein and calcium too! And then, if you had told me that you could probably even add peanut butter while it was still warm and mix it through that would be pretty good too.

I’m just saying…you could have told me.