Monday, July 31, 2006

A year


A year ago I had shorter hair.
And was out of focus.

I've been growing my hair out for months (I don't think I've cut it since last fall sometime), and it's pretty crazy right now. I plan to do *something* to it to whip it into shape, but I'm not sure what that will be... I miss the order of short hair. And how little shampoo it took to wash it. And that it dried in a reasonable amount of time.

A year ago this cute baby was just a sparkle in her parents' eyes!


She's a nice baby. It's funny how uncomfortable I am with little babies these days. I just don't know what to do with them! She did fall asleep on me later on, so I must be okay.

We just kept driving.



A wonderful and slightly disturbing webcomic.

Sunday, July 30, 2006

"...I'll have to go easy on the disappointment for a while."


[go read the whole thing]

Ryan is so cool.

I love this strip!

Pink nail polish

I don't know what to do with myself these days.

Right now it's watching "Tristam Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story"*, after painting my fingernails 'fabulous fuschia', which thankfully is NOT fuschia (I think of fuschia as having more blue in it, this is simply hot pink).

Unbearably hot here. It cooled off to 77 around 2am. It's just very humid, etc. I was outside from 7am to 2:30 yesterday, having had the foresight to pick an extremely hot day to have a garage sale. It wasn't a complete bust, but I admit to feeling disappointment.

I'm thinking in a couple of weeks I'll be better off, and that I ought to try again. We'll see. I'd have far less prep to do, so it seems worth another try.

There isn't much foot traffic in my neighbourhood, so I'd like to try it out someplace else.

Ooh, the storms the National Weather Service has been promising are finally here!


*Starring Steve Coogan, upon whom I have a HUGE crush. God, he's funny. Hey, he's in Simon Pegg's new film, Hot Fuzz! A Squee-fest!

Friday, July 28, 2006

Also, if you were born in 1972, or are a gemini

Good chance I'll love you too.

Watching Harold and Kumar go to White Castle and it's very funny. I think I have a crush on John Cho (Harold). And looking on his IMDb page, I see there will be a sequel to HaKgtWC - Only this time, they go to Amsterdam! <--that's an ironic exclamation mark, btw.

John Cho is a gemini born in 1972. Josh Rouse (who is kind of getting snooty but I still like his old stuff) was born in 1972. My bf was born in 1972, as was a good friend of mine.


I'm dillydallying, right now I'm supposed to be digging up Christmas stuff to sell at my garage sale...

Among a million other things.

Thursday, July 27, 2006

If you are a leo, there's a good chance I will fall in love with you.

At least, that's how it feels to me right at the moment.

My bf is 34 today, and my kid will be 7 in a week or so. I've had more than my share of leos in my life.

30% chance of bibically-proportioned floods

The National Weather Service assured me there was a 30% chance of precipitation today, but in no way indicated that it would be a torrential downpour! I would have gone out to stuff things back into the garage sooner. It's perfect weather to be soaked to the underthings in lovely warm water, but still.

Also, the lightening seems to be directly above my house!

It's really loud and rumbly, and raining like crazy!

What else might deserve an exclamation point? Food!

I made another batch of Doughnut Muffins, not chocolate as I'd thought I might. They are really good with this peach compote I made, which I thickened with tapioca and mixed with whipped cream.

Also, I made salsa last night and while it's pretty spicy, I need a few more peppers in there.

Okay, back to the weather. Our storms have been pretty crazy this summer, lots of wind and several trees down in my neighbourhood alone, not to mention the greater Madison area. But we haven't had a lot of earth shaking thunder. That is, until NOW.

I suppose late July through early August is a time for lots of thunder. I remember when Little Boy was born (seven days short of seven years ago), we had these huge booming thunderstorms. On his first birthday, it rained so hard our street flooded during his party. In 1993 or 94 we also had crazy storms at this time of year, a huge oak in front of my mother's house fell onto her garage...

I'm glad to be inside now. It's nice that I still have electricity. I should probably change into some dry clothes, but maybe if I move around they'll dry and I won't have to.

Wednesday, July 26, 2006

Zefrank's "the show"

I've just discovered 'the show', a vlog by zefrank. I'd run into the website before and enjoyed it. Zefrank is also cute (score!).

It makes me want a video iPod, just sos I can carry him around with me in my pocket.

I'm Sorry I Love You (a post which reads like a George Carlin skit)

Today is the first day of the gathering of my things for a HUUUUGE yard sale this weekend. It's been a more emotional process than I thought, if only because my accumulation of consumer goods ramped up right before I was married seven years ago. I've been divorced for less than 18 months, but it feels like a lifetime away (I was running hard away from it).

Most of the stuff I'm getting rid of should have been purged BEFORE I moved into my house 4 years ago. So I need to get rid of as much stuff as I can. I'm also feeling like getting rid of the other stuff I've got - stuff that is useful, but reminds me of stuff in the past. I want a fresh start. New furniture.

Going through my stuff (and having help from my ex has just been weird). Everywhere I look there are pictures of the past 8 years (rarely put into albums). There are reminders of things I've done and people who aren't in my life anymore. It's a lot to think about. As far as working on stuff with my ex, it's been kind of nice to talk about stuff. Because we have a kid together we have had to develop a working relationship as parents and it's turning out pretty well.

To keep myself working (and minimize my thinking), I've decided to spin The Magnetic Fields 3-disc set "69 Love Songs" all day. It's just what it says 69 songs all about love. It's a fantastic set of tunes. With 69 to choose from, there are some clunkers in the bunch, but so many more gems. Stephin Merrit writes in a lot of styles and has guest vocalists... It's good stuff.

Tuesday, July 25, 2006

Can you die of a broken heart?

Researchers think maybe you can:

In a study published in The Lancet two years ago, stress and other psychological factors were found to add more to the risk of heart disease than diabetes or having a family history of heart attacks. There is also a recognised medical condition - stress cardiomyopathy - in which the heart can be damaged with no signs of plaque or clots in the blood vessels. Brought on by intense stress, it is also known as broken heart syndrome; sufferers can have levels of the stress hormone adrenaline 30 times higher than normal.

Cardiomyopathy may explain the striking rise in deaths from heart attacks that researchers have recorded immediately after major disasters such as the Los Angeles earthquake in 1994.

A plea for a recognition of the central role emotions play in heart disease - what has been called psychocardiology - has just been published in a book by leading US cardiologist Dr Mimi Guarneri.

"We feel with our hearts, we love with our hearts, we can die of a broken heart," she writes. "The most difficult job for a cardiologist is not picking the right medication but instilling in someone a passion for their life."


I was with them right up until the overwrought quote from the cardiologist. People, as she well knows, do not feel or love with their HEARTS. Um, hello?

I do think that stress, lonliness, grief, etc. can very adversely affect a person's health. But adding on a frilly piece about loving with our hearts is bullshit, and it obscures the real message that health is not only soundness of body, but of mind as well.

Sunday, July 23, 2006

Odd weeekend.

I'm not even sure how to describe it. Nothing out of the ordinary happened, but it's just been really odd.

I'm worn out from hearing traditional Norweigan music, among other things.

One picture for now: the view of part of the midway at the Dane County Fair, from about 3/4 of the way up the Ferris Wheel.

Saturday, July 22, 2006

We're going to the Fair!

My aunt just called me and asked if we'd join her and her grandaughter (my cousin's daughter, so is she a cousin once removed? I have no idea) at the Dane County Fair today. I was on the fence until she said the magic words: "I'll pay for you". OKAY!


I love the animals - I'm looking forward to the rabbits and the poultry! Those fancy chickens are something else, man.

Pictures galore, if all goes well. Must put freshly charged batteres in the camera.

Thursday, July 20, 2006

Orangette: To Brandon, with nutmeg

Orangette: To Brandon, with nutmeg:
"The only thing better than a wonderfully food-obsessed New Yorker is a wonderfully food-obsessed New Yorker who lives in Seattle, and the only thing better than a nutmeg muffin is a nutmeg doughnut muffin. Oh baby, indeed. These are exactly what they sound like, and better: something akin to doughnut batter, but baked, brushed with butter, and rolled in powdered sugar. They may look a little rumply and worse for the wear, but with their light, fragrant crumb and fried-but-not flavor, this is one very holy union of muffin, doughnut, and cake. It’s one of those recipes to write with permanent ink into your “special breakfast” repertoire. It’s for Brandon."


I just happened upon this foodie blog today, and I HAD to make these. They are delicious, really rich and buttery and filled with that ineffable tastiness that a delicious food often has. They remind me of the Greenbush Bakery's rabbi thingies (I can't remember what they are called, but I swear they have 'rabbi' in the name). Lord, those are tasty. Funny, I was going to stop by there this afternoon, but instead, I made these!

Since I was passing by his building on my way to an appt, I brought a few to my bf's office. I ended up giving them to his coworker with instructions to share. I love baking something so delicious, but the two sticks of butter is a bit much for them being a (very) regular thing. Definitely worth trying. I'm going to make a choclate version the next time I try them. With nutmeg, of course.

What happens?

The things I think about when I hear about people who are living in the currently-being-bombed areas of Lebanon and Israel are things like: Are schools still open? Are people going to work? Is public transportation still running? Do you still get mail (like bills)? Are you in trouble if you choose to stay home from work or school? Are the hospitals okay (fully staffed, with enough supplies, etc.)? Do ethnic/religious/economic tensions within smaller communities become inflamed? Does people's economic standing take a big hit during times like these? How long can a "conflict" last before it starts causing lasting damage to the people and the government, as well as the larger society?

When infrastructure is destroyed, I wonder how people get food and water and electricity. Remember how everything just fell apart for the poor (or really, most of the non-rich) in New Orleans and the rest of the Hurricane-ravaged coastal areas of the South after Katrina?

With all of the prescience we had via meterlogical science and emergency management (I'm not talking about bush run FEMA, obviously, but other knowledgable em. management people), there was a terrible nescience. Although even a "third world"ish nation like Cuba has tons of experience with hazardous weather (and from what I read, a good system for preventing casualties), we didn't (or the gubmint didn't) take any cues from them. Because we are naturally supieror, they are commies, etc. ARGH.

Anyhow.

Lots to think about. Reminds me of Octavia Butler's Parable of the Sower (although the follow up, Parable of the Talents, was my favourite of the two).

What happens?

The things I think about when I hear about people who are living in the currently-being-bombed areas of Lebanon and Israel are things like: Are schools still open? Are people going to work? Is public transportation still running? Do you still get mail (like bills)? Are you in trouble if you choose to stay home from work or school? Are the hospitals okay (fully staffed, with enough supplies, etc.)? Do ethnic/religious/economic tensions within smaller communities become inflamed? Does people's economic standing take a big hit during times like these? How long can a "conflict" last before it starts causing lasting damage to the people and the government, as well as the larger society?

When infrastructure is destroyed, I wonder how people get food and water and electricity. Remember how everything just fell apart for the poor (or really, most of the non-rich) in New Orleans and the rest of the Hurricane-ravaged coastal areas of the South after Katrina?

With all of the prescience we had via meterlogical science and emergency management (I'm not talking about bush run FEMA, obviously, but other knowledgable em. management people), there was a terrible nescience. Although even a "third world"ish nation like Cuba has tons of experience with hazardous weather (and from what I read, a good system for preventing casualties), we didn't (or the gubmint didn't) take any cues from them. Because we are naturally supieror, they are commies, etc. ARGH.

Anyhow.

Lots to think about. Reminds me of Octavia Butler's Parable of the Sower (although the follow up, Parable of the Talents, was my favourite of the two).

Wednesday, July 19, 2006

I'm gonna get a candy bar next.

I've got so much nothing to say. I *am* nearly done with my paper.
The guy who was sitting across from me did answer his phone, but restored my faith in humanity by walking away from the computer to finish his phone call.

The t-shirt I'm wearing right now got me thinking about breasts (it displays mine rather prominently). I used to be kind of embarassed about my riches in that department, then for a brief period in my 20s showed them off far too much and now I think I've got a good relationship with them. I don't do cleavage these days, but I admit to marveling at other's...

It's funny how boob-focused we are, while only admitting a small range of sizes and shapes into the 'good' category.

Women, be proud of your dirty pillows!

In other news, my continuing foray into "not as skinny as I used to be" includes going downstairs and vending myself some chocolate!

Bad News Everyone! or, Webcomics are WAY better than posting about world events

(click pic to embiggen)

It was either this or the bbc story about breastfeeding.

Also, I'm not as skinny as I used to be!

Tuesday, July 18, 2006

Insomnia, my old dear friend, now with cowboy dialect.

Cain't sleep, jest settin' here readin' the internet, wishin' and wond'rn' when I'm gonna fall asleep...

The Hot Hot Hot weather has finally broken a bit. It's chilly enough in my room to use a blanket! Whoo doggie, that's a fine change.

Did a pitiable amount of work on my paper this evenin'. Up early tomorrow to get to work on it.

Well, I'd best git and try to sleep. I aim to be up early, like I said.

Hallucinogen In Mushrooms Creates Universal 'mystical' Experience Hopkins Scientists Show

In the study, more than 60 percent of subjects described the effects of psilocybin in ways that met criteria for a 'full mystical experience' as measured by established psychological scales. One third said the experience was the single most spiritually significant of their lifetimes; and more than two-thirds rated it among their five most meaningful and spiritually significant. Griffiths says subjects liken it to the importance of the birth of their first child or the death of a parent.


I took mushrooms once, and it was a lot of fun. I'm not sure why I never did it again... I'm not big on looking for and purchasing illegal drugs - Man, I miss hallucinogens. First LSD on tonight's episode of House, and now this article. The universe is trying to tell me something, but what?

Huh.

Sometimes I open a new post page and when I come back to it 45 minutes later have no idea what it was that I was going to post.


This is one of those times.

Monday, July 17, 2006

Next person to use their phone in the library gets their ass kicked.

There is really nothing else to say here on that subject.

I am a fragile flower

We've been having some hot weather lately.

The heat index, last time I checked, was 101 F - it's FUCKING HOT OUT THERE.

Whenever I'm out for 20+ minutes, I get incredibly crabby, in addition to sleepy and sweaty.

I need to wear fewer clothes, in part, but it's so damn cold *inside*, I end up wearing more than I'd like. I'd rather sweat a bit than freeze a lot.



Later on I'm going out to hear a band, and sort of looking forward to sweating and freezing as I move from bar to outdoor smoking patio. I plan to work on my paper until they kick me out of the library and then dedicate most of the evening to DRINKING. Beer, interspersed with large glasses of water. I'll be peeing like a race horse from 7pm on! w00t! I fully expect to be loud, silly, and heckle the band if they don't play a Yes song I know (there are about six of them, so hopefully they won't disappoint).


Friday, July 14, 2006

Just realized




I haven't used my camera for 11 days!!!

That's no good.

Unfortunately the weather is the same today as it was when I took these shots: extremely humid and very very hot. It's supposed to be a bit hotter today, but so far the sun hasn't come out, so there's been a bit of a reprieve.

Thursday, July 13, 2006

Hey, there's a spade!

What the hell is Israel doing and why is no one calling them on it?

I'm freaking out here. If Lebanon went into Israel, blew up a damn airport and killed a hundred civilians for the same reason Israel went into Lebanon, blew up a damn airport and killed a hundred civilians, the popular media would be all over it, calling it an attack, an invasion, etc. The media I've heard on it act like Israel just had to slap a bitch and it's all okay.

WHAT THE FUCK?

Why is the world like this?

Yeah, I know shit ain't fair, but dayyyyyum.

This makes me sick and angry and scared and did I mention angry?

The Japanese Gallery of Psychiatric Art


This needs to be tattooed on me somewhere! What a picture!

'Suicide' of World Cup official

Hmmm. I wonder what happened?
Was it the highlight of his life (World Cup in Germany)?

BBC NEWS | World | Europe | 'Suicide' of World Cup official: "'Suicide' of World Cup official
Juergen Kiessling in a photo taken on 6 May 2005
Juergen Kiessling was known as Mr World Cup to his colleagues
Berlin's top World Cup official has died four days after shooting himself in the head just hours after the football tournament ended.

Juergen Kiessling, 65, was rushed to hospital from his house in Reinickendorf, a suburb of Berlin, after a neighbour heard the shot.

The motive for the incident is not clear, but reports said Mr Kiessling left two suicide notes.

Berlin hosted the World Cup final on Sunday, when Italy beat France.

Mr Kiessling was known as 'Mister WM' (Mr World Cup) by colleagues in Berlin.

He was responsible for the hugely successful Fan Mile in Berlin city centre, a concourse where giant screens showed the matches to hundreds of thousands of fans who could not get tickets.

Mayor Klaus Wowereit said Mr Kiessling had worked tirelessly, and praised his 'great and successful commitment to the World Cup'.

The tournament was widely seen as a great success for the host nation. "


Sorry, tis a bit depressing possibly. Cheerfully speaking, I had bacon today!

Monday, July 10, 2006

Low on content, tight on time.

Deadlines like crazy, not much posting for the next few days. Hopefully I'll get out to hear some music and do some people watching (and picture taking) at La Fête de Marquette this weekend.

The festival features music from the French Speaking parts of the world, and Sunday's line up is creole and cajun music. It looks to be a good time.

Spent a good part of this afternoon preparing packages to send out - I'd been dragging my feet on a birthday present for a brand new baby as well as sending a friend a book I'd bought for myself. As soon as I read it I knew I had to pass it on. I'll try and write more about that at a later date.

Been thinking about finally letting go of my landline and just having a cell phone. I always thought it was nuts, but honestly, these days it doesn't make much sense to me to have two lines.

Now, back to work. The temp is dropping rapidly, making getting things done a bit easier...

Oh, that explains it, maybe.


It's a full moon!

I'll be on the lookout for the Thundermoon tonight.

Sunday, July 09, 2006

Can't stop thinking about yesterday. But yesterday is gone.

Okay, whenever I go near the computer, I bring up another 80s video:
Penthouse Pavement and Let Me Go - by Heaven 17 are the latest to thrust me into an odd nostalgia.

Damn.

In other news, it's quite hot here! My bedroom is 90° F. Hot.

This kind of weather takes it out of me. I've been feeling badly for having so little motivation, but thinking about it, I never do when it's so hot.

I really should crank the A/C and do some homework now...

Done and done.

Something About You (guilty pleasure)



Most of my 80s music is on vinyl, lost to the ravages of my mother's basement. Some of it is on cassette (like the album this song comes from). "Something About You", by Level 42 (I think the album is called World Machine), is one of my absolute favourite songs from that time. Whenever I hear it I go a bit gooey inside.

Saturday, July 08, 2006

The wide and varied interests I hold

I'm in the middle of a cleaning frenzy/purging of my house but my attention span being so small, I've come to blog a bit, a treat for beginning the long slow process of ridding myself of far too much stuff I don't use.

I'm still finishing up "Downfall", which I really must reccomend. And I just found this Slashfood thing on KitKats, and how there are apparently 65 flavour of the candy (though not all at once). I'm a huge fan of the dark chocolate KitKat (ooh, Japan has Bitter Chocolate varieties. When they were out a few years ago I bought them in mass quantity. Yum.


These days I'm all about the "Captain Jack's Treasure" all-yellow m&ms. The regular ones? Who cares. Gimmie the gold.

Discovered "Ask a Ninja" today. Won't do it justice and/or will make it sound better than it is, so I suggest you check it out for yourself.

Oneredpaperclip.blogspot.com tells the story of a man who started out with a red paperclip and traded things until he ended up with a house!

And tonight, I'm going to see some Polka! Probably not dance, though.

I could go on about films I want to watch and books I want to read (I've got a Triptree book to read once school stuff is over, plus a fantasy of getting a stack of books from the library and spending the rest of the summer reading in a hammock).

But I must dash. Lots to be done!

Friday, July 07, 2006

Lavalady can sleep with one eye open

Ten Top Trivia Tips about Lavalady!

  1. If the annual Australian Lavalady crop was laid end to end, it would stretch around the world seven times!
  2. Apples are covered with a thin layer of Lavalady.
  3. Ideally, Lavalady should be stored on her side at a temperature of 55 degrees.
  4. On stone temples in southern India, there are more than 30 million carved images of Lavalady.
  5. There are six towns named Lavalady in the United States.
  6. The original nineteenth-century Coca-Cola formula contained Lavalady.
  7. In Ancient Egypt, people wore glittery eyeshadow made from the crushed shells of Lavalady.
  8. Lavalady can sleep with one eye open.
  9. Ancient Chinese artists would never paint pictures of Lavalady.
  10. Dolphins sleep at night just below the surface of Lavalady, and frequently rise to the surface for air!
I am interested in - do tell me about

I have to what, now? Nevermind, then.

Boy on a Stick and Slither has been really good lately.




::sighs contentedly::

I love webcomics.

A**-less wonder

Oh Posh, what have you done to yourself?
Being painfully thin is one thing, but this?

::shedding silent tears::




It's not the pants, love.

Belated Food: Ian's Pizza

I really like Ian's Pizza, and although I've only been there a handful of times, my favourite slice is firmly established: Peppered Salami w/Balsamic vinegar. It's so very very good. Behold:

The last couple of times I've sworn I'd pick something new, but no, I got the slice I love.

My dining companion picked up a slice with... (gotta look at the picture, it was nearly two weeks ago!)... looks like buffalo chicken and pepperoni.


They open at 11am, and we got there pretty soon after, so all of the pies were super fresh. Ian's also has a salad bar, which has looked pretty tasty everytime I've stopped in. I overheard one of the staff talking about how the salad bar stuff was local whenever possible. Not sure if I got that right, but it's a cool idea if they are.





Just writing about Ian's makes me want to go down and get a slice!

Thursday, July 06, 2006

Here lies my compromise

My heart says, "post, post".

My head says, "not now".

Tuesday, July 04, 2006

Bacon

I've been craving bacon for a few days, since the weekend, actually.

Can't stop thinking about it. Have decided on bacony something for breakfast...

Trouble is, I don't have any at home! :(

Time to face that sad fact and turn the situation around.

Monday, July 03, 2006

I will eat this hamster

I am living testatment to the fact that a little cute goes a long way (hee, I wasn't talking about myself, but I think I do use well the cute I can muster up most days!).

To wit: I've been reading celeb. fashion talk and gossip for a couple of months and notice that it relaxes me. Sometimes I like to know just what Britney is up to. A week or so ago I discovered Cute Overload, which takes me out of the most horrible cynical mood pretty quickly. Today I'm in a great mood, only made better by this:


OMG, teh cutes.

Which reminds me, I should have incorporated Hoisin sauce into my fish dish of the other evening, but I forgot I had some! I'm thinking of grilling tonight, maybe I can use it on something then...

Go Ask Alice

Instead of what I was supposed to be doing (sleeping, for example), I just spent the last hour reading advice from Go Ask Alice.

Sunday, July 02, 2006

Comfort Flicks

When I picked up movies yesterday I had a theme in mind - well, less a theme and more a need. Something comforting, comfortable. An entertainment that was familiar but not too much so. I did get 2 films I hadn't seen, but the rest were old favourites, promising to be fun but not taxing.

I watched the goes-down-easy (but rather bland) Ocean's Twelve last night, followed by Priscilla Queen of the Desert and The Usual Suspects. The last two are favourites of mine that I actually haven't seen that many times. Both are far better films than I'd remembered, although the dance scenes in Priscilla are still kind of torturous. Terrance Stamp makes a terrible tranny. There really isn't much girl in him.

This morning I decided to pop in Walk the Line, and overall, I enjoyed it. I found it the most fun when music was being made. Otherwise, I thought the pacing was heavy and slow - I figure they were going for the "steady like a frieght train" thing, but man, it could have used a few more crescendos. I got a hankering for a little Carter family music too - I wish there had been more music making at home scenes with the Carters.

The three films I have left are Downfall [Der Untergang] (German film about Hitler's last days, highly rec'd) - oddly enough one of my comfort flicks, Tokyo Godfathers - animated film I've passed over many times at Bongo and I finally decided to pick it up, and The Player - a film I like more than I should, but it's got a great cast, I can't help myself. It's a Robert Altman film, so some extremely thin woman will be topless, bottomless, or both, but I can't recall who it is in Player.

I think coffee, some breakfast, and The Player are in order for this morning...

Saturday, July 01, 2006

Where freedom lies

Robert Frost said: "Freedom lies in being bold".
Janis Joplin said: "Freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose".

Mercy

My Bog, it's HOT!

What a day out there. Youngin' and I took a walk for some ice cream earlier and it was hot, but pleasant. We stopped at a very large neighbourhood garden for some pictures and to watch bugs.






Now, however, after an hour long jaunt around the eastside, I'm ready to stay inside with my Sprecher Abbey Triple and my stackfull of DVDs from Bongo and my A/C and just chill.

Whew.

Me to the 3rd




Used to be I'd always take self portaits on a Saturday morning. I don't know why I got into the habit, and after several months I fell out of the habit, but I was sort of bored and put on makeup and red lipstick and decided to take some pictures. Playing around with the settings on my camera as well and got these different looks.

Slightly Sinister

Maddie looked so sweet, curled up in the bed just where the sun was.



But all of the pics I snapped looked like this one, slighty sinister. Was it her squint? The shadows?

She is still sweet, don't let the picture fool you.

Sesame fish, Broccoli w/carrots and red pepper


AKA last night's dinner

I'd had some fish marinating in a mixture of teriayki sauce, rice wine vinegar, fresh garlic and ginger. It ended up sitting in the fridge for an extra day or so, but I'd put the fish in the marinating mixture frozen, as well as vacuum packing the stuff, so it was airtight. It was just fine when I took it out of the package.

The next steps:

  1. Poured some sesame seeds on a place and pressed each side of the piece of fish in them. I placed the coated fish on a well greased cookie sheet.
  2. Cut up two carrots, sliced long diagonally, and a bag of broccoli florets, pre-cut (I've been so disinterested in cooking, these half-way done options are helpful). Sliced half a red bell peppers into thin strips.
  3. Put fish in oven. I think it was in there at 350 F for maybe 10 minutes, but I can't remember.
  4. Boiled water for rice vermicelli.
  5. Put a few tablespoons of water in the bowl with broccoli and carrots, nuked for 2 minutes. Poured some oil into a large saute pan, began heating.
  6. Put together some teriyaki, rice wine vinegar, sugar, garlic, and fresh ginger in a small saucepan and warmed. Mixed a teaspoon or so of corn starch in some cold water.
  7. Turned the oven to broil, set timer for 3 minutes. Put the rice vermicelli in the boiling water, turned the heat off underneath.
  8. Put the now lightly steamed broccoli and carrot in the heated pan and stir-fried them, throwing the red pepper slices in at the end. Drained the rice noodle. Turned sauce up to boiling point, slowly adding the cornstarch/water mixture.
  9. Pulled the fish from the oven.
Not a bad dinner (tasty, nutritious and cheap). I wish I had a dishwasher, though. I'm thoroughly tired of washing dishes by hand.