I'm exhausted. I got home at 11something last night (or 1, Chicago time), exchanged a few words with Sweetie, then woke up at 7 to see Sweetie off to work. And then I went almost immediately back to sleep. I woke up at 9, read some of the paper, ate breakfast, and... went back to sleep. At noon, I woke up again and I've been awake (although less than productive) ever since.
I still have to write about the pizza night, and I have some more impressions of Chicago to share, but I'm unmotivated at the moment. I also still have three days' worth of newspapers to finish.
Take care,
CM
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Suzanne
This one is kind of a cheat, since this photo is from BlogHer06. Suzanne's hair is longer now. But I couldn't leave her out, could I?
Count Mockula
I was browsing Suebob's (of Red Stapler fame) blog, and found that she'd posted pictures from BlogHer. Here's me with her stapler.
Monday, July 30, 2007
Not gonna remember it all.
Saturday after the keynote address, we walked down the Navy Pier to a reception at the Children's Museum. It was sort of oddly laid out -- there was a massive crush in the front entryway, and you had to push through a crowd to get to an area that was relatively empty, but there was blaring music. People came around with trays of food again (including dolmas and spanikopita -- yum!), and I drank water and sat (actually stood -- there were no chairs) with Plain Jane Mom and One Weird Mother (I'll put links later, I'm on battery power) and Des and Alex Elliot. Suzanne thought she was stuck watching our bags, so she stayed in the crowded corner the whole night. It was too loud, so we couldn't really communicate, and she thought she was watching the bags, but we thought she knew and was coming over, but had gotten in a conversation. All in all, it was a pleasant enough reception. I really wanted to talk to folks, so I didn't break away and check out the museum, but I would have like it, I think.
After quite a while, we decided to check out "Venetian Night," a once a year happening at the waterfront where boats get all decorated with lights and parade by a crowd of onlookers. Well, we walked a long way, so when we finally found a good waterfront spot of lawn with hundreds upon hundreds of other people, we figured we'd found it. We waited quite a while, and finally a fire boat came by playing music with tons of lights, dancing firemen, and a dancing cow (Mrs. O'Leary's, presumably). We were like "Yay! Finally!" Then 45 minutes passed and another boat came by. Then another 45 minutes or so, and a fireworks show began. It turns out that the boats were all further down! But the fireworks show was one of the most incredible I've seen in my life. It was really long, but it was filled with colorful ones, glittry ones, those giant bursting spheres... It was great.
Then we were hungry, so we walked to the "River East" area, where Suzanne said there were good restaurants. By the time we got there, we had been walking a long time and were REALLY hungry, so we stopped in pretty much the first acceptable-looking place, Von's Thai Kitchen. It was really... mediocre. They brought us this grated daikon dish and described is as "encompassing all the flavors of our kitchen." Yeah, I was expecting something like that tart, spicy green papaya salad, not, well, raw-ass unseasoned daikon. And it did pretty much encompass all the flavors of their kitchen. Nothing was horrible, it just wasn't that good.
We crashed out that night. Anyone who noticed that I haven't blogged in a few days while on a blogging-themed adventure will now understand why -- after we left the keynote, there was no time to bust out the laptop and no place to get wifi. We got back to the hotel well after midnight, so I wasn't logging on then. In fact, we crashed out hard.
The next morning there was supposed to be an "un-conference." The idea was, you gather, come up with ideas about things you'd like to talk about that came up (or didn't) in the conference itself, and then anyone can lead a little table session. The thing said breakfast started at 9, so we wandered down shortly thereafter and started to get our food. They had bagels, but only a couple toasters, so we had to wait, then we went into the main room and sat down with our food. Almost immediately, a tall woman in linen pants said "Okay, everyone come get in the circle." Most people looked nonplussed and said they were still eating. She made a couple more passes, trying to get everyone in the circle, but most, like me, had a mug, a plate, and silverware, and were more comfortable at a table than in a chair alone. We stayed put and ate. Finally, the woman got really frustrated (it's only 9:20 at this point) and goes "Okay, everyone needs to be in the circle RIGHT NOW. You can bring your plate, or you can eat in 15 minutes." The four of us just stayed put. I wasn't moving before I was done with breakfast. I was hungry, I can get a little hypoglycemic, and ... just no! Don't boss me around! So we sat. She came over to us and snapped "You guys need to get in the circle." Suzanne snapped back, something like "No, I'm going to finish my breakfast." The woman stood up, walked a few steps away, and a woman looked from us to her, and the linen lady (let's call her Type-A bitch, or TAB) and TAB shrugged and rolled her eyes like we were real assholes. Within another 15 seconds or so, she walked back my the table and muttered under her breath "Fine, don't join the circle then." But my favorite, favorite part, was that she immediately launched into the principles of an unconference -- that whoever shows up is who's meant to, whatever happens is supposed to (like people eating their fucking breakfast, right?), blah blah, easygoing tolerance. I'm thinking she needs a different job. It's like Donald Trump running a Buddhist monastery. It's the wrong personality. Anyway, there was a bit of additional stuff (Suzanne wrested the mic out of TAB's hands to introduce herself), but we didn't stay long at all.
We checked out, Alex called her parents for a ride, and Suzanne, Des and I set out for an adventure!
Our first stop was a river/lake tour by boat! We took the 90 minute tour, because it was the same price as the 60 minute, and it was leaving in a few minutes. It was really a great view of the city -- it gave you some space to look at the buildings. We saw a building where Al Capone had a private elevator to his office, and which had decor on top made of gold. We saw several buildings that curved with the river, or had architecture designed to reflect the water, to allow residents to have a view but not see into others' apartments, we saw a building so narrow that there was no room for a ramp to parking, so they instead had a car elevator, and it cost $60,000 a year to park your car there. We saw the Sears Tower, the John Hancock building, one of the world's largest stores (something like two full city blocks, and seven stories). I may not be remembering all the details accurately at this point, but the buildings were gorgoues. The tour guide had a lot to say about the architechture, which was right up my alley. Oh! The buildings were not allowed to interfere with the train lines, so they built OVER the tracks, using only like five support beams to hold up the entire building. There were also some funny stories about buildings that were designed so that there could be four corner offices on each corner, and one build cylindrical so there were NO corner offices.
We turned around and went out to Lake Michigan. Apparently, they needed to reverse the flow of the river so that not all the pollution went into the lake (I hope I'm not conflating stories, but I may be), so they did! To get out to the lake, we had to go through a lock and rise to the right level first. We had a great view from there of the skyline and of Navy Pier.
When our tour was done, we walked to Grant Park (highlight -- the coolest fountain ever), Millenium Park (highlight -- a reflective kidney bean statue), walked a Frank Gehry designed bridge, almost walked through the middle of a baseball game. We got lunch and ice cream, and then walked back to the hotel to get our luggage. On the way, we saw a sculpture by Miro and another by Picasso.
Then Suzanne's dad came to get us. The drive was LOVELY, and we saw Wrigley Field, the zoo, and acres of parkland. We also went through some different neighborhoods. I'll have to say more on my impressions of Chicago later.
We dropped our things off and then pretty quickly went to meet a friend of Suzanne's at Blind Faith, a vegetarian restaurant in... Evanston? I got a little disoriented about which suburb we were in. It was a vegetarian cafe, and I had Bibim Bop (a korean rice dish with veggies). It wasn't exactly like the Korean dish, but it was delicious, and I ate until I thought I might throw up! And, you know, then we split cake.
Back at the ranch, we got out Trivial Pursuit and stayed up until almost 1 in a hotly contested game (Suzanne was in the lead for a long time, but her mom eventually won). I was doing okay, but I was so tired I kept getting easy ones wrong ("Oh, the crazy NRA guy, you know. Moses. I can picture him...")
This morning we slept in a bit, then Suzanne made us Cream of Wheat (no lumps). We drove to the Baha'i temple, which was really beautiful. We walked around the gardens a bit, but it was hot outside, so after that we turned around and went back to get Suzanne's mom for lunch. The four of us met her dad, Suebob, Suebob's brother-in-law and neice, and the friend from last night for INCREDIBLE south Indian food at Udupi Palace. It was really, really good (although mild), and we ate family style, so I got to try three kinds of dosas, muttar paneer, aloo gobi, palaak paneer, sambar, the eggplant stuff, and I can't even recall what else. Oh, it was delicious!
I'm now at O'hare waiting at my gate, and it's boiling hot. I guess they haven't heard of air conditioning. I also can't find an outlet, so I'm not at 35% battery power, and ought to sign off. I was hoping to hear from Mom and Sweetie, but I'm out of time.
I had a great trip, and I really thing this last little bit, just spending non-conference time together, was some of the very best. I have never had the opportunity to miss Suzanne and Des before, but now I do.
Okay, later, all, with impressions of Chicago, and hopefully NO drama of the flight back (besides the fact that I'm a bit delayed).
After quite a while, we decided to check out "Venetian Night," a once a year happening at the waterfront where boats get all decorated with lights and parade by a crowd of onlookers. Well, we walked a long way, so when we finally found a good waterfront spot of lawn with hundreds upon hundreds of other people, we figured we'd found it. We waited quite a while, and finally a fire boat came by playing music with tons of lights, dancing firemen, and a dancing cow (Mrs. O'Leary's, presumably). We were like "Yay! Finally!" Then 45 minutes passed and another boat came by. Then another 45 minutes or so, and a fireworks show began. It turns out that the boats were all further down! But the fireworks show was one of the most incredible I've seen in my life. It was really long, but it was filled with colorful ones, glittry ones, those giant bursting spheres... It was great.
Then we were hungry, so we walked to the "River East" area, where Suzanne said there were good restaurants. By the time we got there, we had been walking a long time and were REALLY hungry, so we stopped in pretty much the first acceptable-looking place, Von's Thai Kitchen. It was really... mediocre. They brought us this grated daikon dish and described is as "encompassing all the flavors of our kitchen." Yeah, I was expecting something like that tart, spicy green papaya salad, not, well, raw-ass unseasoned daikon. And it did pretty much encompass all the flavors of their kitchen. Nothing was horrible, it just wasn't that good.
We crashed out that night. Anyone who noticed that I haven't blogged in a few days while on a blogging-themed adventure will now understand why -- after we left the keynote, there was no time to bust out the laptop and no place to get wifi. We got back to the hotel well after midnight, so I wasn't logging on then. In fact, we crashed out hard.
The next morning there was supposed to be an "un-conference." The idea was, you gather, come up with ideas about things you'd like to talk about that came up (or didn't) in the conference itself, and then anyone can lead a little table session. The thing said breakfast started at 9, so we wandered down shortly thereafter and started to get our food. They had bagels, but only a couple toasters, so we had to wait, then we went into the main room and sat down with our food. Almost immediately, a tall woman in linen pants said "Okay, everyone come get in the circle." Most people looked nonplussed and said they were still eating. She made a couple more passes, trying to get everyone in the circle, but most, like me, had a mug, a plate, and silverware, and were more comfortable at a table than in a chair alone. We stayed put and ate. Finally, the woman got really frustrated (it's only 9:20 at this point) and goes "Okay, everyone needs to be in the circle RIGHT NOW. You can bring your plate, or you can eat in 15 minutes." The four of us just stayed put. I wasn't moving before I was done with breakfast. I was hungry, I can get a little hypoglycemic, and ... just no! Don't boss me around! So we sat. She came over to us and snapped "You guys need to get in the circle." Suzanne snapped back, something like "No, I'm going to finish my breakfast." The woman stood up, walked a few steps away, and a woman looked from us to her, and the linen lady (let's call her Type-A bitch, or TAB) and TAB shrugged and rolled her eyes like we were real assholes. Within another 15 seconds or so, she walked back my the table and muttered under her breath "Fine, don't join the circle then." But my favorite, favorite part, was that she immediately launched into the principles of an unconference -- that whoever shows up is who's meant to, whatever happens is supposed to (like people eating their fucking breakfast, right?), blah blah, easygoing tolerance. I'm thinking she needs a different job. It's like Donald Trump running a Buddhist monastery. It's the wrong personality. Anyway, there was a bit of additional stuff (Suzanne wrested the mic out of TAB's hands to introduce herself), but we didn't stay long at all.
We checked out, Alex called her parents for a ride, and Suzanne, Des and I set out for an adventure!
Our first stop was a river/lake tour by boat! We took the 90 minute tour, because it was the same price as the 60 minute, and it was leaving in a few minutes. It was really a great view of the city -- it gave you some space to look at the buildings. We saw a building where Al Capone had a private elevator to his office, and which had decor on top made of gold. We saw several buildings that curved with the river, or had architecture designed to reflect the water, to allow residents to have a view but not see into others' apartments, we saw a building so narrow that there was no room for a ramp to parking, so they instead had a car elevator, and it cost $60,000 a year to park your car there. We saw the Sears Tower, the John Hancock building, one of the world's largest stores (something like two full city blocks, and seven stories). I may not be remembering all the details accurately at this point, but the buildings were gorgoues. The tour guide had a lot to say about the architechture, which was right up my alley. Oh! The buildings were not allowed to interfere with the train lines, so they built OVER the tracks, using only like five support beams to hold up the entire building. There were also some funny stories about buildings that were designed so that there could be four corner offices on each corner, and one build cylindrical so there were NO corner offices.
We turned around and went out to Lake Michigan. Apparently, they needed to reverse the flow of the river so that not all the pollution went into the lake (I hope I'm not conflating stories, but I may be), so they did! To get out to the lake, we had to go through a lock and rise to the right level first. We had a great view from there of the skyline and of Navy Pier.
When our tour was done, we walked to Grant Park (highlight -- the coolest fountain ever), Millenium Park (highlight -- a reflective kidney bean statue), walked a Frank Gehry designed bridge, almost walked through the middle of a baseball game. We got lunch and ice cream, and then walked back to the hotel to get our luggage. On the way, we saw a sculpture by Miro and another by Picasso.
Then Suzanne's dad came to get us. The drive was LOVELY, and we saw Wrigley Field, the zoo, and acres of parkland. We also went through some different neighborhoods. I'll have to say more on my impressions of Chicago later.
We dropped our things off and then pretty quickly went to meet a friend of Suzanne's at Blind Faith, a vegetarian restaurant in... Evanston? I got a little disoriented about which suburb we were in. It was a vegetarian cafe, and I had Bibim Bop (a korean rice dish with veggies). It wasn't exactly like the Korean dish, but it was delicious, and I ate until I thought I might throw up! And, you know, then we split cake.
Back at the ranch, we got out Trivial Pursuit and stayed up until almost 1 in a hotly contested game (Suzanne was in the lead for a long time, but her mom eventually won). I was doing okay, but I was so tired I kept getting easy ones wrong ("Oh, the crazy NRA guy, you know. Moses. I can picture him...")
This morning we slept in a bit, then Suzanne made us Cream of Wheat (no lumps). We drove to the Baha'i temple, which was really beautiful. We walked around the gardens a bit, but it was hot outside, so after that we turned around and went back to get Suzanne's mom for lunch. The four of us met her dad, Suebob, Suebob's brother-in-law and neice, and the friend from last night for INCREDIBLE south Indian food at Udupi Palace. It was really, really good (although mild), and we ate family style, so I got to try three kinds of dosas, muttar paneer, aloo gobi, palaak paneer, sambar, the eggplant stuff, and I can't even recall what else. Oh, it was delicious!
I'm now at O'hare waiting at my gate, and it's boiling hot. I guess they haven't heard of air conditioning. I also can't find an outlet, so I'm not at 35% battery power, and ought to sign off. I was hoping to hear from Mom and Sweetie, but I'm out of time.
I had a great trip, and I really thing this last little bit, just spending non-conference time together, was some of the very best. I have never had the opportunity to miss Suzanne and Des before, but now I do.
Okay, later, all, with impressions of Chicago, and hopefully NO drama of the flight back (besides the fact that I'm a bit delayed).
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Keynote speaker
We went to our last session and snuck out a few minutes early to get Amy Sedaris to sign our books. Then we had a refreshment time with cotton candy, pretzels and popcorn!
Our keynote speaker is Elizabeth Edwards, and she's interesting and well-informed, but we're a bit burned out, and I've been browsing the internet. I'm multitasking.
The only sort of poor planning here at Blogher has been that there's no dinner hour. There are snacks, then sessions, then cocktail hour... If we actually left at the end of the cocktail party (9pm), we wouldn't get dinner until afterwards, which is sort of what happened yesterday, although we left at 8. We still had to drop stuff off at the hotel, walk to the restaurant, and wait for our food, so we didn't eat until after 10.
Our keynote speaker is Elizabeth Edwards, and she's interesting and well-informed, but we're a bit burned out, and I've been browsing the internet. I'm multitasking.
The only sort of poor planning here at Blogher has been that there's no dinner hour. There are snacks, then sessions, then cocktail hour... If we actually left at the end of the cocktail party (9pm), we wouldn't get dinner until afterwards, which is sort of what happened yesterday, although we left at 8. We still had to drop stuff off at the hotel, walk to the restaurant, and wait for our food, so we didn't eat until after 10.
Video?
Well, we got free bags today from a company that rhymes with Hey Ho Hell. We saw people walking around yesterday with them, and they're really nice, with padded sides and a padded pocket in the middle for a laptop. Cool. Actually, it's a little funny, because we dropped off our BlogHer bags at the hotel and packed more lightly today, and then we were all "Oh, it's so nice to only have one bag today." And then we saw the Hey Ho Hell table with the nice bags and got in line. I swear I'll give another tote to charity. I got my nametag thing hole-punched so I couldn't come get another, and I was talking to the gal, and I think I distracted her, because then I had to ask for the bag.
Speaking of Hey Ho Hell, Des and I then went into their video booth thing and made a video! If you have the appropriate plug-in (I don't), theoretically you can view it here.
If you can't see it, basically we introduce ourselves, then break into a Pet Shop Boys song. When we first squished in, I was way in the foreground and Des in the background, and it reminded me of a Pet Shop Boys video.
We went to our session and I sat at the advanced table because I was a bit late and that's where my friends were, but it was a bit over my head. Sometimes I like it when things are over my head, because it's challenging and helps me process it, but I think I have a lot to learn about what the hell CSSs ARE before I start figuring out how to use them on my blog to make floating objects or whatever.
Now I know I'm going to sound like an obsessive fanboy stalker, but I knew Amy Sedaris was speaking after lunch, at 1:30. So... I came to the room at about 12:45 and plugged in my laptop and parked in the front row. I even bought the book of hers that I already own so I could get it signed. It is now 15 minutes before the session is scheduled to start, and the room is packed. I suspect some people will end up crowded onto the floor and spill out into the hall.
*****
Fifteen minutes have elapsed and I didn't post because I was looking for the Pet Shop Boys video, and in the meantime, Amy Sedaris walked in and people are going NUTBALLS with cameras. Sigh, I love her.
Speaking of Hey Ho Hell, Des and I then went into their video booth thing and made a video! If you have the appropriate plug-in (I don't), theoretically you can view it here.
If you can't see it, basically we introduce ourselves, then break into a Pet Shop Boys song. When we first squished in, I was way in the foreground and Des in the background, and it reminded me of a Pet Shop Boys video.
We went to our session and I sat at the advanced table because I was a bit late and that's where my friends were, but it was a bit over my head. Sometimes I like it when things are over my head, because it's challenging and helps me process it, but I think I have a lot to learn about what the hell CSSs ARE before I start figuring out how to use them on my blog to make floating objects or whatever.
Now I know I'm going to sound like an obsessive fanboy stalker, but I knew Amy Sedaris was speaking after lunch, at 1:30. So... I came to the room at about 12:45 and plugged in my laptop and parked in the front row. I even bought the book of hers that I already own so I could get it signed. It is now 15 minutes before the session is scheduled to start, and the room is packed. I suspect some people will end up crowded onto the floor and spill out into the hall.
*****
Fifteen minutes have elapsed and I didn't post because I was looking for the Pet Shop Boys video, and in the meantime, Amy Sedaris walked in and people are going NUTBALLS with cameras. Sigh, I love her.
Oh yeah, and I got freaky with Ronald McDonald
Doesn't he look like he's gettin' buck wild?
If you find this sex-ay, you might enjoy Statue Molesters.
If you find this sex-ay, you might enjoy Statue Molesters.
Saturday morning
(You may feel free to ignore this one; I'm being a silly mcsillyhead.)
First of all, Mom and Boompah, I wish I had my camera, because we passed Siskel and Ebert Way this morning, then a few blocks later, the Playboy Enterprises headquarters.
Now we're at breakfast, which is good. They announced today "Oh, by the way, there's vegetarian food available, you just have to ask for it." So Des asked, and got strangely watery oatmeal. I ate the food that was out for the normals, and it was pretty good, even the strange hash brown casserole glop.
Now we're listening to a panel on whether the world is being taken over by robots. Apparently not, it's just fear of the unknown.
Apparently before the internet, there were just lots of lonely people, but then the people found each other and were able to connect over their balloon fetishes or love of old D&D modules. We even briefly discussed adult babies.
As you can tell, this is important business.
I almost forgot to mention last night's cocktail party -- it was one of those ones where waiters walk around with trays, stop by your little group, and you take the food and they wander off. It may seem silly, but I haven't really been to many of those parties, so it seemed to me that it was incredibly sophisticated, like the scene in Spinal Tap with the Billy Crystal mime. They had delicious yummies, too! Only about the first two trays of sushi had avocado-cucumber sushi, but Des and I surrounded those dudes like piranhas in the lake. They also had these triangles of fried goodness with cheese and jalapenos, a couple kinds of bruschetta, some mushroom-cheesy things. Oh. Which is probably why I couldn't finish my second slice of pizza later. But I don't regret it. It was good!
Later I'm hoping I get into a session with Amy Sedaris. I missed Suzie Bright yesterday -- Curses! I suspect the Amy Sedaris one will be packed, but it's right after lunch, so I'm thinking of trying to leave lunch a little early and set up camp in the room. There's a book signing later, too, but of course I didn't bring my book. Bummer.
I like you, too, Amy.
First of all, Mom and Boompah, I wish I had my camera, because we passed Siskel and Ebert Way this morning, then a few blocks later, the Playboy Enterprises headquarters.
Now we're at breakfast, which is good. They announced today "Oh, by the way, there's vegetarian food available, you just have to ask for it." So Des asked, and got strangely watery oatmeal. I ate the food that was out for the normals, and it was pretty good, even the strange hash brown casserole glop.
Now we're listening to a panel on whether the world is being taken over by robots. Apparently not, it's just fear of the unknown.
Apparently before the internet, there were just lots of lonely people, but then the people found each other and were able to connect over their balloon fetishes or love of old D&D modules. We even briefly discussed adult babies.
As you can tell, this is important business.
I almost forgot to mention last night's cocktail party -- it was one of those ones where waiters walk around with trays, stop by your little group, and you take the food and they wander off. It may seem silly, but I haven't really been to many of those parties, so it seemed to me that it was incredibly sophisticated, like the scene in Spinal Tap with the Billy Crystal mime. They had delicious yummies, too! Only about the first two trays of sushi had avocado-cucumber sushi, but Des and I surrounded those dudes like piranhas in the lake. They also had these triangles of fried goodness with cheese and jalapenos, a couple kinds of bruschetta, some mushroom-cheesy things. Oh. Which is probably why I couldn't finish my second slice of pizza later. But I don't regret it. It was good!
Later I'm hoping I get into a session with Amy Sedaris. I missed Suzie Bright yesterday -- Curses! I suspect the Amy Sedaris one will be packed, but it's right after lunch, so I'm thinking of trying to leave lunch a little early and set up camp in the room. There's a book signing later, too, but of course I didn't bring my book. Bummer.
I like you, too, Amy.
End of Friday
Well, the rest of today was a great deal of fun. During my last workshop, I had to go to the bathroom, so I left my stuff and got up to go. When I came back, someone had taken my right-by-the-door-and-the-outlet seat, so I sat a bit further down the row. Two seats to my right was a woman whose dress and glasses I had admired. As it happened, I couldn’t see the panel at all, so I was sort of glancing around at random as I listened. Well, glasses girl had her laptop out, and I caught out of the corner of my eye that she was browsing at photos. I took a closer look and saw that the photos were... of the naughty type. Some were of the Bettie Page type, and others were more Robert Mapplethorpe. One she lingered on was of a woman’s ass with two large taper candles sticking out of it. Now, that kind of thing doesn’t bother me in the slightest, but I did think it was a little odd. A few minutes later, though, I saw her blogging under the nom de guerre “The Lusty Lady.”
Suzanne, Des and I skipped the last workshop (it was a LONG day) and sat outside. We had a nice time chatting in the warm weather, watching the boats. There was one cool old schooner. Finally, some ice dropped over the edge of the roof and we realized the cocktail party was about ready to start. We headed upstairs and mingled for a long time as we discussed how to get lots of people together for deep dish Chicago style pizza.
We finally almost sorted it out, then needed Alex, then found her but Des and I found the bloggers who were giving out really cool swag (tiny cute purses) and we went and pestered them for a while, and when we came back, our new friend Snigda (I’m doing my best with the spelling) went to the bathroom, and then and then and then... You know how it goes. Finally, we all managed to get to the shuttle without losing anyone (although there were a few tense moments), dropped our stuff off at the hotel because we all had 50 pound packs by then (full of swag!), then headed out to Gino’s East, which was apparently a Planet Hollywood once, but is now covered on every surface in patrons’ graffiti. It was interesting -- they had what appeared to be the original antique windows framed on the wall, but the walls were like corrugated tin. The pizza was delicious! It was almost like a huge piece of lasagna on delightful bready crust. The crust was soft in the middle, slightly crunchy on the outside, slightly buttery... Oh. I ate until I was seriously concerned that I was going to throw up. I had to take a minute.
Chicago is a cool city. It reminds me of New York, but with wider streets and less nasty traffic. There are some really interesting buildings, like the one that houses the Bloomingdale’s here, an incredibly ornate old building. We also passed a Hard Rock and the “Rock and Roll McDonalds.” There was a real mix of people on the street, from those dressed as though they were on their way to the theatre to those dressed as though for a drive-by. It was still quite busy out on the streets even though it was 11 as we were walking back.
Suzanne, Des and I skipped the last workshop (it was a LONG day) and sat outside. We had a nice time chatting in the warm weather, watching the boats. There was one cool old schooner. Finally, some ice dropped over the edge of the roof and we realized the cocktail party was about ready to start. We headed upstairs and mingled for a long time as we discussed how to get lots of people together for deep dish Chicago style pizza.
We finally almost sorted it out, then needed Alex, then found her but Des and I found the bloggers who were giving out really cool swag (tiny cute purses) and we went and pestered them for a while, and when we came back, our new friend Snigda (I’m doing my best with the spelling) went to the bathroom, and then and then and then... You know how it goes. Finally, we all managed to get to the shuttle without losing anyone (although there were a few tense moments), dropped our stuff off at the hotel because we all had 50 pound packs by then (full of swag!), then headed out to Gino’s East, which was apparently a Planet Hollywood once, but is now covered on every surface in patrons’ graffiti. It was interesting -- they had what appeared to be the original antique windows framed on the wall, but the walls were like corrugated tin. The pizza was delicious! It was almost like a huge piece of lasagna on delightful bready crust. The crust was soft in the middle, slightly crunchy on the outside, slightly buttery... Oh. I ate until I was seriously concerned that I was going to throw up. I had to take a minute.
Chicago is a cool city. It reminds me of New York, but with wider streets and less nasty traffic. There are some really interesting buildings, like the one that houses the Bloomingdale’s here, an incredibly ornate old building. We also passed a Hard Rock and the “Rock and Roll McDonalds.” There was a real mix of people on the street, from those dressed as though they were on their way to the theatre to those dressed as though for a drive-by. It was still quite busy out on the streets even though it was 11 as we were walking back.
Friday, July 27, 2007
Random notes on bathrooms, earrings, and Chicago
When I got into O'Hare, I (obviously) had to go to the bathroom. Obviously, because I have the world's smallest bladder. Luckily, on the flight, the seat next to me was empty and the woman on the aisle got up twice, so both times I got up to go to the bathroom, figuring that at least that way, she'd only have to get up for me four times, just twice. Anyway, O'Hare airport is BIG. Suzanne's dad told me Des was flying into Terminal 2, and I had to walk probably half a mile from my terminal to hers. I found a bathroom and went in. And was faced with a toilet seat sheathed in wrinkled plastic. A small sign said "Wave hand in front of sensor until seat cover is replaced" or something to that effect. The only sensor I saw was the flushing one, so I waved in front of it (causing inadvertent flushing), but the seat cover stayed put. I did not want to sit on that seat cover. And I didn't want to squat and splash it if it was stuck or something. Finally I realized that the sensor was in the sign itself. I watched as the plastic rotated clockwise until it was all new plastic! Wow, just like those towel roll things in the unsanitary restaurants! I can only hope they don't start over again.
Here at the conference, the bathrooms are pretty accessible, but also busy. I just left between two workshops to find a bathroom, and there was a sign that said restrooms, so like an idiot, I followed it. I knew there were others down another hall, but usually there aren't signs unless the restroom is fairly nearby. No, I went down a long hall, only to find two closed and locked restrooms and ANOTHER sign pointing downstairs. I went downstairs, down another hall, and dodged three fast-moving members of the custodial staff careering towards me with carts and garbage bags, and finally found an empty stall. None of them here seem to have seat covers at all.
Des gave me a pair of earrings this morning that she got on Etsy but that don't fit on her ears with her other earrings. I like them, they fit me, and they match today's outfit! Cute cherries. I forget I have them on, then go in the bathroom and think "Oh! I'm cute!"
This last workshop was about the art of storytelling, and there was what seemed like a real prejudice against my kind of blog. One woman stood up and was careful to announce that she didn't write about the minutiae of daily life, like whether she had a bowl of chicken soup that day. I know that stuff isn't important, and I don't write about anything and everything, but I also don't always feel like I need a story arc. Sometimes, just a toilet seat cover is enough of a laugh for me -- no exposition, character introduction, or denoument required.
Here at the conference, the bathrooms are pretty accessible, but also busy. I just left between two workshops to find a bathroom, and there was a sign that said restrooms, so like an idiot, I followed it. I knew there were others down another hall, but usually there aren't signs unless the restroom is fairly nearby. No, I went down a long hall, only to find two closed and locked restrooms and ANOTHER sign pointing downstairs. I went downstairs, down another hall, and dodged three fast-moving members of the custodial staff careering towards me with carts and garbage bags, and finally found an empty stall. None of them here seem to have seat covers at all.
Des gave me a pair of earrings this morning that she got on Etsy but that don't fit on her ears with her other earrings. I like them, they fit me, and they match today's outfit! Cute cherries. I forget I have them on, then go in the bathroom and think "Oh! I'm cute!"
This last workshop was about the art of storytelling, and there was what seemed like a real prejudice against my kind of blog. One woman stood up and was careful to announce that she didn't write about the minutiae of daily life, like whether she had a bowl of chicken soup that day. I know that stuff isn't important, and I don't write about anything and everything, but I also don't always feel like I need a story arc. Sometimes, just a toilet seat cover is enough of a laugh for me -- no exposition, character introduction, or denoument required.
Here we are after lunch.
Okay, we did our "getting to know you" thing, which was like speed dating. We stood in two big circles and chatted with each person for 30-60 seconds before we moved on. The breakfast wasn't bad -- lots of good fresh fruit, some pastries, bagels, juice...
Our first session was at 10:45, and I chose (somewhat randomly) one about finding your passion. I probably should have known that wasn't up my alley. It was very "I write about this, and here's what I know about it." "Yay, good for you." Ad nauseum. I didn't get much that was practical (other than the names of a bunch of other people's blogs to read). As it turns out, though, my friends who went to a session on "branding" didn't get much either. I guess the valuable advice they got came in this form: "So, how do I get more readers?" "Write better." Oh! Who knew?
At lunch, Des and I had signed up to be at the "books" table, primarily because there were only three other people at that table and the other options were like "Mommies who drink" and "Business." We ended up talking to some nice gals, two of whom are also high school English teachers (small frickin' world, and I'm a magnet).
Now we're on session 2, and I'm not a good multi-tasker, so I'm going to quit in a minute. We're sitting in on "The Art of Storytelling," which is PACKED. Luckily, I got here a little early and am sitting next to an outlet, so I'm charging my laptop.
Let's see, have I missed anything good? I suppose last night at the hotel, when the doorman yelled "Hey Red, how you doin'?" to Des, then gave her a guide that no one else got. We stayed up late talking, probably too loudly and too late for the folks around us, especially since it included snippets like "I get a lot of young pussy." We got our American Girl doll bed, which was a cool pink futon on which Theo looked dashing. I slept surprisingly well and we all got up early to go to the conference for breakfast. We had to wait outside for the shuttle, and it was odd weather to a West coast gal. It was probably almost 80 degrees, but it was raining. The skies were gray, and it actually looked like a winter evening in Sacramento, but quite warm.
Okay, now it's really on, so I'm going to focus.
Our first session was at 10:45, and I chose (somewhat randomly) one about finding your passion. I probably should have known that wasn't up my alley. It was very "I write about this, and here's what I know about it." "Yay, good for you." Ad nauseum. I didn't get much that was practical (other than the names of a bunch of other people's blogs to read). As it turns out, though, my friends who went to a session on "branding" didn't get much either. I guess the valuable advice they got came in this form: "So, how do I get more readers?" "Write better." Oh! Who knew?
At lunch, Des and I had signed up to be at the "books" table, primarily because there were only three other people at that table and the other options were like "Mommies who drink" and "Business." We ended up talking to some nice gals, two of whom are also high school English teachers (small frickin' world, and I'm a magnet).
Now we're on session 2, and I'm not a good multi-tasker, so I'm going to quit in a minute. We're sitting in on "The Art of Storytelling," which is PACKED. Luckily, I got here a little early and am sitting next to an outlet, so I'm charging my laptop.
Let's see, have I missed anything good? I suppose last night at the hotel, when the doorman yelled "Hey Red, how you doin'?" to Des, then gave her a guide that no one else got. We stayed up late talking, probably too loudly and too late for the folks around us, especially since it included snippets like "I get a lot of young pussy." We got our American Girl doll bed, which was a cool pink futon on which Theo looked dashing. I slept surprisingly well and we all got up early to go to the conference for breakfast. We had to wait outside for the shuttle, and it was odd weather to a West coast gal. It was probably almost 80 degrees, but it was raining. The skies were gray, and it actually looked like a winter evening in Sacramento, but quite warm.
Okay, now it's really on, so I'm going to focus.
More transportation hassles (some good), then BlogHer
I set off yesterday for the airport, Mom driving, and got there at about 12:30. My plane was supposed to leave at 2:01, but was delayed until 2:25. Which is good, because it allowed me to get a phone call from Suzanne, who was calling to tell me that Des's plane was delayed, and that I might be able to catch a ride with her, as Suzanne's parents were picking her up. I got on the plane thinking that I still might not make it, because she was only supposed to be an hour and a half late, and my plane was originally scheduled to get there two hours after hers, and was half an hour late. But when we touched down, I called Suzanne's dad to ask whether I had missed them or not, and the answer was not. In fact, Des's plane still hadn't landed. Ultimately she was delayed by something like five hours.
In the meantime, I was STARVING, so I went to the nearest food place -- McDonald's. Now, you may have gathered that, as a vegetarian, I'm not a real regular at Mickey D's. I assumed that they had some sort of veggie burger, even if it was just everything-but-the-meat. I asked for that, and the clerk looked at me like I was INSANE. Another woman had to help her. I asked for fries, and she was so flustered she didn't ring them up. All the while, there were two lines, one which didn't appear to go anywhere, and someone was continuously mopping under all our feet. Now, have you ever looked at a McDonald's menu board? It shows burgers stacked high with lettuce, fresh tomatoes, onions, etc. That is just not true. I thought I'd get that-minus-the-meat, but OH NO. No, I got a bun with a dot of ketchup, a hot pickle slice, a slice of American cheese, and some diced onion-like substance. Did I eat it? Yes. But ew. And then I was still so hungry that I bought a slightly damp "roasted vegetable focaccia" sandwich from a Starbucks stand. It was bad, too.
I finally met Des (in person for the first time) in the baggage claim area and we finally sorted out how to get where we needed to be to be picked up. Suzanne's dad is very helpful -- I spoke to him several times on the phone to figure out where to go. When they picked us up, we had a great ride -- Dad was the tour guide to Chicago, and Mom a great conversationalist (and is it okay if I admit to having a little thrill from her accent? At one point she noted that it was "fwaggy." Oh, I love it!).
We drove up to the City Centre hotel and there were Suzanne and Alex Elliot. (And I will continue this after this get-to-know-you activity is over) (Yes, I've been blogging throughout the introductory talking -- but I'm polite, and clap at clapping time.)
In the meantime, I was STARVING, so I went to the nearest food place -- McDonald's. Now, you may have gathered that, as a vegetarian, I'm not a real regular at Mickey D's. I assumed that they had some sort of veggie burger, even if it was just everything-but-the-meat. I asked for that, and the clerk looked at me like I was INSANE. Another woman had to help her. I asked for fries, and she was so flustered she didn't ring them up. All the while, there were two lines, one which didn't appear to go anywhere, and someone was continuously mopping under all our feet. Now, have you ever looked at a McDonald's menu board? It shows burgers stacked high with lettuce, fresh tomatoes, onions, etc. That is just not true. I thought I'd get that-minus-the-meat, but OH NO. No, I got a bun with a dot of ketchup, a hot pickle slice, a slice of American cheese, and some diced onion-like substance. Did I eat it? Yes. But ew. And then I was still so hungry that I bought a slightly damp "roasted vegetable focaccia" sandwich from a Starbucks stand. It was bad, too.
I finally met Des (in person for the first time) in the baggage claim area and we finally sorted out how to get where we needed to be to be picked up. Suzanne's dad is very helpful -- I spoke to him several times on the phone to figure out where to go. When they picked us up, we had a great ride -- Dad was the tour guide to Chicago, and Mom a great conversationalist (and is it okay if I admit to having a little thrill from her accent? At one point she noted that it was "fwaggy." Oh, I love it!).
We drove up to the City Centre hotel and there were Suzanne and Alex Elliot. (And I will continue this after this get-to-know-you activity is over) (Yes, I've been blogging throughout the introductory talking -- but I'm polite, and clap at clapping time.)
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Aaand... my flight's delayed.
It's 1:03, and the plane is supposed to take off at 2:01, but as of now the board says 2:25. The good news -- Sacramento Intergalactic Airport as wireless internet. The bad news, I'm bored and everyone around me is eating stinky hamburgers. Seriously, there are four people in a ten foot radius eating these things. Gugh.
And as I told Sweetie, the book I packed is on the "I'm an elderly priest writing letters to my son" side. Not exactly fun. I did pack a fun book, but it's supposed to be for the trip home. Maybe I'll pick up a sudoku book. I haven't done one of those in a long time, and they make me a little obsessive. But they're fun, and they kill time.
And as I told Sweetie, the book I packed is on the "I'm an elderly priest writing letters to my son" side. Not exactly fun. I did pack a fun book, but it's supposed to be for the trip home. Maybe I'll pick up a sudoku book. I haven't done one of those in a long time, and they make me a little obsessive. But they're fun, and they kill time.
Transportation hell
Yesterday some gals were meeting up from a forum I'm on. I wanted to meet/see them, and it was only in San Francisco. From here to SF on a good day is about 2 hours, so I figured, no big deal. 2 hours there, 2 hours hanging out, 2 hours back. Now, I had agreed to pick up one of the gals in Napa, but it only takes an hour to get to Napa, and I thought it was only an hour from Napa to SF. In fact, I asked her whether it was and she said yes.
Well. I left at 9:45 yesterday and got home after 7. Out of those almost 9 1/2 hours, I did, in fact, hang out with my friends for two hours. So what was happening the other 7 1/2 hours? I was in the car.
It SUCKED. I got out of West Sacramento at about 10am, and almost immediately, the cars in front of me hit their brakes and we all came to a dead stop. I figured that either it was something minor that would get cleared quickly, or something major. It was neither. I sat in stop (mostly) and go traffic for the next hour, and didn't get up to third gear until 11am. Wanna know how far I got in that hour? I got to DAVIS. If you're not from here, you may not be aware that that's less than ten miles, but it is. Oh my GOSH, I was pissed. At that point, obviously I was already late to pick the other gal up, and she called. I told her I was still on my way, because I suspected the other side of the freeway was messed up, too, and didn't want to turn around and deal with that on the way back.
I finally get to Napa, but it has taken me longer to get there than I thought, too. I pick her up and we go to SF. Traffic is fairly clear, and we use the carpool lane, so no big problems until we actually get into the city. We planned to take the Embarcadero directly to Pier 39, but what we didn't realize is that they're shooting some kind of movie on the Embarcadero, so that was slowed way down, too. After making a couple calls to find out where our friends are, we go upstairs in the pier (and then downstairs again, because we were in the wrong section, and then upstairs again, then all the way to the end and around, because we were on the wrong side) and met our friends at 1:30, an hour and a half after we were supposed to.
The drive back wasn't as horrible, but traffic from SF to Napa was slow. We left the Pier at 3:30 but didn't manage to leave the actual city until about 4, then fought traffic, and I finally hit town at 7, as I said. Just unbelievable. I had fun with the girls, but I wouldn't do it again if I knew traffic was going to be like that.
Oh, by the way, wanna know what caused that initial huge backup? I still don't know. There were no cars broken down, no tire treads on the side of the freeway, no accidents, no sirens... only, about 2 miles away from the freeway, a plume of smoke of unknown origin. I suspect people were just staring, transfixed, at the smoke.
Well. I left at 9:45 yesterday and got home after 7. Out of those almost 9 1/2 hours, I did, in fact, hang out with my friends for two hours. So what was happening the other 7 1/2 hours? I was in the car.
It SUCKED. I got out of West Sacramento at about 10am, and almost immediately, the cars in front of me hit their brakes and we all came to a dead stop. I figured that either it was something minor that would get cleared quickly, or something major. It was neither. I sat in stop (mostly) and go traffic for the next hour, and didn't get up to third gear until 11am. Wanna know how far I got in that hour? I got to DAVIS. If you're not from here, you may not be aware that that's less than ten miles, but it is. Oh my GOSH, I was pissed. At that point, obviously I was already late to pick the other gal up, and she called. I told her I was still on my way, because I suspected the other side of the freeway was messed up, too, and didn't want to turn around and deal with that on the way back.
I finally get to Napa, but it has taken me longer to get there than I thought, too. I pick her up and we go to SF. Traffic is fairly clear, and we use the carpool lane, so no big problems until we actually get into the city. We planned to take the Embarcadero directly to Pier 39, but what we didn't realize is that they're shooting some kind of movie on the Embarcadero, so that was slowed way down, too. After making a couple calls to find out where our friends are, we go upstairs in the pier (and then downstairs again, because we were in the wrong section, and then upstairs again, then all the way to the end and around, because we were on the wrong side) and met our friends at 1:30, an hour and a half after we were supposed to.
The drive back wasn't as horrible, but traffic from SF to Napa was slow. We left the Pier at 3:30 but didn't manage to leave the actual city until about 4, then fought traffic, and I finally hit town at 7, as I said. Just unbelievable. I had fun with the girls, but I wouldn't do it again if I knew traffic was going to be like that.
Oh, by the way, wanna know what caused that initial huge backup? I still don't know. There were no cars broken down, no tire treads on the side of the freeway, no accidents, no sirens... only, about 2 miles away from the freeway, a plume of smoke of unknown origin. I suspect people were just staring, transfixed, at the smoke.
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
I promised bags
Here's the deal -- when I was a teenager, I got a string bag and carried stuff in it. I think I got one for Mom for groceries, and she may have gotten one for my aunt, if I remember right. But they were a real pain in the ass. You had to hold them open to put stuff in, then the stuff would poke out through the big holes and stab you in the thigh.
So we moved on to re-using paper grocery bags. Not every time, but Mom and I were both pretty good about it. That works pretty well, and every once in a while, you're bound to forget, so you get new ones, and the raggedy old ones get recycled.
Several years ago, I got a huge tote bag that I could carry on my shoulder and that fit about 2 paper bags worth of groceries easily. I started using that more frequently. The baggers at almost every store thought I was insane, and I usually ended up bagging my groceries myself, since it seemed to stymie them so ("No, you actually just put the groceries right in this bag here. No, you don't put them in the paper bag first. Yes, I know they're free.") Mom joined me in using cloth totes, and they thought she was crazy, too. In fact, pretty much every cloth-toting neo-hippie I've ever spoken to agrees that stores are not well-equipped to deal with us bag people.
And then, there was a change. I heard a few months ago that they would be charging for bags in San Francisco, 90 minutes south of here. And Ikea started charging for bags (but they sold their own huge totes for cheap). And then Trader Joe's started selling bags, first some canvas ones, and now a whole range of big, small, insulated, etc. This week I went to Costco, and THEY were offering their own big totes. And then the little import grocery/deli near my house started selling expandable canvas totes. And then I went to Raley's and they had their own cloth totes. These last three examples are all in the last few weeks, mind you.
Isn't that great? I don't know whether it's a west coast thing, a Sacramento thing, or an all-over thing, but I'm delighted that, even if it's just a token gesture or another way to market (most of the bags have store logos on them), people are finally making real progress towards environmentalism and cutting down on waste. At least in this one, tiny area. And you know what? The baggers are looking at me like I'm crazy far less often.
So we moved on to re-using paper grocery bags. Not every time, but Mom and I were both pretty good about it. That works pretty well, and every once in a while, you're bound to forget, so you get new ones, and the raggedy old ones get recycled.
Several years ago, I got a huge tote bag that I could carry on my shoulder and that fit about 2 paper bags worth of groceries easily. I started using that more frequently. The baggers at almost every store thought I was insane, and I usually ended up bagging my groceries myself, since it seemed to stymie them so ("No, you actually just put the groceries right in this bag here. No, you don't put them in the paper bag first. Yes, I know they're free.") Mom joined me in using cloth totes, and they thought she was crazy, too. In fact, pretty much every cloth-toting neo-hippie I've ever spoken to agrees that stores are not well-equipped to deal with us bag people.
And then, there was a change. I heard a few months ago that they would be charging for bags in San Francisco, 90 minutes south of here. And Ikea started charging for bags (but they sold their own huge totes for cheap). And then Trader Joe's started selling bags, first some canvas ones, and now a whole range of big, small, insulated, etc. This week I went to Costco, and THEY were offering their own big totes. And then the little import grocery/deli near my house started selling expandable canvas totes. And then I went to Raley's and they had their own cloth totes. These last three examples are all in the last few weeks, mind you.
Isn't that great? I don't know whether it's a west coast thing, a Sacramento thing, or an all-over thing, but I'm delighted that, even if it's just a token gesture or another way to market (most of the bags have store logos on them), people are finally making real progress towards environmentalism and cutting down on waste. At least in this one, tiny area. And you know what? The baggers are looking at me like I'm crazy far less often.
I've got to go in a few minutes
to a hair appointment I've been needing BADLY. Thank goodness Monique happened to have an opening today.
Later remind me to talk about bags.
I'm almost packed for Chicago -- waiting for a few things to come out of the dryer. Getting so excited!!
Later remind me to talk about bags.
I'm almost packed for Chicago -- waiting for a few things to come out of the dryer. Getting so excited!!
Monday, July 23, 2007
Phone fuckery and heroic husband
Believe it or not, I'm now counting the few weeks until school starts. As of Thursday I'm off to Chicago, and Wednesday I have a lunch date in the Bay Area. In a few weeks, I have a week's worth of all-day meetings at school, I still have some work to do for school (both planning and actual physical room-putting-together). So my time to work on the house is coming to a rapid close. I did paint three rooms, but there was more, more to do!
Today Mom came over here to help, and we painted the spare bedroom. In our preparations, I came across and ancient telephone jack. Like, an Alexander Graham Bell era jack. It had four holes in it -- remember those? Anyway, we're not using that phone jack, I can't think of a time in the future when we might, and if we do, we'll need to have the damn thing replaced anyway. I ask Mom what she thinks (yes, you're implicated, Mom!) and she says "Just go ahead and cut the wires and shove them in the wall. I've done it a million times." So I do -- I unscrew the jack, undo the wires, cut them (there was tape on them so they didn't fit through the hole, so I just cut below the tape), shoved them through the hole and patched the hole.
The room looked lovely!
And then we cleaned up, Mom left, and I sat down to relax at the computer. And it couldn't find the wireless DSL. Sweetie had come home a few minutes earlier and I knew he had just sat down to use the internet, too. "Hon? Are you able to connect to the internet?" "No." He goes and looks at the phone, which is also not working. "Shit," I think. "What?" "Oh, did I say that out loud?"
I figure out that somehow, Methuzelah's phone jack is integral to the telephone service at our house. I poke through my brand-new, fresh painted patch job and try to reach for the wire. No good. The needle-nose pliers barely open once they're shoved in. I grab a wire hanger, take it apart, and make a hook at one end, trying desperately to hook the wires. No luck. We move the bookcase in Sweetie's room, thinking that perhaps the phone jack there is attached the the wires on the other side of the wall. It doesn't appear to be. I make a bigger hole and fish some more. I go outside and look vaguely at the vents into the crawlspace under the house. This is going to suck. I contemplate. I contemplate hard. I put on sneakers and grab a flashlight. I take off the cover to the crawlspace. I shine the flashlight inside, but it doesn't reach anything. It is dirty and spidery and close in there. I contemplate some more.
Sweetie says "Do you want me to go in there?" I say no -- I'm the one who fucked it up, and I'm going to need to fix it. He asks again, and I say no again. He goes inside. I contemplate. He comes out in work pants, boots, and a sweatshirt, and begins rubber-banding the cuffs of his pants and sleeves. I do not object. I SHOULD object, and it WAS my fault that the crawlspace needed to be entered in the first place. But, well, I REALLY, REALLY didn't want to go in there! I may have just set feminism back 50 years, but I let him be a big manly man and take care of me.
He crawled in, then said "I'm going to hand you the Maglite." I said okay, and reached for it. His feet were still outside. He said "I haven't gotten very far, have I?" "No, baby." He crawled in further, and once he was well under, I went inside so I could guide him to the spot. I crouched by the hole and knocked rhythmically on the floor. Soon, I heard his voice calling for me. I ran towards the sound (in the dining room) and he called again. He was under an air conditioning vent, where the duct is apparently not attached well. We'll have to call about that! He gives up on it and crawls through the area under his office. I hear him there and communicate through the vent. I go shine light through the hole and knock on the floor. Almost immediately, a gray wire pokes through the hole. And then another.
Well, after some trial and error on my part (the two wires had four smaller wires inside each and had to be twisted together in order to work), we have working phone and internet again. And we're building a bulletproof case around the ancient jack.
Today Mom came over here to help, and we painted the spare bedroom. In our preparations, I came across and ancient telephone jack. Like, an Alexander Graham Bell era jack. It had four holes in it -- remember those? Anyway, we're not using that phone jack, I can't think of a time in the future when we might, and if we do, we'll need to have the damn thing replaced anyway. I ask Mom what she thinks (yes, you're implicated, Mom!) and she says "Just go ahead and cut the wires and shove them in the wall. I've done it a million times." So I do -- I unscrew the jack, undo the wires, cut them (there was tape on them so they didn't fit through the hole, so I just cut below the tape), shoved them through the hole and patched the hole.
The room looked lovely!
And then we cleaned up, Mom left, and I sat down to relax at the computer. And it couldn't find the wireless DSL. Sweetie had come home a few minutes earlier and I knew he had just sat down to use the internet, too. "Hon? Are you able to connect to the internet?" "No." He goes and looks at the phone, which is also not working. "Shit," I think. "What?" "Oh, did I say that out loud?"
I figure out that somehow, Methuzelah's phone jack is integral to the telephone service at our house. I poke through my brand-new, fresh painted patch job and try to reach for the wire. No good. The needle-nose pliers barely open once they're shoved in. I grab a wire hanger, take it apart, and make a hook at one end, trying desperately to hook the wires. No luck. We move the bookcase in Sweetie's room, thinking that perhaps the phone jack there is attached the the wires on the other side of the wall. It doesn't appear to be. I make a bigger hole and fish some more. I go outside and look vaguely at the vents into the crawlspace under the house. This is going to suck. I contemplate. I contemplate hard. I put on sneakers and grab a flashlight. I take off the cover to the crawlspace. I shine the flashlight inside, but it doesn't reach anything. It is dirty and spidery and close in there. I contemplate some more.
Sweetie says "Do you want me to go in there?" I say no -- I'm the one who fucked it up, and I'm going to need to fix it. He asks again, and I say no again. He goes inside. I contemplate. He comes out in work pants, boots, and a sweatshirt, and begins rubber-banding the cuffs of his pants and sleeves. I do not object. I SHOULD object, and it WAS my fault that the crawlspace needed to be entered in the first place. But, well, I REALLY, REALLY didn't want to go in there! I may have just set feminism back 50 years, but I let him be a big manly man and take care of me.
He crawled in, then said "I'm going to hand you the Maglite." I said okay, and reached for it. His feet were still outside. He said "I haven't gotten very far, have I?" "No, baby." He crawled in further, and once he was well under, I went inside so I could guide him to the spot. I crouched by the hole and knocked rhythmically on the floor. Soon, I heard his voice calling for me. I ran towards the sound (in the dining room) and he called again. He was under an air conditioning vent, where the duct is apparently not attached well. We'll have to call about that! He gives up on it and crawls through the area under his office. I hear him there and communicate through the vent. I go shine light through the hole and knock on the floor. Almost immediately, a gray wire pokes through the hole. And then another.
Well, after some trial and error on my part (the two wires had four smaller wires inside each and had to be twisted together in order to work), we have working phone and internet again. And we're building a bulletproof case around the ancient jack.
Sunday, July 22, 2007
I finished! No spoilers
Well, I got my book when I got home from grocery shopping yesterday and read until it was time to eat dinner and go to tea with some friends. I got home at 8:30, and read until 11, then woke up this morning and read more or less straight through until 1.
I'm sure some people are faster readers, but I like to linger over details.
I was satisfied. It was more or less what I expected it to be after having been part of the series for 8 years. Adventure, emotion, death, fear, love... good stuff, plus a biblical allegory or two, if I'm not mistaken. And I'm SO glad it finally answered those questions we've all been wondering about. For example, that lingering one about whether Snape is Dumbledore's man or Voldemort's.
Okay, off to see Hairspray with my mom. If you have vibes or anything to spare for my aunt, please send 'em. She's going to be okay, but she's in the hospital and I'd like very much for her to be happy and healthy and out of there as soon as it's mete. Thanks.
I'm sure some people are faster readers, but I like to linger over details.
I was satisfied. It was more or less what I expected it to be after having been part of the series for 8 years. Adventure, emotion, death, fear, love... good stuff, plus a biblical allegory or two, if I'm not mistaken. And I'm SO glad it finally answered those questions we've all been wondering about. For example, that lingering one about whether Snape is Dumbledore's man or Voldemort's.
Okay, off to see Hairspray with my mom. If you have vibes or anything to spare for my aunt, please send 'em. She's going to be okay, but she's in the hospital and I'd like very much for her to be happy and healthy and out of there as soon as it's mete. Thanks.
Saturday, July 21, 2007
Why, oh why
did I pre-order? God, I'm stupid!! If I hadn't pre-ordered, I could have had it twelve hours ago, or even if I didn't choose to go at midnight, I could have gone two hours and 45 minutes ago when the bookstores around here opened. So WHY am I instead sitting around my house in agony peeking out the window every time I hear a vehicle on my street? Why?! Argh, I'm so stupid!!
I'm going to Costco in a minute, and I think I may be seriously tempted to pick it up there. The UPS web site has shown it as "in transit" since 11am yesterday. Do they even deliver on Saturday? If it doesn't come today -- YAARRGGH! Barbaric yawp! Primal scream!
I'm going to Costco in a minute, and I think I may be seriously tempted to pick it up there. The UPS web site has shown it as "in transit" since 11am yesterday. Do they even deliver on Saturday? If it doesn't come today -- YAARRGGH! Barbaric yawp! Primal scream!
Friday, July 20, 2007
Harry Potter comes tomorrow
Do not expect to hear from me. Feel free to read about butter Harry Potter in the meantime.
Today Mom and I painted trim, and I'm cleaning up the back bedroom in preparation for painting in there. The summer is flying by!!
Today Mom and I painted trim, and I'm cleaning up the back bedroom in preparation for painting in there. The summer is flying by!!
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Bathroom
The medicine cabinet area/sink before:
And after:
My man Alfred above the bathtub before:
And after:
This was one of the most difficult rooms to paint in a long time. The walls were a little more textured than I thought, and it was REALLY hard to get the paint in all the little nooks and crannies. In fact, I think I've still missed some spots. It felt like I was rolling the paint over a surface, it looked covered, then when I turned my back, the paint was drawing back from the pits. Frustrating! In fact, I usually do one coat and think it looks pretty good, but do another just to make certain I get even coverage. In this room I did two full coats (it looked like hell after the first coat) and went over some areas a third time. Anyway, it still needs a few touch ups, but it looks good now. It's not the color I expected, but it has several things going for it. First, I thought it would be calmer and cooler. It is. Second, I thought it would make the pictures pop, and it does. And third, I thought it would bring attention to the chandelier (which I like), and it does. What I didn't expect, but is a really cool added bonus, is the way it affects the light from the chandelier! Lookee!
And after:
My man Alfred above the bathtub before:
And after:
This was one of the most difficult rooms to paint in a long time. The walls were a little more textured than I thought, and it was REALLY hard to get the paint in all the little nooks and crannies. In fact, I think I've still missed some spots. It felt like I was rolling the paint over a surface, it looked covered, then when I turned my back, the paint was drawing back from the pits. Frustrating! In fact, I usually do one coat and think it looks pretty good, but do another just to make certain I get even coverage. In this room I did two full coats (it looked like hell after the first coat) and went over some areas a third time. Anyway, it still needs a few touch ups, but it looks good now. It's not the color I expected, but it has several things going for it. First, I thought it would be calmer and cooler. It is. Second, I thought it would make the pictures pop, and it does. And third, I thought it would bring attention to the chandelier (which I like), and it does. What I didn't expect, but is a really cool added bonus, is the way it affects the light from the chandelier! Lookee!
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Painting!
Here's the laundry room before:
And after (slightly different angle because I wanted to show how it looks against the teal of the bathroom):
Before (I had done a touch of cutting in before I remembered to take a picture):
After!:
Lovely, no? It feels so calming, and it smells of lavender. I almost want to do laundry!
A neighbor stopped by while I was painting and looked like this:
Those aren't actual bags under my eyes -- my mascara had run badly.
I'm painting the bathroom, too, and only have one coat done, so I'll show you tomorrow when (hopefully) it's done. I normally put up a coat of paint and from the moment it hits the wall, think "Yay! I love it! I am a super-good paint picker!" But this one has been tricky. I have pink and burgundy tiles, which presents a bit of a color challenge. Pink is too girly, white too stark, most anything else, too much of a contrast. I finally decided that with the framed black and white photos I have in there, the perfect color would be a dove gray. Very soft, and maybe more towards the lavender side than the other grays (and until you've looked at gray paint chips, you have no idea how many tones of color there can be in gray). I finally found one I liked -- the darkest color on the chip is a very dusky purple that looks almost like charcoal, and the light version I chose looked very dove gray, like I planned. But once I got it on the wall, I thought it was more purply. I put a little paint on, then a little more, thinking that the more I spread it out, the more I would like it. I think it's going to look good eventually, but I'm also having a hard time getting good coverage, so it's really patchy right now. Here's a preview from when I was cutting in.
Okay, that's by blogghorea for the day. See you later with more bathroom pics!
And after (slightly different angle because I wanted to show how it looks against the teal of the bathroom):
Before (I had done a touch of cutting in before I remembered to take a picture):
After!:
Lovely, no? It feels so calming, and it smells of lavender. I almost want to do laundry!
A neighbor stopped by while I was painting and looked like this:
Those aren't actual bags under my eyes -- my mascara had run badly.
I'm painting the bathroom, too, and only have one coat done, so I'll show you tomorrow when (hopefully) it's done. I normally put up a coat of paint and from the moment it hits the wall, think "Yay! I love it! I am a super-good paint picker!" But this one has been tricky. I have pink and burgundy tiles, which presents a bit of a color challenge. Pink is too girly, white too stark, most anything else, too much of a contrast. I finally decided that with the framed black and white photos I have in there, the perfect color would be a dove gray. Very soft, and maybe more towards the lavender side than the other grays (and until you've looked at gray paint chips, you have no idea how many tones of color there can be in gray). I finally found one I liked -- the darkest color on the chip is a very dusky purple that looks almost like charcoal, and the light version I chose looked very dove gray, like I planned. But once I got it on the wall, I thought it was more purply. I put a little paint on, then a little more, thinking that the more I spread it out, the more I would like it. I think it's going to look good eventually, but I'm also having a hard time getting good coverage, so it's really patchy right now. Here's a preview from when I was cutting in.
Okay, that's by blogghorea for the day. See you later with more bathroom pics!
Monday, July 16, 2007
Pictures of all the stuff I've been talking about!
Here is me and Monkeygirl just before 8am on rafting day. Listen, I don't suppose YOU get gussied up to go whitewater rafting. Here we are showing off our temporary tattoos of monkeys. Mine says "Official chocolate taster" and hers says "Official gum chewer."
You probably won't even remember, but MONTHS ago I offered a handmade goody of some sort to the first person to respond. It was MQ (who I didn't even realize was reading the blog at the time), and after a really long lag time, I finally made her a cowboy purse.
And for Monkeygirl's birthday, I made her a purse, too. I love her style, and she can really rock the brown and pink.
And here's the German's chocolate cake I made. It's, uh, not a photogenic cake, but it does taste heavenly!
You probably won't even remember, but MONTHS ago I offered a handmade goody of some sort to the first person to respond. It was MQ (who I didn't even realize was reading the blog at the time), and after a really long lag time, I finally made her a cowboy purse.
And for Monkeygirl's birthday, I made her a purse, too. I love her style, and she can really rock the brown and pink.
And here's the German's chocolate cake I made. It's, uh, not a photogenic cake, but it does taste heavenly!
Lessee
No, not as in the person holding a lease, as in "let's see."
Sunday was a great day, except for one cockup. I got up, read the paper, went to the farmers' market, went to yoga, made a run to Target, chilled out at home for a while, and then made a fruit salad. And then I noticed there was a message -- from the friends I was supposed to have breakfast with at 10! Yikes!!! I just don't even know how I forgot. I feel so distracted and discombobulated. And I feel bad. Well, they said they forgive me.
Later we went to Mom and Boompah's for a birthday/birthday/anniversary barbecue, and MG came over, too. We celebrated like crazy fools (okay, we mostly talked and ate cake, and Sweetie was entertained with military books and some History channel).
Today I kind of fooled around on the internet, then went by my school to see whether they had torn my classroom down yet (they hadn't -- and if I packed all tha tstuff up for nothing, I'm going to be pissed), and stopped at the Kelly-Moore in that area. FINALLY I found the paint I wanted, so I bought four gallons at once. Then I fooled around a bunch more, and then did some errands (well, one was unsuccessful -- I thought I might be able to find one of the 15 or 30 minute parking spots by the education building at CSUS, but none were open on three different passes).
Finally, I made dinner and later I'm going to the gym. So, nothing too exciting. Tomorrow I'm supposed to have lunch with Grandma. I'm sure that will be entertaining -- she always is.
Sunday was a great day, except for one cockup. I got up, read the paper, went to the farmers' market, went to yoga, made a run to Target, chilled out at home for a while, and then made a fruit salad. And then I noticed there was a message -- from the friends I was supposed to have breakfast with at 10! Yikes!!! I just don't even know how I forgot. I feel so distracted and discombobulated. And I feel bad. Well, they said they forgive me.
Later we went to Mom and Boompah's for a birthday/birthday/anniversary barbecue, and MG came over, too. We celebrated like crazy fools (okay, we mostly talked and ate cake, and Sweetie was entertained with military books and some History channel).
Today I kind of fooled around on the internet, then went by my school to see whether they had torn my classroom down yet (they hadn't -- and if I packed all tha tstuff up for nothing, I'm going to be pissed), and stopped at the Kelly-Moore in that area. FINALLY I found the paint I wanted, so I bought four gallons at once. Then I fooled around a bunch more, and then did some errands (well, one was unsuccessful -- I thought I might be able to find one of the 15 or 30 minute parking spots by the education building at CSUS, but none were open on three different passes).
Finally, I made dinner and later I'm going to the gym. So, nothing too exciting. Tomorrow I'm supposed to have lunch with Grandma. I'm sure that will be entertaining -- she always is.
Saturday, July 14, 2007
I almost forgot!
One of the coolest things today was a family of river otters! Our boat was a little bit ahead, and I saw something move out of the corner of my eye. I looked over and saw wet brown fur, then realized there were two of whatever, then another crawled over, and suddenly my vision sort of expanded to realize what I was seeing -- a whole family! Three babies and a mama, we think. It was so cool. I pointed, and everyone else got to see them. I think I've been on that river 8 times (including one two-day trip) and I have never before seen otters. And I LOVE otters. I totally had an otter t-shirt when I was a kid. It was so cool. One of the best parts of the day. If I weren't such a cynical bastard, I would say I feel really blessed. But that's hokey, so I won't.
Pretty busy for not getting a damn sight done!
I think I left off on Tuesday. Wednesday was great fun -- Monkeygirl, MQ and I had a spa day for MG's birthday. We had a lovely lunch out (salad and corn for me, which I debated over, since corn seemed like an odd side dish to a salad, but it was ginger-lime corn, so how could I refuse?), then went to Mellow Me Out spa. I have to give them credit -- they squeezed us in the day before, changed whatever we needed changed, and had a really pleasant atmosphere (omnipresent synthesizer spa music excepted). We had a "foot rescue," which involved a foot soak, rub, and parrafin dip (essentially, they dip your foot in hot wax to make you a little wax toe sock that they later peel off whole!). Then we got massages and facials! Oh, and then there was German's chocolate cake. YUM!
On Thursday, I went to a 9am showing of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, which is the way to do it! There were maybe 15 other people in the theater, and they were quiet, respectful grown-ups. Also, I saw a preview for Stardust (which is based on a Neil Gaiman book I love), so I was excited! I liked the Harry Potter movie. I will say that it's always hard to cut a book with so much in it into a movie people can sit through. There were some things I definitely missed (all the trouble the Weasley twins caused when they left school, for one), but I think other things were done well. Best was Dolores Umbridge (played by Imelda Staunton), who absolutely embodies the spirit of that character. She was great!
And then... well, I don't even remember what I did Thursday evening! I think just fooled around. I did go back to Kelley Moore (for the 4th time, if you're counting), and they STILL don't have the low VOC paint, even though this time they said they specifically requested it for me and it was supposed to come on Tuesday. Now I'm pissy.
Friday I did a couple silly things around the house, then went and got myself a Jamba Juice, where I ran into my sweet husband! He and a co-worker were hanging out at the Starbucks next door.
I was going to ballet, but needed to stop at Rite Aid (a drugstore) for some feminine items. Well, I'm not a prude, and I believe in just proudly picking up items and walking around. And I'm an environmentalist, so I generally don't take a bag, either. However, I ran into an older neighbor of mine as I was looking for the correct aisle, and we stopped for a moment to chat. That made me a bit uncomfortable, so when I actually bought said item, I did take a bag -- and a good thing, because as I walked out the door, I found myself being hugged by a former student! Dude, could you possible run into more people you know in a 10 minute span? While trying to purchase feminine items? Sheesh.
I then went to ballet, and later I went to pick up Sweetie, and we ate dinner at Malouf's.
Today was super-amazing fun!! We took Monkeygirl and a co-worker of Sweetie's rafting at Cache Canyon. We packed junk food and sandwiches and drinks and fruit and headed for the Guinda/Rumsey/Esparto area of California, which if you're not from right around there, you might never have heard of. There's a huge Indian casino out there, though, so some people know. Anyway, we got there a little early, signed in, sunscreened up, and picked boats. We had to wait a long time to get the lecture, because I think some people were late. But then finally we got on the water, and it was a beautiful day! It was warm, warm enough that if you ended up splashed or in the water, it was comfortable, but not so warm that we were dying. MG and I got stuck on rocks twice early in the trip, but through luck and skill, got ourselves free. After that it was smooth sailing for us. We hit every single rapid pretty much perfectly, rarely even took on water, and certainly didn't get stuck or fall out (which is pretty common). At the rapid where they normally take photos ("Mother"), MG and I grinned and posed, and it would have been an awesome shot, were we not the first people (well, second -- right after Sweetie and Maurice) to go down, and we beat the photographers there! Bummer! I cannot say that the rest of the trip was as easy for my Bruised-Ass-Baby, who took that particular rapid on his tailbone rather than on the raft. I guess they forgot which way they were supposed to go, couldn't keep themselves out of the current and got swept down while a little off balance, and he just popped out like a cork. He ended up bodysurfing down backwards (which is BAD --- you want your feet to hit rocks, not your head), but finally got turned around and we pulled over to eat. We were so far ahead of everyone else on our trip that we sat and ate our lunches for about 20 minutes before anyone else came by! We started to think something had gone wrong (a la "Night of the Comet"), but finally some people came by. Then we fooled around a bunch, stopping to cruise down a small rapid. Actually, I didn't, and I usually do. First, I wasn't feeling particularly like being jostled, and second, I had just had a little adventure! My water bottle's lid thing broke and my bottle went floating off. Well, I LOVE that bottle -- it's my Tiki head bottle. It got stopped in an eddy, so we parked the boat and I swam over to it. But before I got there it picked up speed. I still thought I could get it -- after all, it was floating and I was swimming, right? So I keep going after it, but at one point I realize that I am getting close to a rapid AND it is picking up speed. I take the safe course and give up on the bottle. And my shoe flies off. Well, the bottle was only a few bucks, but I suspect the shoes (which were a gift) were rather more, and it was the first time I was wearing them, and furthermore it's not that safe to raft with no shoes on, so I was determined to get it! I did manage to grab the shoe, but then I was in waist-deep fast-moving water. I had to swim my ass off to get to shore, and I ended up walking back to the boats, I was so far downstream. They actually had to call for me, because they couldn't see me anymore. Yikes!
Anyway, it was a great day on the river. It was moving really fast, and it seemed like there were a lot more rapids than usual. We were the third boat in. It was funny, because the girls who got in first were sort of bragging about it, saying they didn't even stop to eat. How is that fun? My stomach was eating itself by Mother. It's not about speed. We weren't even trying to go fast, actually, it just kind of happened today. We're planning to go again in August. I can't wait!
Okay, sorry for the long post. I'll try to keep you better updated. By the way, BlogHer is coming! I'm so excited!
On Thursday, I went to a 9am showing of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, which is the way to do it! There were maybe 15 other people in the theater, and they were quiet, respectful grown-ups. Also, I saw a preview for Stardust (which is based on a Neil Gaiman book I love), so I was excited! I liked the Harry Potter movie. I will say that it's always hard to cut a book with so much in it into a movie people can sit through. There were some things I definitely missed (all the trouble the Weasley twins caused when they left school, for one), but I think other things were done well. Best was Dolores Umbridge (played by Imelda Staunton), who absolutely embodies the spirit of that character. She was great!
And then... well, I don't even remember what I did Thursday evening! I think just fooled around. I did go back to Kelley Moore (for the 4th time, if you're counting), and they STILL don't have the low VOC paint, even though this time they said they specifically requested it for me and it was supposed to come on Tuesday. Now I'm pissy.
Friday I did a couple silly things around the house, then went and got myself a Jamba Juice, where I ran into my sweet husband! He and a co-worker were hanging out at the Starbucks next door.
I was going to ballet, but needed to stop at Rite Aid (a drugstore) for some feminine items. Well, I'm not a prude, and I believe in just proudly picking up items and walking around. And I'm an environmentalist, so I generally don't take a bag, either. However, I ran into an older neighbor of mine as I was looking for the correct aisle, and we stopped for a moment to chat. That made me a bit uncomfortable, so when I actually bought said item, I did take a bag -- and a good thing, because as I walked out the door, I found myself being hugged by a former student! Dude, could you possible run into more people you know in a 10 minute span? While trying to purchase feminine items? Sheesh.
I then went to ballet, and later I went to pick up Sweetie, and we ate dinner at Malouf's.
Today was super-amazing fun!! We took Monkeygirl and a co-worker of Sweetie's rafting at Cache Canyon. We packed junk food and sandwiches and drinks and fruit and headed for the Guinda/Rumsey/Esparto area of California, which if you're not from right around there, you might never have heard of. There's a huge Indian casino out there, though, so some people know. Anyway, we got there a little early, signed in, sunscreened up, and picked boats. We had to wait a long time to get the lecture, because I think some people were late. But then finally we got on the water, and it was a beautiful day! It was warm, warm enough that if you ended up splashed or in the water, it was comfortable, but not so warm that we were dying. MG and I got stuck on rocks twice early in the trip, but through luck and skill, got ourselves free. After that it was smooth sailing for us. We hit every single rapid pretty much perfectly, rarely even took on water, and certainly didn't get stuck or fall out (which is pretty common). At the rapid where they normally take photos ("Mother"), MG and I grinned and posed, and it would have been an awesome shot, were we not the first people (well, second -- right after Sweetie and Maurice) to go down, and we beat the photographers there! Bummer! I cannot say that the rest of the trip was as easy for my Bruised-Ass-Baby, who took that particular rapid on his tailbone rather than on the raft. I guess they forgot which way they were supposed to go, couldn't keep themselves out of the current and got swept down while a little off balance, and he just popped out like a cork. He ended up bodysurfing down backwards (which is BAD --- you want your feet to hit rocks, not your head), but finally got turned around and we pulled over to eat. We were so far ahead of everyone else on our trip that we sat and ate our lunches for about 20 minutes before anyone else came by! We started to think something had gone wrong (a la "Night of the Comet"), but finally some people came by. Then we fooled around a bunch, stopping to cruise down a small rapid. Actually, I didn't, and I usually do. First, I wasn't feeling particularly like being jostled, and second, I had just had a little adventure! My water bottle's lid thing broke and my bottle went floating off. Well, I LOVE that bottle -- it's my Tiki head bottle. It got stopped in an eddy, so we parked the boat and I swam over to it. But before I got there it picked up speed. I still thought I could get it -- after all, it was floating and I was swimming, right? So I keep going after it, but at one point I realize that I am getting close to a rapid AND it is picking up speed. I take the safe course and give up on the bottle. And my shoe flies off. Well, the bottle was only a few bucks, but I suspect the shoes (which were a gift) were rather more, and it was the first time I was wearing them, and furthermore it's not that safe to raft with no shoes on, so I was determined to get it! I did manage to grab the shoe, but then I was in waist-deep fast-moving water. I had to swim my ass off to get to shore, and I ended up walking back to the boats, I was so far downstream. They actually had to call for me, because they couldn't see me anymore. Yikes!
Anyway, it was a great day on the river. It was moving really fast, and it seemed like there were a lot more rapids than usual. We were the third boat in. It was funny, because the girls who got in first were sort of bragging about it, saying they didn't even stop to eat. How is that fun? My stomach was eating itself by Mother. It's not about speed. We weren't even trying to go fast, actually, it just kind of happened today. We're planning to go again in August. I can't wait!
Okay, sorry for the long post. I'll try to keep you better updated. By the way, BlogHer is coming! I'm so excited!
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Just what are Count Mockula's Naughty Bits?
I was thinking about BlogHer. I was thinking that probably some people are going to have business cards. I'm definitely not a business card girl, but I was thinking if it's necessary (to avoid me having to write the web address when friendly people want to make conversation and trade info), I might make little fliers like we did for the band. But what to put on them? A picture of me? Too vain. A goofy, unflattering picture, perhaps of me in a vampire cape, pointing and laughing? Well, maybe. And then what to write on it? "Thoughts on some random shit"? Well, yeah, I'm sure that's enticing. But do I want to be enticing? I mean, why am I doing this? What's it all about?
First of all, I'm not asking why I'm going to BlogHer. I think it's going to be fun, I'm TOTALLY FRICKIN' PSYCHED to hang out with my normally-virtual girlfriends, and I've never seen Chicago before.
I'm asking what the blog's about. I started it ages ago so that I could comment on other people's blogs mainly. My Sweetie had a blog (a better one than this), and so did many of my friends. I had had similar things before (I call the old "Your Mama's Scene" a blog, even though we didn't actually have the term or the technology back then). But when I started writing here, it was mainly as a place to journal, to get out those thoughts that occurred to me that I didn't get to share much. So I didn't really care if anyone read it. I knew my Sweetie did, I knew my mom did, and I was pretty sure Monkeygirl was reading. Other than that, I knew some other friends occasionally popped on.
I never did anything to promote it further than that. In fact, it's not that easy to find -- if you look at my profile, it's not listed (I'm trying to keep my students from finding it). I picked up a couple readers (virtual girlfriends included) by having funnier friends (yo Gynagirl). But then I did a thing I thought was funny and I sent a link to Rob Cockerham at Cockeyed.com. Suddenly, I see that more people are reading. Most of the people that linked over didn't stick around, but there are definitely lurkers. (Feel free to say hi!) I added the counter around the time that the hits started picking up, and unless my friends and family are checking the page for updates a LOT more than is healthy, then I have some other readers. Hello, you guys. Saying that I didn't seek you out isn't the same as saying I'm not happy to have you here. I am.
But if I make a card-like thing for BlogHer, that seems to indicate that people might want to come here. And what would they find?
It's not really humor -- it would be, but I'm not that funny.
It's not really home improvement, although I do that.
It's not crafts either, although I sometimes do those.
Once in a while I go on a political rant, but not that often.
I sometimes write about food, but I did more of that over at http://countbroccula/blogspot.com and I couldn't keep it up. First, the recipes I was inventing were way too specific for the general public: focus on locally grown, seasonal, vegetarian cooking anyone? Yeah. Plus, I sort of ran out of steam -- how many nights in a row can I admit that I made pasta or a stir-fry?
It's not an infertility blog (although I realize I've been subjecting you all to a little more talk about the old Volkswagon than is strictly necessary lately), and I don't want it to become one. I mean, yay for those gals, but they get a little depressing. I'm sort of writing about it more, but privately, and HOPEFULLY not such a fucking downer.
So you can see my issue. Randomly looking over some old posts, I notice stuff about work, music, crazy people, movies, home improvement, and a whole bunch of here's-what-I-did-today.
Any suggestions? If you're out there, why the hell do YOU pop in and read me? If I was going to make a small paper thingie with my info on it, what should it say? I'm not sold on "thoughts on random shit," although frankly that's the straight dope, isn't it?
First of all, I'm not asking why I'm going to BlogHer. I think it's going to be fun, I'm TOTALLY FRICKIN' PSYCHED to hang out with my normally-virtual girlfriends, and I've never seen Chicago before.
I'm asking what the blog's about. I started it ages ago so that I could comment on other people's blogs mainly. My Sweetie had a blog (a better one than this), and so did many of my friends. I had had similar things before (I call the old "Your Mama's Scene" a blog, even though we didn't actually have the term or the technology back then). But when I started writing here, it was mainly as a place to journal, to get out those thoughts that occurred to me that I didn't get to share much. So I didn't really care if anyone read it. I knew my Sweetie did, I knew my mom did, and I was pretty sure Monkeygirl was reading. Other than that, I knew some other friends occasionally popped on.
I never did anything to promote it further than that. In fact, it's not that easy to find -- if you look at my profile, it's not listed (I'm trying to keep my students from finding it). I picked up a couple readers (virtual girlfriends included) by having funnier friends (yo Gynagirl). But then I did a thing I thought was funny and I sent a link to Rob Cockerham at Cockeyed.com. Suddenly, I see that more people are reading. Most of the people that linked over didn't stick around, but there are definitely lurkers. (Feel free to say hi!) I added the counter around the time that the hits started picking up, and unless my friends and family are checking the page for updates a LOT more than is healthy, then I have some other readers. Hello, you guys. Saying that I didn't seek you out isn't the same as saying I'm not happy to have you here. I am.
But if I make a card-like thing for BlogHer, that seems to indicate that people might want to come here. And what would they find?
It's not really humor -- it would be, but I'm not that funny.
It's not really home improvement, although I do that.
It's not crafts either, although I sometimes do those.
Once in a while I go on a political rant, but not that often.
I sometimes write about food, but I did more of that over at http://countbroccula/blogspot.com and I couldn't keep it up. First, the recipes I was inventing were way too specific for the general public: focus on locally grown, seasonal, vegetarian cooking anyone? Yeah. Plus, I sort of ran out of steam -- how many nights in a row can I admit that I made pasta or a stir-fry?
It's not an infertility blog (although I realize I've been subjecting you all to a little more talk about the old Volkswagon than is strictly necessary lately), and I don't want it to become one. I mean, yay for those gals, but they get a little depressing. I'm sort of writing about it more, but privately, and HOPEFULLY not such a fucking downer.
So you can see my issue. Randomly looking over some old posts, I notice stuff about work, music, crazy people, movies, home improvement, and a whole bunch of here's-what-I-did-today.
Any suggestions? If you're out there, why the hell do YOU pop in and read me? If I was going to make a small paper thingie with my info on it, what should it say? I'm not sold on "thoughts on random shit," although frankly that's the straight dope, isn't it?
Monday, July 09, 2007
Little low on fruit
Not actual fruit. Today was just slightly less fruitful than I planned. I went out again, this time to Linens N Things and Costco. Still no luck finding a medicine cabinet at either place, but I did find a mop/broom holder thing and some socks and paper towels and fake sausages and junk at Costco. At Linens N Things, I did find a shelf I liked for the bathroom I've already painted, and it was $30 cheaper than the other one I liked. I would have gotten it right then, but they didn't have it in stock and don't give rain checks.
I came back home and did some stuff, then went out AGAIN in the hopes that Kelly Moore would have gotten their new inventory, and indeed they had, but they hadn't gotten the low VOC paint I want. So they agreed to have their regular delivery truck pick up four gallons for me, and supposedly they'll be in tomorrow afternoon. But I should call first.
Then I went back to Home Depot. I had seen some medicine cabinets there earlier that I liked, and I remembered to bring the measurements with me this time. I found two that I liked (after much digging -- all the boxes were opened and the labels torn) and decided on the rectangular one with straight lines in a V groove around each side (I'll post a picture later) instead of the rounded top with the etching. I also painted the railings on the front porch with "Dark Bronze" Rustoleum. I need one more can to finish up, but I already prefer it. The front security door is white, the porch light is bronze, and the rail was black. It was too many different colors and finishes. Now the rail matches the light, at least.
I also plan to install the medicine cabinet and make jambalaya, so today's not a total loss, but I really like painting and I was hoping to get that done. I've decided not to tape much off, since the previous owners did a really crappy job, and the door and window frames all have pinky-beige paint slopped all over them. So I'll paint my periwinkle on, then re-do the trim.
Okay, that's about it. Take care,
CM
I came back home and did some stuff, then went out AGAIN in the hopes that Kelly Moore would have gotten their new inventory, and indeed they had, but they hadn't gotten the low VOC paint I want. So they agreed to have their regular delivery truck pick up four gallons for me, and supposedly they'll be in tomorrow afternoon. But I should call first.
Then I went back to Home Depot. I had seen some medicine cabinets there earlier that I liked, and I remembered to bring the measurements with me this time. I found two that I liked (after much digging -- all the boxes were opened and the labels torn) and decided on the rectangular one with straight lines in a V groove around each side (I'll post a picture later) instead of the rounded top with the etching. I also painted the railings on the front porch with "Dark Bronze" Rustoleum. I need one more can to finish up, but I already prefer it. The front security door is white, the porch light is bronze, and the rail was black. It was too many different colors and finishes. Now the rail matches the light, at least.
I also plan to install the medicine cabinet and make jambalaya, so today's not a total loss, but I really like painting and I was hoping to get that done. I've decided not to tape much off, since the previous owners did a really crappy job, and the door and window frames all have pinky-beige paint slopped all over them. So I'll paint my periwinkle on, then re-do the trim.
Okay, that's about it. Take care,
CM
Awww...
I know; it's too cute. Yesterday was my Sweetie's and my two year anniversary, and I am in love with him more every day than I have ever been before. Thanks to Leif, who introduced us, and to all our friends and family for supporting us and being wonderful.
This weekend we went to a friend's house to play "Time's Up" (sort of a "Password" meets "Charades" game) and "Apples to Apples" (which is goofy, but fun). We also ate burgers (portabella for me) and watermelon and cherries and ice cream and jalapeno poppers and cookies and oh my! And we swam a little (okay, played in the pool).
Yesterday Sweetie and I had a lazy day at home basking in the love.
Today, I was planning to be more productive, but I was out too early for Costco to be open, Kelly Moore didn't have the paint base I needed, and Home Depot didn't have ANYTHING I was looking for. Huff.
I'm going to go to Costco again later, but for now at least I can do some taping off and some cleaning.
This weekend we went to a friend's house to play "Time's Up" (sort of a "Password" meets "Charades" game) and "Apples to Apples" (which is goofy, but fun). We also ate burgers (portabella for me) and watermelon and cherries and ice cream and jalapeno poppers and cookies and oh my! And we swam a little (okay, played in the pool).
Yesterday Sweetie and I had a lazy day at home basking in the love.
Today, I was planning to be more productive, but I was out too early for Costco to be open, Kelly Moore didn't have the paint base I needed, and Home Depot didn't have ANYTHING I was looking for. Huff.
I'm going to go to Costco again later, but for now at least I can do some taping off and some cleaning.
Saturday, July 07, 2007
Taste
I was watching one of those fashion shows on TV last night, and they took the fashion victim to H&M. I noticed the designer pull a dress that I bought just a month ago. I thought "oh, fancy that." Then later they actually showed it on the girl and bought it and extensively praised the dress. In sum, I rule.
Goddess
Yesterday I had my blood work done (I have my glucose results and they're normal), then got a cinnamon roll and went to Mom's to water. I watched an episode of "Flight of the Conchords" while I was there and I laughed my ass off. I actually watched one part (the "Boom King" song, if you're watching the show, too) twice. Then I came home and dinked around, then Sweetie and I went briefly to the mall (I got a cute new shirt and some birthday cards), then had lunch out. In the evening, I went to my friend Natalia's house and we did a read-through of "Zeus and Hera" twice, then went to La Raza Galleria Posada to do the reading. It got very crowded (it's a small venue, but they kept having to drag more chairs out until the room was more or less totally crowded. We had a very good reading with laughs and awws in all the right places. I am very proud of my friend, and I really hope she does expand it into a full-length play and get it produced here (I think the B St. Theatre would be a great place for it). Afterwards, we went back and celebrated with appetizers and champagne and cake. I got my ego stroked by all the people telling me how good I was (it was just a dramatic reading, not a real production, but it was fun to have people compliment me). The funny note of the evening is that, in the play, the Greek gods are alive and well in a trailer park in Bakersfield in the present era. I dressed appropriately trashy (my denim micro-mini and my Foster's Bighorn tiny tank top "The Horniest Bar in the West"), and so did Aphrodite and Leto (Natalia's friend Carmen and sister Marisa). Well, afterwards a woman came up and was like "When I first got here, I thought 'Oh, those girls are dressed so trashy!' but then the reading started and I understood."
Tonight we have a game-and-swimming party at the home of some friends of Sweetie's (well, actually my friends too, but through him). I'm excited, and I'm making jalapeno poppers again and chocolate chip cookies. Yay! Off to buy ingredients. I hope you're all having a good weekend, too.
Tonight we have a game-and-swimming party at the home of some friends of Sweetie's (well, actually my friends too, but through him). I'm excited, and I'm making jalapeno poppers again and chocolate chip cookies. Yay! Off to buy ingredients. I hope you're all having a good weekend, too.
Thursday, July 05, 2007
4th of July, mainly
Yesterday was HOT. Really hot. We went to my dad's house in the afternoon and hung out with my aunts and uncles and cousins mainly, and as I was sitting there I felt myself just... sweating! Like sitting still, drinking a Diet Pepsi and sticking to the fucking chair. It wasn't too bad, though. I dunked myself in the pool. Sweetie's favorite moment (I love hearing him tell OTHER people about stuff we do together) was seeing someone in the pool with a cigarette. Classy. Then we came home and made some dinner -- okay, I'm a good cook! We had jalapeno poppers I grilled, marinated grilled veggies, grilled potatoes with peppers, and fake ribs and fake sausages. And Asian-y slaw. And for dessert I made "tropical sorbet" (plum, mango and banana). Monkeygirl brought the riblets and some YUMMY Muscat. We had a pleasant dinner (although it was so hot that I actually rolled the barbecue to the bottom of the porch steps so I'd have to spend as little time outdoors as possible!), and then Monkeygirl mentioned that her friend had invited us to watch fireworks on their street. Apparently every year they do a big thing with all the neighbors. Well, hell, it WAS a big thing! They had a stereo out there, the cul-de-sac was blocked off, and a ton of people had set up chairs. I don't know how much money was collectively spent on this thing, but given that fireworks range in price from $10 to $40 bucks, and given, further, that they were being displayed for about 90 minutes with very little down time, and also given that many times there were as many as six going at once, well... I ran out of fingers and toes, and I think that must have been a LOT of money. I'm not even counting groundflowers and sparklers, either. It was a good show, though! A bunch of the guys there looked like they should be hanging around with Glen Gulia from the wedding singer -- in other words they looked like drunken, bully assholes. They might be nice people, who knows, but they just had that look.
Despite the fact that it's about 105 degrees right now, we do not have the AC on. Are we being virtuous? Frugal? Considerate of the power grid? Environmental? I don't know, ask my husband, because HE'S the one who won't let me turn it on. I swear to god, two years ago he was like "It's too hot, I can't breathe! I'm going to die!" And now he's all "No, I'm comfortable with the fan on."
Tomorrow night is the staged reading of my friend's play, "Zeus and Hera" (I get to read Hera). I'm excited, but also a little nervous. I know it's just a reading, but I want to do her writing justice, you know?
Some of my coworkers and I met today to get the grades for our kids' IB exams. Good news: At least five and possibly as many as 8 are getting the full diploma (over zero last year, our first year). They kids performed very well in History, French, Spanish, and pretty well in math. Bad news -- they didn't do very well in Physics, Design Tech, or their Extended Essay (which I'm in charge of this coming year!). Worse news -- they don't have the English scores for us yet! Noooooooooo!!! Oh my gosh, those were, of course, the ones I really wanted to know, but they all are currently pending. Curses!!
Okay, that's about it. It's fricking hot (I know I've mentioned it: it starts to take over a lot of your consciousness), so all I plan to do today is read, make a nice salad for dinner, read through the play script a couple times, and then fast after 8 (I'll have to get my Haagen-Dasz in early) so I can have my bloodwork done in the morning).
Despite the fact that it's about 105 degrees right now, we do not have the AC on. Are we being virtuous? Frugal? Considerate of the power grid? Environmental? I don't know, ask my husband, because HE'S the one who won't let me turn it on. I swear to god, two years ago he was like "It's too hot, I can't breathe! I'm going to die!" And now he's all "No, I'm comfortable with the fan on."
Tomorrow night is the staged reading of my friend's play, "Zeus and Hera" (I get to read Hera). I'm excited, but also a little nervous. I know it's just a reading, but I want to do her writing justice, you know?
Some of my coworkers and I met today to get the grades for our kids' IB exams. Good news: At least five and possibly as many as 8 are getting the full diploma (over zero last year, our first year). They kids performed very well in History, French, Spanish, and pretty well in math. Bad news -- they didn't do very well in Physics, Design Tech, or their Extended Essay (which I'm in charge of this coming year!). Worse news -- they don't have the English scores for us yet! Noooooooooo!!! Oh my gosh, those were, of course, the ones I really wanted to know, but they all are currently pending. Curses!!
Okay, that's about it. It's fricking hot (I know I've mentioned it: it starts to take over a lot of your consciousness), so all I plan to do today is read, make a nice salad for dinner, read through the play script a couple times, and then fast after 8 (I'll have to get my Haagen-Dasz in early) so I can have my bloodwork done in the morning).
Monday, July 02, 2007
Movie, quack, relax.
Yesterday was yoga, then I hung out with mom and we went to see the movie "Knocked Up." It was super-funny. I laughed out loud multiple times, snorted twice, and got teary at the end. That writer has a real knack for dialog, too, especially when it involves a bunch of 20-something burnout guys making fun of each other. There's a running gag about a guy who takes a bet wherein he won't cut his hair or beard for a year, and they cracks they make about him had me laughing my ass off.
This morning I had a second appointment with my chiropractor. I really like him. Sweetie says he's a quack (well, that all chiropractic care is quackery) and maybe he's right, but I feel much better. My head can turn further to the left side, tilt further to the left, and my neck is threatening to mutiny a lot less often.
After that, I didn't do a hell of a lot. I went to Mac the Antique Plumber and looked in the windows (it was closed), then went to Tupelo and had an iced tea and wrote several postcards. At home, I did a few tiny housekeeping chores and fooled around, mostly.
I planned to go to the paint store and either Home Depot or Ikea, but my uncle dropped off a CD of our "band" practicing, and I wanted to hear it, so I chilled out at home and listened. One of my friends on a forum has been pestering me to let him hear my old band, The Gynas, so I burned him a CD, and I listened to that, too. Boy, we were... well, we weren't very good sometimes! We had a lot of fun, though, and some of the songs are better than others. I put a couple things from our first recording on there and I was like "Ouch!" Ah well. I had a band. I wrote songs. I can (kind of) play bass and (sort of) sing. I rule.
This morning I had a second appointment with my chiropractor. I really like him. Sweetie says he's a quack (well, that all chiropractic care is quackery) and maybe he's right, but I feel much better. My head can turn further to the left side, tilt further to the left, and my neck is threatening to mutiny a lot less often.
After that, I didn't do a hell of a lot. I went to Mac the Antique Plumber and looked in the windows (it was closed), then went to Tupelo and had an iced tea and wrote several postcards. At home, I did a few tiny housekeeping chores and fooled around, mostly.
I planned to go to the paint store and either Home Depot or Ikea, but my uncle dropped off a CD of our "band" practicing, and I wanted to hear it, so I chilled out at home and listened. One of my friends on a forum has been pestering me to let him hear my old band, The Gynas, so I burned him a CD, and I listened to that, too. Boy, we were... well, we weren't very good sometimes! We had a lot of fun, though, and some of the songs are better than others. I put a couple things from our first recording on there and I was like "Ouch!" Ah well. I had a band. I wrote songs. I can (kind of) play bass and (sort of) sing. I rule.
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