mental drool

the archives.

2005-02-02T09:42:00.000-08:00

2004-07-09T09:27:00.000-07:00

transitioning from blogger

2004-06-01T15:59:00.000-07:00

my stats tell me that i get a fair amount of traffic via feed. if this is the case, you need to make a few changes to accomodate my new, fabulous blogging software:

sema feed:
rss | atom

gnit feeds: rss | atom

cheers!

things to do this weekend

2004-05-28T07:06:00.000-07:00

1) go to the movies with my dad
2) bake something
3) visit the farmer's market if it's not too rainy
4) get to trader joe's for frozen gyoza
5) read at least one short story in a.s. byatt's little black book
6) buy a new hot tub cover
7) clean out the nook underneath the stairs
8) make 3 cds
9) download mac os x 10.3.4
10) see what the new grand central baking near our house is all about
11) finish at least one current knitting project
12) do something about our foliage
13) attend a karaoke party
14) attend my first gay wedding

miss mix-a-lot

2004-05-27T12:30:00.000-07:00

i am in the process of making a mix that is an intro to hip-hop for classic rock lovers who think that rap is "a bunch of angry black men yelling about how tough they are."

i know it's a tall order, but i really do plan to convert a few - or at least make them acknowledge that hip-hop can be fun, intelligent, and even perhaps musical.

i am toying with a number of wyclef songs, and was thinking of including something off of outkast's speakerboxx. i will also tie in some dj shadow to illustrate 'trip-hop' (sure to be loved by pink floyd fans?) and the artistry of a turntable. i want to include things that show how hip-hop's roots are firmly anchored in funk and r&b - and not just in a "sampled" sort of way.

i would love your ideas.

won't you be my neighbor

2004-05-27T07:04:00.000-07:00

after a year in our lovely little house, i finally hung out with one of our neighbors last night. i had just got off the treadmill, and was still wearing sweaty workout clothes. i also happened to be watching american idol (i sure hope fantasia won, i only saw like 2 shows, but she has talent), and knitting. i am such a loser. and i was a mess. but anyway...

suddenly there is a knock on my door, and our neighbor - we'll call him n - is standing there with two cans of pbr. he exclaims that it is unforgiveable that we never hang out, and he hands me a beer.

a trip to the big guy's bar, and a few pbr's later, we return to his place to hang out with his fiancee, his dog sasha and well... now i have someone from which to borrow a cup of sugar. and some new, smart friends. fabulous.

insects make me want to scream and shout

2004-05-26T06:56:00.000-07:00

the night before last i saw zoe, one of our kittens, freaking out in the corner. after a few moments of spastic antics i saw that she was chasing a very small flying bug about. i thought to myself "awwww. that's cute" and went back to knitting.

later i looked down and saw a stripey looking mosquito snacking on my arm; presumably zoe had missed out on her snack. i swatted it and missed. i grumbled appropriately, then returned again to knitting.

two more bites later i finally got the bugger, and i was pissed. everybody hates mosquitos and the discomfort of the itchiness that accompanies them.... but this time it's different.

for whatever reason i am now having some sort of allergic reactions to these bites. i have a bite on either elbow, and both are visibily swollen in a span of several inches, and when touched feel like a bruise. a very itchy, extreme heat emitting bruise.

mfd was kind enough to provide me with some cortisone cream, which helps immensely, but i am still haunted by that itchy pain just minutes later. use only four times a day? i think not. a can only hope that this is not a sign of things to come for the summer season.

a note about trolling in my comments

2004-05-24T12:28:00.000-07:00

i have had a troll in a few of my comments, which is fine. annoying, but i'll get over it. but as a matter of policy, this is my fun space and if any comment annoys me i will happily remove said comment, without explanation and laugh while doing it. why? because i can, that's why.

fame and fortune... well, fame anyway.

2004-05-24T06:39:00.000-07:00

i am so proud of the big guy, blogging and all. but now - whoa nellie - he is taking the web world by storm. witty banter between the big guy and the naughty corner monkey over at waferbaby.

announcement

2004-05-23T10:30:00.000-07:00

as mfsil (my favorite sister in law) alluded to in a comment from last week... (drum roll please)....

i will be an aunt in november!

i am infinitely pleased to be knitting for my niece-to-be, and surely she will be a scrumptious ball of love and wonderment. and as auntie james i promise to love her, and hug her, and buy her any toy she wants. even if it makes high-pitched whirring sounds, and leaves scuff marks on the hardwood floors. i also promise to buy her candy. lots and lots of candy.

i was surprised when i received a call yesterday announcing that it will be a girl, because they weren't expecting to find out the sex for another month or so. when i inquired about this fact i was told that that they went to a place called fetal photo, that exists soley to have an expert baby-sexer reveal your child's sex - a commercial enterprise.

i am alternately intrigued and slightly terrified that such a place exists, as i always pictured such an intimate revelation as something you share in a medically sterile environment. not that fetal photo wouldn't be medically sterile... but i think you know what i mean.

knowledge that such a place exists, prompted me to google it - and i disovered that it is actually called "fetal fotos" - one of the most tragic business names - ever! first off, fetal isn't really a fun word to throw about casually or to print on business cards. secondly, to choose to misspell photo in the name of alliteration, especially when the word it is being mispelled to match is 'fetal' - oy vay!

and lastly, i had chalked up this bizarre business to the fact that mfb and mfsil live in the baby-making capital of the world - salt lake city, utah. after further research, i discovered that not only is the utah fetal fotos actually IN THE MALL in salt lake, but that it is a nationwide chain, and that offices exist here in portland, in redlands california, in denver....

seriously, check it out - the fetal fotos website.

lastly i would like to say that my shock and awe that such a company exists, is in no way a condemnation of any parent who chooses to use their services. in fact, i do want to know the sex of my children before they are born, and obviously they provide a service that people find useful. that being said, i still think the whole concept is something out of a sci-fi book. it just goes to show that i have a lot to learn about motherhood, and i'm glad to have mfsil leading the way!

sunday morning reading

2004-05-23T10:23:00.001-07:00

this post from idle words cracked me up. an excerpt:

" 'SONS OF FUCKING BITCH-ASS GODDAMNED COCK SUCKING GOAT FUCKERS!,' he elaborated."

pig and cow

2004-05-23T10:19:00.000-07:00

lady j was kind enough to point out a local initiative involving a great little coffee shop, plastic farm animals, one of the biggest high tech companies in the region, and the great phenomenon that is free wi-fi:

here is the story, and if you don't like to read - here is the slightly more obscure picture version.

the city that works

2004-05-23T10:13:00.000-07:00

portland has a motto. this motto is painted on the city vehicles, and is often printed on signs about town. everytime a portlander drives over a pothole that jostles them about, there is at least a 50% chance that someone will joke about the city motto.

unfortunately the city that works was working today. at 9 am on a sunday morning. jackhammering. two blocks away. did i mention the sunday part?

i woke up to my husband screaming "what the *&@$ IS that?" then, i too, was awake. luckily i had 8 hours of sleep at this point, he is not so lucky.

tgif

2004-05-21T07:33:00.000-07:00

i started out the week with a major bout of miscommunication with the big guy. it happens, we were over it in less than 24 hours, but damn - it sucked. then i got the flu. nausea, dizzyness, headaches. backache from couch surfing for 24 hours. then upon returning to work i had a bout of not-so-great communication with the boss. (do i see a theme here?) it has been an epically bad week.

then this morning - after marveling at the oregon sunshine that coated the streets (i love gray, misty, northwest mornings), and having actually gotten up out of bed without herculean effort - i spill my morning coffee. down my leg. so not only am i stuck with sticky coffee leg for the remainder of my day, i will be infinitely less caffeinated.

so then i start thinking about natural resourses. precious natural resources. the price of coffee, the price of gas. even the price of dairy according to npr. the economy sucks. my week sucks.

yeah, i know i'm whining. so what? it's my blog. hmph.

hey kids, it's national carb awareness day!

2004-05-20T06:48:00.000-07:00

please go read the save the carb manifesto, now. funny. revealing.

"According to a February report from market researcher ACNielsen, more than 17% of those polled reported that someone in the household was on a low-carbohydrate diet... America is choking down this anti-carbohydrate propoganda and the food community is in an uproar. "

mmm... pasta.

signs that you recently had the plague

2004-05-20T06:39:00.000-07:00

1) you haven't seen your car in a few days
2) you have no recollection of what you look like with make-up on
3) you had forgotten how soft and shiny your hair can be if washed
4) you have not had coffee for days
5) you look down and are surprised to see clothes other than pjs

still a little woozy... but better.

sick-o

2004-05-19T09:07:00.000-07:00

i type this from the couch, feeling grumpy and frustrated. dizzy, grumpy and frustrated. i woke up yesterday morning with a headache the size of montana, which i thought was the residual mess left from an emotional outburst the night before. nothing like emotional outbursts to tear down my stress-battered immune system. a decongestant and an extra hour of sleep was my prescribed cure.

an hour later, the headache had subsided and i got up to get ready. whoa nelly. i felt like gravity had tripled and my head was swimming. fuck. emailed the office and set up camp on the couch.

it's nearly 24 hours later and i have gone through multiple cycles of feeling vaguely okay so i get up only to realize that i am dizzy, so i sit down, whine to husband, he tells me i need to eat, so i eat, i get naseous (occassionally running to the bathroom). then last night i finished off the whole evening with a headache the size of montana. then - once headache was drowned out by tylenol pm and i finally accomplished sleep, husband comes home (before midnight!) and says 'you gave me your plague juice!'

so yes. me, couch. sitting very, very still. if i sit very very still i feel ok. but if i move enough to grab any thing that may entertain me (laptop, knitting, cat) i get ill. i have a pile of work to do and have guilt in those moments of okay-feeling-stillness. i have always had guilt issues with being sick. spending a whole day on the couch watching the ellen show (even if you can't move or toss your cookies) is much too indulgent to be legitimate, right?

today i've got a hot date with a vpn. a vpn and a six pack of gingerale. sigh.

soundtrack of life

2004-05-17T12:52:00.000-07:00

whilst sitting and listening to my ipod i am always amused how certain songs can whisk me straight back to a certain place, time, feeling.... here is what i have remembered this week (the dates are approximate):

thriller, michael jackson - hanging out with shannon who lived across the street, scared out of my mind but soooo happy to be hanging out with a big kid. she had a thriller poster to match and yellow curtains. i was 5. 1982. stray cat strut, stray cats - the dank warmth of shakeys pizza parlor juke box in redlands california and being in awe of my big brother's impeccable musical taste; early elementary school. 1984.

rock me amedeus, falco - a sunny day in so. cal, practicing my dance moves in the johnson's front yard whilst listening to my new lavendar ghetto blaster. i was the best dancer on the block, hells yeah. 1984.

rock lobster, b-52s - the smell of my bro's room in our house on hickam air force base in hawaii as i opened the tape drawer, removed the b-52s tape, and replaced the casette box - all the time praying that he would not discover my theivery. 1987.

devil bunny, my life with the thrill kill kult - laying on my back on the floor with my best friend, feet up on the bed, wearing 'question authority' t-shirt, talking about boys. redlands california. 1991.

bitchin' camaro, dead milkmen - dozing in and out of conciousness after knee surgery, driving up "the canyon" from salt lake to park city utah with my dad. 1993.

this love, pantera - sitting on a school bus, travelling to the utah academic decathlon state championship in st. george, missing the big guy so much that i thought my heart would break. yes, it was on a mix tape, from him. 1995.

inside out, eve 6 - driving down a sun dappled street in sw portland towards lewis and clark college trying on that feeling of freedom that comes from breaking up with your boyfried of several years. 1999.

perfect gentleman, wyclef - driving to a flaverpak show in salem oregon, singing and laughing with jbyte and patsy. called up my mom and said that i'm in love with this stripper yo. 2002.

ok... so now that i've established that i'm a complete and utter geek, and always have been - what are some hits off of your life soundtrack? (losing virginity songs don't count, too predictable)

car buying

2004-05-17T06:40:00.000-07:00

the big guy and i currently own two cars - a honda civic (mine!) and an acura integra. they are both great cars with good gas mileage. the problem is that we currently have a bunch of stuff that needs to go to goodwill/the dump, and he is a musician who occassionally likes to carry is bass amp AND his wife in the same car to attend a gig. so - we need to look into buying a new, bigger car. (new to us, not necessarily new).

we have a friend who has recently entered the world of used car sales so we've test driven a few. ok - i admit, i just sat there gripping the passenger seat "oh-shit" handle while the big guy drove and our friend told us how good we looked in that particular s.u.v. - but anyway...

the big guy has also spent hours online doing his homework and dreaming of that perfect balance between driving up the side of a cliff, ease of repair, leather interiors, and affordability. i have spent endless hours fretting about insurance, gas mileage, whether or not i could parallel park anything that he would want to buy, etc.

i feel bad, because i know that he has considered those things too - but while he can share in my worries, i am really not excited about the prospect of purchasing a new car. i will be happy for him when the time comes, but i think he is starting to get agitated with my tendency to play devil's advocate with his suggestions. (will that be practical in three years when we have a car seat?)

i really don't want to be that wife who nags her spouse and mocks his need for a V6 engine, but i am also steadfast about being practical. what to do?

purpose in knitting

2004-05-17T06:39:00.000-07:00

so i spent a substantial amount of time over the weekend with needles and tea. jubal provided me with a generous gift certificate to the lys for my birthday, so on saturday we drank caffiene and fondled fiber. it was grand.

i came home with debbie bliss, some noro silk garden, and a nubby novelty yarn of some sort, a crochet book that has a rag rug pattern, and a very large crochet needle. i immediately dove into the debbie bliss, ignoring the 5 (five!) other projects i have on the needles. you see - i know of 3 (three!) children who will be entering this world in november. and no, none of them mine.

i've found that baby stuff is handy to knit - it is quick, the yarn is very soft, the end product is very cute, and well - it teaches the basics that will become necessary with knitting clothes for full grown people. i am currently working on a baby cardi that has already taught me a bit about patience, and i have at least three booties that i love - but have yet to knit two with the same yarn.

the painful thing is that i hesitate to share the knitty-gritty details of all of my baby projects, as it is all about the gifty goodness - and a few of the moms-to-be do happen by this site from time to time. i would have to spoil any surprises. but yarn sweet yarn - i'm still an addict.

employment

2004-05-14T06:44:00.000-07:00

i know that earlier in the week i was a stress monkey, and that stress was caused by work issues. but my new job is unequivocally better than my old job.

earlier this week i recieved an email from one of my favorite people at my last job. the following is an excerpt:

" 'k' quit and her last day was friday. she gave notice 6 weeks ago, but we haven't even posted her job yet. hoping to get someone hired before the end of the year. 'bossman' left her a goodbye post-it note after she had already left the building for the last time. actual words: "gotta run, but thanks for your two years of hard work." it's still on her monitor."

lesson: never accept a job in health insurance.

comments on comments

2004-05-13T06:43:00.000-07:00

i do appreciate those who have left their names in comments - please continue to do so, it makes me happy. and also a big thanks to those of you who offered to help with mt. i'm tickled pink.

that being said, i'd like to publically denounce blogger's lack of implementing full fledged comments. hello - the web is about reaching out - not developing closed communities - and not including a simple "name" for non-blogging users is short-sighted and lame.

(and for those of you who are mumbling to yourself "but it's free! you can't complain about free!" - i will say that in the brief period of time that blogger pro was a paid service, i happily paid my fee.)

and anyway - this will hopefully force me to do the mt thing. i'm thinking memorial day weekend.

in other news....

2004-05-13T06:31:00.000-07:00

the big guy has entered the blogosphere. will it last? one can only hope.

under construction

2004-05-12T06:47:00.000-07:00

although i am burnt out on work (thank you to the random co-worker who left me the "work is hell" dilbert mouse pad!)and am sleep-deprived, this new blogger thing has piqued my interest enough to remind me to blog.

i would expect this space to be a mess for the next few days as i am tweaking and redesigning and the like. i have already had complaints for removing my list o' links - so please be patient, they will return.

also - in the spirit of fish's grand gesture and as i am spring cleaning anyway - if you have been kind enough to link to me from your blog - and would like me to link right back, please email me or leave a comment.

fabulouso.

dear anonymous

2004-05-12T06:38:00.000-07:00

it cracks me up that the first non-me comment that i get on my blog is an anonymous question regarding sorbet. seriously - it made me laugh out loud! so, here goes....

dear anonymous -

when it comes to serving (or more importantly, eating) frozen sweet delights, i avoid the sorbet at all costs. why, you ask? simply because i am obsessed with dairy goodness.

while yes, i have eaten sorbets in all of their splendor, i always felt myself wishing for ice cream instead.

but if i had to make a recommendation, i would scour the likes of the food network website and look for a recipe from emeril or ina garten - i have never had a failure or less than fabulous result with their recipes.

wishing i had coffee ice cream for breakfast,
james