My first real job, and by real I mean the kind where you have to file taxes and have working papers if you are 15 and all that, was at an amusement park. Here in southern California, you can’t spit without hitting someone who worked at Disney, or Knott’s Berry or Universal or what have you when they were a kid, but they are not anything like the my place of teenaged employment and it’s not polite to spit anyway.
I worked in a very small, family owned amusement park. How much amusement anyone ever got out of it is debatable but it is the park that my grandmother would take me to when I was just a wee ickle girl. It’s been there forever and in fact, used to be the home of one of the oldest roller coasters and merry-go-rounds in the US. I think the roller coaster is now gone. It was pretty sketchy safety-wise when I was a kid; I hate to imagine what it would be like now. When I worked there I liked to get in a little early and watch the building and safety crews run their daily tests on the rickety old thing. First they would walk the length of the track, up and down the hills. Then they would run the cars, empty, a few times. Then, every morning, at least one guy would have to ride the rollercoaster. I think they took turns. I don’t know how they felt about it but I can remember watching a big, burly guy in a maintenance uniform sitting in the front car, legs stretched out, riding round and round the track. I was always a little bit jealous.
The park was pretty small. I know that over the years it has grown, but only slightly. There are now bigger and better and far more technologically advanced rides. There is a water park taking up valuable parking spaces and I think there are even some big pavilions that house fancy shows but when I was there, well…small town amusements. One rollercoaster, a scrambler, a tilt-a-whirl…the stuff you can find on any midway really. But it was a fairly cheap and entertaining day out. And in the summer, during the season, just after Memorial Day, the tiny park was jam packed with people.
I got my job because I knew someone else who worked there. She worked in the ice-cream stand but I started out in the picnic area. It wasn’t a pretty job and I didn’t like it at all. My first day was spent washing the nastiest pots and pans I had ever seen and cleaning out a sink trap that actually made me cry. My second day was spent serving greasy pork to people at a company event. It was early in the season and the park was only open on weekends. I had decided that the next weekend, my second, would also be my last.
I came to work that second weekend and I was given a uniform shirt. The first weekend I had only been required to wear blue shorts and a white shirt. The shirt was quickly ruined but I guess you have to prove your mettle before receiving a uniform. I got mine the day I planned to quit. I went up to the picnic area and was just getting up my nerve to give notice when they told me they needed me to help out in the pizza stand. I ended up working there for several more years.
The park has been on my mind lately but I am not sure why. Maybe it’s the tiny scars on my wrists that I see when driving that make me remember that one bad day with the deep fryer. Maybe it’s the chilly weather that makes me think of the 500-degree pizza ovens. I haven’t been back to the park since I left and I don’t exactly miss it. I met a lot of people there and all kinds of people. The food staff was mainly high school girls, the management was mainly college boys and the rides operators were mainly…well, I guess it wouldn’t be too far off to call them carnies. It was a weird job but a perfect one at fifteen. We worked hard and we had fun. What more could you ask for? Oh, right…money.
The other day I said that if I wrote my autobiography I would call it, oops but I have always wanted to write a book about the park and the people who worked there and call it Small Amusements.
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
Monday, February 05, 2007
Blanks, filled in.
Now you know I am not the participatory sort and in fact, I don’t even like people all that much so I am playing along here without playing along.
1. I have never wanted to climb a mountain, shoot the rapids or run a marathon; but I've always thought I might like to nap for more than two hours at a stretch. (Seriously, you should let me try this one.)
2. When I was 9years old, I believed 39 was a good age to get married.(I still think that.)
3. If I was my own best friend, what I would enjoy the most about spending time with Me would be the hilarious jokes and the cool presents; while what I'd find the most irritating would be spending time with someone like me. (I think I have already gone on records as saying that I never like the people I am most like because I don’t like seeing my own neurosis mirrored in someone else. Who the heck wants to hang out with a mess like me? Not me!)
4. If the story of my life up to this point was being published tomorrow, it would be titled "oops." and it would be dedicated to all of those who have ever had to deal with the aftermath of me saying…”oops.”
5. When my time on Earth is over, and the people who loved me are remembering me, it would please me if they said ”She wasn’t so bad.” (Say what you like, I won’t be listening!)
So…I have all these posts half written. I keep thinking of things to write about but getting distracted. I have all this art half drawn but I keep getting distracted. I have the ingredients for all kinds of vegan cupcakes but…you get the picture. But I did finally catch up with “Heroes”(Hell-lllo Christopher Eccleston!) and I did read three whole books in the past few weeks, which is almost more than what I read all last year.
Things are progressing. It’s just that they progress…very…slowly.
1. I have never wanted to climb a mountain, shoot the rapids or run a marathon; but I've always thought I might like to nap for more than two hours at a stretch. (Seriously, you should let me try this one.)
2. When I was 9years old, I believed 39 was a good age to get married.(I still think that.)
3. If I was my own best friend, what I would enjoy the most about spending time with Me would be the hilarious jokes and the cool presents; while what I'd find the most irritating would be spending time with someone like me. (I think I have already gone on records as saying that I never like the people I am most like because I don’t like seeing my own neurosis mirrored in someone else. Who the heck wants to hang out with a mess like me? Not me!)
4. If the story of my life up to this point was being published tomorrow, it would be titled "oops." and it would be dedicated to
5. When my time on Earth is over, and the people who loved me are remembering me, it would please me if they said ”She wasn’t so bad.” (Say what you like, I won’t be listening!)
So…I have all these posts half written. I keep thinking of things to write about but getting distracted. I have all this art half drawn but I keep getting distracted. I have the ingredients for all kinds of vegan cupcakes but…you get the picture. But I did finally catch up with “Heroes”(Hell-lllo Christopher Eccleston!) and I did read three whole books in the past few weeks, which is almost more than what I read all last year.
Things are progressing. It’s just that they progress…very…slowly.
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Pin-up.
So there are lots of magazines in our house. It’s strange though. He gets some lad mags, a car magazine and at least one sports magazine. I get a lot of cooking and health related stuff. Cooking Light and Self and Herbivore, because even though I am not a vegan, I find they put out a damn fine magazine. From time to time I pick up copies of Vegetarian Times or the like. And I don’t actually have a subscription to BUST but I always pick it up when I see it. That and Malt Advocate which we will just consider a “health magazine”. OK?
If there is something that catches my interest on the cover of a magazine, I will most likely buy it. The most recent issue of Juxtapose caught my eye because it had articles about Tara McPherson and David Cho. And I recently sought out a copy of Hi Fructose just for an article about Mark Ryden. But sometimes I pick up Allure because it will say “GIANT MAKE-OVER ISSUE” and I am a sucker for before and after pictures. Or I’ll buy Ready-Made because it has instructions for making something I will never ever make but like to think I will…someday.
Like I said, there are a lot of magazines in our house. And I read a little of all of them. I will pick up his ESPN magazine even though I have very little interest in sports because I think it’s pretty well written and I like their designer. I will read the articles in his car magazine about cars I like, Volkswagons or Jeeps, just because I think they are nicely designed cars. I read his lad mags because when you get done reading all that other stuff there is not much left (Although I did demand his Playboy the other day because I wanted to see what Number Six looks like when she’s not a cylon. She looks nice).
But I think our magazines tell more of a tale than one would suspect.
I called home in the middle of the day to ask a question of him. I don’t remember what the question was but that’s not important to my rambling story. And, as is my wont, I asked if I had received any mail. I do this a lot and I don’t really know why except that I really like getting mail and sometimes I even get packages! Anyway, he said “Oh you got some magazines…there’s a Wired here. It has that guy from the Daily Show on it…you know the PC guy.”
My husband has his lad mags. The one with his beloved Eva Mendez arrived the other day and I haven’t seen it…I think he’s hiding it. But me, I get my own pin-up…John Hodgman is on the cover of Wired. I am thinking I need to hang that up in my cubicle.
If there is something that catches my interest on the cover of a magazine, I will most likely buy it. The most recent issue of Juxtapose caught my eye because it had articles about Tara McPherson and David Cho. And I recently sought out a copy of Hi Fructose just for an article about Mark Ryden. But sometimes I pick up Allure because it will say “GIANT MAKE-OVER ISSUE” and I am a sucker for before and after pictures. Or I’ll buy Ready-Made because it has instructions for making something I will never ever make but like to think I will…someday.
Like I said, there are a lot of magazines in our house. And I read a little of all of them. I will pick up his ESPN magazine even though I have very little interest in sports because I think it’s pretty well written and I like their designer. I will read the articles in his car magazine about cars I like, Volkswagons or Jeeps, just because I think they are nicely designed cars. I read his lad mags because when you get done reading all that other stuff there is not much left (Although I did demand his Playboy the other day because I wanted to see what Number Six looks like when she’s not a cylon. She looks nice).
But I think our magazines tell more of a tale than one would suspect.
I called home in the middle of the day to ask a question of him. I don’t remember what the question was but that’s not important to my rambling story. And, as is my wont, I asked if I had received any mail. I do this a lot and I don’t really know why except that I really like getting mail and sometimes I even get packages! Anyway, he said “Oh you got some magazines…there’s a Wired here. It has that guy from the Daily Show on it…you know the PC guy.”
My husband has his lad mags. The one with his beloved Eva Mendez arrived the other day and I haven’t seen it…I think he’s hiding it. But me, I get my own pin-up…John Hodgman is on the cover of Wired. I am thinking I need to hang that up in my cubicle.
Friday, January 26, 2007
Happy.
Last night I was messing around with my mp3 thingy, taking things off, putting things on, trying to organize but not succeeding at all and I kept coming across one song. By the time I got in my car to head out to a friends’ house, all I could think of was that one band and I burrowed around in my bag of cds to find them, popped them in the stereo and…INSTANT HAPPINESS! YAY!
That got me to thinking about all the little things that never fail to make me happy. Simple things. And I know it seems trite and out of character for me, the saddest little wanna-be goth girl in the world, to say it but I decided I needed to make a list to share some happy things with the world.
I do not guarantee results, and I cannot account for any side effects such as headaches, swelling of the throat or rashes on the hands and face, call your doctor if such a thing occurs but here are some things that (so far) never fail to make me happy:
The music of:
The Clash
The Cramps (most specifically, “Goo Goo Muck”)
Violent Femmes
And
Buzzcocks
Video footage of really cool robots. Go figure.
Chocolate (dark and bitter, like your soul)
Chocolate cupcakes with vanilla icing (from a box if you want to get specific)
Scrambled tofu with green onions
Oysters
Jodi’s text messages.
I tend to save texts from Jodi because they always make me laugh. When I got a new phone recently, I deleted some of my favorites due to memory issues but I remember most of them:
Robots. Fire. Cool.
I just saw a bumper sticker that said “Gwar is not the answer.”
Yay! I am in your house moving everything an inch to the left!
Hello Kitty has cool shoes.
And most recently:
Utah smells like cow poop.
Postcards make me happy. Getting them, receiving them and sometimes just looking at them. Right now I have a big stack of them on my desk. I intend to eventually send them to my nephews and in fact, picked out the silliest ones along our cross-country drive just for that purpose. But I also have a lovely art postcard from the Little Otsu store and on my pin board here, I have two postcards that Jules brought me back from England. One is of Shakespeare’s non-tomb and one is a pictorial description of my favorite Jane Austen novel (Persuasion). Oh and there’s one of Sky Ape, signed by one of the creators and there’s a promotional one of Eddie Izzard that has a really nice picture. Postcards are cool. I like them and they make me happy. Yay.
See, sometimes it really is the simple things.
That got me to thinking about all the little things that never fail to make me happy. Simple things. And I know it seems trite and out of character for me, the saddest little wanna-be goth girl in the world, to say it but I decided I needed to make a list to share some happy things with the world.
I do not guarantee results, and I cannot account for any side effects such as headaches, swelling of the throat or rashes on the hands and face, call your doctor if such a thing occurs but here are some things that (so far) never fail to make me happy:
The music of:
The Clash
The Cramps (most specifically, “Goo Goo Muck”)
Violent Femmes
And
Buzzcocks
Video footage of really cool robots. Go figure.
Chocolate (dark and bitter, like your soul)
Chocolate cupcakes with vanilla icing (from a box if you want to get specific)
Scrambled tofu with green onions
Oysters
Jodi’s text messages.
I tend to save texts from Jodi because they always make me laugh. When I got a new phone recently, I deleted some of my favorites due to memory issues but I remember most of them:
I just saw a bumper sticker that said “Gwar is not the answer.”
Yay! I am in your house moving everything an inch to the left!
Hello Kitty has cool shoes.
And most recently:
Utah smells like cow poop.
Postcards make me happy. Getting them, receiving them and sometimes just looking at them. Right now I have a big stack of them on my desk. I intend to eventually send them to my nephews and in fact, picked out the silliest ones along our cross-country drive just for that purpose. But I also have a lovely art postcard from the Little Otsu store and on my pin board here, I have two postcards that Jules brought me back from England. One is of Shakespeare’s non-tomb and one is a pictorial description of my favorite Jane Austen novel (Persuasion). Oh and there’s one of Sky Ape, signed by one of the creators and there’s a promotional one of Eddie Izzard that has a really nice picture. Postcards are cool. I like them and they make me happy. Yay.
See, sometimes it really is the simple things.
Misheard.
A guy in my office, a very nice guy, just walked through the room. I swear that I heard him say “It’s porno day!” and all the boys cheered.
Sadly he only said, “It’s Porto’s day” Which means he brought in pastries from a local bakery.
I mean, muffins are nice. Yes. And thank you for bringing them. But we wouldn’t have said no to the porn either.
Sadly he only said, “It’s Porto’s day” Which means he brought in pastries from a local bakery.
I mean, muffins are nice. Yes. And thank you for bringing them. But we wouldn’t have said no to the porn either.
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Sorry.
OOPS! Sorry, sorry. Didn't mean to give any spoilers to Battlestar there. If you haven't read the past few posts and you do watch Battlestar Galactica, there is a spoiler from the last season. I thought that I was the most behind viewer, not taking into account the people who watch a season at a time on DVD. So when you get to the "What I am watching" bit of the "Bits...and Bobs" entry...don't read it.
Sorry.
Sorry.
Words.
I like words. I like them a lot. I like to use them, I like to read them and I like to adorn myself and my home with them. Again and again I find myself attracted to things with words on them…other than the obvious I mean. Not just books and remote controls and the back of the cereal box. Things like pillows and paintings and jewelry. I am particularly fond of things that have Shakespeare’s words printed on them. But that’s probably because there are a lot less things printed with lines from John Donne’s poetry.
Anyway, I like words, not a big surprise, but sadly, there are two things that show up over and over again, printed on pillows and sun catchers and rings and bracelets that just drive me…bugnuts. It’s mean of me, I know, petty even. But I hate things printed with the word “dream.” I like the word “dream” just fine…in context. But the word “dream” on it’s own…sounds lazy to me. Why “dream”? Why not “do”? And for that matter, why not “nap”? I would totally buy a ring with the word “nap” engraved on it. I know, I know. It’s good to dream. It’s good to aspire to something more than what you have or are or could even possibly be. But to me, “dream” sounds weak. And I just don’t like it.
I also hate things with the phrase “What would you do if you knew you could not fail?” It’s a tricky question that. It sounds deep but in my mind, we learn by failure. Why bother to only do the things you know you can do? Maybe I am just nitpicky but if I only did things that I knew I couldn’t fail at, I wouldn’t do anything…not that I do all that much now. I’m just sayin’. And it’s kind of one of those monkey paw situations. Like say, what would you do if you knew that you could not fail…well, I’d play the lottery. But playing doesn’t mean you’d win. And you can’t win the lottery just by playing right? Or even, what would you do if you knew you could not fail? Well, I’d fly. Yes, but does that include the landing. Because you could totally not fail to fly but then totally fail to land, right? Be careful people. Be careful.
Today I am wearing one of my favorite pieces of jewelry. It is a bracelet with my favorite line from a favorite poem by a favorite poet. It…it’s not…uplifting. But somedays don’t we all feel like we have been “run down by the drunken taxicabs of Absolute Reality”? I don’t know why there isn’t more stuff printed with the words I like.
Ok, yes I do.
Still, I would buy that set of three inspirational rings engraved with the words, “nap”, “drink whisky”, and “go barefoot.”
Anyway, I like words, not a big surprise, but sadly, there are two things that show up over and over again, printed on pillows and sun catchers and rings and bracelets that just drive me…bugnuts. It’s mean of me, I know, petty even. But I hate things printed with the word “dream.” I like the word “dream” just fine…in context. But the word “dream” on it’s own…sounds lazy to me. Why “dream”? Why not “do”? And for that matter, why not “nap”? I would totally buy a ring with the word “nap” engraved on it. I know, I know. It’s good to dream. It’s good to aspire to something more than what you have or are or could even possibly be. But to me, “dream” sounds weak. And I just don’t like it.
I also hate things with the phrase “What would you do if you knew you could not fail?” It’s a tricky question that. It sounds deep but in my mind, we learn by failure. Why bother to only do the things you know you can do? Maybe I am just nitpicky but if I only did things that I knew I couldn’t fail at, I wouldn’t do anything…not that I do all that much now. I’m just sayin’. And it’s kind of one of those monkey paw situations. Like say, what would you do if you knew that you could not fail…well, I’d play the lottery. But playing doesn’t mean you’d win. And you can’t win the lottery just by playing right? Or even, what would you do if you knew you could not fail? Well, I’d fly. Yes, but does that include the landing. Because you could totally not fail to fly but then totally fail to land, right? Be careful people. Be careful.
Today I am wearing one of my favorite pieces of jewelry. It is a bracelet with my favorite line from a favorite poem by a favorite poet. It…it’s not…uplifting. But somedays don’t we all feel like we have been “run down by the drunken taxicabs of Absolute Reality”? I don’t know why there isn’t more stuff printed with the words I like.
Ok, yes I do.
Still, I would buy that set of three inspirational rings engraved with the words, “nap”, “drink whisky”, and “go barefoot.”
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Bits...and Bobs.
The last three things I read were about:
1. Cupcakes
2. Music
3. Knitting
What I am listening to right now:
An ambient music podcast
What I was listening to before that:
A grammar podcast
What I had for lunch:
Four leftover whole wheat and cheese ravioli. Whole wheat ravioli does not stand the test of time. And someone, please remind me that I can’t eat cheese. Ugh.
Oooh, I had some cherries before lunch though and those were good.
What I ate for dinner last nigh:
“Tuscan chicken.” It was not good. Don’t ask.
What I intend to eat for dinner tonight:
Something that does not involve whole wheat pasta, cheese or anything called “tuscan.”
As long as I am rambling on and making lists…
What I am reading: The Falls, by Ian Rankin. I was listening to a pod cast (I think it was from the Guardian) of Ian Rankin giving the reporter a tour around Edinburgh. At one point he took her to the Royal Museum of Scotland and mentioned that he liked the display on death. Of course, being obsessed with funerial trappings as I am, I immediately HAD to read the book that he mentioned in conjunction with the Authur’s Seat coffins.
What I am watching: I am desperately trying to catch up on Heroes because I know my darling former Doctor is now appearing on that program. I think, however, I am giving up on Battlestar Galactica. Now before you give me attitude for not watching THE BEST SHOW ON TELEVISON, let me just say, I think it’s a good show. It’s just not a fun show for me and I tend to like my tv to be fun. Also, they killed off my favorite character (Ellen Tigh). So there.
What I am listening to: I kind of burned out on the cds I have in my car on the cross-country trip and I am trying to find new things to listen to. Any suggestions? At the moment I am kind of interested in ambient music or, at the very least, music without lyrics. I like the words just fine but I am starting on some work that requires more concentration than I can give if I am dancing around in my chair singing “Does Your Mother Know.”
What I am drinking: one of the TEN pounds of Dunkin’ Donuts coffee procured on the east coast portion of our trip with steamed and frothed soymilk. You can trash talk the Dunkin’ coffee as much as you want, I like it!
What I am drawing: Um…not what I should be, ok? Stop asking so many questions.
1. Cupcakes
2. Music
3. Knitting
What I am listening to right now:
An ambient music podcast
What I was listening to before that:
A grammar podcast
What I had for lunch:
Four leftover whole wheat and cheese ravioli. Whole wheat ravioli does not stand the test of time. And someone, please remind me that I can’t eat cheese. Ugh.
Oooh, I had some cherries before lunch though and those were good.
What I ate for dinner last nigh:
“Tuscan chicken.” It was not good. Don’t ask.
What I intend to eat for dinner tonight:
Something that does not involve whole wheat pasta, cheese or anything called “tuscan.”
As long as I am rambling on and making lists…
What I am reading: The Falls, by Ian Rankin. I was listening to a pod cast (I think it was from the Guardian) of Ian Rankin giving the reporter a tour around Edinburgh. At one point he took her to the Royal Museum of Scotland and mentioned that he liked the display on death. Of course, being obsessed with funerial trappings as I am, I immediately HAD to read the book that he mentioned in conjunction with the Authur’s Seat coffins.
What I am watching: I am desperately trying to catch up on Heroes because I know my darling former Doctor is now appearing on that program. I think, however, I am giving up on Battlestar Galactica. Now before you give me attitude for not watching THE BEST SHOW ON TELEVISON, let me just say, I think it’s a good show. It’s just not a fun show for me and I tend to like my tv to be fun. Also, they killed off my favorite character (Ellen Tigh). So there.
What I am listening to: I kind of burned out on the cds I have in my car on the cross-country trip and I am trying to find new things to listen to. Any suggestions? At the moment I am kind of interested in ambient music or, at the very least, music without lyrics. I like the words just fine but I am starting on some work that requires more concentration than I can give if I am dancing around in my chair singing “Does Your Mother Know.”
What I am drinking: one of the TEN pounds of Dunkin’ Donuts coffee procured on the east coast portion of our trip with steamed and frothed soymilk. You can trash talk the Dunkin’ coffee as much as you want, I like it!
What I am drawing: Um…not what I should be, ok? Stop asking so many questions.
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Silly.
What I was doing when I should have been doing something else.
A sort-of self portrait. (She's much cuter.)
The flag of my nation.
Monday, January 22, 2007
Obsessive.
It’s not just me, right? Tell me you do it to. Tell me that I am not weird.
Tell me you obsess over things, things that you probably saw once, in passing and thought “That’s cool.” and then walked away from. You didn’t buy it, you didn’t need it, you didn’t care about it…until the middle of the night. When you suddenly decided that you couldn’t live without it.
It’s not just me, is it?
It’s not as bad as it sounds really. I am obsessive mostly about books. I read about a book, a review, or a preview and I think, “That’s cool.” But I know that I currently own more books than I could realistically read in one lifetime…well, if you read as slow as I suddenly do, and that I do not need that one more book. It will sit there for weeks, possibly years, until I even remember that I had to have it and I still won’t read it. Or, worse yet, I will buy it and begin it immediately, pushing aside all other books in its favor. All those other books that are taking up so much space and that I really had to have at some earlier date, but I haven’t read yet.
I got a gift card to Barnes and Noble for Christmas. (I read somewhere about someone whose mother insists on referring to the store as “Barnes and Nobles”, not the plural, just the…wrong name, and now, every time I think of Barnes and Noble, it comes out “Barnes and Nobles” and I am driving myself crazy.) It wasn’t a huge gift card, but it was enough of a chunk to buy a few books. I could feel it burning a hole in my pocket, nay, in my SOUL. I had to spend it as soon as possible. It was all I could do not to spend it while on the east coast thereby forcing myself to truck another several pounds of stuff across the U.S. (And let me just mention here that I visited Borders no less than three times while in New Jersey, ostensibly to buy presents for other people…and perhaps just a thing or two for myself.) I don’t sleep well and falling asleep is the hardest part of that for me. Sometimes I actually count sheep, sometimes I meditate, but when I have a book store gift card, I mentally run down all the books I could buy with it. I make lists, I debate the merits of cook, I fret over what I could buy vs .what I will buy. It’s sick. But it’s entertaining.
I spent the gift card. I bought two books with it, a book on crochet, something that I don’t know how to do and will probably never learn, even though I have a book on it, and a mystery novel. And despite everything else I have half-read or sitting on the top of the reading pile, I immediately dove into “The Falls” by Ian Rankin.
It’s a very good book.
Tell me you obsess over things, things that you probably saw once, in passing and thought “That’s cool.” and then walked away from. You didn’t buy it, you didn’t need it, you didn’t care about it…until the middle of the night. When you suddenly decided that you couldn’t live without it.
It’s not just me, is it?
It’s not as bad as it sounds really. I am obsessive mostly about books. I read about a book, a review, or a preview and I think, “That’s cool.” But I know that I currently own more books than I could realistically read in one lifetime…well, if you read as slow as I suddenly do, and that I do not need that one more book. It will sit there for weeks, possibly years, until I even remember that I had to have it and I still won’t read it. Or, worse yet, I will buy it and begin it immediately, pushing aside all other books in its favor. All those other books that are taking up so much space and that I really had to have at some earlier date, but I haven’t read yet.
I got a gift card to Barnes and Noble for Christmas. (I read somewhere about someone whose mother insists on referring to the store as “Barnes and Nobles”, not the plural, just the…wrong name, and now, every time I think of Barnes and Noble, it comes out “Barnes and Nobles” and I am driving myself crazy.) It wasn’t a huge gift card, but it was enough of a chunk to buy a few books. I could feel it burning a hole in my pocket, nay, in my SOUL. I had to spend it as soon as possible. It was all I could do not to spend it while on the east coast thereby forcing myself to truck another several pounds of stuff across the U.S. (And let me just mention here that I visited Borders no less than three times while in New Jersey, ostensibly to buy presents for other people…and perhaps just a thing or two for myself.) I don’t sleep well and falling asleep is the hardest part of that for me. Sometimes I actually count sheep, sometimes I meditate, but when I have a book store gift card, I mentally run down all the books I could buy with it. I make lists, I debate the merits of cook, I fret over what I could buy vs .what I will buy. It’s sick. But it’s entertaining.
I spent the gift card. I bought two books with it, a book on crochet, something that I don’t know how to do and will probably never learn, even though I have a book on it, and a mystery novel. And despite everything else I have half-read or sitting on the top of the reading pile, I immediately dove into “The Falls” by Ian Rankin.
It’s a very good book.
Friday, January 19, 2007
You're not invited...neither am I.
Shamelessly stolen from Fond of Snape who has excellent taste in Hogwart’s professors.
1. Guest one must be someone who is/was creative with words - a novelist, poet, playwright, essayist, journalist, etc. Who would you invite?
Hmmm, gotta say, I am torn between my beloved China Miéville, Douglas Adams and Tom Stoppard. Who to choose? Who to choose? They are are such smart guys and hopefully, smart guys make good conversation. And they have some pretty interesting theories on…stuff…and junk. Hmmmm…I am going to go with Tom Stoppard on this one, mostly because he’s my current flavor of the month. His new plays have been making the rounds and I’ve been reading a lot of articles about him and…I think I am in love. Such a quick mind. He’ll have to go outside to smoke though, I don’t actually mind but it’s not nice to smoke at the dinner table.
2. Guest two must be someone who is/was creative with images - a painter, photographer, sculptor, fabric artist, collage artist, etc. Who would you invite?
Mark Ryden. I know very little of Mark Ryden beyond his art. But his art…well, it’s something to see. I have the feeling that he might actually be the kind of guest that just lurks there at the end of the dinner table, picking at his food and not saying much until you are just at that point, you know the one, where you are tired of hosting a dinner party and at least one of your guests is waaaay too drunk and getting all annoying and grabby and suddenly, from that other end of the table, the shy one starts to hold forth on literature and art and tells some great joke and a really funny story about the time he was working on this thing and this famous guy came in and…ok, I could be wrong, but that’s just my feeling of Mark Ryden. But I really like his art. So he’s invited to my imaginary dinner too.
3. Guest three must be someone who is/was a performer - an actor, singer, musician, comedian, acrobat, etc. Who would you invite?
Eddie Izzard. Oh hell yes Eddie Izzard. Funny, sexy, smart and he has nice shoes. He’s got an opinion and I bet he’s like to tell you about it. And somehow, I think the fact that he could show up in a dress makes it all the better. I wouldn’t care either way though. I just like him. And wouldn’t it be cool if Mark Ryden wanted to paint him. Eddie Izzard looks like he would fit right in a Ryden painting.
4. Guest four must be someone who is charting/charted new territory - either in the physical sense, like an explorer, adventurer, or astronaut, or someone like a groundbreaking scientist or inventor. Who would you invite?
Gregor Mendel. I don’t know why. I have long had a fondess for ol’ Gregor. I remember learning about him in 7th grade science class and for some reason he just stuck. I have some small interest in genetics but no great scientific thing, it just interests me and Gregor seems like a nice guy. I don’t know what he would make of Eddie though. I suspect Tom Stoppard might have a good conversation with him too. I don’t know why I think that but I do. And for some reason I have always loved the drawings of peas that accompany every story about Gregor Mendel.
5. Guest five must be someone who is/was a leader of other people - perhaps in the area of politics, like the literal leader of a country, or perhaps a leader in the area of religion, military, business, or even a great philosopher or teacher, or an inspiring athlete. Who would you invite?
I am picking one of my former college professors for this one. It seems like a totally cheesy and contrived move (Hunh, the auto spell check just corrected my cheezy with a z to a cheesy with an s...Bastard. Spelled that right, didn’t I?) but he really is a very interesting guy. I won’t actually use his name because the last thing he needs is to know that I sing his praises. He is a history professor and fan of literature and the only college professor I know of that had Monty Python’s Holy Grail as required viewing. He also had a poster of Rasputin in his office, which I thought was funny (he did not, however have a beard down to his knees). But that gives you some idea of his sense of humor.
6. Guest six must be someone from any field who you believe is/was underrated and under-appreciated by most people, but whom you admire. Who would you invite?
I think I can sneak Douglas Adams in here as an underrated philosopher or computer guy, so there’s one of my first picks back in the game.
7. Guest seven is a wild card - your choice! Is there someone you'd like to invite who didn't seem to quite fit into any category, or was there a category where you'd have really liked to invite two different people? Then this is your chance to add the person you missed to the table. Who would you invite?
Ooh, I can get China in too! This works out perfectly. Now I have everyone I want at my party…except some women. And people that I actually know. And people that I could talk to without being intimidated. I think I just planned a party to which I wouldn’t actually be invited. Damn.
Bonus: Uh Oh! The dinner party is just about to end, all your guests are about to disappear, and you realize that you've forgotten to ask one important question of one of your guests. You just barely have time to squeeze in that last question, so quick! - what was the question and who did you ask?
Wait! Wait! What did I serve for dinner? Did Douglas Adams get along with my history professor or did he fight with Gregor Mendel over the creation of the universe (Mendel was a monk, Adams was an atheist), did Mark Ryden eat his meat or did he paint it? Did Eddie Izzard and China Miéville sit in the corner and talk trash about the rest of us? Did Tom Stoppard like the dessert or was it too sweet? I have so many questions…
1. Guest one must be someone who is/was creative with words - a novelist, poet, playwright, essayist, journalist, etc. Who would you invite?
Hmmm, gotta say, I am torn between my beloved China Miéville, Douglas Adams and Tom Stoppard. Who to choose? Who to choose? They are are such smart guys and hopefully, smart guys make good conversation. And they have some pretty interesting theories on…stuff…and junk. Hmmmm…I am going to go with Tom Stoppard on this one, mostly because he’s my current flavor of the month. His new plays have been making the rounds and I’ve been reading a lot of articles about him and…I think I am in love. Such a quick mind. He’ll have to go outside to smoke though, I don’t actually mind but it’s not nice to smoke at the dinner table.
2. Guest two must be someone who is/was creative with images - a painter, photographer, sculptor, fabric artist, collage artist, etc. Who would you invite?
Mark Ryden. I know very little of Mark Ryden beyond his art. But his art…well, it’s something to see. I have the feeling that he might actually be the kind of guest that just lurks there at the end of the dinner table, picking at his food and not saying much until you are just at that point, you know the one, where you are tired of hosting a dinner party and at least one of your guests is waaaay too drunk and getting all annoying and grabby and suddenly, from that other end of the table, the shy one starts to hold forth on literature and art and tells some great joke and a really funny story about the time he was working on this thing and this famous guy came in and…ok, I could be wrong, but that’s just my feeling of Mark Ryden. But I really like his art. So he’s invited to my imaginary dinner too.
3. Guest three must be someone who is/was a performer - an actor, singer, musician, comedian, acrobat, etc. Who would you invite?
Eddie Izzard. Oh hell yes Eddie Izzard. Funny, sexy, smart and he has nice shoes. He’s got an opinion and I bet he’s like to tell you about it. And somehow, I think the fact that he could show up in a dress makes it all the better. I wouldn’t care either way though. I just like him. And wouldn’t it be cool if Mark Ryden wanted to paint him. Eddie Izzard looks like he would fit right in a Ryden painting.
4. Guest four must be someone who is charting/charted new territory - either in the physical sense, like an explorer, adventurer, or astronaut, or someone like a groundbreaking scientist or inventor. Who would you invite?
Gregor Mendel. I don’t know why. I have long had a fondess for ol’ Gregor. I remember learning about him in 7th grade science class and for some reason he just stuck. I have some small interest in genetics but no great scientific thing, it just interests me and Gregor seems like a nice guy. I don’t know what he would make of Eddie though. I suspect Tom Stoppard might have a good conversation with him too. I don’t know why I think that but I do. And for some reason I have always loved the drawings of peas that accompany every story about Gregor Mendel.
5. Guest five must be someone who is/was a leader of other people - perhaps in the area of politics, like the literal leader of a country, or perhaps a leader in the area of religion, military, business, or even a great philosopher or teacher, or an inspiring athlete. Who would you invite?
I am picking one of my former college professors for this one. It seems like a totally cheesy and contrived move (Hunh, the auto spell check just corrected my cheezy with a z to a cheesy with an s...Bastard. Spelled that right, didn’t I?) but he really is a very interesting guy. I won’t actually use his name because the last thing he needs is to know that I sing his praises. He is a history professor and fan of literature and the only college professor I know of that had Monty Python’s Holy Grail as required viewing. He also had a poster of Rasputin in his office, which I thought was funny (he did not, however have a beard down to his knees). But that gives you some idea of his sense of humor.
6. Guest six must be someone from any field who you believe is/was underrated and under-appreciated by most people, but whom you admire. Who would you invite?
I think I can sneak Douglas Adams in here as an underrated philosopher or computer guy, so there’s one of my first picks back in the game.
7. Guest seven is a wild card - your choice! Is there someone you'd like to invite who didn't seem to quite fit into any category, or was there a category where you'd have really liked to invite two different people? Then this is your chance to add the person you missed to the table. Who would you invite?
Ooh, I can get China in too! This works out perfectly. Now I have everyone I want at my party…except some women. And people that I actually know. And people that I could talk to without being intimidated. I think I just planned a party to which I wouldn’t actually be invited. Damn.
Bonus: Uh Oh! The dinner party is just about to end, all your guests are about to disappear, and you realize that you've forgotten to ask one important question of one of your guests. You just barely have time to squeeze in that last question, so quick! - what was the question and who did you ask?
Wait! Wait! What did I serve for dinner? Did Douglas Adams get along with my history professor or did he fight with Gregor Mendel over the creation of the universe (Mendel was a monk, Adams was an atheist), did Mark Ryden eat his meat or did he paint it? Did Eddie Izzard and China Miéville sit in the corner and talk trash about the rest of us? Did Tom Stoppard like the dessert or was it too sweet? I have so many questions…
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Brrrr.
OK, first of all I am sitting here, wearing two sweaters, sipping hot cocoa and listening to opera. Suddenly I have turned 82. What the hell is going on?
And yes, LA is cold. Really, really cold. For LA. Chris just called to tell me that there was snow on the side of Sepulveda Blvd. Snow. In LA. Well, actually, that may have been some left over hail. But he says snow, so I say snow. And I reminded him when we worked on the sixteenth floor we could see the snow before it became rain by the fourteenth floor. So, you know, it happens.
The real issue? I live in a 60’s apt. From before they decided that central heat was a good idea. Aside from suddenly becoming 82, my evenings now look something like “Little House on the Prairie” gone horribly wrong as James, the cat and I huddle around the pitiful little wall heater to keep warm. There are blankets everywhere (save the bathroom) so that if you have to hold still for more than five minutes you don’t freeze in place and I have been finding excuses to cook things in the oven just to warm the apartment up a little.
Hunh, thinking about it, the bathroom is actually the coldest room in the apartment. There is a little wall heater in there, it’s called a THERMADOR and it has a little picture of a matador on it. Basically it’s just an electric fire crammed in the wall and it has a tendency to set things ablaze, so I have a tendency to not use it. Call me crazy.
Brr. I am going to go get some more cocoa…and stick my feet in it.
p.s. For the record:
Brenda: I read Laurel K. Hamilton books too. I am not ashamed to read them as long as she is not ashamed to write them…although sometimes I think she should be!
A.C.: I didn’t speak to the dead poet, I don’t chat with zombies when I can avoid it. I’m not totally crazy…or am I?
And yes, LA is cold. Really, really cold. For LA. Chris just called to tell me that there was snow on the side of Sepulveda Blvd. Snow. In LA. Well, actually, that may have been some left over hail. But he says snow, so I say snow. And I reminded him when we worked on the sixteenth floor we could see the snow before it became rain by the fourteenth floor. So, you know, it happens.
The real issue? I live in a 60’s apt. From before they decided that central heat was a good idea. Aside from suddenly becoming 82, my evenings now look something like “Little House on the Prairie” gone horribly wrong as James, the cat and I huddle around the pitiful little wall heater to keep warm. There are blankets everywhere (save the bathroom) so that if you have to hold still for more than five minutes you don’t freeze in place and I have been finding excuses to cook things in the oven just to warm the apartment up a little.
Hunh, thinking about it, the bathroom is actually the coldest room in the apartment. There is a little wall heater in there, it’s called a THERMADOR and it has a little picture of a matador on it. Basically it’s just an electric fire crammed in the wall and it has a tendency to set things ablaze, so I have a tendency to not use it. Call me crazy.
Brr. I am going to go get some more cocoa…and stick my feet in it.
p.s. For the record:
Brenda: I read Laurel K. Hamilton books too. I am not ashamed to read them as long as she is not ashamed to write them…although sometimes I think she should be!
A.C.: I didn’t speak to the dead poet, I don’t chat with zombies when I can avoid it. I’m not totally crazy…or am I?
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Calls from beyond the grave.
How strange. My phone just rang and the caller ID said “Matthew Arnold” and my first thought was not, “Do I want to answer the phone?” or “Who is going to answer the phone?” or even “Why am I so slow answering the phone?” but rather “Why is a dead Victorian poet calling me?”
Sometimes my mind just wanders like that.
Sometimes my mind just wanders like that.
Friday, January 12, 2007
By the way.
There were many fewer tears than implied. It really was a good trip, if a little stressful at times. But let me tell you, if you have to drive up a mountain, at night, in the fog and rain, a GPS goes a long way towards making it less stressful and more like a video game.
Stolen from a cup of tea and a wheat penny, whose answers are so much more…educated than mine, but she’s a very entertaining blogger…go see…
Books you’ve been planning to read for ages:
That damn Darwin biography that I have been carrying around from home to home for something like 20 years now.
Anna Karenina
That John Banneville book…what’s it called? It’s sitting in that stack on the end table…
The Sisters, which is a biography of the Mitford sisters, who were pretty interesting. Jessica wrote my favorite book of last year (The American Way of Death Revisited), Nancy wrote this oddly cold but really entertaining slice of life/love stories. And Unity was friends with Hitler…or something.
Books you’ve been hunting for years without success:
For a long time it was the first few books by Carl Hiaasen that he wrote with a partner. I did eventually find them and read them. Currently, I can’t think of anything that I am looking for but there is always something, isn’t there? For a while it was a used copy of Vile Bodies by Evelyn Waugh but I have that now. Hmmm…I think I need a new quest. Actually, there are a lot of books I want that I am kind of waiting for someone to sell cheap on half.com
Books dealing with something you’re working on at the moment:
For Christmas, I received a book titled Everything I ate in a Year which is a photographic journal about…well, everything this dude ate in a year. I find it endlessly fascinating and I am trying to figure out a way to take advantage of his concept. Maybe I will do “everything I drew on my computer in a year” or “everything I should have done in a year but didn’t”…I also have recently picked up some nice trade paperbacks of comics I like, which reminds me that I should be working on my comic-con stuff. Oh and I also was given Never Threaten to Eat your Co-workers which is a book of excerpts from blogs, so I guess that is relevant too. AND…We’re Just Like You Only Prettier…which doesn’t apply to me at all actually but it made me laugh anyway.
Meanwhile, there are several books piled up around my desk concerning making books… so…yeah. I should get on that. Oh right, that knitting book…crap I have a lot of things I should be doing.
Books you want to own so they’ll be handy just in case:
Oooh, I like survival guides although the chances of finding me out in the wilderness are pretty slim. I like to know how to do things; so I am thinking some of those worst-case scenario books would be a good idea. And I could really use some books on programming because I might get around to learning that eventually. But see, if I am more specific than that I would actually have to go and find some books and learn things and really, how likely is that?
Books you could put aside maybe to read this summer:
That biography of P.L Travers that has been hanging around for a while. And that complete Bone may wait because that seems like good summer reading.
Books you need to go with other books on your shelves:
I think my Nigella cookbooks are getting lonely and would like to share some space with a few Ina Garten books. And they would look good with that nice copy of the MFK Fisher books I’d like to have…
Books that fill you with a sudden, inexplicable curiosity, not easily justified:
Books on death, forensics and the kind of cooking that people don’t do anymore. Like renaissance recipes or depression era recipes. But not together…although there is a curious similarity there, a “using every last bit” kind of idea.
Books read long ago that it’s now time to re-read:
I think I need to re-read the Mary Poppins books if I am going to read that PL Travers bio. And perhaps something a little quest-y to go with Bone, maybe Sir Gawain and the Green Knight?
Books that if you had more than one life you’d certainly read but unfortunately your days are numbered:
There a bunch of classics that I have never read that I feel like I SHOULD read, but I don’t really want to. A few years ago I tried to read the “100 Most Important American Novels”, I had read a good bunch of them but then I discovered there was a reason I had not read a lot of the others. I try not to be a snob about books. I read a lot of different things and I would never dismiss a mystery or a romance novel out of hand, good books are good books, but apparently, I don’t agree with whoever decided these were the “100 Most Important American Novels”. After three in a row that I really hated, I put the list aside and started reading things that just looked more appealing. Do I feel guilty that I didn’t like some of the MOST IMPORTANT NOVELS? Yep, but a girl only has so much time. So, I feel like, if I had another lifetime, I might try to read those MOST IMPORTANT NOVELS again. But I’d probably get disgusted again and give up again. So I think I’ll just stick with what sounds good to me, not to someone else.
Well, I guess I have that idea that I would like to read more…sophisticated stuff. I have pretty eclectic reading habits and I tend to go from classics, to post modern sort of fiction to non-fiction pretty randomly. But in the end, all that really matters to me is that I appreciate the book on some level. Even if I don’t love the story, I need to love the style, or one character, or at the very least, the cover. I don’t think that’s asking for much.
Books you’ve been planning to read for ages:
That damn Darwin biography that I have been carrying around from home to home for something like 20 years now.
Anna Karenina
That John Banneville book…what’s it called? It’s sitting in that stack on the end table…
The Sisters, which is a biography of the Mitford sisters, who were pretty interesting. Jessica wrote my favorite book of last year (The American Way of Death Revisited), Nancy wrote this oddly cold but really entertaining slice of life/love stories. And Unity was friends with Hitler…or something.
Books you’ve been hunting for years without success:
For a long time it was the first few books by Carl Hiaasen that he wrote with a partner. I did eventually find them and read them. Currently, I can’t think of anything that I am looking for but there is always something, isn’t there? For a while it was a used copy of Vile Bodies by Evelyn Waugh but I have that now. Hmmm…I think I need a new quest. Actually, there are a lot of books I want that I am kind of waiting for someone to sell cheap on half.com
Books dealing with something you’re working on at the moment:
For Christmas, I received a book titled Everything I ate in a Year which is a photographic journal about…well, everything this dude ate in a year. I find it endlessly fascinating and I am trying to figure out a way to take advantage of his concept. Maybe I will do “everything I drew on my computer in a year” or “everything I should have done in a year but didn’t”…I also have recently picked up some nice trade paperbacks of comics I like, which reminds me that I should be working on my comic-con stuff. Oh and I also was given Never Threaten to Eat your Co-workers which is a book of excerpts from blogs, so I guess that is relevant too. AND…We’re Just Like You Only Prettier…which doesn’t apply to me at all actually but it made me laugh anyway.
Meanwhile, there are several books piled up around my desk concerning making books… so…yeah. I should get on that. Oh right, that knitting book…crap I have a lot of things I should be doing.
Books you want to own so they’ll be handy just in case:
Oooh, I like survival guides although the chances of finding me out in the wilderness are pretty slim. I like to know how to do things; so I am thinking some of those worst-case scenario books would be a good idea. And I could really use some books on programming because I might get around to learning that eventually. But see, if I am more specific than that I would actually have to go and find some books and learn things and really, how likely is that?
Books you could put aside maybe to read this summer:
That biography of P.L Travers that has been hanging around for a while. And that complete Bone may wait because that seems like good summer reading.
Books you need to go with other books on your shelves:
I think my Nigella cookbooks are getting lonely and would like to share some space with a few Ina Garten books. And they would look good with that nice copy of the MFK Fisher books I’d like to have…
Books that fill you with a sudden, inexplicable curiosity, not easily justified:
Books on death, forensics and the kind of cooking that people don’t do anymore. Like renaissance recipes or depression era recipes. But not together…although there is a curious similarity there, a “using every last bit” kind of idea.
Books read long ago that it’s now time to re-read:
I think I need to re-read the Mary Poppins books if I am going to read that PL Travers bio. And perhaps something a little quest-y to go with Bone, maybe Sir Gawain and the Green Knight?
Books that if you had more than one life you’d certainly read but unfortunately your days are numbered:
There a bunch of classics that I have never read that I feel like I SHOULD read, but I don’t really want to. A few years ago I tried to read the “100 Most Important American Novels”, I had read a good bunch of them but then I discovered there was a reason I had not read a lot of the others. I try not to be a snob about books. I read a lot of different things and I would never dismiss a mystery or a romance novel out of hand, good books are good books, but apparently, I don’t agree with whoever decided these were the “100 Most Important American Novels”. After three in a row that I really hated, I put the list aside and started reading things that just looked more appealing. Do I feel guilty that I didn’t like some of the MOST IMPORTANT NOVELS? Yep, but a girl only has so much time. So, I feel like, if I had another lifetime, I might try to read those MOST IMPORTANT NOVELS again. But I’d probably get disgusted again and give up again. So I think I’ll just stick with what sounds good to me, not to someone else.
Well, I guess I have that idea that I would like to read more…sophisticated stuff. I have pretty eclectic reading habits and I tend to go from classics, to post modern sort of fiction to non-fiction pretty randomly. But in the end, all that really matters to me is that I appreciate the book on some level. Even if I don’t love the story, I need to love the style, or one character, or at the very least, the cover. I don’t think that’s asking for much.
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
The way back home.
Day one:
Leave parents home at 7:30 am to pick up partner. See how much more to be packed in car. Cry a little.
Arrive at the blessed Wawa. (Wawa is the one (non-people) thing I truly miss about the Delaware valley. In the morning, they have something like fifteen different coffee pots set up and attended by two nice ladies. Every type of coffee you can imagine. Pour it yourself, add what you need (and there are plenty of things to add) and pay. Out the door in a matter of minutes. It’s good. Really good. And they have an excellent deli too. Wawa, I miss you!).
Drive to Wilmington, NC to see Donovan, his mama and his daddy.
Arrive in Wilmington. Get lost. Call for directions. Get lost. Am directed turn by turn on the phone until…YAY!
Arrive at casa de Donovan.
Dinner at brew pub. Drink beer. Contemplate drinking more beer. (Vanilla stout=yum). Eat half a hamburger.
Sleep. Finally.
Day two:
Contemplate wandering around Wilmington.
Sit in sunroom and watch documentary shows that Donovan’s daddy made.
Contemplate being more productive, seeing sites, shopping…
Eat chips and salsa
Informed by Donvan (age 2.5) that it is “a beautiful day outside” and that “we should all go to the playground!”
Go to playground.
Eat ribs for dinner. Watch in awe as Donovan (age 2.5) eats a half rack of ribs, two chicken wings and some “git ‘er dononions”.
Drink port.
Sleep.
Day three (New Year’s Eve):
Leave Wilmington.
Drive until dusk when partner points out that headlights appear not to be working.
Change fuse.
Headlights still don’t work.
Cry a little.
Drive with brights until terror alone makes me pull over. Positive we will be killed by a blinded and enraged trucker.
Eat chicken soup and salad at “Steak and Shake”. Endure mockery for having neither steak nor shake.
Break down and have a yogurt shake.
Sleep.
Day four:
Awake early hoping that the headlight fairy has arrived during the night.
Cry a little when the headlights remain burnt out.
Realize that cannot change headlights (easily) on own.
Drive through Tennesee, Arkansas and part of Oklahoma worried about dusk.
Drive with brights, blinding all oncoming traffic and causing searing pain of worry in own head and back.
Cry a little.
Sleep.
Day five:
Awake early, have partner find a Hyundai dealership off the 40 along route.
Sit in shock when he does.
Drive to dealership, explain problem and gaze pleadingly at tall, handsome mechanic.
Sit in waiting room worrying about what else could be found wrong with car.
Nearly kiss tall, handsome mechanic when he says lights are fixed, all is well, good luck.
Head for Texas
Lunch at The Big Texan. Watch man finish 72 oz. steak in one hour. Swear I see him cry a little.
Leave The Big Texan. Man with steak still there, looking…unwell.
Drive to Gallup. Gallup is cold. And snowy. Long for home. Cry a little. Eat a taco. Feel better.
Sleep.
Day four:
Drive.
Arrive in California and drive into…traffic.
Accident cleared after 45 minutes of swearing.
Continue on just in time to hit…rush hour.
Cry a little.
Arrive home around 6pm.
Contemplate unpacking car.
Cry a little.
So there it is in too much detail (even I am bored with it). No one was left behind (ad far as you know) and so far the car continues to run. I am glad we did it. I am happy to have seen a little more of the U.S.
I never need to do it again.
Leave parents home at 7:30 am to pick up partner. See how much more to be packed in car. Cry a little.
Arrive at the blessed Wawa. (Wawa is the one (non-people) thing I truly miss about the Delaware valley. In the morning, they have something like fifteen different coffee pots set up and attended by two nice ladies. Every type of coffee you can imagine. Pour it yourself, add what you need (and there are plenty of things to add) and pay. Out the door in a matter of minutes. It’s good. Really good. And they have an excellent deli too. Wawa, I miss you!).
Drive to Wilmington, NC to see Donovan, his mama and his daddy.
Arrive in Wilmington. Get lost. Call for directions. Get lost. Am directed turn by turn on the phone until…YAY!
Arrive at casa de Donovan.
Dinner at brew pub. Drink beer. Contemplate drinking more beer. (Vanilla stout=yum). Eat half a hamburger.
Sleep. Finally.
Day two:
Contemplate wandering around Wilmington.
Sit in sunroom and watch documentary shows that Donovan’s daddy made.
Contemplate being more productive, seeing sites, shopping…
Eat chips and salsa
Informed by Donvan (age 2.5) that it is “a beautiful day outside” and that “we should all go to the playground!”
Go to playground.
Eat ribs for dinner. Watch in awe as Donovan (age 2.5) eats a half rack of ribs, two chicken wings and some “git ‘er dononions”.
Drink port.
Sleep.
Day three (New Year’s Eve):
Leave Wilmington.
Drive until dusk when partner points out that headlights appear not to be working.
Change fuse.
Headlights still don’t work.
Cry a little.
Drive with brights until terror alone makes me pull over. Positive we will be killed by a blinded and enraged trucker.
Eat chicken soup and salad at “Steak and Shake”. Endure mockery for having neither steak nor shake.
Break down and have a yogurt shake.
Sleep.
Day four:
Awake early hoping that the headlight fairy has arrived during the night.
Cry a little when the headlights remain burnt out.
Realize that cannot change headlights (easily) on own.
Drive through Tennesee, Arkansas and part of Oklahoma worried about dusk.
Drive with brights, blinding all oncoming traffic and causing searing pain of worry in own head and back.
Cry a little.
Sleep.
Day five:
Awake early, have partner find a Hyundai dealership off the 40 along route.
Sit in shock when he does.
Drive to dealership, explain problem and gaze pleadingly at tall, handsome mechanic.
Sit in waiting room worrying about what else could be found wrong with car.
Nearly kiss tall, handsome mechanic when he says lights are fixed, all is well, good luck.
Head for Texas
Lunch at The Big Texan. Watch man finish 72 oz. steak in one hour. Swear I see him cry a little.
Leave The Big Texan. Man with steak still there, looking…unwell.
Drive to Gallup. Gallup is cold. And snowy. Long for home. Cry a little. Eat a taco. Feel better.
Sleep.
Day four:
Drive.
Arrive in California and drive into…traffic.
Accident cleared after 45 minutes of swearing.
Continue on just in time to hit…rush hour.
Cry a little.
Arrive home around 6pm.
Contemplate unpacking car.
Cry a little.
So there it is in too much detail (even I am bored with it). No one was left behind (ad far as you know) and so far the car continues to run. I am glad we did it. I am happy to have seen a little more of the U.S.
I never need to do it again.
Monday, January 08, 2007
Disturbing.
Yeah, I know. There is probably nothing more unnerving than a dauchshund playing the oboe. There's something just kind of...evil...about it.
I drew this for a friend for Christmas. I figured she likes dogs, she plays the oboe...what's not to love? But now I think I understand why she gave me that strange look...
Resolved.
Resolutions are tough for me. As my mother will tell you, I don’t respond well to authority (which is totally untrue, just because authority doesn’t like my response doesn’t mean it isn’t well done) and resolutions smack of authority to me, even if I am the one in charge of them. I have had to find a way to make them more…Ren-friendly, as it were.
I could just say,
Resolutions for 2007:
Lose weight.
Draw more.
Set up etsy store.
Eat healthier.
Blah, blah, blah.
But that never works. We all make the same generic resolutions and most of us give up pretty quickly.
My dad always says that you should make resolutions that you know you can keep and last year I resolved to “eat more chocolate (the dark kind is good for you!), read more books and have more fun…oh, and drink more gin.” But, even though those seem like easy goals, I got pissy with my own authority and copped out. I suck.
Fine, now I need to find a way to make my resolutions more appealing. Instead of telling myself to lose weight and exercise, I resolve to:
BE MORE BAD-ASS.
This shouldn’t be so hard. Turns out, I am not bad ass at all. I was informed of this fact by Schwee and Jodi while shopping at the Bizarre Bazaar. I was having difficulty choosing between a purse embroidered with either a kitty playing the flute or with a kitty rocking out on the drums. When I hesitated, Schwee and Jodi took the opportunity to inform me that I was far more “kitty playing the flute” than “kitty rocking the drums”. And then they laughed at me for being surprised that I am not bad-ass at all.
In truth I am not surprised. I am cupcakes with pink icing, Hello Kitty and soymilk when what I really want to be is raw steaks, Lemmy from Motorhead and whisky, neat. So that’s something to work on this year. Become more bad-ass. And even a little is more than none, right? And if being bad-ass means building muscles that I didn’t have before, then so be it! If being bad-ass requires me to work my core or meditate into a zen-like state of dangerously threatening calm, then I shall.
I shall also resolve to:
DRAW THE THINGS THAT NO ONE ELSE DRAWS.
I’ve got a head start on this one. I haven’t seen anyone else drawing happy bunnies dreaming of meat, bad attitude lollipops or koalas with handguns. But I need to do more. And I have things planned. Oh, do I have things planned. The two little illustrated books that I didn’t finish last year top the list. It will be a challenge, but someone has to draw ducklings wearing mittens and turtles gone horribly wrong and why shouldn’t that someone be me?
And hey, if I am going to do all that drawing then I guess I should also resolve to:
SELL MY WARES WITHOUT BEING SO SELF-AWARE.
It was a much bigger thing for me to sell stuff at comic-con last year than anyone seemed to realize. But I did it. And the world didn’t end. And the mean girls didn’t come out to mock my stuff and the sun didn’t go black and the milk didn’t spoil. So what’s the big deal? I did it. And I intend to do it again, and more often. So there.
Hmmm, what’s next? “Eat Healthier”? Easy peasy, people. I resolve to:
EAT MORE DARK CHOCOLATE, DRINK MORE RED WINE AND TO NOT EAT THINGS I DON’T REALLY WANT TO EAT.
Dark chocolate? Hey, a little every day is good for you. And if you spend the money on the good stuff, a little will go a long way. And wine? Do you know that I have probably only had 3 or 4 bottles of wine over the course of the past year? That’s just…wrong. And what about those things I don’t really want to eat? Like that hamburger that was the only thing available at that moment? Well, I can just go somewhere else and get a salad sandwich, can’t I? Or those fries that came with the combo that I just wasn’t in the mood for? Well, you’d eat them wouldn’t you? You can have them. (OK, let’s be a little realistic here…I have never NOT been in the mood for fries. But you know what I am saying, right?). And if I want fruit, I shall have fruit. And if I wake up craving soymilk, then off to the store to get some soymilk. This stuff is easy. And if I throw my cares to the wind and go about doing it just how I want to do it, then in the end, I should actually come out with a decent meal.
So there you go. Resolutions for 2007. Done. Oh and hey, let’s add, take more naps and drink more gin and whisky to the list. Because sometimes it’s just necessary.
I could just say,
Resolutions for 2007:
Lose weight.
Draw more.
Set up etsy store.
Eat healthier.
Blah, blah, blah.
But that never works. We all make the same generic resolutions and most of us give up pretty quickly.
My dad always says that you should make resolutions that you know you can keep and last year I resolved to “eat more chocolate (the dark kind is good for you!), read more books and have more fun…oh, and drink more gin.” But, even though those seem like easy goals, I got pissy with my own authority and copped out. I suck.
Fine, now I need to find a way to make my resolutions more appealing. Instead of telling myself to lose weight and exercise, I resolve to:
BE MORE BAD-ASS.
This shouldn’t be so hard. Turns out, I am not bad ass at all. I was informed of this fact by Schwee and Jodi while shopping at the Bizarre Bazaar. I was having difficulty choosing between a purse embroidered with either a kitty playing the flute or with a kitty rocking out on the drums. When I hesitated, Schwee and Jodi took the opportunity to inform me that I was far more “kitty playing the flute” than “kitty rocking the drums”. And then they laughed at me for being surprised that I am not bad-ass at all.
In truth I am not surprised. I am cupcakes with pink icing, Hello Kitty and soymilk when what I really want to be is raw steaks, Lemmy from Motorhead and whisky, neat. So that’s something to work on this year. Become more bad-ass. And even a little is more than none, right? And if being bad-ass means building muscles that I didn’t have before, then so be it! If being bad-ass requires me to work my core or meditate into a zen-like state of dangerously threatening calm, then I shall.
I shall also resolve to:
DRAW THE THINGS THAT NO ONE ELSE DRAWS.
I’ve got a head start on this one. I haven’t seen anyone else drawing happy bunnies dreaming of meat, bad attitude lollipops or koalas with handguns. But I need to do more. And I have things planned. Oh, do I have things planned. The two little illustrated books that I didn’t finish last year top the list. It will be a challenge, but someone has to draw ducklings wearing mittens and turtles gone horribly wrong and why shouldn’t that someone be me?
And hey, if I am going to do all that drawing then I guess I should also resolve to:
SELL MY WARES WITHOUT BEING SO SELF-AWARE.
It was a much bigger thing for me to sell stuff at comic-con last year than anyone seemed to realize. But I did it. And the world didn’t end. And the mean girls didn’t come out to mock my stuff and the sun didn’t go black and the milk didn’t spoil. So what’s the big deal? I did it. And I intend to do it again, and more often. So there.
Hmmm, what’s next? “Eat Healthier”? Easy peasy, people. I resolve to:
EAT MORE DARK CHOCOLATE, DRINK MORE RED WINE AND TO NOT EAT THINGS I DON’T REALLY WANT TO EAT.
Dark chocolate? Hey, a little every day is good for you. And if you spend the money on the good stuff, a little will go a long way. And wine? Do you know that I have probably only had 3 or 4 bottles of wine over the course of the past year? That’s just…wrong. And what about those things I don’t really want to eat? Like that hamburger that was the only thing available at that moment? Well, I can just go somewhere else and get a salad sandwich, can’t I? Or those fries that came with the combo that I just wasn’t in the mood for? Well, you’d eat them wouldn’t you? You can have them. (OK, let’s be a little realistic here…I have never NOT been in the mood for fries. But you know what I am saying, right?). And if I want fruit, I shall have fruit. And if I wake up craving soymilk, then off to the store to get some soymilk. This stuff is easy. And if I throw my cares to the wind and go about doing it just how I want to do it, then in the end, I should actually come out with a decent meal.
So there you go. Resolutions for 2007. Done. Oh and hey, let’s add, take more naps and drink more gin and whisky to the list. Because sometimes it’s just necessary.
Friday, January 05, 2007
Oh good lord, why?
Oh you people and your resolutions and your year end reviews. I can hardly remember what happened yesterday, how am I supposed to remember a WHOLE YEAR AGO? And resolutions? I resolve to not resolve anything…but that’s not really true. Let me see what I can do about these…
So year in review but not really. This year I did more drawing than I have ever done. And I decided that I really enjoy it. And that what I enjoy most about it is working on the computer. I used to love to paint but it takes up so much space and it’s so hard to fix something when I don’t like it. But on a computer! Oh joy! I can revise endlessly and that makes me happy. Slightly obsessive compulsive, but happy.
And going hand in hand with drawing more came my first attempt at selling my not quite artistic endeavors. And that was…well, really stressful. But in the end it was fun. And I was really very surprised by the nice response I got to my stuff. Really surprised.
I did a lot of experimentation with vegan baking this year and while I have still not committed myself to a cruelty-free diet, I am starting to think that it will be the eventual outcome of my experimentation. Not just because it would be a nice, peaceful and thoughtful way of life for me (and that’s just me, I am not saying all vegans are nice peaceful, thoughtful people, or that all people should be vegans, this is all about me) but because my experiments have shown me that I can make it taste damn good.
I made a lot of bloggy friends this year. That’s really probably the most exciting part of all this. I have virtually met so many people who are just really cool and some of them I have met in actuality as well. The internets are a strange and scary place, but it’s very cool to randomly come across someone who can teach you something new, show you a new way of looking at something old or just be...well just be. I may never meet all of these people in person, but I am thrilled to have met them online.
I went to the opera twice this year. That may not seem like a big deal but I hadn’t been going because no one else was interested and now I have found an opera buddy. And although I saw one opera I hated and one I loved, I was happy just to have gone. And I hope to go a lot more in the future.
I grew my hair out. I know, I know, that doesn’t seem like a big deal and in reality, it has taken far more than a year, but I have always been a short hair girl and here I sit with hair halfway down my back. In fact, I am getting kind of tired of it BUT I actually did this for a reason and I hope to grow it long enough (and healthy enough) to donate it. Heck, it’s been a renewable resource so far and as long as it grows back, I might as well offer it to someone who might want it, right? Unless they specialize in voodoo…
What I didn’t do this year was a lot of reading and I have plans to remedy that in 2007. I don’t know what happened to me but my “books read” list for 2006 is so small and shameful that I don’t even want to tell you what is on it. I will say that “The Scar”, by my beloved China Mîeville was the highlight but that it also took me a very long time to read because, quite frankly, it was too depressing in parts. I intend to pick up another of his books this year but I think I may have to wait awhile and read some happier things first.
So…resolutions…well, I resolve to tell you about that some other day.
So year in review but not really. This year I did more drawing than I have ever done. And I decided that I really enjoy it. And that what I enjoy most about it is working on the computer. I used to love to paint but it takes up so much space and it’s so hard to fix something when I don’t like it. But on a computer! Oh joy! I can revise endlessly and that makes me happy. Slightly obsessive compulsive, but happy.
And going hand in hand with drawing more came my first attempt at selling my not quite artistic endeavors. And that was…well, really stressful. But in the end it was fun. And I was really very surprised by the nice response I got to my stuff. Really surprised.
I did a lot of experimentation with vegan baking this year and while I have still not committed myself to a cruelty-free diet, I am starting to think that it will be the eventual outcome of my experimentation. Not just because it would be a nice, peaceful and thoughtful way of life for me (and that’s just me, I am not saying all vegans are nice peaceful, thoughtful people, or that all people should be vegans, this is all about me) but because my experiments have shown me that I can make it taste damn good.
I made a lot of bloggy friends this year. That’s really probably the most exciting part of all this. I have virtually met so many people who are just really cool and some of them I have met in actuality as well. The internets are a strange and scary place, but it’s very cool to randomly come across someone who can teach you something new, show you a new way of looking at something old or just be...well just be. I may never meet all of these people in person, but I am thrilled to have met them online.
I went to the opera twice this year. That may not seem like a big deal but I hadn’t been going because no one else was interested and now I have found an opera buddy. And although I saw one opera I hated and one I loved, I was happy just to have gone. And I hope to go a lot more in the future.
I grew my hair out. I know, I know, that doesn’t seem like a big deal and in reality, it has taken far more than a year, but I have always been a short hair girl and here I sit with hair halfway down my back. In fact, I am getting kind of tired of it BUT I actually did this for a reason and I hope to grow it long enough (and healthy enough) to donate it. Heck, it’s been a renewable resource so far and as long as it grows back, I might as well offer it to someone who might want it, right? Unless they specialize in voodoo…
What I didn’t do this year was a lot of reading and I have plans to remedy that in 2007. I don’t know what happened to me but my “books read” list for 2006 is so small and shameful that I don’t even want to tell you what is on it. I will say that “The Scar”, by my beloved China Mîeville was the highlight but that it also took me a very long time to read because, quite frankly, it was too depressing in parts. I intend to pick up another of his books this year but I think I may have to wait awhile and read some happier things first.
So…resolutions…well, I resolve to tell you about that some other day.
Running it down.
Day one:
Started off with a cheery call to my mom at 9:15 am to tell her we were leaving L.A. so that she could help them with an estimated time of death when they found the bodies.
Drove for 5 hours before giving the wheel to partner. Slept. Awakened by rain. Felt slight bit of sympathy for driver. Fell back asleep. Awakened by freezing rain. Worried for a moment before falling back asleep. Awakened by partner swearing. Observed vision-obscuring snow. Fell back asleep.
Eventually ended up in bad Econo-Lodge, had good dinner and fell asleep to the fitful strains of partner moaning about sandwich and dying.
Day two:
Insisted upon driving south “out of the weather” to Phoenix where we could possibly jump on the 10 “just to see” and then we could head back to L.A. in defeat. Held the wheel steady, entered the 10 and refused to turn off until partner was convinced that we would make it safely to NJ.
Made it to Van Horne, TX. I don’t want to talk about it.
Ate dinner in only restaurant in town. They were obsessed with Jesus and John Madden and in fact had a mural of a giant Jesus overlooking the restaurant and John Madden painted on the wall. Were asked to leave after offering to add Godzilla to mural.
Day three:
Left Van Horne muy rapido. Made it to Shreveport in the rain. Ate in a Cracker Barrel. Got a luxurious hotel room because after two previous hotel rooms thought we would be murdered in the shower. Partner wanted to reserve the right to murder me for himself.
Day four:
Arrived in Huntsville one hour too late to see brother and nephew. Waited in car for sister-in-law to arrive home from airport. Made neighbors nervous.
Had bar-b-cue.
Met ¾ of the Avoidance Central clan and hung out for a bit. Remind me to tell you how I have not gotten in trouble with not one but TWO teenage girls.
Slept in nephew’s room and moved everything one half inch to the right. Also may have hidden some cheese and eggs. Not saying.
Day five:
Screwed up alarm and woke up a bit late. Looked at pile of presents that needed to be packed into already full car. Cried a bit. Crammed presents into every available space and then apologized to husband for attempting to cram a train set up his…no, no…just kidding.
Drove to Norfolk. In the rain. Uphill. In the fog. Cried a little.
Day six:
Late breakfast with brother-in-law and sister-in-law and kids. Saw step-nephew for first time in ten years. Got in car. Drove some more (Partially underwater!!! Gotta love the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and Tunnel).
Drove forty…five…miles…per…hour…arrived at Stuckey’s for a bad sandwich. Got back in car and drove forty…five…miles…per…hour.
Arrived in NJ in time for favorite dinner with family.
Unpacked car with help of brother and nephew.
Drove to liquor store.
Drove to midnight madness comic book sale…what? Why are you looking at me like that?
Came home, brushed my teeth and stayed up late talking with my brother.
It was supposed to be a four-day drive. It wasn’t. But actually it was good.
Return trip breakdown to follow including exciting tales of meat-eating babies and burned out headlights!!!!
Started off with a cheery call to my mom at 9:15 am to tell her we were leaving L.A. so that she could help them with an estimated time of death when they found the bodies.
Drove for 5 hours before giving the wheel to partner. Slept. Awakened by rain. Felt slight bit of sympathy for driver. Fell back asleep. Awakened by freezing rain. Worried for a moment before falling back asleep. Awakened by partner swearing. Observed vision-obscuring snow. Fell back asleep.
Eventually ended up in bad Econo-Lodge, had good dinner and fell asleep to the fitful strains of partner moaning about sandwich and dying.
Day two:
Insisted upon driving south “out of the weather” to Phoenix where we could possibly jump on the 10 “just to see” and then we could head back to L.A. in defeat. Held the wheel steady, entered the 10 and refused to turn off until partner was convinced that we would make it safely to NJ.
Made it to Van Horne, TX. I don’t want to talk about it.
Ate dinner in only restaurant in town. They were obsessed with Jesus and John Madden and in fact had a mural of a giant Jesus overlooking the restaurant and John Madden painted on the wall. Were asked to leave after offering to add Godzilla to mural.
Day three:
Left Van Horne muy rapido. Made it to Shreveport in the rain. Ate in a Cracker Barrel. Got a luxurious hotel room because after two previous hotel rooms thought we would be murdered in the shower. Partner wanted to reserve the right to murder me for himself.
Day four:
Arrived in Huntsville one hour too late to see brother and nephew. Waited in car for sister-in-law to arrive home from airport. Made neighbors nervous.
Had bar-b-cue.
Met ¾ of the Avoidance Central clan and hung out for a bit. Remind me to tell you how I have not gotten in trouble with not one but TWO teenage girls.
Slept in nephew’s room and moved everything one half inch to the right. Also may have hidden some cheese and eggs. Not saying.
Day five:
Screwed up alarm and woke up a bit late. Looked at pile of presents that needed to be packed into already full car. Cried a bit. Crammed presents into every available space and then apologized to husband for attempting to cram a train set up his…no, no…just kidding.
Drove to Norfolk. In the rain. Uphill. In the fog. Cried a little.
Day six:
Late breakfast with brother-in-law and sister-in-law and kids. Saw step-nephew for first time in ten years. Got in car. Drove some more (Partially underwater!!! Gotta love the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and Tunnel).
Drove forty…five…miles…per…hour…arrived at Stuckey’s for a bad sandwich. Got back in car and drove forty…five…miles…per…hour.
Arrived in NJ in time for favorite dinner with family.
Unpacked car with help of brother and nephew.
Drove to liquor store.
Drove to midnight madness comic book sale…what? Why are you looking at me like that?
Came home, brushed my teeth and stayed up late talking with my brother.
It was supposed to be a four-day drive. It wasn’t. But actually it was good.
Return trip breakdown to follow including exciting tales of meat-eating babies and burned out headlights!!!!
Thursday, January 04, 2007
Catching up on my correspondence.
Dear Oklahoma,
I know we were only together a short time but I think I need to tell you…I find you enchanting. Your blue skies, your wide open spaces and gently rolling hills…they are…amazing. And I think I may have fallen a little bit in love.
Your people were great to me. Especially Scott, who fixed the low beams with nary a question but I could see in his sweet blue eyes that he thought I was completely crazy.
You, Oklahoma, have stolen my heart. There’s just this one little thing…and maybe it’s nothing but…damn honey, you are cold. And I need a warmer type of love.
But the time we had together was great. I will always remember your chilly embrace fondly. And maybe someday…well…let’s just leave it at that and have our good memories.
Oklahoma, you are more than OK and I will miss you,
Love,
Ren
Dear West Texas,
Look, I have already told you that you are on notice for those rest stops. Sure, sure, they were sparkling clean but really…open to the elements? Bad idea, West Texas, bad idea.
And hey, I love your liberal speed limits but 65 at night? Well, I might as well walk, for heaven’s sake. You really need to rethink your stand on that and then we can talk.
You seem pleasant enough but I am unconvinced that we could ever be happy together. And it’s not me this time, it’s totally you. East Texas…East Texas gets me but you…
Thanks for the effort but I’m sorry, this just isn’t going to work.
Sincerely,
Ren
Dear Virginia,
We used to be so close. I loved you and you loved me and I thought we could be happy together. But now…Virginia, I am disappointed in you.
It wasn’t just the rain, or the fog or the treacherous roads. It wasn’t just the 45 mile an hour speed limit. But all of that together, Virginia, it’s just too much.
I don’t understand what happened to us. I thought we would end up together and that we could live happily, but now I think you just don’t want me around and I guess that’s ok. Now I know.
With deep sadness,
Ren
Dear Arkansas,
I have nothing more to say to you. We’re through.
-Ren
Dear Flagstaff,
Fuck you and your weather. Snow? Really Flagstaff? That just sucked. You owe me.
-Ren
I know we were only together a short time but I think I need to tell you…I find you enchanting. Your blue skies, your wide open spaces and gently rolling hills…they are…amazing. And I think I may have fallen a little bit in love.
Your people were great to me. Especially Scott, who fixed the low beams with nary a question but I could see in his sweet blue eyes that he thought I was completely crazy.
You, Oklahoma, have stolen my heart. There’s just this one little thing…and maybe it’s nothing but…damn honey, you are cold. And I need a warmer type of love.
But the time we had together was great. I will always remember your chilly embrace fondly. And maybe someday…well…let’s just leave it at that and have our good memories.
Oklahoma, you are more than OK and I will miss you,
Love,
Ren
Dear West Texas,
Look, I have already told you that you are on notice for those rest stops. Sure, sure, they were sparkling clean but really…open to the elements? Bad idea, West Texas, bad idea.
And hey, I love your liberal speed limits but 65 at night? Well, I might as well walk, for heaven’s sake. You really need to rethink your stand on that and then we can talk.
You seem pleasant enough but I am unconvinced that we could ever be happy together. And it’s not me this time, it’s totally you. East Texas…East Texas gets me but you…
Thanks for the effort but I’m sorry, this just isn’t going to work.
Sincerely,
Ren
Dear Virginia,
We used to be so close. I loved you and you loved me and I thought we could be happy together. But now…Virginia, I am disappointed in you.
It wasn’t just the rain, or the fog or the treacherous roads. It wasn’t just the 45 mile an hour speed limit. But all of that together, Virginia, it’s just too much.
I don’t understand what happened to us. I thought we would end up together and that we could live happily, but now I think you just don’t want me around and I guess that’s ok. Now I know.
With deep sadness,
Ren
Dear Arkansas,
I have nothing more to say to you. We’re through.
-Ren
Dear Flagstaff,
Fuck you and your weather. Snow? Really Flagstaff? That just sucked. You owe me.
-Ren
Annnnd....we're back!
Whew.
No, seriously…whew.
It was a looooong trip but I am back and (as far as you know) we BOTH made it back alive and no one remains on a desert highway…
As far as you know.
It was good. I had fun. I never need to do that again. But that was kind of the point. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity and we took it and ran with it. And despite the weather and the distance it was all good. But about noon-ish yesterday I started thinking, “I want this over. I want to be home NOW!” We did get home around 6 pm after being greeted in California by, what else? TRAFFIC! Yay! At least it felt like we were home.
I am sure I will spend way too much time breaking down the trip and Christmas and all the visits and what have you but I just wanted to thank all parties involved for the well wishes, the lovely gifts and the beds to in which to sleep. I am sorry I didn’t make it to Tulsa to visit an Ambitious Hamster or to Atlanta to visit an amazing artist but seriously, you wouldn’t have wanted us in the traveling state of mind that we were in.
So, for today, a few highlights of the cross country tour of insanity…
It was grand. Let’s not do it again.
No, seriously…whew.
It was a looooong trip but I am back and (as far as you know) we BOTH made it back alive and no one remains on a desert highway…
As far as you know.
It was good. I had fun. I never need to do that again. But that was kind of the point. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity and we took it and ran with it. And despite the weather and the distance it was all good. But about noon-ish yesterday I started thinking, “I want this over. I want to be home NOW!” We did get home around 6 pm after being greeted in California by, what else? TRAFFIC! Yay! At least it felt like we were home.
I am sure I will spend way too much time breaking down the trip and Christmas and all the visits and what have you but I just wanted to thank all parties involved for the well wishes, the lovely gifts and the beds to in which to sleep. I am sorry I didn’t make it to Tulsa to visit an Ambitious Hamster or to Atlanta to visit an amazing artist but seriously, you wouldn’t have wanted us in the traveling state of mind that we were in.
So, for today, a few highlights of the cross country tour of insanity…
- rain
- followed by freezing rain
- followed by flurries
- followed by a big fucking blizzard that very nearly had us turn back (but no. And I will tell you about that at some other time)
- James eating “the best sandwich” of his life and then spending two hours on the bed in a crappy motel alternately moaning “I’m dying!” and “That was the best sandwich of my life!” (He’ll tell you I am exaggerating…but I am not)
- GIANT JESUS! (now you’re intrigued, aren’t you?)
- creepy motels
- fog, high altitudes and curvy roads don’t mix
- 45 mph is far too slow
- and by the way, my little rice cooker can do 105…heh
- brights only is not a good way to drive if you don’t want people to hate you
- finally, I have now seen a two year old child eat a half rack of ribs, two chicken wings and a few “Git’er Donions” (don’t ask)
It was grand. Let’s not do it again.
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
I don't want to name names here but
I'M LOOKING AT YOU WEST TEXAS!
Things I have seen on the side of the road since leaving California (that were still alive): Ostriches, cows, horses, donkeys, goats, camels and at least one little dog running alongside a dude cycling on the side of the freeway.
Things that I have seen on the side of the road since leaving California (that were less likely to be alive): Deer, opossum, and things that may have been a cat, an armadillo, a porcupine and some kind of cougar type thing.
Number of tumbling tumbleweeds that I have run down accidentally: 4.
Number of tumbling tumbleweeds that I have run down out of sheer spite: 2.
Number of rest stops I have visited across the US so far: How many you got? Because I am sure I will need to use each and every one. And hey, by the way West Texas, what the hell is up with the open-air restrooms? It’s bloody cold out there in the middle of the prairie. That was one chilly toilet!
It’s warmer in Louisiana but since I am still headed north, it is bound to get colder. Huntsville, then Norfolk then New Jersey. So far so good.
P.S. I don’t want to pick favorites here but East Texas is a little more pleasant than West Texas. And it’s warmer. AND the rest stop had HEAT LAMPS! Get your act together before I come back West Texas or we will have to have a talk!
P.P.S. I am doubting internets from here on out. If you gotta get in touch, try texting or calling.
Things that I have seen on the side of the road since leaving California (that were less likely to be alive): Deer, opossum, and things that may have been a cat, an armadillo, a porcupine and some kind of cougar type thing.
Number of tumbling tumbleweeds that I have run down accidentally: 4.
Number of tumbling tumbleweeds that I have run down out of sheer spite: 2.
Number of rest stops I have visited across the US so far: How many you got? Because I am sure I will need to use each and every one. And hey, by the way West Texas, what the hell is up with the open-air restrooms? It’s bloody cold out there in the middle of the prairie. That was one chilly toilet!
It’s warmer in Louisiana but since I am still headed north, it is bound to get colder. Huntsville, then Norfolk then New Jersey. So far so good.
P.S. I don’t want to pick favorites here but East Texas is a little more pleasant than West Texas. And it’s warmer. AND the rest stop had HEAT LAMPS! Get your act together before I come back West Texas or we will have to have a talk!
P.P.S. I am doubting internets from here on out. If you gotta get in touch, try texting or calling.
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
The stars at night, are...obscured by thunderclouds actually.
An awfully big adventure or an awfully big mistake? Not sure yet. Held up due to snow in Flagstaff, hustled out and south the next morning, 250 miles out of the way just to see if we still wanted to do this. Decided we did but now Texas seems really big. And wet.
So far: snow? Check. Freezing rain? Check. Crappy misty drizzle? Check. Creepy motels? Check. Cold weather? Check. But also, seeing new things? Yep. Saw Juarez, Mexico. Man is that a crazy place. Seeing Texas for the first time ever. Yep. Pretty interesting.
Would I do this again? Hmmm…ask me tomorrow. Last night we stayed in a paper-walled motel next to a guy who liked late night television. We were pretty worried about being stuck in the snow and some of us ate too much at dinner and weren’t feeling all that well.
At the moment I am just futzing with a crappy wifi connection and wondering why I am not asleep yet. Tomorrow we will get up early and see just how far we can get. I am hoping to get the rest of the way through Texas and well on our way to our first “real” stop, Huntsville, AL. A girl can dream, cant’ she?
So far: snow? Check. Freezing rain? Check. Crappy misty drizzle? Check. Creepy motels? Check. Cold weather? Check. But also, seeing new things? Yep. Saw Juarez, Mexico. Man is that a crazy place. Seeing Texas for the first time ever. Yep. Pretty interesting.
Would I do this again? Hmmm…ask me tomorrow. Last night we stayed in a paper-walled motel next to a guy who liked late night television. We were pretty worried about being stuck in the snow and some of us ate too much at dinner and weren’t feeling all that well.
At the moment I am just futzing with a crappy wifi connection and wondering why I am not asleep yet. Tomorrow we will get up early and see just how far we can get. I am hoping to get the rest of the way through Texas and well on our way to our first “real” stop, Huntsville, AL. A girl can dream, cant’ she?
Monday, December 18, 2006
Brrrrr.
Currently holed up in an Econolodge in Flagstaff, Arizona, waylaid by snow. But we only stopped a few hours early and better safe than sorry they say. And hey, even though I don't like snow, it's sure starting to feel like Christmas around here. BRRRRR.
Friday, December 15, 2006
Ready to vacate.
I am blowing this pop stand on Monday, so here are my holiday wishes to you and yours:
if you need me, you know how to find me. And if you don't know how to find me...well, you probably don't need me. I will be probably be unplugged for most of the vacay too, so don't bother with your new fangled e-mails and interwebs, we don't cotton to that kind of thing in the pine barrens.
Happy Christmas (or whatever you want to be happy)!
if you need me, you know how to find me. And if you don't know how to find me...well, you probably don't need me. I will be probably be unplugged for most of the vacay too, so don't bother with your new fangled e-mails and interwebs, we don't cotton to that kind of thing in the pine barrens.
Happy Christmas (or whatever you want to be happy)!
Thursday, December 14, 2006
2006 Christmas CD cover...
with apologies to Apple.
I know I should have done this cover about four years ago. I am just a little slow and not all that clever.
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ...
Tired? Me? Well, I do have this twitch over my eye that makes me look slightly (more) insane. I have been going to bed before 1 a.m. because I can’t keep my eyes open (but then, man, are they open once my head hits the pillow, which may explain the tired). I did fall asleep at my desk very, very briefly yesterday. And last night, on the way home from work, I drove right past my exit.
Yeah, I’m kind of tired.
BUT! The truffles are made, the burbon balls are made, the shopping is done, the presents to be presented on Saturday are wrapped, there are TWO large trays of brownies just waiting for parties. It’s getting there. Now all I need to do is clean the apartment, pack my bags, pack the presents, get those last two perishable presents, make sure the cat is taken care of, finish sending out cards…
Yeah, I’m kind of tired.
BUT! The truffles are made, the burbon balls are made, the shopping is done, the presents to be presented on Saturday are wrapped, there are TWO large trays of brownies just waiting for parties. It’s getting there. Now all I need to do is clean the apartment, pack my bags, pack the presents, get those last two perishable presents, make sure the cat is taken care of, finish sending out cards…
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
Amen.
Dear Chocolate Gods (QUETZALCOATL, MOCTEZUMA, EK-CHUAH, et al),
Thank you. Lesson learned. I get it now. I will always pay attention when I am tempering chocolate and things will be just fine.
Ren
P.S. Come by for some Guinness truffles, I hear they are good!
Yep. It worked this time. I paid attention and I did it old school and the chocolate didn’t seize and I don’t mind telling you that I actually felt sick as I was tempering it. I was so worried that it wouldn’t work…again. But I now have 5 or 6 dozen beautifully dipped chocolate truffles. Which I don’t even like. But my mom and sister-in-law like them. So they make good presents.
I actually don’t like to eat them and I don’t like to make them, but somehow I can’t NOT make them. Originally, when I first started making them years ago, they were intended as a gift for a friend who loves Guinness. I made a batch for him and he never showed up to get them. I gave them to my family to spite him. Turns out he had been in a car accident and was in the hospital. Oopsie. But now it is…I don’t really know how many years later and he STILL has never had one of the truffles. But everyone else seems to like them so I keep making them. I am a sucker for the “ooohs” and “ahhhs” they provoke.
I also made some coffee lollipops the other day. I have not done a lot of hard candy making so it was an experiment. The flavor is lovely and despite the fear of pouring hot sugar all over me, it went well. No burning occurred. I did hand pour them though so they are rather unwieldy. Next time I will invest in some lollipop molds so they stay a more manageable size. The strange thing was that when I mentioned to people that I had made lollipops several of them said, “How do you MAKE lollipops?” Dude, they don’t actually grow on trees beneath the Big Rock Candy Mountain. I promise you they don’t. I am a little disturbed to find out how little some people know about the origins of their foods.
Thank you. Lesson learned. I get it now. I will always pay attention when I am tempering chocolate and things will be just fine.
Ren
P.S. Come by for some Guinness truffles, I hear they are good!
Yep. It worked this time. I paid attention and I did it old school and the chocolate didn’t seize and I don’t mind telling you that I actually felt sick as I was tempering it. I was so worried that it wouldn’t work…again. But I now have 5 or 6 dozen beautifully dipped chocolate truffles. Which I don’t even like. But my mom and sister-in-law like them. So they make good presents.
I actually don’t like to eat them and I don’t like to make them, but somehow I can’t NOT make them. Originally, when I first started making them years ago, they were intended as a gift for a friend who loves Guinness. I made a batch for him and he never showed up to get them. I gave them to my family to spite him. Turns out he had been in a car accident and was in the hospital. Oopsie. But now it is…I don’t really know how many years later and he STILL has never had one of the truffles. But everyone else seems to like them so I keep making them. I am a sucker for the “ooohs” and “ahhhs” they provoke.
I also made some coffee lollipops the other day. I have not done a lot of hard candy making so it was an experiment. The flavor is lovely and despite the fear of pouring hot sugar all over me, it went well. No burning occurred. I did hand pour them though so they are rather unwieldy. Next time I will invest in some lollipop molds so they stay a more manageable size. The strange thing was that when I mentioned to people that I had made lollipops several of them said, “How do you MAKE lollipops?” Dude, they don’t actually grow on trees beneath the Big Rock Candy Mountain. I promise you they don’t. I am a little disturbed to find out how little some people know about the origins of their foods.
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
We don't need another hero...
We don't need to know the way home...
On Monday my Christmas holiday will start. Here’s the interesting part…the husband and I are driving cross country to New Jersey for Christmas. This is tending to polarize our family and friends. Half of them say “Cooool.” And the other half? Well, generally their comments have included swear words and the suggestion that we are mad. Personally, I don’t see the big deal. “What if you hit bad weather?”, the naysayers…say. Then we pull over, attempt to wait it out and if worse comes to worse, we turn around and head back to California. We ARE traveling major roads here. There is lodging available and we fully intend to use it. There will be no short cutting onto unblazed paths. There will be no unnecessary risks taken. We intend to stay as sane and sensible as possible. That said, there is totally a “Beyond Thunderdome” sensibility behind all this. We both know that there is the possibility that “Two leave, one comes back.” I have been advised that if it throw him out of the car, to throw his bags out with him. That way it just looks like he is a hobo.
But honestly, I have taken many a car trip and I rather like them. In this case it will be nice to actually move while in a car as opposed to sitting in traffic for looong hours. I am looking forward to seeing some states that I haven’t seen before. And we think we have planned the time well enough that hey, if we really want to pull over and see the world’s largest ball of twine, we can. In any case, I have never enjoyed the holiday flying panic and in the long run, if everything goes well (because it ALWAYS does, right? RIGHT?) this shouldn’t really be any more expensive than flying once you factor in the cost of shipping of gifts, paying extra for heavy luggage, the cost of a garage for the car that we leave at the airport, the possibility of a rental car…all that stuff really adds up, and people who don’t travel at Christmas tend to forget all the mitigating factors of frustration.
Wish us luck. One of us will be back in the new year. I am hoping it’s me.
But hey, I am still here until Monday, I can still back out…
But honestly, I have taken many a car trip and I rather like them. In this case it will be nice to actually move while in a car as opposed to sitting in traffic for looong hours. I am looking forward to seeing some states that I haven’t seen before. And we think we have planned the time well enough that hey, if we really want to pull over and see the world’s largest ball of twine, we can. In any case, I have never enjoyed the holiday flying panic and in the long run, if everything goes well (because it ALWAYS does, right? RIGHT?) this shouldn’t really be any more expensive than flying once you factor in the cost of shipping of gifts, paying extra for heavy luggage, the cost of a garage for the car that we leave at the airport, the possibility of a rental car…all that stuff really adds up, and people who don’t travel at Christmas tend to forget all the mitigating factors of frustration.
Wish us luck. One of us will be back in the new year. I am hoping it’s me.
But hey, I am still here until Monday, I can still back out…
Monday, December 11, 2006
Temper, temper.
I was going to say that I had a weekend of bad candy-making mojo. But in retrospect, that’s not exactly true. I successfully made bourbon balls without first drinking all the bourbon. I made some beautiful coffee lollipops. Some adequate matzoh toffee (which contained no alcohol whatsoever) and I made the truffle filling for Guinness Stout truffles…but I did drink the rest of the Guinness…candy-making is a grown-up thing in our house. However, when it came time to dip the truffles in their beautiful little chocolate coats I managed to make one and one half pounds of chocolate seize. Carpe chocolem…seize the chocolate.
Seizing chocolate sounds good, no? Sounds like “grab all you can before you get caught”. Handfuls of chocolate for everyone. What it really means is that your beautiful, glossy coating chocolate has gotten a little, tiny drop of moisture in it and is now a dull grainy mass. Useless as far as dipping is concerned, but perfectly edible otherwise. Problem is, I need to dip truffles. And to get the proper consistency of chocolate, you need to temper it. Temper is the right word, let me tell you. I have sorrowful little good temper left. But these truffles WILL get dipped, oh yes they will!
In between candy making related temper tantrums, I did do a little Christmas shopping at the Felt Club Christmas event, which was ok but really turned out to be a vehicle to get me into a gelato shop and have some excellent vegan gelato. Vegan gelato…who knew?
So that was my weekend. Messing up some chocolate, eating some gelato. Thanks for asking. Oh…wait…you didn’t. Oh well. On to bigger and better things. Successfully tempered chocolate. Nicely wrapped gifts. Presents made with love and care. Well…let’s just say “presents made” and not assume too much else.
Seizing chocolate sounds good, no? Sounds like “grab all you can before you get caught”. Handfuls of chocolate for everyone. What it really means is that your beautiful, glossy coating chocolate has gotten a little, tiny drop of moisture in it and is now a dull grainy mass. Useless as far as dipping is concerned, but perfectly edible otherwise. Problem is, I need to dip truffles. And to get the proper consistency of chocolate, you need to temper it. Temper is the right word, let me tell you. I have sorrowful little good temper left. But these truffles WILL get dipped, oh yes they will!
In between candy making related temper tantrums, I did do a little Christmas shopping at the Felt Club Christmas event, which was ok but really turned out to be a vehicle to get me into a gelato shop and have some excellent vegan gelato. Vegan gelato…who knew?
So that was my weekend. Messing up some chocolate, eating some gelato. Thanks for asking. Oh…wait…you didn’t. Oh well. On to bigger and better things. Successfully tempered chocolate. Nicely wrapped gifts. Presents made with love and care. Well…let’s just say “presents made” and not assume too much else.
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
Christmas Playlists.
Yvette asked what some of the playlists on my Christmas mixes have been and I looked around but only found a few. For the first year of two I made a different mix for each person, but that got old real fast. And, as you will see by these examples, I do go in for the most traditional of Christmas songs. Also, a few are classics that tend to get used over and over. It’s just not Christmas without my beloved Shane McGowan (of the Pogues) singing “Fairytale of New York”. Oh and that thing where the dogs bark “Jingle Bells” that’s a favorite too.
This is a the playlist for a cd I made myself a few years ago:
Last year there were two mixes. The “Peace On Earth” Mix:
And the “Bah Humbug” mix:
There you go. Nothing too traditional but I try to keep it entertaining.
This is a the playlist for a cd I made myself a few years ago:
- December Twenty 5- The Flashcats (this is an amazingly bad song. It’s a take off on “Mambo Number 5” by Lou Bega. But damn it’s got a catchy tune.
- 2000 Miles-The Pretenders (Such a pretty, sad song.)
- Fairytale of New York-The Pogues feat. Kirsty Mac Coll (Probably my favorite non-tratitional Christmas song. How can you NOT love a Christmas song featuring verse “You scumbag, you maggot, you cheap lousy faggot”?)
- Merry Christmas (I don't want to fight)-The Ramones (I miss you, Joey Ramone!)
- Another Rock 'n' Roll Christmas-Garry Glitter (Um, this was before all that creepy stuff came out about him…)
- Space Christmas-Shonen Knife (Rock!)
- Santa's Beard-They Might Be Giants (Another classic of the non-traditional variety.)
- Careless Santa-Mono Puff (I don’t think I have ever heard another Mono Puff song…)
- You're A Mean One Mr. Grinch-Whirling Dervishes (I love the Grinch, this ALMOST does justice to the original song as recorded by Thurl Ravenscroft, not Boris Karloff, who did the narration.)
- Christmas Scat-The Muppets (OK, the truth is that I do not love puppets, but I do love Muppets. And I only recently found out that a friend of mine worked on A Muppet Christmas Carol (which this song is from) and I got all giddy.)
- Christmas Day-Mxpx
- I Wish It Would Be Christmas Everyday-All Star United (This one is happy and poppy. Not at all my style.)
- You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch-Cast (The original recording. Brilliant.)
- Blue Christmas-Bright Eyes (I have since decided that I am not that big a fan of Bright Eyes. But this one song is ok.)
- Happy Christmas-John & Yoko (My second favorite non-traditional Christmas song.)
- Do They Know It's Christmas? -Band Aid (Did you know they recorded a follow up to this last year?)
- The First Noel-Billy Pilgrim (I like Billy Pilgrim. That Andrew Hyra has a good voice.)
- 25th December-Everything But The Girl (Aw, Tracey Thorn can make me cry.)
- Santa Baby-Madonna (I like her cover well enough but you haven’t really heard this song until you have heard it sung by Eartha Kitt. There is actually a follow up to it called “This Year’s Santa Baby” that is quite funny.)
- Jingle Bells-Bing Crosby (A most excellent version. I think it also includes…the Lennon Sisters singing back-up… maybe? I’m not sure.)
- Cool Yule-Louis Armstrong (I’ve always liked his rusty voice. It’s so cheering.)
- All I Want For Christmas Is You- Olivia Olson (From “Love, Actually” which is kind of a depressing film in some ways but has a character with my name so I got to hear Liam Neeson say my name several times. The character is married to Alan Rickman in the film but I don’t think he says her name even once. Believe me, if he did it would totally be my ring tone.)
- The Rebel Jesus- Jackson Browne (This is a really beautiful song that really says more about Christmas than almost any other song I know. It’s told from the point of a “heathen and a pagan” and points out that Jesus was a rebel in his own time and would not be thrilled with some of the modern aspects of a holiday entwined with his life.)
- Christmas Is All Around-Billy Mack (Bill Nighey sings this in “Love, Actually” and damn if it doesn’t make me laugh every time I hear it.)
- Sled Get Trunk- The Prisoners (Recorded by some friends of mine. One of the best Christmas songs of the past ten years.)
Last year there were two mixes. The “Peace On Earth” Mix:
- Little Drummer Boy (Up the Khyber)-Hoodoo Gurus (Man, I love me some Hoodoo Gurus!)
- Christmas Love-Luann Olson & Pigs on Corn
- O Christmas Tree-Russell Malone
- O, Little Town of Bethlehem-Young Fresh Fellows
- What Will Santa Claus Say When He Finds Everybody Swinging?- Louis Prima
- Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer-Billy May & His Orchestra
- Baby, It's Cold Outside- Doris Day & Bing Crosby (I feel kind of ashamed that I love this song. It’s totally about a date rape in progress. It’s sounds cute but it’s incredibly sinister.)
- Santa Claus is Coming to Town-Dave Brubeck Quartet
- Here Comes Santa Claus-The Skip-Jacks With Esquivel & His Orchestra
- It's Beginning To Look Like Christmas-Bing Crosby
- Feels Like Christmas-Cyndi Lauper
- It Doesn't Often Snow At Christmas-Pet Shop Boys (Have I ever mentioned that I have a crush on Neil?)
- Sleigh Ride-The Brian Setzer Orchestra (OK, have I mentioned that I have a crush on Brian Setzer?)
- Here Comes Santa Claus-Clockhammer
- All I Want For Christmas Is You-Olivia Olson
- Santa Baby)-Kylie Minogue
- Hark! The Herald Angels Sing! -Sufjan Stevens
- Everything's Gonna be Cool This Christmas-Eels
- Kings of Orient-Odds
- O Holy Night-The Brian Setzer Orchestra
- Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas-James Taylor (Yeah, I’ve got one on James Taylor too. Obviously I am easily crushed.)
- Jingle Bells-The Singing Dogs
And the “Bah Humbug” mix:
- You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch-Cast (So you can see the repeats starting)
- Please Come Home For Christmas-Holly Cole Trio (If I could sing, I would totally want to record this song with The Prisoners.)
- Fairytale Of New York-The Pogues (Still my favorite.)
- Forget December-Something Corporate
- I Hate Christmas Parties-Matthew Thiessen And The Earthquakes (Ah, this one is a fairly recent discovery. Really good and really depressing.)
- Santa's Beard-They Might Be Giants
- I Won't Be Home for Christmas-Blink 182
- Christmas Blues-Holly Cole Trio
- Christmas Is Going to the Dogs-Eels
- Father Christmas-The Kinks (I may have once had a crush on Ray Davies, but that was along time ago.)
- That was the Worst Christmas Ever! -Sufjan Stevens
- Last Christmas-Fonda
- Blue Christmas-Elvis Presley
- The Winter Song-Eisley
- 2000 Miles-The Pretenders
- Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) -Death Cab for Cutie
- Yellin' At The Christmas Tree-Billy Idol
- Sled get Trunk-The Prisoners
- Christmas Sucks-Tom Waits & Peter Murphy (I still have a crush on Tom Waits though…his voice…sigh.)
- t'was the Night Before Christmas-Henry Rollins
There you go. Nothing too traditional but I try to keep it entertaining.
Monday, December 04, 2006
Covered.
These are some cd covers from previous years Christmas compilations. I started making them so I could listen to exactly the songs I wanted to and not have to skip over the stuff that annoyed me but it has since become kind of a challenge to make a mix that other people will enjoy too. The music leans heavily towards the type of Christmas song you are unlikely to sing in church. Or, at the very least, a style you are unlikely to sing in church.
Last year there were two separate cds. The “Peace on Earth” version of happy, pretty songs. And the “Bah Humbug” version of not so happy, not so pretty songs.
This year’s mix need only be burned now. But who knows when I will actually get to that?
I like to cook. And I like to think I am a pretty good cook. For the most part, I like everything I make. And I am pretty skillful with recipes. I can adapt and create and what have you. I know what things taste like (unlike people I know who will bite into asparagus and say, “Wow, this is good broccoli! …seriously) and how flavors and clash or complement one another. And most importantly for me, I know what flavors I like. I know what to avoid to make something taste good to me. So technically that is all that matters, right? I can cook well for me.
But I do a lot of cooking for other people and sometimes I wonder. Are they just saying nice things to appease me? This weekend I made my first ever German Chocolate Cake as a gift for some friends. I had tasted all the components and they were fine but I was unsure how they would all be together. The friends seemed very excited about the cake and I tried to be honest yet gracious by saying that I had never made one before and let’s not get all excited until we taste it, people.
Personally, I thought it was kind of nasty. Everything was made just fine but apparently, I am not a German Chocolate Cake kind of girl. Same thing with lemon cake, which I also made this weekend. I guess it was ok. But when you make something that you have no real interest in, how do you know? I can tell it was moist enough and flavorful, but it’s not really a flavor I care for, so it doesn’t really taste GOOD to me. But everyone else seems to like it.
I sometimes worry that I am not a very good cook at all and people just take pity on me for trying so hard. It’s probably a foolish worry but it’s there all the same. I’ve never seen anyone spit out any of my food and I haven’t found any in the bushes around the apartment yet either (not that I look…really…). I guess I am just terribly paranoid. But then watching all those celebrity chefs can do that to you. When Martha tells me that green peppers are great, I’d better believe her…right? And when Alton tells me that I am a terrible person for preferring dried black pepper to fresh ground, then I’d better reconsider my stand. But I don’t. I know what I like and while I am not afraid to experiment, I am afraid that other people won’t agree.
But I do a lot of cooking for other people and sometimes I wonder. Are they just saying nice things to appease me? This weekend I made my first ever German Chocolate Cake as a gift for some friends. I had tasted all the components and they were fine but I was unsure how they would all be together. The friends seemed very excited about the cake and I tried to be honest yet gracious by saying that I had never made one before and let’s not get all excited until we taste it, people.
Personally, I thought it was kind of nasty. Everything was made just fine but apparently, I am not a German Chocolate Cake kind of girl. Same thing with lemon cake, which I also made this weekend. I guess it was ok. But when you make something that you have no real interest in, how do you know? I can tell it was moist enough and flavorful, but it’s not really a flavor I care for, so it doesn’t really taste GOOD to me. But everyone else seems to like it.
I sometimes worry that I am not a very good cook at all and people just take pity on me for trying so hard. It’s probably a foolish worry but it’s there all the same. I’ve never seen anyone spit out any of my food and I haven’t found any in the bushes around the apartment yet either (not that I look…really…). I guess I am just terribly paranoid. But then watching all those celebrity chefs can do that to you. When Martha tells me that green peppers are great, I’d better believe her…right? And when Alton tells me that I am a terrible person for preferring dried black pepper to fresh ground, then I’d better reconsider my stand. But I don’t. I know what I like and while I am not afraid to experiment, I am afraid that other people won’t agree.
Thursday, November 30, 2006
Ornamental.
So, having said I hate decorating the tree I also have to say that I do have a lot of really lovely ornaments (less the ones that were smashed on that fateful night). My mother has been giving me ornaments since I was a very little girl, so a lot of them seem to apply to another life. Lots of ballerinas. Lots of pink. Lots of cats. So maybe not another life, since I still love all those things (although (random side note) I didn’t have a cat until I was an adult. My father swore he hated cats and that there was no way he would allow me to have one. So instead, I was given every object ever to be adorned by a representation of a cat, ornaments, stationary, mugs, you name it. (Further random side note) When I finally did get a cat, my father appeared to be the one who loved her most. He taught her to bark. Seriously. When he was visiting a few weeks ago, he sought the cat out to pet her and bark at her. Seriously.)
Where was I?
Ornaments. I sorted them out and kind of left some of the random teddy bears and kitty cats and ballerinas in the box this year and just put up my favorites. Same for the husband, although most of his ornaments were passed down through the family.
So when the tree was finally decorated the other night, I took a few photos of my favorites. I am kind of surprised that they are all commercially made. I have a lot of lovely hand made ornaments but these, for some reason, really seem to sum up my ornamental life:
Paddington Bear was my first British love. Even though he’s Peruvian. I didn’t look for a date on this ornament but I suspect it is around the same time that I was actually reading Paddington books, which I still love. And just the other day I happened across some mystery books by the man who created Paddington that I have decided to take with me for the Christmas vacation.
Hellboy is a recent acquisition. My brother and his family gave him to me for Christmas last year. He (Hellboy, not my brother) has a moody little half-lit grotto near the bottom of the tree and he makes me oddly happy. I guess I just love the fact that there is a demon type on my tree. Just the other day I was in the drugstore eavesdropping on two cashiers as they discussed their decorating plans. I sided with the girl who wanted a black tree with little skulls all over it. Hellboy will do for now. Oh how I love him.
My stegosauruses…well, who doesn’t love a Christmas dinosaur? Stegosaurus has always been my favorite of the old guys and somehow I have managed to get not one, not two but THREE of them on my tree (the third one is too reflective so I didn’t take a photo). It makes me absurdly happy that I have three stegos, if you happen across anymore please let me know.
The Joan Walsh Anglund ball…well, JWA is an artist who I think was particularly popular during my childhood. I have always loved her simple lines and sweet faces but it was only as I was hanging ornaments this year that I realized that what really appealed to me about her art is the lack of mouth. Weird hunh? But I am also very fond of Hello Kitty and she is also mouthless. But I don’t have a Hello Kitty ornament. But looking at JWA’s art again made me realize how much my own was influenced by having her books around when I was a kid. I still really like her art. It’s cute, almost too cute. But the clean style makes up for any sappiness in my eyes.
Finally…I said that I put away some of the ornaments that I felt represented my earlier life. But I had to keep the unicorns. Who doesn’t love unicorns? I only found two in the boxes but I have a sneaking suspicion that there are more hidden away somewhere. Look, I am a child of the 80’s. There HAS to be unicorns.
I have a lot of beautiful ornaments (including one made by my great-grandmother), I have a lot of really cute handmade ornaments, mostly chosen for their quirkiness. But for some reason it is these few mass-produced decorations that caught my eye and made me smile while I was swearing about how much I hate decorating the Christmas tree. Go figure.
Where was I?
Ornaments. I sorted them out and kind of left some of the random teddy bears and kitty cats and ballerinas in the box this year and just put up my favorites. Same for the husband, although most of his ornaments were passed down through the family.
So when the tree was finally decorated the other night, I took a few photos of my favorites. I am kind of surprised that they are all commercially made. I have a lot of lovely hand made ornaments but these, for some reason, really seem to sum up my ornamental life:
Paddington Bear was my first British love. Even though he’s Peruvian. I didn’t look for a date on this ornament but I suspect it is around the same time that I was actually reading Paddington books, which I still love. And just the other day I happened across some mystery books by the man who created Paddington that I have decided to take with me for the Christmas vacation.
Hellboy is a recent acquisition. My brother and his family gave him to me for Christmas last year. He (Hellboy, not my brother) has a moody little half-lit grotto near the bottom of the tree and he makes me oddly happy. I guess I just love the fact that there is a demon type on my tree. Just the other day I was in the drugstore eavesdropping on two cashiers as they discussed their decorating plans. I sided with the girl who wanted a black tree with little skulls all over it. Hellboy will do for now. Oh how I love him.
My stegosauruses…well, who doesn’t love a Christmas dinosaur? Stegosaurus has always been my favorite of the old guys and somehow I have managed to get not one, not two but THREE of them on my tree (the third one is too reflective so I didn’t take a photo). It makes me absurdly happy that I have three stegos, if you happen across anymore please let me know.
The Joan Walsh Anglund ball…well, JWA is an artist who I think was particularly popular during my childhood. I have always loved her simple lines and sweet faces but it was only as I was hanging ornaments this year that I realized that what really appealed to me about her art is the lack of mouth. Weird hunh? But I am also very fond of Hello Kitty and she is also mouthless. But I don’t have a Hello Kitty ornament. But looking at JWA’s art again made me realize how much my own was influenced by having her books around when I was a kid. I still really like her art. It’s cute, almost too cute. But the clean style makes up for any sappiness in my eyes.
Finally…I said that I put away some of the ornaments that I felt represented my earlier life. But I had to keep the unicorns. Who doesn’t love unicorns? I only found two in the boxes but I have a sneaking suspicion that there are more hidden away somewhere. Look, I am a child of the 80’s. There HAS to be unicorns.I have a lot of beautiful ornaments (including one made by my great-grandmother), I have a lot of really cute handmade ornaments, mostly chosen for their quirkiness. But for some reason it is these few mass-produced decorations that caught my eye and made me smile while I was swearing about how much I hate decorating the Christmas tree. Go figure.
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
O Christmas tree.
Here is my big holiday secret. Because it’s the holidays now, right? Or did they start last week? Or right after Halloween? Before Halloween? Whatever. It’s the holidays so here is a holiday story. Well, it’s a holiday confession AND THEN a holiday story. Of sorts.Confession first. I like Christmas trees. Pretty, shiny. What’s not to like? I’ll tell you what’s not to like. Decorating them! OH GOD JUST TAKE ME NOW!! I seriously find no pleasure in decorating a Christmas tree. I know that there are people out there that I can pay to decorate mine and someday, when I actually have money, I fully intend to do that. I know it should be some “dahoo-doris” holding hands around the tree kind of thing. It should be sentimental and lovely and there should be carols on the radio and the smell of gingerbread and hot chocolate in the air but really what you end up with is the sound of me swearing like a sailor and the smell of must and dust in the air. It’s miserable and, as far as I am concerned, only marginally worth it. And the cat just eats the tree anyway. I don’t know why, it’s plastic, but she will gnaw on it continually until January.
I hate it.
And as if that weren’t enough, here is my Christmas tree story:
When I moved into my very first, big girl apartment, with my BFF, at a much older age than I would like to admit, we decided that we would do Christmas big. We would decorate the whole (beautiful Victorian) place and have a REAL Christmas tree. The kind that you go out and buy at a lot! The kind that doesn’t come in a box. The kind that you have to water everyday and it still becomes a fire hazard within twenty minutes. The kind that will shed needles in your car that you will still be finding ten years later (seriously), the kind that has a stand that no matter how well you try to protect your floors will leave a freaky stain. But I think I am showing my cards here. I’ve already stated that I don’t like the whole Christmas tree she-bang and this tree was pretty much where I realized that.
Anyway, we got in the car and drove to the lot on a very cold December night. I knew that my night wasn’t really going to go all that well when I woke up. Not in bed. Not that morning, or from a nap that afternoon. When I woke up flat on my back, staring up into the wintry night sky, in the Christmas tree lot. Black ice, ‘nuff said. The BFF says that she had just gone into the trailer to pay the guy for our beautiful, giant tree and she turned around to tell me to pull the car around and I had disappeared. I was there, I was just a lot lower to the ground than she expected. She drove home. I moaned a lot and we both dragged the tree up to our second floor apartment, shedding needles all the way. The rest of the night is a bit of a blur. I remember a headache, some nausea and a few ornaments, but eventually we got the tree up and running, as it were. I seem to remember it taking a while to decorate, possibly because I had a concussion, but there could have been other reasons. But when the last ornament was finally hung, the last light set just so, the star set at the top…BFF dimmed the lights and stood back basking the glory of the first real grown-up tree. She started to sing “Oh Christmas Tree” in her high, sweet voice, “Oh Christmas tree, Oh Christmas tree, how steadfast are your branches, Oh Christmas tree OH MY GOD CATCH IT!” And down came baby, cradle and all.
Ornaments were smashed that night. Much like my skull. I don’t think I have ever truly recovered.
Monday, November 27, 2006
That last little bit of turkey? Just throw it away.
Ah the long weekend. Gone. Sigh.
It actually took me two and a half hours to get home from my office on Wednesday. That was not a good omen for the weekend to come. Luckily it was not an omen at all and the weekend was nice. Once I got home, that is.
There was a pretty typical Thanksgiving dinner, minus relatives and proper place settings. In fact, it actually involved tv trays and some show about American food inventions. High class? Not at all. Relaxing? Oh hell yes. I like the big gatherings but it was nice to not worry too much. And what was to worry about anyway? My cooking timing was pretty good and everything was edible. I have previously stated that turkey is the one thing that may keep me from being vegetarian, but you know what? This turkey, while moist and flavorful, was not great. I don’t think it was anything I did. It was just and oddly fatty, yet stringy turkey. Moist, yes, but not great. Oh well. It was totally eatable but eh. If we do the dinner alone again, I will probably just chuck a couple of turkey legs into the crock pot.
Everything else was good though. I did realize that I just don’t like cheesecake all that much but it was fine. Maybe next year will be some sort of pumpkin cake. Or maybe just brownies. Can’t go wrong with brownies. Oh and the cat? She likes turkey. A lot. Almost enough to climb into the oven with it. She will actually fight you for a piece. It’s funny but dangerous. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
So then there was Friday which I will sum up in one word: migraine.
Then Saturday. Which I will sum up in two words. Christmas tree.
And finally Sunday in three words: Stupid fucking tree.
It actually took me two and a half hours to get home from my office on Wednesday. That was not a good omen for the weekend to come. Luckily it was not an omen at all and the weekend was nice. Once I got home, that is.
There was a pretty typical Thanksgiving dinner, minus relatives and proper place settings. In fact, it actually involved tv trays and some show about American food inventions. High class? Not at all. Relaxing? Oh hell yes. I like the big gatherings but it was nice to not worry too much. And what was to worry about anyway? My cooking timing was pretty good and everything was edible. I have previously stated that turkey is the one thing that may keep me from being vegetarian, but you know what? This turkey, while moist and flavorful, was not great. I don’t think it was anything I did. It was just and oddly fatty, yet stringy turkey. Moist, yes, but not great. Oh well. It was totally eatable but eh. If we do the dinner alone again, I will probably just chuck a couple of turkey legs into the crock pot.
Everything else was good though. I did realize that I just don’t like cheesecake all that much but it was fine. Maybe next year will be some sort of pumpkin cake. Or maybe just brownies. Can’t go wrong with brownies. Oh and the cat? She likes turkey. A lot. Almost enough to climb into the oven with it. She will actually fight you for a piece. It’s funny but dangerous. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
So then there was Friday which I will sum up in one word: migraine.
Then Saturday. Which I will sum up in two words. Christmas tree.
And finally Sunday in three words: Stupid fucking tree.
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
The wisdom of my elders.
Since I got a little bit older a few weeks back I have been wondering what exactly I have learned since the last time I got a little bit older. I would have to say, in general, not much. That’s probably not at all true but it really doesn’t feel like I have learned much. Maybe I wasn’t paying attention.
Jules and I decided a long time ago that there is a certain point in a woman’s life when she must be presented with a magical book of wisdom. You know the one. The one that has all that information that your mother and grandmother had but couldn’t explain where it came from. Like how your mom knew that you were cold and should put a sweater on. It must all be written down somewhere and I would like to know when I get to see it because I feel like I am missing out on something.
I suppose that I learned a lot of important things from my elders. How to cook, how to (ahem) clean, how to be a good and tolerant person (I'm trying! I swear!). But where is all that other stuff?
Why did my grandmother know that barley holds heat and therefore urged me to be careful when eating vegetable barley soup? Where is all that information stored?
Jules and I decided a long time ago that there is a certain point in a woman’s life when she must be presented with a magical book of wisdom. You know the one. The one that has all that information that your mother and grandmother had but couldn’t explain where it came from. Like how your mom knew that you were cold and should put a sweater on. It must all be written down somewhere and I would like to know when I get to see it because I feel like I am missing out on something.
I suppose that I learned a lot of important things from my elders. How to cook, how to (ahem) clean, how to be a good and tolerant person (I'm trying! I swear!). But where is all that other stuff?
Why did my grandmother know that barley holds heat and therefore urged me to be careful when eating vegetable barley soup? Where is all that information stored?
Friday, November 17, 2006
Wishing...
I like JustJENN’s Christmas wish list and I considered doing one of my own but suddenly, I cannot think of the real things that I want. The Christmas list with which I will be supplying my husband is mostly little things, a staple-less stapler, a business card holder, a few sweaters, and my Amazon list is mostly books with a few cds and cooking supplies thrown in, but nothing all that amazing or surprising if you know my tastes. So instead, I thought I would make a list of the things I would like to have but probably won't ask for...well, I'll ask for the pony. I always ask for the pony.
Ever since A.C. sent me a virtual hamster eating a vegan cupcake for my birthday, I have been wanting to draw that but instead, in honor of her recent bloggy name change, I present to you…THE ANATOMY OF AN AMBITOUS HAMSTER…(because I didn’t feel like working for a few minutes).
Thursday, November 16, 2006
Sleep Aid
I didn’t participate in Namoblopomo or whatever it’s called because I knew I would be “out of the office” for several days while my parents were visiting and also because I DO NOT FOLLOW! I AM NOT A JOINER! Heh, strong words that actually mean, I AM LAZY. But this prize for participation made me sorry that I didn’t join in (scroll down to the second image…I like the first one too!). But all this just reminded me of something a person I did not like wrote in my best friend’s high school yearbook (did you follow that? there was a person who I didn’t like who wrote in another…never mind). She wrote, “be a leader, not a follower.” Astute. And a phrase that my BFF and I toss around to annoy one another. Can you imagine a crappier thing to write in someone’s yearbook? She totally sucked. But the point here is actually, I would have liked to participate, if only for the love of that painting. But I didn’t. So there.
So anyway, I was talking to a friend about, of all things, Shakespeare the other day. I’m a big fan. So much so, that I had actually intended to go to graduate school to study him, because what’s more original than that? But alas, time and money were against me and although I was accepted into the ranks of even higher learning, I did not go. But now, when I cannot sleep, which is often, I work on my dissertation in my head. I have two, one for Chaucer, had I studied medieval literature, and one for Shakespeare. The Chaucer was to be titled “Chaucer the Feminist” and the Shakespeare one was something like “Shakespeare hates the Drama Queens.” Chaucer is, despite what we know about the general treatment of women in his time, pretty darn good in writing strong, smart female characters while Shakespeare, who also was more likely than not, feministically challenged, wrote strong, smart, comedic female characters, but the women in his dramas all pretty much…well…a lot of them just die. For really crappy reasons. Seriously, who the heck dies for love? Sure we all SAY we would, but really? Nah. And my very favorite example of the crappy Shakespearian death scene for a woman goes to Desdemona, not only is she killed by Othello in a jealous rage, she comes back from the brink of “not quite dead yet” to say “Oh hey, no, he didn’t do this to me. It was all my fault.” And yet the same writer created the sharp and clever Beatrice of Much Ado About Nothing and the fiery Katherina of The Taming of the Shrew. What the heck was going on there?
Anyway, that’s how I fall asleep. Now it’s probably how you fall asleep too, thinking about Shakespeare and Chaucer.
So anyway, I was talking to a friend about, of all things, Shakespeare the other day. I’m a big fan. So much so, that I had actually intended to go to graduate school to study him, because what’s more original than that? But alas, time and money were against me and although I was accepted into the ranks of even higher learning, I did not go. But now, when I cannot sleep, which is often, I work on my dissertation in my head. I have two, one for Chaucer, had I studied medieval literature, and one for Shakespeare. The Chaucer was to be titled “Chaucer the Feminist” and the Shakespeare one was something like “Shakespeare hates the Drama Queens.” Chaucer is, despite what we know about the general treatment of women in his time, pretty darn good in writing strong, smart female characters while Shakespeare, who also was more likely than not, feministically challenged, wrote strong, smart, comedic female characters, but the women in his dramas all pretty much…well…a lot of them just die. For really crappy reasons. Seriously, who the heck dies for love? Sure we all SAY we would, but really? Nah. And my very favorite example of the crappy Shakespearian death scene for a woman goes to Desdemona, not only is she killed by Othello in a jealous rage, she comes back from the brink of “not quite dead yet” to say “Oh hey, no, he didn’t do this to me. It was all my fault.” And yet the same writer created the sharp and clever Beatrice of Much Ado About Nothing and the fiery Katherina of The Taming of the Shrew. What the heck was going on there?
Anyway, that’s how I fall asleep. Now it’s probably how you fall asleep too, thinking about Shakespeare and Chaucer.
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
It snuck up on me.
Hunh. So Thanksgiving is next week. Go figure. I guess I wasn’t paying attention. Luckily I am not cooking for anyone else this year or I might panic. It will be just the two of us for the first time in…well…ever, I think. As far as I can remember, we have always spent the holiday with friends or family. But I don’t mind. I do like Thanksgiving so we will have a traditional meal, it will just be considerably smaller than usual.
Every year I suggest the homemade tofurky and every year it is rejected, so again it is the traditional roast turkey. Which is fine with me, in fact, if I ever do actually go vegetarian, the turkey will be one of those things that I will miss. Personally, I am fond of bread stuffing. Not cornbread, not sausage and oyster or any of the various exotics, I like seasoned bread cubes, a butter type substance, some onions, some celery, tons of spices and some broth. That’s all. That’s just the way I am. And as long as we are talking starches, there also needs to be potatoes, both mashed and sweet. Sadly, I hate to make mashed potatoes for no apparent reason, but I will buck up for this one occasion. And as far as sweet potatoes go, we have this family recipe from my sister-in-law that now kind of defines Thanksgiving for us. I guess there should be some kind of vegetable too if there’s not going to be a tofurkey…I am opting for something broccoli-like but I suspect the husband will prefer peas, which are not technically a vegetable, are they? They are a legume, which is slightly different but hey, who am I to argue?
Anything else? Well, I have decided to shun the pumpkin pie tradition as I really don’t care for it all that much. One slice is fine but then there is the rest of the pie to consider. This year I am thinking there will be some experimentation and perhaps some pumpkin/chocolate cheesecake squares. So far James seems to be agreeable to this but he can turn at any moment…
Finally, I am feeling the need for crescent rolls this year. The kind that come in a tube. The kind that I would generally not make. The kind that have long been eschewed for homemade bread, or biscuits or rolls. I don’t know where this desire has come from but I am thinking about giving in. Why not? In fact, someday I intend to host the Thanksgiving dinner that has all those traditional American classics that I never really got into, the sweet potatoes with marshmallows, the green been casserole, the jello salad…someday. Maybe the same year that I finally make the tofurkey.
Every year I suggest the homemade tofurky and every year it is rejected, so again it is the traditional roast turkey. Which is fine with me, in fact, if I ever do actually go vegetarian, the turkey will be one of those things that I will miss. Personally, I am fond of bread stuffing. Not cornbread, not sausage and oyster or any of the various exotics, I like seasoned bread cubes, a butter type substance, some onions, some celery, tons of spices and some broth. That’s all. That’s just the way I am. And as long as we are talking starches, there also needs to be potatoes, both mashed and sweet. Sadly, I hate to make mashed potatoes for no apparent reason, but I will buck up for this one occasion. And as far as sweet potatoes go, we have this family recipe from my sister-in-law that now kind of defines Thanksgiving for us. I guess there should be some kind of vegetable too if there’s not going to be a tofurkey…I am opting for something broccoli-like but I suspect the husband will prefer peas, which are not technically a vegetable, are they? They are a legume, which is slightly different but hey, who am I to argue?
Anything else? Well, I have decided to shun the pumpkin pie tradition as I really don’t care for it all that much. One slice is fine but then there is the rest of the pie to consider. This year I am thinking there will be some experimentation and perhaps some pumpkin/chocolate cheesecake squares. So far James seems to be agreeable to this but he can turn at any moment…
Finally, I am feeling the need for crescent rolls this year. The kind that come in a tube. The kind that I would generally not make. The kind that have long been eschewed for homemade bread, or biscuits or rolls. I don’t know where this desire has come from but I am thinking about giving in. Why not? In fact, someday I intend to host the Thanksgiving dinner that has all those traditional American classics that I never really got into, the sweet potatoes with marshmallows, the green been casserole, the jello salad…someday. Maybe the same year that I finally make the tofurkey.
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