We still have no heat at my house. Maeve and I spent the evening huddled under blankets, watching Season 2 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer on DVD (episodes: What's My Line part 1, What's My Line part 2, Ted and Bad Eggs). We are no longer keeping the heat off just to keep our bill down, we are now waiting for my BIL to come over and fix our boiler/heater/whatevertheF that piece of equipment is called. We are not waiting patiently so much as we are too frozen to get out from under the blankets to call and complain.
This morning, I made beef stew in the crockpot, and I put my hands on the pot and laid my face down on the lid, so the feeling in my nose could be restored.
I am thinking of re-reading books like Little House On The Prairie and Little Women, to get tips on how to survive the cold when you don't have central heat.
It's not even really that cold - we haven't gotten near freezing yet, but 45 degrees inside the house feels much, much colder. I would shell out money for someone to come fix it if I had the money; I can pay my brother-in-law in cigars.
Ambition this shall tempt to rise, And moody Madness laughing wild Amid severest woe. -from Thomas Gray's "Ode on a Distant Prospect of Eton College"
11/08/2008
8:00 p.m.
I wish I had something fun to do tonight, but here I am, reading blogs. Soon, I'm going to get even more boring and go to bed. I'm slightly tempted to run out and get some alcohol, maybe some champagne to celebrate the momentous events of this week.
But the first thing I did when I got on the internet tonight was send a letter to Christopher Dodd, reminding him that the same Connecticut Democrats who put him in office DID NOT vote for Joe Lieberman, and we do not want Joe Lieberman to have a chair in the new senate.
Bipartisanship is all well and good, but both parties have to be working in good faith, and Joe Lieberman is only interested in working for Joe Lieberman. Let's give the chair to someone who will use the power appropriately, and let Joe figure out where he wants to spend the next 4 years, until Connecticut Democrats will finally be rid of him.
But the first thing I did when I got on the internet tonight was send a letter to Christopher Dodd, reminding him that the same Connecticut Democrats who put him in office DID NOT vote for Joe Lieberman, and we do not want Joe Lieberman to have a chair in the new senate.
Bipartisanship is all well and good, but both parties have to be working in good faith, and Joe Lieberman is only interested in working for Joe Lieberman. Let's give the chair to someone who will use the power appropriately, and let Joe figure out where he wants to spend the next 4 years, until Connecticut Democrats will finally be rid of him.
11/04/2008
BEST.BIRTHDAY.EVER!!!!!
Congratulations to President-Elect Barack Obama! I am laughing and crying at the same time.
Voting
I woke up this morning, and it was a rare November morning - warm and sunny. I made some breakfast and coffee, showered, dressed, and headed out to vote. I didn't have to wait very long, and I cast my vote after about 6 minutes. I felt immediately elated, and then, as I got to my car and realized that later today, we could very well have our first African-American president, I got a little choked up. And I've been alternating between giddiness and weepiness all day. (Weepiness, in part, because I have the mother of all sinus headaches.)
Today is not just election day, it is also my 39th birthday, and I'm hoping it will be the best birthday ever, representing the beginning of a better America.
Today is not just election day, it is also my 39th birthday, and I'm hoping it will be the best birthday ever, representing the beginning of a better America.
10/21/2008
Concert Update
We had a few November dates available to us, but we've decided to postpone the Harmonious Soul concert until spring, so we can put together a great evening of entertainment. I'll keep you posted!
10/20/2008
Feeling slightly better
Spent the majority of Saturday curled up under blankets watching massive quantities of boob tube - I rewatched My Beautiful Laundrette and it was even better than I remembered, something that doesn't always happen when I rewatch movies I loved in the 80s.
Yesterday, I hauled my carcass out of bed and went to my church gig. Still have a stuffy, runny nose and a cough, but I could still sing, so I went. Then I went to my friend's Sukkot party, because we haven't turned our heat on yet so I wanted to go someplace warm.
Even though I still wasn't feeling great, I made dinner last night because turning the oven on warmed up the house. And I came to work today because work is warm and home is cold. I'm really not looking forward to this winter.
Yesterday, I hauled my carcass out of bed and went to my church gig. Still have a stuffy, runny nose and a cough, but I could still sing, so I went. Then I went to my friend's Sukkot party, because we haven't turned our heat on yet so I wanted to go someplace warm.
Even though I still wasn't feeling great, I made dinner last night because turning the oven on warmed up the house. And I came to work today because work is warm and home is cold. I'm really not looking forward to this winter.
10/18/2008
Sick
I'm sick. Runny nose, watery eyes, sore throat, coughing, sniffling, sneezing, stuffy head, all-over achiness, fever, and even the dreaded vomiting. I keep going to bed hoping that the next time I wake up, I'll feel better, but so far, no go.
10/14/2008
In my dreams, I run
I took a week off from the gym last week because I was sick, and I went back tonight. I'm already sore. Ever since I started working out, I dream about doing physical things I can't do when I'm awake - nothing as awesome as flying dreams, which many people have, but now I have running dreams. This past week, I had such a vivid dream about running that I started crying when I woke up and realized that I can't run.
10/10/2008
10/02/2008
William F. Buckley: If there is a God, it's hot where you are,
and your son Christopher will be joining you when he kicks off.
$3000 is pretty generous for child support for an upper middle class family (or so I understand), but Buckley has been resisting an increase, despite the fact that his child has special needs, which can seriously ratchet up the costs of raising a kid.
But Christopher comes by his assholery honestly, I gues
Now, I don't think anyone with money is obligated to leave it to their children and grandchildren, but to deem the child as dead? Because he wasn't born in wedlock? Disgusting.
I have a copy of Thank You For Smoking somewhere in this house, purchased before I knew who Christopher Buckley was. I'm going to send it to his lawyer, with a polite note explaining that I am shamed for having ever contributed a penny to such a loathsome douchebag. And then I'll send the cost of the book to Irina Woelfle's lawyer to pass on to little Jonathan. It's not his fault his dad and grandfather are wretched, scumsucking, repulsive excuses for human beings.
As William F. Buckley Jr.'s only child, satirist and former White House aide Christopher Buckley is poised to inherit a fortune worth tens of millions of dollars.
But as Buckley waits for the estate of his late father to go through probate court in Stamford, a former Random House publicist is fighting in a Miami courtroom to increase the $3,000 a month in child support he pays for the special-needs son he fathered with her.
$3000 is pretty generous for child support for an upper middle class family (or so I understand), but Buckley has been resisting an increase, despite the fact that his child has special needs, which can seriously ratchet up the costs of raising a kid.
But Christopher comes by his assholery honestly, I gues
It is becoming increasingly clear, however, that the Buckley family's efforts to keep Jonathan at arm's length don't end with Christopher Buckley. In his will, William F. Buckley Jr. leaves the contents of his estate to Christopher and the two children he fathered with his wife — and leaves no doubt that Jonathan will get none of the money.
"I intentionally make no provision herein for said Jonathan, who for all purposes ... shall be deemed to have predeceased me," wrote William Buckley, who died in February.
Now, I don't think anyone with money is obligated to leave it to their children and grandchildren, but to deem the child as dead? Because he wasn't born in wedlock? Disgusting.
I have a copy of Thank You For Smoking somewhere in this house, purchased before I knew who Christopher Buckley was. I'm going to send it to his lawyer, with a polite note explaining that I am shamed for having ever contributed a penny to such a loathsome douchebag. And then I'll send the cost of the book to Irina Woelfle's lawyer to pass on to little Jonathan. It's not his fault his dad and grandfather are wretched, scumsucking, repulsive excuses for human beings.
9/24/2008
Connecticut Democrats debate whether to censure Lieberman
What's to debate? He's not a Democrat anymore, he hasn't been since at least 2004.
WTF is up with the squirrels?
I am starting to get very concerned about this winter, and this concern is largely driven by my observation of unusual squirrel behavior.
1. Squirrels are digging holes all over my backyard and burying nuts and seeds.
2. Squirrels are now looking for food on the sides and medians of the highway - I've never seen a squirrel on the highway before, but now I'm seeing squirrels scampering along the sides of I-84, I-91 and I-691 - and of course, a lot more dead squirrels on the highway itself.
We can't afford new windows, so I'm setting aside a weekend in October to caulk shut some of the windows and cover them all with plastic. Our house was built in 1925 and all the windows are original, so they are not good at keeping the cold out.
I'm also getting new storm doors, since we also have the original wood screen doors that came with the house.
1. Squirrels are digging holes all over my backyard and burying nuts and seeds.
2. Squirrels are now looking for food on the sides and medians of the highway - I've never seen a squirrel on the highway before, but now I'm seeing squirrels scampering along the sides of I-84, I-91 and I-691 - and of course, a lot more dead squirrels on the highway itself.
We can't afford new windows, so I'm setting aside a weekend in October to caulk shut some of the windows and cover them all with plastic. Our house was built in 1925 and all the windows are original, so they are not good at keeping the cold out.
I'm also getting new storm doors, since we also have the original wood screen doors that came with the house.
9/18/2008
I know, Photoshop and all that, but...
My state has electronic scan machines for voting. Since we don't get a receipt, I've decided to bring my camera with me and take a picture of my ballot. I just feel better having a record of my vote.
Where am I?
Maybe you've asked yourself that question. Mostly, I'm working: I got a promotion at work, and now I'm super busy there all the time, and my church gig has started up again. I also have my weekly a capplla group rehearsal*, Monkey is taking dance class, and I joined the gym.**
*Our concert is going to be relocated and rescheduled. I will have more details, but hopefully, we will be celebrating Obama's win with a concert on 11/7.
**Yes, the gym. I really, really have to get serious about both losing weight and improving my muscle tone and flexibility before I get my hip replaced. I have to lose 60 pounds. So far, I've only been able to squeeze in 2 workouts a week, I'm hoping that when our schedules settle down a little I can get there a third time. Yesterday, I took an Aqua Fit class, and I'm feeling it today. My usual workout is 10 minutes on a bike, then some crunches, using weight machines for either my upper body or my lower body depending on which one I did last, and then a long walk on the treadmill. I am also making a concerted effort to eat all my fruits and vegetables every day, and this is definitely helping me to eat less, overall. Please feel free to send me words of encouragement on this, because I need to stay motivated.
*Our concert is going to be relocated and rescheduled. I will have more details, but hopefully, we will be celebrating Obama's win with a concert on 11/7.
**Yes, the gym. I really, really have to get serious about both losing weight and improving my muscle tone and flexibility before I get my hip replaced. I have to lose 60 pounds. So far, I've only been able to squeeze in 2 workouts a week, I'm hoping that when our schedules settle down a little I can get there a third time. Yesterday, I took an Aqua Fit class, and I'm feeling it today. My usual workout is 10 minutes on a bike, then some crunches, using weight machines for either my upper body or my lower body depending on which one I did last, and then a long walk on the treadmill. I am also making a concerted effort to eat all my fruits and vegetables every day, and this is definitely helping me to eat less, overall. Please feel free to send me words of encouragement on this, because I need to stay motivated.
9/10/2008
Srsly: Kudos, media
Somehow, the McCain campaign has gotten the major cable channel to spend hours discussing what was meant by a common aphorism (there are thousands of occurances of this phrase on Google, dating back years). It's like we're watching Candid Camera, except we're the schmucks that everyone will be laughing at when the Dumbest Campaign Ever ends up winning because people think it's some kind of reality show and they want to vote the smart guy off the island.
I know that this kind of bizarro shit has been going on for some time, but I feel we've reached new levels of empty, shallow idiocy. I was listening to NPR today, and they had a story about what happens when you literally put lipstick on a pig. (Suprise, surprise: the pig eats the lipstick).
Jesus H. Keerist. Apparently, Steve Schmidt watched the movie Idiocracy and has adopted it as a vision of the future.
I know that this kind of bizarro shit has been going on for some time, but I feel we've reached new levels of empty, shallow idiocy. I was listening to NPR today, and they had a story about what happens when you literally put lipstick on a pig. (Suprise, surprise: the pig eats the lipstick).
Jesus H. Keerist. Apparently, Steve Schmidt watched the movie Idiocracy and has adopted it as a vision of the future.
9/09/2008
Concert Update
Bad news on my concert: we've lost our venue. We are currently looking for a venue to take us on short notice, but if we don't have something locked in by Friday, we're going to cancel the concert.
9/05/2008
Omnivore Meme
I first saw this at Angelos' blog, and then I just saw it at Toast's blog, so I'm doing this with Tracy & Toast's revisions.
1. Copy the list and post in your blog
2. bold the items you've tried
3. cross out the items you would never ever try
4. put asterisks next to the items you must try before you die
5. put question marks next to items you had to look up
1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding (every Sunday at breakfast - I loved it)
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses?
17. Black truffle (in a very fancy mac & cheese)
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras**
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper (that was a mistake)
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda?
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi?
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar although I didn't have them at the same time
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat - I have a lot of Jamaican friends
42. Whole insects does it count if it was unintentional?
43. Phaal?
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more*******
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal I've lived 38 years without ever having a Big Mac. I'm certain I can survive the rest of my life without one.
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads - I don't want to say never, but it would be highly unlikely
63. Kaolin?
64. Currywurst?
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost?
75. Roadkill - no, only yardkill: my bil gave me squirrel stew once
76. Baijiu?
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong?
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum?
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant.***
85. Kobe beef - it's good to have a chef in the family
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish - the first one, it was a fish I caught
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake
I'll have to re-assess some of the ones I've never heard of. I may have eaten some of them, or maybe I MUST eat some of them.
1. Copy the list and post in your blog
2. bold the items you've tried
3. cross out the items you would never ever try
4. put asterisks next to the items you must try before you die
5. put question marks next to items you had to look up
1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding (every Sunday at breakfast - I loved it)
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses?
17. Black truffle (in a very fancy mac & cheese)
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras**
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper (that was a mistake)
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda?
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi?
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar although I didn't have them at the same time
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat - I have a lot of Jamaican friends
42. Whole insects does it count if it was unintentional?
43. Phaal?
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more*******
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads - I don't want to say never, but it would be highly unlikely
63. Kaolin?
64. Currywurst?
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost?
75. Roadkill - no, only yardkill: my bil gave me squirrel stew once
76. Baijiu?
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong?
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum?
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant.***
85. Kobe beef - it's good to have a chef in the family
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish - the first one, it was a fish I caught
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake
I'll have to re-assess some of the ones I've never heard of. I may have eaten some of them, or maybe I MUST eat some of them.
8/29/2008
Now that McCain has chosen Sarah Palin as his VP...
My bold prediction is that suddenly, Republicans will notice and denounce sexism. Against Sarah Palin, anyway.
8/27/2008
8/12/2008
You're invited
Harmonious Soul, my a cappella* group, is having a concert and you're invited!
The program will feature a cappella arrangements of music by artists from across the popular music spectrum, from James Taylor to Guns 'N Roses.
Details:
What: Harmonious Soul in Concert
When: , Friday, September 19, 2008
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: The Church of the Living God, 199 Deming Street, Manchester, CT
(I-84 E to exit 63, merge right off of exit onto Rt. 30, the church is located 1/2 mile on the right)
Cost: $5.00
*A Cappella is a style of music that spotlights the human voice, with no instrumental accompaniment. That doesn't mean it's just chanting - several songs feature vocal percussion. Harmonious Soul is a women's a cappella group, formed in 2000, and I've been singing with them since December 2007.
The program will feature a cappella arrangements of music by artists from across the popular music spectrum, from James Taylor to Guns 'N Roses.
Details:
What: Harmonious Soul in Concert
When: , Friday, September 19, 2008
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: The Church of the Living God, 199 Deming Street, Manchester, CT
(I-84 E to exit 63, merge right off of exit onto Rt. 30, the church is located 1/2 mile on the right)
Cost: $5.00
*A Cappella is a style of music that spotlights the human voice, with no instrumental accompaniment. That doesn't mean it's just chanting - several songs feature vocal percussion. Harmonious Soul is a women's a cappella group, formed in 2000, and I've been singing with them since December 2007.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)