As part of my course work, there was an experiential piece to finish during my residential conference, Multiculturalism and The Family. We saw two films that were so powerful as part of our face to face conversation.
The first was The Color of Fear, which extracted critical moments from a two day intensive conversation between men - 2 white, 2 african american, 1 japanese american, 2 latino, 2 chinese american. It was so incredible to watch. Hard, hopeful. Mind blowing to watch someone's paradigm shift. So powerful to be present in the anger, passion, confusion, the blocks.
The second left me feeling so powerless, so small in the world. But in a good way. Yeah right!
Nuyorican Dream follows a family for a period of years, again condescencing what must have been at least 10,000 hours of film. It was particularly poignant for me, the streets were familiar to me, shots of streets that I swore I could smell, as New York City native.
This course left me hypersensitive to how white things can be, therapy, tv, movies, advertising. More than usual. Lucky Girl Friend. How stereotypes, while often based in something resembling truth, are used by all of us to remain blind, to make easy choices.
This morning I am flipping through a book that arrived while I was gone, Hip Knits, by Better Homes and Gardens. Yes, I know, that should have warned me, I should not have been surprised. The Girl Friend and I are going through it, because, well I'm trying to see what she likes with the intention that sometime in the next decade I might knit something for her. Not half way through, I stop, look at her and say, "All the models are white. Really white." She of course is used to these outbursts (though I must say I remained fairly controlled during tonight's repeat of Charmed where Piper is diagnosed with toxemia and gives birth), nods and says, "Yes they are." As we continue through the book, I find one asian model where the text exclaims "Exotic!". The designs are so not exotic, it took enormous self control not to hurl the book across the room.
Thursday, January 26, 2006
Friday, January 20, 2006
Relearning the same damn lesson - again
So I am my residential conference which always is SO good to be at. It makes me happy just to be here - this school is such a great environment in so many ways. I am feeling inspired and have started to develop a plan for how to move from being a first, second and third semester student, to a third and fourth semester student (spring will be semester 4).
Since I dropped out of Practicum 1, because I didn't have a practicum (really clear decision that took a little too long to make, upon reflection) I have time today to sit in my plush room catching up on blackboard (our online classroom) discussions. I had so much blockage and fear because I was so behind that I didn't delve in as often as I should have throughout the semester. I was immobilized a lot of the semester. However, sitting here I realize how foolish that was, that it's not so bad, that I can be a good student albeit not a great one and that's fine. I finally read my prof's comments on a paper that I felt was a complete failure - she's not even going to ask for a rewrite! Though in truth she should so I may do it anyway. I did some of this for another class last night and today as well - again WHAT THE HELL IS MY PROBLEM!?!?
I have figured out part of it, I have no structure whatsoever. That's not news, I have been irregularly self-employed for over 9 years so why is it so bad now? One thing I realized is that neither The Girl Friend nor I have a schedule. Previously, my partner had a schedule so there was something implicit in the ether about time. Now nothing. Having a job, that while also not totally scheduled and predictable, I think will help. There will be regular meetings, paperwork due weekly, etc. I think that will help. So will groveling to my professors, one of who I am quite sure is ready to have me walk the plank into shark infested waters.
But, ultimately I feel a bit inspired, if not thoroughly exhausted. Last night stayed up late with friends laughing, telling stories, and just having fun. Of course being that we are all studying psychology there were lots of words that ordinarily wouldn't be used to describe things, behaviors or people. Projection, transference, narcissistic (used correctly!), countertransference, and calling people in a loving way on their bias was all part of the fun.
Speaking of bias. I tell ya - there are a lot of really complimentary prejudices about lesbians out there. Did you know that we are instinctually better lovers (if only!), that we are more comfortable in our identity (internalized homophobia anyone?), and more open to be sexually adventurous (my twitch started in earnest here)? Luckily I was able to cut down these lovely but false notions about my sistahs (with help from the other lesbian in the room). The looks we shared when these things were being said, well the eyes were rolling so hard I thought for sure I'd be looking heavenward for life.
Since I dropped out of Practicum 1, because I didn't have a practicum (really clear decision that took a little too long to make, upon reflection) I have time today to sit in my plush room catching up on blackboard (our online classroom) discussions. I had so much blockage and fear because I was so behind that I didn't delve in as often as I should have throughout the semester. I was immobilized a lot of the semester. However, sitting here I realize how foolish that was, that it's not so bad, that I can be a good student albeit not a great one and that's fine. I finally read my prof's comments on a paper that I felt was a complete failure - she's not even going to ask for a rewrite! Though in truth she should so I may do it anyway. I did some of this for another class last night and today as well - again WHAT THE HELL IS MY PROBLEM!?!?
I have figured out part of it, I have no structure whatsoever. That's not news, I have been irregularly self-employed for over 9 years so why is it so bad now? One thing I realized is that neither The Girl Friend nor I have a schedule. Previously, my partner had a schedule so there was something implicit in the ether about time. Now nothing. Having a job, that while also not totally scheduled and predictable, I think will help. There will be regular meetings, paperwork due weekly, etc. I think that will help. So will groveling to my professors, one of who I am quite sure is ready to have me walk the plank into shark infested waters.
But, ultimately I feel a bit inspired, if not thoroughly exhausted. Last night stayed up late with friends laughing, telling stories, and just having fun. Of course being that we are all studying psychology there were lots of words that ordinarily wouldn't be used to describe things, behaviors or people. Projection, transference, narcissistic (used correctly!), countertransference, and calling people in a loving way on their bias was all part of the fun.
Speaking of bias. I tell ya - there are a lot of really complimentary prejudices about lesbians out there. Did you know that we are instinctually better lovers (if only!), that we are more comfortable in our identity (internalized homophobia anyone?), and more open to be sexually adventurous (my twitch started in earnest here)? Luckily I was able to cut down these lovely but false notions about my sistahs (with help from the other lesbian in the room). The looks we shared when these things were being said, well the eyes were rolling so hard I thought for sure I'd be looking heavenward for life.
Wednesday, January 18, 2006
Life is getting busy, blog will suffer
I am so sorry dear readers, but entries may get awfully sparse for a bit. Tomorrow I get driven by The Girl Friend to the Marriot in San Mateo to attend my grad school intensive piece. 9AM my classes start. They keep us so fricking busy, here's the schedule. Anywhere it say MFT, that me. After all the committments then there's the hanging out with friend who you only get to see twice a year, it all equals very little sleep and precious few moments for blogging.
The upside is that I am staying in a deluxe type space for a great rate, yeah right, for the first 3 nights, the other 2 nights - totally off the charts! I am trying to finagle something else. Given that I will be in the room for almost no hours while awake it's silly but it's all they had left by the time I did something about reserving a room. The cool thing is the dance, I love it. It's so fun to see people letting go. I usually get some dancing time in which is always a good thing.
Today I had a training for my new job, I am now a certified Therapeutic Behavioral Services counselor/coach/whatever. Woo hoo. I will probably have to squeeze in a PART training next Wednesday and Friday, with luck squeeze in an observation on Thursday, and attend the weekly Thursday meeting 4:30 - 6:00pm.
Oh yeah, in the next day or so I need to compose an advertising email to send out for the next newsletter for BirthWays.
Anyway, I hope you can stand the empty space that will probably become my blog for the next week.
The upside is that I am staying in a deluxe type space for a great rate, yeah right, for the first 3 nights, the other 2 nights - totally off the charts! I am trying to finagle something else. Given that I will be in the room for almost no hours while awake it's silly but it's all they had left by the time I did something about reserving a room. The cool thing is the dance, I love it. It's so fun to see people letting go. I usually get some dancing time in which is always a good thing.
Today I had a training for my new job, I am now a certified Therapeutic Behavioral Services counselor/coach/whatever. Woo hoo. I will probably have to squeeze in a PART training next Wednesday and Friday, with luck squeeze in an observation on Thursday, and attend the weekly Thursday meeting 4:30 - 6:00pm.
Oh yeah, in the next day or so I need to compose an advertising email to send out for the next newsletter for BirthWays.
Anyway, I hope you can stand the empty space that will probably become my blog for the next week.
Tuesday, January 17, 2006
Gemma doing her
Kim Novak impression. Bell, Book, and Candle remains one of my favorite films. Missed putting that on my 4 movies I can always watch list, along with Princess Bride (a popular choice, I know. Bring It On (Eliza Dushku being called "uberdyke" cracks me up every time)`is a serious guilty pleasure that I can watch over and over.
Gemma stole my heart when we went to pick up our first set of fosters. Tiny, gray, and tail-less - just a fuzzy little bit of fur (she's a manx) where the tail usually starts. She has the nickname of "bunny legs". Miss Gemma Rae is full of attitude, sweet, and smart. Kind of like Kim Novak....
My first finished project of the year!
Can you believe it? I can't. Given that I excell at procrasination, well this is stupendous. Okay, I have really good motivation as this is a hat for Sunny. Granted it is not one of the designs she chose, that will be the next one.
The inspiration came from Knitter's, Spring 2004, page 60. Yes, I realize it's a spring/summer thing but Sunny gets cold easily and one loses a deal of heat via their head, and, well, it's cute!
Several months ago I was the lucky recipient of a Freecycler looking to unload a TON of yarn, including the plastic drawers. Checking my stash I realized that I had this incredibly soft cotton yarn that would be so sweet.
While watching Graham on Thursday, so Jennie would enjoy a evening out, I casted on the blue yarn. Her company treated the employess to a night at Teatro Zinzanni. Afterwards I looked up the price of tickets, since both this year and last Jennier raved about this how - but OMG! Way out of my budget but it sounds like great fun. I was about to add the second color (a skill set I had only done before on the Baby Sweater from Hell, which I didn't care about all that much so what if I screwed it up), when Jennie came home. The next evening I added on the lavender color and started the eyelet pattern - SO easy. Yeah. This project moved fast and looked good. The yarn helped as it's lovely, has a bit of a sheen to it that isn't quite apparent in the photo. You will have to trust me on this, it's a bit like polished cotton, or pearlized, or something.
Last night I finished it. It was a bit tricky with the double pointed needles, particularly at the end with very few stitches divided over 3 needles and I am sure that a stitch or two is not quite in a perfect round but it still looks good, I think.
Since we don't use live models often in this house I present Bear wearing the hat.
The hat, ankle warmers and a cute note pad with zebras on it will be in the mail to her soon!
Sunday, January 15, 2006
Not Felix and Oscar but....
I would have never, ever used the words perky, chatty, morning person to describe myself. Until now. Life with The Girl Friend gives me new viewpoints on my personality.
She is definitively NOT a morning person. Waking up is the most god awful experience for me, because while I view sleeping as a huge waste of time in which I might not be procrasinating, I love sleeping. A dicotomy if there ever was, I grant you.
For the past nine years or so, I haven't been working a regular 9-5 job, and thus spend inordinate hours alone in my home. Until now. Both GF and I haven't been working much, my summer job happens at home, except while I'm in Maine for the actual event. I teach childbirth preparation very sporadically for San Francisco Kaiser and am loathe to return as I hate the hospital system even in the teensy tiny amounts I have to kowtow to it. School, is online. All of this to say I am home A LOT. So is the beloved GF.
Apparently I wake up talking and in a good mood. Who knew? Before a cup of coffee and a cigarette (smoking happens outside for those of you worried about my asthma!), GF is really not ready for human consumption, and even then most days it takes a second cup of coffee and relative silence before grunting responses are given.
We both like to write, hence my blog (and in theory that stack of papers I owe which have due dates starting in October of 2004 - that is NOT a typo). She has always written. Alone. No one even home except animals, preferably in the middle of the night. In other words no one could possibly interrupt her with their words. It has struck us as rather miraculous that she has managed to write anything, even emails in my presence (we cut quite the post-modern picture, two lesbians, sitting on their futon couch, each with a laptop and at least one cat also on said couch).
So what's the Felix/Oscar reference? Well generally speaking it is easier for me to write and have GF break in with a comment, but for her - well it totally wrecks her train of thought. Today she listened rather patiently while I recounted someone's tale about their '92 Chevy Caprice and then asked me to try to check in first before regaling her with snippets of blogs that crack me up. I understand completely but I did feel somehow like an overenthused 7 year old who's mother is trying to balance the checkbook and keeps finding no money left in the account. Okay, I can do that, really I can.
Or maybe not. I seem to have a perky personality that requires frequent, extraneous bits of verbosity to errupt from my mouth. I never knew! You ask how that can be? Well somewhere in my lifetime I have moved from being a very shy (bordering on pathologically shy) to someone who has conversations with strangers in a clothing store about how to create rituals for their impending menopause. I am a bit unclear when the shift happened, but I have changed. The reality is that I am more upbeat than I used to be (think Pig Pen and the cloud of dirt is depression - that would be me). One downside to the New and Improved Me (I know Jennie, it's either "new" or it's "improved" in reality) is I talk too much for The Girl Friend's taste in the morning, when she's writing, when she's reading, and even occasionally when she's watching TV.
After finally finding my voice it seems my next lesson is learning to use it more wisely. Sigh.
She is definitively NOT a morning person. Waking up is the most god awful experience for me, because while I view sleeping as a huge waste of time in which I might not be procrasinating, I love sleeping. A dicotomy if there ever was, I grant you.
For the past nine years or so, I haven't been working a regular 9-5 job, and thus spend inordinate hours alone in my home. Until now. Both GF and I haven't been working much, my summer job happens at home, except while I'm in Maine for the actual event. I teach childbirth preparation very sporadically for San Francisco Kaiser and am loathe to return as I hate the hospital system even in the teensy tiny amounts I have to kowtow to it. School, is online. All of this to say I am home A LOT. So is the beloved GF.
Apparently I wake up talking and in a good mood. Who knew? Before a cup of coffee and a cigarette (smoking happens outside for those of you worried about my asthma!), GF is really not ready for human consumption, and even then most days it takes a second cup of coffee and relative silence before grunting responses are given.
We both like to write, hence my blog (and in theory that stack of papers I owe which have due dates starting in October of 2004 - that is NOT a typo). She has always written. Alone. No one even home except animals, preferably in the middle of the night. In other words no one could possibly interrupt her with their words. It has struck us as rather miraculous that she has managed to write anything, even emails in my presence (we cut quite the post-modern picture, two lesbians, sitting on their futon couch, each with a laptop and at least one cat also on said couch).
So what's the Felix/Oscar reference? Well generally speaking it is easier for me to write and have GF break in with a comment, but for her - well it totally wrecks her train of thought. Today she listened rather patiently while I recounted someone's tale about their '92 Chevy Caprice and then asked me to try to check in first before regaling her with snippets of blogs that crack me up. I understand completely but I did feel somehow like an overenthused 7 year old who's mother is trying to balance the checkbook and keeps finding no money left in the account. Okay, I can do that, really I can.
Or maybe not. I seem to have a perky personality that requires frequent, extraneous bits of verbosity to errupt from my mouth. I never knew! You ask how that can be? Well somewhere in my lifetime I have moved from being a very shy (bordering on pathologically shy) to someone who has conversations with strangers in a clothing store about how to create rituals for their impending menopause. I am a bit unclear when the shift happened, but I have changed. The reality is that I am more upbeat than I used to be (think Pig Pen and the cloud of dirt is depression - that would be me). One downside to the New and Improved Me (I know Jennie, it's either "new" or it's "improved" in reality) is I talk too much for The Girl Friend's taste in the morning, when she's writing, when she's reading, and even occasionally when she's watching TV.
After finally finding my voice it seems my next lesson is learning to use it more wisely. Sigh.
Knitting Content - FOs of 2005
As promised I am finally documenting the knitting accomplished in 2005. I didn't pick up the needles until, um, October sometime.
First up was Sunny's beret. I used Brown's Sheep Superwash in Japanese Plum. I bought this yarn two years previous, when I took up knitting with the intent of making her a beret back then. Never happened. (Have you seen my profile? Does the word procrasinator ring a bell. Well here it is, Sunny modeling the hat (that's Lindsay, her husband).
At the same time I worked on a headband/ear warmer for
The Girl Friend.
I took this yarn and added
Which resulted in a beautiful mix that sets of The Girl Friend's stunning blue eyes quite well.
This was worked in a seed stitch and just arbitrarily created. I guessed at everything, width, length, yarn. I think it came out quite nicely. GF really likes it.
Through out all of this I worked on the oft-mentioned "baby sweater from hell". Well here it is, on the teddy bear it will live on. This is a top down sweater meaning it was made in one piece, the only sewn seams are the ones forming the sleeve shape. The stitch is the "gull pattern". I found this pattern in
a very old issue (Fall 1990) of Vogue Knitting, titled "The Best Baby Sweater" by Elizabeth Zimmerman and Meg Swansen.It's hard to see but I am very proud of my switching yarn where the sleeve started to separate out from the body - I didn't screw up the pattern at ALL here. Major for me. However this is what it supposed to look like. Maybe if I had blocked it...
In the midst of finishing the beret, and working on the sweater, and while I was hanging with Sunny after her surgery I busted out my first pair of booties. I was, and kinda still am, inordinately proud of them. The stitches are very even.
The final finished object are
ankle warmers (modeled by The Girl Friend, because her feet are much prettier than mine) which Sunny requested. The are made from the same yarn as the beret and again, no pattern. I just did some 2x2 ribbing, stockinette, 2x2 ribbing. The photo is showing up much darker then on the camera, sorry about that.It should be noted that I tried to make the baby sweater from hell in different yarn - twice before starting over with this yarn (hellish acrylic, the blue practically ripped the skin off my finger while working it, the black was better). Sunny's beret was made first using a different pattern and was so small it would have fit Wyatt, so I frogged in and did it in the pattern linked above. So a fair amount of knitting in a short time I think. Very minor compared to many of the knitters out there but given my imaginary school work committments, 1 puppy, 5 felines, The Girl Friend, applying to jobs, and many hours of fluffing off, rather productive.
Saturday, January 14, 2006
Okay already!
Do you know who bothers me the most about updating my blog? Go ahead guess who out of my loyal readers, all 5 of you.
Give up yet.
The Girl Friend. Seriously. She Who Lives With Dharma, wants to hear more of Dharma. So is that love or is her brain still scrambled from the car accident almost two years ago? Says she learns new things about me, which, when you think about it is really sweet. Right? Tell me it's sweet and not stalker-ish.
Well the package from Sunny arrived.
Yep, her humor is still intact.
I expected a lock of hair, you know, like she mentioned, just a bit for a locket. What did I get?
It's enough for three Barb*e dolls and not enough to make a bootie. What the hell I'm I supposed to do with that?
I will confess that a blaze of shock and fear ran through me when I opened the package and saw that amount of hair. Yes, she told me it was coming out. Yes, I knew other folks lost their hair in clumps. Yes, I realize this is a side effect of chemo. But, but, this is my mother's hair, quite a bit of it, in a plastic bag on my table. OMG. You know? I mean, wow. She is bald. My mother, bald.
So if you have any ideas of what I can do with some very dark, almost black hair with quite a bit of gray, let me know. Deal?
Give up yet.
The Girl Friend. Seriously. She Who Lives With Dharma, wants to hear more of Dharma. So is that love or is her brain still scrambled from the car accident almost two years ago? Says she learns new things about me, which, when you think about it is really sweet. Right? Tell me it's sweet and not stalker-ish.
Well the package from Sunny arrived.
Yep, her humor is still intact.
I expected a lock of hair, you know, like she mentioned, just a bit for a locket. What did I get?
It's enough for three Barb*e dolls and not enough to make a bootie. What the hell I'm I supposed to do with that?
I will confess that a blaze of shock and fear ran through me when I opened the package and saw that amount of hair. Yes, she told me it was coming out. Yes, I knew other folks lost their hair in clumps. Yes, I realize this is a side effect of chemo. But, but, this is my mother's hair, quite a bit of it, in a plastic bag on my table. OMG. You know? I mean, wow. She is bald. My mother, bald.
So if you have any ideas of what I can do with some very dark, almost black hair with quite a bit of gray, let me know. Deal?
Wednesday, January 11, 2006
That Sinking Feeling continues
Still feeling out of sorts. Chicken for the cats is on the stove, making the windows fog up, filling the house with a warm, cozy aroma but still my eyes feel sticky, like physical emotions are blocking them up. The coffee this morning was toasty and full, tried dried cherries and walnuts in the oatmeal, tasty but I'm still not full. I suspect that it's not just a stomach hunger. The gray, damp day isn't helping either.
Next Thursday starts the Residential Conference for school and as usual I am nowhere near ready. I wonder what it would be like to complete just one course in a semester. I have taken lots of courses, finished, um, none? I owe papers that would keep a writer as prolific as Stephen King up for months.
I set goals, every day, for all sorts of things, accomplish few. Okay, the laundry is fantastic. Hot spots are pretty decent. One can eat at the dining room table. Kitchen is tidy. Lindsay's legwarmer (for his bad leg) is coming along. Haven't photographed my finished objects for 2005, maybe today, but there is no sun. Thinking after yesterday's phone call with Sunny I will cast on for the hat she doesn't want today.
The Girl Friend offered up that perhaps I really do need to cry. I bit her head off and she retreated, not to be really heard from again since. Can't imagine why.
Finishing the last of my cold second cup of coffee, looking at the clock, knowing that in about an hour GF will ask if I want to go to the dog park, and as usual I will be torn. O1H - I get out of the house, walk for about an hour, possibly see our friends Ruth and Piccolo. OtheotherH - stay home, get some alone time, and in theory study. Sigh. The daily dilemma.
Next Thursday starts the Residential Conference for school and as usual I am nowhere near ready. I wonder what it would be like to complete just one course in a semester. I have taken lots of courses, finished, um, none? I owe papers that would keep a writer as prolific as Stephen King up for months.
I set goals, every day, for all sorts of things, accomplish few. Okay, the laundry is fantastic. Hot spots are pretty decent. One can eat at the dining room table. Kitchen is tidy. Lindsay's legwarmer (for his bad leg) is coming along. Haven't photographed my finished objects for 2005, maybe today, but there is no sun. Thinking after yesterday's phone call with Sunny I will cast on for the hat she doesn't want today.
The Girl Friend offered up that perhaps I really do need to cry. I bit her head off and she retreated, not to be really heard from again since. Can't imagine why.
Finishing the last of my cold second cup of coffee, looking at the clock, knowing that in about an hour GF will ask if I want to go to the dog park, and as usual I will be torn. O1H - I get out of the house, walk for about an hour, possibly see our friends Ruth and Piccolo. OtheotherH - stay home, get some alone time, and in theory study. Sigh. The daily dilemma.
The Art of Making Oatmeal
Please don't scoff. Apparently there is one, and it's one I am learning. Quaker Quick Oatmeal, bought in the large 42oz canister now, is the way to get The Girl Friend to eat breakfast, as mentioned sometime last month. Recently I asked her if she wanted some, as I was going to make it. Well, she very timidly (for her, so rather brusquely for the common populous) asked if I could make sure it was well cooked. It seems that by her standards (did I mention she is very particular about food?) that I hadn't cooked the oatmeal long enough a few occasions. How does one undercook instant oatmeal. The water boils, you dump said rolled oats, stir, and let it simmer. Oh well. So now I very carefully check that the oat flakes are suitably soft, if in question I add a tad bit more water and cook the mess into a soggy mass. It pleases her, I can still eat it. There you have it - art.
Tuesday, January 10, 2006
Not conducive to studying
that's what calling your mother, to check on how she is doing post second dose of chemo, post losing most of her hair and giving new meaning to the phrase "tender-headed" is, in case you had any doubt.
I had been thinking about her a lot the last two days, hadn't spoken to her since Friday, which was a great conversation, so rather than read chapter two of a really book download that I should have finished at least 6 weeks ago, I called. Big mistake. Somehow for the first time I found it really hard to find things to talk about, felt uncomfortable in my own skin while on the phone. Hearing her talk about finding the most gentle baby shampoo (California Baby in case you're wondering) was just itchy making, which of course was what she was trying to cure. She hasn't let her husband see the extent of the hair loss yet as she wants to adjust to it first and right now she thinks it's rather horrible.
Yes, she made sick jokes about looking like a young jewish boy with just side curls when her fake bangs went askew, waxed happily about her spa tub set up and how it helps but somehow I couldn't keep up today with the witty comebacks, or story telling of our zoo. I just wanted to get off the telephone. I felt bad that I hadn't made the hat I picked out (nevermind that she is being terribly picky about hats - I have sent her no less than 14 different web links with hat ideas!). There should be one in the mail already. As she told me how the bath today removed most of what was left of her hair, I worriedly inquired whether she had gotten my message that, yes, I did want a locket. I have no idea what I will do with, or why I feel I need, but I do. I heaved quite the sigh of relief when she told me it was already on it's way (sure this time she doesn't procrasinate putting something in the mail for me).
As soon as possible I got off the phone and felt totally unsettle, so I went to finish the soup I was making. The Girl Friend had been craving "chicken and corn soup", something her mom makes. No pressure there, none at all. She had gotten a rough recipe from her dad reading her mom's notes and I just took it from there. One detail was that there this thing, like dumplings (which I have never made) but called rivells. Okay I can do that right? Essentially it's spaetzle. Actually it came out just fine. Big pot of soup. Yesterday I made a big pot of soup that I was craving, Indian Spiced Squash soup. I invented this recipe while at a client's house (I was working as a postpartum doula) and I hated squash, as in never ate, but this changed my mind a bit. So if you're hungry for soup, come on by.
I had been thinking about her a lot the last two days, hadn't spoken to her since Friday, which was a great conversation, so rather than read chapter two of a really book download that I should have finished at least 6 weeks ago, I called. Big mistake. Somehow for the first time I found it really hard to find things to talk about, felt uncomfortable in my own skin while on the phone. Hearing her talk about finding the most gentle baby shampoo (California Baby in case you're wondering) was just itchy making, which of course was what she was trying to cure. She hasn't let her husband see the extent of the hair loss yet as she wants to adjust to it first and right now she thinks it's rather horrible.
Yes, she made sick jokes about looking like a young jewish boy with just side curls when her fake bangs went askew, waxed happily about her spa tub set up and how it helps but somehow I couldn't keep up today with the witty comebacks, or story telling of our zoo. I just wanted to get off the telephone. I felt bad that I hadn't made the hat I picked out (nevermind that she is being terribly picky about hats - I have sent her no less than 14 different web links with hat ideas!). There should be one in the mail already. As she told me how the bath today removed most of what was left of her hair, I worriedly inquired whether she had gotten my message that, yes, I did want a locket. I have no idea what I will do with, or why I feel I need, but I do. I heaved quite the sigh of relief when she told me it was already on it's way (sure this time she doesn't procrasinate putting something in the mail for me).
As soon as possible I got off the phone and felt totally unsettle, so I went to finish the soup I was making. The Girl Friend had been craving "chicken and corn soup", something her mom makes. No pressure there, none at all. She had gotten a rough recipe from her dad reading her mom's notes and I just took it from there. One detail was that there this thing, like dumplings (which I have never made) but called rivells. Okay I can do that right? Essentially it's spaetzle. Actually it came out just fine. Big pot of soup. Yesterday I made a big pot of soup that I was craving, Indian Spiced Squash soup. I invented this recipe while at a client's house (I was working as a postpartum doula) and I hated squash, as in never ate, but this changed my mind a bit. So if you're hungry for soup, come on by.
Monday, January 09, 2006
Four Things
I have been officially tagged by someone for a meme. Because I really, really like this person, and it seems like a fun one, I am doing it.
Four Jobs You've Had
1- Managed Eve's Garden while in college
2- Market Research, pre-coder (don't ask)
3 - Doula
4- Vet tech for two different vets.
Four Movies You Could Watch Over and Over
1- Chitty Chitty Bang Bank
2- Ten Things I Hate About You
3- The Big Sleep
4-
Four Places You've Lived
1- A convent in Brooklyn
2- Cottage house in Massachusetts
3 -A prewar building in what is now the "Upper West Side", in NYC
4- Craftsman style house in Berkeley.
Four TV Shows You Love to Watch
1. Law & Order, the original
2. Charmed
3. CSI, the original
4. home makeover shows.
Four Places You've Been on Vacation
1. Las Vegas, NV
2. Poland Spring, ME
3. Chicago, IL
4. The Middle Ages
Four Blogs You Visit Daily
I agree with the wise Ancrene Wiseass, this could be tricky but
1. You Knit What??
2. Pandagon
3. My Soft Spot
4. lots of others.
Four of Your Favorite Foods
Gosh this is hard. I love food, all sorts
1. ice cream, that's as specific as I can get
2. asparagus
3. artisan bread
4. pad thai
(mac n cheese, home fries, tofu, peanut butter, salad!, mangos, green beans, etc, etc!)
Four Places You'd Rather Be
1. Morocco
2. New York City
3. Greece
4. Thailand
Four Albums You Can't Live Without
1. Joss Stone, first cd
2. Angie Stone, first cd
3. Afro-Celt Sound System, second cd
4. Nina Simone - I have to choose just one!?!
5. Jill Scott, first cd
There really is a lot more than this.
Four Vehicles You've Owned
I haven't owned four, only three and none of them are great loves
1. 198? grey Dodge Omni hatchback, it was a gift, don't hurt me {no name}
2. 1989 red Chevy Nova sedan, again gift (I have a great mom and stepdad) {Ruby Red Frog}
3. 2002 Tundra Green Ford Focus sedan (co-owned with an ex) {Svetlana}
Oh actually I have on in my name right now
4. 1989 red Toyota Corolla coupe, another gift, from some else this time {Red Car}
Four Taggees
I don't know many people who blog, or read my blog. This sucks
1. Jennie
2. Rox (can't link her though)
3. The Girl Friend (can't link her either) {sigh}
4. I'll have to get back to ya!
Four Jobs You've Had
1- Managed Eve's Garden while in college
2- Market Research, pre-coder (don't ask)
3 - Doula
4- Vet tech for two different vets.
Four Movies You Could Watch Over and Over
1- Chitty Chitty Bang Bank
2- Ten Things I Hate About You
3- The Big Sleep
4-
Four Places You've Lived
1- A convent in Brooklyn
2- Cottage house in Massachusetts
3 -A prewar building in what is now the "Upper West Side", in NYC
4- Craftsman style house in Berkeley.
Four TV Shows You Love to Watch
1. Law & Order, the original
2. Charmed
3. CSI, the original
4. home makeover shows.
Four Places You've Been on Vacation
1. Las Vegas, NV
2. Poland Spring, ME
3. Chicago, IL
4. The Middle Ages
Four Blogs You Visit Daily
I agree with the wise Ancrene Wiseass, this could be tricky but
1. You Knit What??
2. Pandagon
3. My Soft Spot
4. lots of others.
Four of Your Favorite Foods
Gosh this is hard. I love food, all sorts
1. ice cream, that's as specific as I can get
2. asparagus
3. artisan bread
4. pad thai
(mac n cheese, home fries, tofu, peanut butter, salad!, mangos, green beans, etc, etc!)
Four Places You'd Rather Be
1. Morocco
2. New York City
3. Greece
4. Thailand
Four Albums You Can't Live Without
1. Joss Stone, first cd
2. Angie Stone, first cd
3. Afro-Celt Sound System, second cd
4. Nina Simone - I have to choose just one!?!
5. Jill Scott, first cd
There really is a lot more than this.
Four Vehicles You've Owned
I haven't owned four, only three and none of them are great loves
1. 198? grey Dodge Omni hatchback, it was a gift, don't hurt me {no name}
2. 1989 red Chevy Nova sedan, again gift (I have a great mom and stepdad) {Ruby Red Frog}
3. 2002 Tundra Green Ford Focus sedan (co-owned with an ex) {Svetlana}
Oh actually I have on in my name right now
4. 1989 red Toyota Corolla coupe, another gift, from some else this time {Red Car}
Four Taggees
I don't know many people who blog, or read my blog. This sucks
1. Jennie
2. Rox (can't link her though)
3. The Girl Friend (can't link her either) {sigh}
4. I'll have to get back to ya!
Sunday, January 08, 2006
He Broke the Law, and the Law Won
Yep, it's true, Wyatt, aka Shawshank, aka Wyatt Earp got busted yesterday. He is the original escape artist. The Girl Friend, Jennie & Graham and I left to got breakfast, because well one needs to fortify themselves before a major yarn shop. A lovely breakfast was served to us at FatApples, as we wrapped that up, GF excused herself to head home, because well, she doesn't really get the yarn thing.
Jennie and I are fondling yarn, gasping at prices, complaining about the lack of knitted swatches - in other words enjoying ourselves immensely, when suddenly one of the shop girls walks over to us and ask if there is a Dharma in the house, you have a phone call, a bit of an emergency apparently she says. Jennie and I exchange somewhat horrified looks of great concern. I dash to the phone, and the GF says, Wyatt has been impounded.
Apparently he escaped, wandered, not to his usual spot at the Cafe where he is petted, offered mochas (like this dog needs caffeine!!!) and bits of biscotti, no, to the other corner. The animal jail closes at 4pm and it will cost about $50 to free him. Jeez. My headache comes back but Jennie and I agree that really it could have been something much worse.
So there I am dreaming over yarn with "My dog is in the hoosegow"* running through my brain. Crazy I tell you. The dog is going to drive me to drink. I mean it folks. It appears that he escaped from under the house, an access panel was not in place so he must have used that for the break to freedom. He hates being alone, like The GF says, he must have been a Shiner in a previous life, loves to run up and greet people. But really, we weren't gone long before he was rounded up, the ticket on the door said something like 12:30pm. Jennie didn't get here until about 11, then we unloaded the mobile basketball hoop that The GF picked up off of Freecycle (which delighted Jennie no end as she was considering it for their house), chatted in the house a bit and then left. Seriously we couldn't have been gone more than 45 minutes before he was picked up! He obviously didn't get any of the "I vant to be alone" genes that we both have running through our veins.
Wyatt the juvenile delinquent. I asked him last night, "Is it because your mothers are lesbians?" He had no response other than to give me a kiss, The Girl Friend was laughing so hard she started sprouting tears.
*I had no idea where this word came from. Stunned I tell ya! So cool.
Jennie and I are fondling yarn, gasping at prices, complaining about the lack of knitted swatches - in other words enjoying ourselves immensely, when suddenly one of the shop girls walks over to us and ask if there is a Dharma in the house, you have a phone call, a bit of an emergency apparently she says. Jennie and I exchange somewhat horrified looks of great concern. I dash to the phone, and the GF says, Wyatt has been impounded.
Apparently he escaped, wandered, not to his usual spot at the Cafe where he is petted, offered mochas (like this dog needs caffeine!!!) and bits of biscotti, no, to the other corner. The animal jail closes at 4pm and it will cost about $50 to free him. Jeez. My headache comes back but Jennie and I agree that really it could have been something much worse.
So there I am dreaming over yarn with "My dog is in the hoosegow"* running through my brain. Crazy I tell you. The dog is going to drive me to drink. I mean it folks. It appears that he escaped from under the house, an access panel was not in place so he must have used that for the break to freedom. He hates being alone, like The GF says, he must have been a Shiner in a previous life, loves to run up and greet people. But really, we weren't gone long before he was rounded up, the ticket on the door said something like 12:30pm. Jennie didn't get here until about 11, then we unloaded the mobile basketball hoop that The GF picked up off of Freecycle (which delighted Jennie no end as she was considering it for their house), chatted in the house a bit and then left. Seriously we couldn't have been gone more than 45 minutes before he was picked up! He obviously didn't get any of the "I vant to be alone" genes that we both have running through our veins.
Wyatt the juvenile delinquent. I asked him last night, "Is it because your mothers are lesbians?" He had no response other than to give me a kiss, The Girl Friend was laughing so hard she started sprouting tears.
*I had no idea where this word came from. Stunned I tell ya! So cool.
Friday, January 06, 2006
The generosity of the people
is overwhelming sometimes. I wrote earlier today about an email friend, Kim, who is offering to make a scarf for Sunny. Well this evening I received an email from Mimi, which said:
"wondering, strange maybe, but would she be tickled or disgusted if your moms
list pals knitted/crocheted a few swell hats for her?
there are a few of us you know....we crave the 'textile work for a reason
beyond just our own enjoyment'. you would likely get some pretty wonderful
and pretty crazy comical hats from this group. some of us don't have our
moms to do these things for anymore...."
This woman is from the same list. Then I hear this from Jennie:
"Oh, um, sweetie? I'm perfectly happy to make your mom's scarf, or hat, or whatever. I know you want to knit your love into it, but if you want her to have it sooner (or two things at once), I'm here. K?"
Wow. You know? Really wow. Sure I know Jennie in real life, though I met her originally from the same fantastic list that is supporting me and my mother right now. I just keep tearing up all night.
How did I get so lucky?
"wondering, strange maybe, but would she be tickled or disgusted if your moms
list pals knitted/crocheted a few swell hats for her?
there are a few of us you know....we crave the 'textile work for a reason
beyond just our own enjoyment'. you would likely get some pretty wonderful
and pretty crazy comical hats from this group. some of us don't have our
moms to do these things for anymore...."
This woman is from the same list. Then I hear this from Jennie:
"Oh, um, sweetie? I'm perfectly happy to make your mom's scarf, or hat, or whatever. I know you want to knit your love into it, but if you want her to have it sooner (or two things at once), I'm here. K?"
Wow. You know? Really wow. Sure I know Jennie in real life, though I met her originally from the same fantastic list that is supporting me and my mother right now. I just keep tearing up all night.
How did I get so lucky?
Thursday, January 05, 2006
Love Under Pressure
In a shocking coincidence, both of us had our "big" channukah gifts delayed. The Girl Friend's gift hadn't arrived via the us post service by the last night, and apparently my gift was back ordered.
Well yesterday as we left the house to shower at Jennie's, a small but eagerly awaited box was on the porch. I snatched it up, hoping GF hadn't noticed. As we drove off I pondered when to present it to her. Jennie's shower was wonderfully warm. Then, off to the dog park, where we finally saw the reappearance of Piccolo, Wyatt's best friend. Yes, our dog has a best friend. Poor Piccolo had had a wretched ear infection which kept her away from the park for almost 2 weeks. Wyatt and Piccolo were SO happy to see each other. They played hard while we caught up with her human, Ruth who makes her living as a bartender, does sculpture, and in the past before, as she says the eyes went, did absolutely breathtaking embordiary work (saw my third example of these mandala-like pieces she puts on jean jackets).
After doing our best to wear out the Energizer Bunny, otherwise known as Wyatt, we went to Se*rs to purchase a wet/dry vac which was on a great sale. As we were making our way to the appropriate section, The Girl Friend stops and is studying carefully shelves which are in the kitchen department - a totally unexpected place for her to pause. I ask what she is looking at, as I can't be sure and I am still trying to reconcile the fact she is in this section and there is no Fiestaware in sight (she has a vintage collection from her grandmother - another bonus to hooking up with her). Then she tells me that this pressure cooker was on back order and that's why she didn't have a gift the last night. I almost started to cry, right there in the Richmond Hilltop Mall Sear*.
"Well you said you missed having one." I can't believe she remembered that, heard it, took note - any of it. How sweet is she? Apparently she had been corresponding with Jennie about which one to get me because of course she doesn't know anything about these things. So as of yesterday I am the proud owner of a 6 quart Presto Pressure cooker.
When we got home, I presented her with her box. It hit three things she loves, watches, Tigger, and purple.
Well yesterday as we left the house to shower at Jennie's, a small but eagerly awaited box was on the porch. I snatched it up, hoping GF hadn't noticed. As we drove off I pondered when to present it to her. Jennie's shower was wonderfully warm. Then, off to the dog park, where we finally saw the reappearance of Piccolo, Wyatt's best friend. Yes, our dog has a best friend. Poor Piccolo had had a wretched ear infection which kept her away from the park for almost 2 weeks. Wyatt and Piccolo were SO happy to see each other. They played hard while we caught up with her human, Ruth who makes her living as a bartender, does sculpture, and in the past before, as she says the eyes went, did absolutely breathtaking embordiary work (saw my third example of these mandala-like pieces she puts on jean jackets).
After doing our best to wear out the Energizer Bunny, otherwise known as Wyatt, we went to Se*rs to purchase a wet/dry vac which was on a great sale. As we were making our way to the appropriate section, The Girl Friend stops and is studying carefully shelves which are in the kitchen department - a totally unexpected place for her to pause. I ask what she is looking at, as I can't be sure and I am still trying to reconcile the fact she is in this section and there is no Fiestaware in sight (she has a vintage collection from her grandmother - another bonus to hooking up with her). Then she tells me that this pressure cooker was on back order and that's why she didn't have a gift the last night. I almost started to cry, right there in the Richmond Hilltop Mall Sear*.
"Well you said you missed having one." I can't believe she remembered that, heard it, took note - any of it. How sweet is she? Apparently she had been corresponding with Jennie about which one to get me because of course she doesn't know anything about these things. So as of yesterday I am the proud owner of a 6 quart Presto Pressure cooker.
When we got home, I presented her with her box. It hit three things she loves, watches, Tigger, and purple.
Bitterness walks with sweet (african proverb)
Sunny can leave me laughing and crying sometimes, like today.
Her email today:
I'm not sure if this is a disgusting or a sentimental idea. Your call. Would you like me to send you some of my hair to put in locket, your journal, whatever?
This is also my gentle way of telling you that all of my longest hair has fallen out. With a sort of limp buzzcut, I look like a waif dyke or something. ;-)
Love and kisses,
Momcat
Every time I think I have successfully avoided my feelings about this, every time I have clarified that this isn't a big deal, that things aren't really happening, reality has the unmitigated gall to slap me down. The wind completely leaves my sails, as it were. Every freaking time. Yesterday was her second chemo treatment. I am finding it hard not to be living closer to her right now, ya know? It sucks, even when yesterday was so incredibly beautiful and Wyatt's best friend, Piccolo, was at the dog park after being gone due to an ear infection, I just want to be able to drive to see her when I whenever I want.
Guess maybe the plans for her scarf will have to wait, and I'll start a hat for her sooner than later. It's cold in Croton on Hudson NY these days. I wish I was a faster knitter.
A friend has offered to contribute a scarf. (I should state this is someone I have never met face to face, only know her online, so she certainly hasn't met Sunny.) So sweet.
So hard. I want to do everything for Sunny and I can't. I never really could but I had a good delusion going for a very long time. Today as I was taking chicken off the bone (for our homemade cat food) I flashed on Like Water for Chocolate's notion of the cook's emotions being transfered to the food and affecting the partakers of the dish. I was wondering if I could stretch that even further - by putting love into the chicken and rice I prepare for my cats, also thinking of my mother at the same time, could I send some of that love across the continent and into the food she is actually consuming? Honestly I don't see why not, if I am conscious about it. (See how the name Dharma fits me?) If I use this an an additional motivator, I may get some serious cooking done around here, which would benefit all of us.
Time to cook the rice.
Her email today:
I'm not sure if this is a disgusting or a sentimental idea. Your call. Would you like me to send you some of my hair to put in locket, your journal, whatever?
This is also my gentle way of telling you that all of my longest hair has fallen out. With a sort of limp buzzcut, I look like a waif dyke or something. ;-)
Love and kisses,
Momcat
Every time I think I have successfully avoided my feelings about this, every time I have clarified that this isn't a big deal, that things aren't really happening, reality has the unmitigated gall to slap me down. The wind completely leaves my sails, as it were. Every freaking time. Yesterday was her second chemo treatment. I am finding it hard not to be living closer to her right now, ya know? It sucks, even when yesterday was so incredibly beautiful and Wyatt's best friend, Piccolo, was at the dog park after being gone due to an ear infection, I just want to be able to drive to see her when I whenever I want.
Guess maybe the plans for her scarf will have to wait, and I'll start a hat for her sooner than later. It's cold in Croton on Hudson NY these days. I wish I was a faster knitter.
A friend has offered to contribute a scarf. (I should state this is someone I have never met face to face, only know her online, so she certainly hasn't met Sunny.) So sweet.
So hard. I want to do everything for Sunny and I can't. I never really could but I had a good delusion going for a very long time. Today as I was taking chicken off the bone (for our homemade cat food) I flashed on Like Water for Chocolate's notion of the cook's emotions being transfered to the food and affecting the partakers of the dish. I was wondering if I could stretch that even further - by putting love into the chicken and rice I prepare for my cats, also thinking of my mother at the same time, could I send some of that love across the continent and into the food she is actually consuming? Honestly I don't see why not, if I am conscious about it. (See how the name Dharma fits me?) If I use this an an additional motivator, I may get some serious cooking done around here, which would benefit all of us.
Time to cook the rice.
The Proof is in the Padding
For those not well acquainted with me, let me tell you a secret - I am no Kate Moss, even pregnant, Kate has nothing on these hips. I am round, have soft spots, places jiggle. My bosum has been referred to as "ample" by a good friend after meeting me in person (granted this friend has maybe an A-cup, so there may be something to that perspective thing).
Magazines that say they have found the best top/skirt/bathing suit, what have you for "your figure problem spot" have neglected to take note that many of us have more than one. On top of being zaftig, I am short. Yes, that's right, I'm short - 5 foot and a hair. It is true that people are shocked to find that out, even people I know in real life think I'm tall. I guess I give off a tall aura. So while a skirt style might be great if one is short, it is not so great if one is short waisted (raising hand -"what's a torso?"), small waisted (yep), large of hips (see above). Have you noticed that "petite" clothing is designed for those women 5'4" and shorter. Let me tell you they are designed mostly for women who are still taller than me, and rarely can one find petite plus sized clothing. Especially if one doesn't want to wear polka dots, small print florals, navy or other hideously unhip clothing.
Yes I, according to these lovely fashionistas, have many problem areas to disguise with clothing. And I am not alone, I argue. So do I pick the skirt for full hips, or the one for us height challenged women, or the one for plus size dames which ignores my height issue. Such a dilemma, I tell you. What do I do, you wonder. Well, for one thing, I rarely wear skirts so that cuts that dilemma right out of the picture. Another thing is I rarely shop in the stores that the magazines are shilling for, preferring for many reasons (okay damn it I'm cheap) thrift stores, discount places (like Ross) and the DNE camp store once a year.
My conclusion is most of these magazines suck. For further evidence that there is a conspiracy going on I draw your attention to this site which clearly depicts all that the magazine do to make us feel inferior, Sisyphus-like in our struggle to work toward an ideal that doesn't exist. It is a world wide campaign to gaslight women into ignoring the greater ills of society, asking them instead to spiral inward. Yes, I know I confessed recently to having great hordes of magazines that I don't subscribe, ones that just arrive at my mailbox. One would think I would toss them out into the recylcing rather than leaf through any of them. One would be wrong. I dream over the jewelry, the shoes - oh the shoes! Yeah, I know. Of all the sinister things of the patriarchy, I drool over high heels, impractical mica-thin soled images of glamour.
However, every so often there is a gem of an article. Okay not in Glam*ur. Certainly not in Eb*ny - good lord! Redbook, sigh, tries for something but simplies misses every time. But Jane is irreverant, fun, and a bit outside the regular culture. And surprise of surprises, Elle in most issues carries at least one article of real import - who would have guessed! Color me shocked. Not enough to subscribe, or to miss it's delivery when it stops magically appearing, but it brings a small smile to my face which almost cancels out the sting in my eyes and the ache in my lungs from the perfume samples the rag is riddled with.
I am thinking of starting my first magazine subscribe in years however. Bust is something I could really get into on a regular basis. The website has me laughing, yelling, bobbing my head in agreement and threatens my funds when I visit their online store. Along with lurking on blogs (don't even ask how many I have bookmarked) their forum pages require regular visits.
Oh, yes the title indicated proof. Yesterday morning this is how I woke up. Lying almost completely on my belly (unusual as I am committed side-lying sleeper) there was Elliot between me and the edge of the bed and between my legs was Wyatt, resting his head on my ample butt. Did I mention that Wyatt loves resting his head on a pillow whenever possible - well it seems clear that my butt is as soft and cushiony as a pillow.
Magazines that say they have found the best top/skirt/bathing suit, what have you for "your figure problem spot" have neglected to take note that many of us have more than one. On top of being zaftig, I am short. Yes, that's right, I'm short - 5 foot and a hair. It is true that people are shocked to find that out, even people I know in real life think I'm tall. I guess I give off a tall aura. So while a skirt style might be great if one is short, it is not so great if one is short waisted (raising hand -"what's a torso?"), small waisted (yep), large of hips (see above). Have you noticed that "petite" clothing is designed for those women 5'4" and shorter. Let me tell you they are designed mostly for women who are still taller than me, and rarely can one find petite plus sized clothing. Especially if one doesn't want to wear polka dots, small print florals, navy or other hideously unhip clothing.
Yes I, according to these lovely fashionistas, have many problem areas to disguise with clothing. And I am not alone, I argue. So do I pick the skirt for full hips, or the one for us height challenged women, or the one for plus size dames which ignores my height issue. Such a dilemma, I tell you. What do I do, you wonder. Well, for one thing, I rarely wear skirts so that cuts that dilemma right out of the picture. Another thing is I rarely shop in the stores that the magazines are shilling for, preferring for many reasons (okay damn it I'm cheap) thrift stores, discount places (like Ross) and the DNE camp store once a year.
My conclusion is most of these magazines suck. For further evidence that there is a conspiracy going on I draw your attention to this site which clearly depicts all that the magazine do to make us feel inferior, Sisyphus-like in our struggle to work toward an ideal that doesn't exist. It is a world wide campaign to gaslight women into ignoring the greater ills of society, asking them instead to spiral inward. Yes, I know I confessed recently to having great hordes of magazines that I don't subscribe, ones that just arrive at my mailbox. One would think I would toss them out into the recylcing rather than leaf through any of them. One would be wrong. I dream over the jewelry, the shoes - oh the shoes! Yeah, I know. Of all the sinister things of the patriarchy, I drool over high heels, impractical mica-thin soled images of glamour.
However, every so often there is a gem of an article. Okay not in Glam*ur. Certainly not in Eb*ny - good lord! Redbook, sigh, tries for something but simplies misses every time. But Jane is irreverant, fun, and a bit outside the regular culture. And surprise of surprises, Elle in most issues carries at least one article of real import - who would have guessed! Color me shocked. Not enough to subscribe, or to miss it's delivery when it stops magically appearing, but it brings a small smile to my face which almost cancels out the sting in my eyes and the ache in my lungs from the perfume samples the rag is riddled with.
I am thinking of starting my first magazine subscribe in years however. Bust is something I could really get into on a regular basis. The website has me laughing, yelling, bobbing my head in agreement and threatens my funds when I visit their online store. Along with lurking on blogs (don't even ask how many I have bookmarked) their forum pages require regular visits.
Oh, yes the title indicated proof. Yesterday morning this is how I woke up. Lying almost completely on my belly (unusual as I am committed side-lying sleeper) there was Elliot between me and the edge of the bed and between my legs was Wyatt, resting his head on my ample butt. Did I mention that Wyatt loves resting his head on a pillow whenever possible - well it seems clear that my butt is as soft and cushiony as a pillow.
Wednesday, January 04, 2006
I got up for this?
I need a shower. And I mean right now. There is an oil spill masquerading as my hair, I went to the dog park yesterday followed by an excursion to Cost*o which entailed pushing a cart containing 50 pounds of cat litter up and down the food aisles making careful decisions about our food choices (trying for healthy, compromising with things like a HUGE bag of Ruffl*s for The Girl Friend), making huge financial decision, like is $2.00 a pound really a good price for Quak*r Oats and do we need SO frigging much of it.
These items were besides the essentials we came in for, which were:
* chicken thighs, so we can make our own cat food (yes we really do that)
* pigs ears, Cost*o has the best price and we spoil Wyatt in this way
* cigarettes, Cost*o has the best price and we spoil The Girl Friend in this way
* coffee, organic, shade grown 3lb of manna from heaven for less than $12.00!!!
In an uncharactistic fashion, because it's a tad chilly in the homestead this am, I gather up the clothes that are going to pass as dressed a la Fly Lady this morning, prance happily into the chilly bathroom and turn the faucets. Because I am smart, I stick my hand in to test the temperature, a trick I learned somewhere and deemed a good idea - ACK freezing cold water.
Yeah, yeah, I am from hippie stock (hence my name, Dharma) but it has been at least one spin of that karmic wheel since I took cold showers between yoga postures and meditation. They were short and didn't involve hair washing! Yes, I could take a freezing cold shower and get something resembling clean hair, but, but.... Okay a clue here - The Girl Friend nicknamed my desktop computer "Princess".
We cleverly deduce that the pilot light must be out since we have heat and electricity. A phone call to PG&Hell reveals that they will not be able to come out until tomorrow to relight, and it's a frigging all day appointment - 8am - 8pm! God Lord. The Girl Friend bravely goes to investigate the situation and discovers that the cement padded cell that contains our hot water heater and furnance in this niche below ground level (one can crawl under the house easily) has standing water of about 2-3 inches. Viola - explanation found for no hot water. Sump pump anyone?
Right at this moment she is searching for deals on wet/dry vacs online. I remark blithely that she wanted one of those anyway. Sigh.
Here I sit, half dressed in the clothes for the day, with hair that has Chevron begging.
These items were besides the essentials we came in for, which were:
* chicken thighs, so we can make our own cat food (yes we really do that)
* pigs ears, Cost*o has the best price and we spoil Wyatt in this way
* cigarettes, Cost*o has the best price and we spoil The Girl Friend in this way
* coffee, organic, shade grown 3lb of manna from heaven for less than $12.00!!!
In an uncharactistic fashion, because it's a tad chilly in the homestead this am, I gather up the clothes that are going to pass as dressed a la Fly Lady this morning, prance happily into the chilly bathroom and turn the faucets. Because I am smart, I stick my hand in to test the temperature, a trick I learned somewhere and deemed a good idea - ACK freezing cold water.
Yeah, yeah, I am from hippie stock (hence my name, Dharma) but it has been at least one spin of that karmic wheel since I took cold showers between yoga postures and meditation. They were short and didn't involve hair washing! Yes, I could take a freezing cold shower and get something resembling clean hair, but, but.... Okay a clue here - The Girl Friend nicknamed my desktop computer "Princess".
We cleverly deduce that the pilot light must be out since we have heat and electricity. A phone call to PG&Hell reveals that they will not be able to come out until tomorrow to relight, and it's a frigging all day appointment - 8am - 8pm! God Lord. The Girl Friend bravely goes to investigate the situation and discovers that the cement padded cell that contains our hot water heater and furnance in this niche below ground level (one can crawl under the house easily) has standing water of about 2-3 inches. Viola - explanation found for no hot water. Sump pump anyone?
Right at this moment she is searching for deals on wet/dry vacs online. I remark blithely that she wanted one of those anyway. Sigh.
Here I sit, half dressed in the clothes for the day, with hair that has Chevron begging.
Sunday, January 01, 2006
The Beasts of Cedar Street
Wyatt, he looks so sweet and well behaved, doesn't he? Believe me, this is not how he is all the time. Not even close. A frequent refrain around here is, "Boy, it's a good thing you're cute!"
Grace came with The Girl Friend. She is a regal, loving feline who is the queen of the house.
Atticus you have already been introduced to in a previous post. His nickname is Stitch, as in "Lilo & Stitch". One moment he is the sweetest thing, the next he is in attack mode. He was very sick when we took him in as a foster and we really didn't think he would make it but his is growing into a beautiful cat.
Joia is our mama kitty. She arrived with her daughter, Jewels, and orphaned Gemma, both of whom nursed from her. Joia has some of the most striking face marking I have ever seen.
Gemma is our gray manx, bunny girl is a nickname. She has the greatest personality, very sweet and independent. She stole my heart so fast that it blew me away.
Elliott stole my heart almost the minute we brought him in to foster. He is the most elegant looking cat with his black and white fur. He has one of the best personalities ever!
As you can see we fostered animals and though you wouldn't know it from the crew above we didn't adopt every animal we fostered.
We didn't keep: Jewels (Joia's daughter), Orion, Calliope, Shenoa, Clown, Carson, Reno, Nevada or Laylu. Henri had a home though we were tempted to steal him. Trying to think, was there anyone else... There were two kittens who died also - Larissa and Robin.
We planned on adopting a puppy, which is how we got Wyatt -he was the only planned child.
Enter 2006
I suppose it seems that given the time of year that one should have something of import to write about, but I don't. The last week has been lovely in so many ways and I have taken time since solstice to reflect and ponder. This past year has been full, very full, emotional in stunning ways, revealing, with periods of grieving, and great eras of joy.
This time last year I was recognizing how much I needed to reorientate my life, almost against my will to be with The Girl Friend and move away from the partner I had been with for almost 12 years. We three tried all sorts of things, planned great plans, dreamed of unique ways to be a unit that was whole and connected. In the end, everything showed my path was elsewhere despite the pain it caused me, and ultimately others, especially my other partner. The transition period was rough, mostly because I entered it kicking and screaming for an easier way. Through it all I never questioned the ending of my long term relationship. Terror would run through me when I realized how much I was changing everything for a woman I had been with for less than a year. However I would remind myself that growth is hard and worth it, that your life has a path and as it is walked, you have to make choices, all choices have consequences - that very often there is no wrong choice, just the one that you make.
I moved to a house that is the closest to my dream space as I have ever had and we have filled it with animals, love, and possibilites. Along with a truck load of stuff. In many ways I feel more myself than I have in a long time. I am more social. I am in a couple that is capable of being social. We have already had two large-ish parties, created a special tradition for this time of year - that is amazing to me.
My mother's diagnosis of cancer has yielded some incredible moments for me. Many of them are within myself, in my ability to grieve, to be angry, to delight in her. I remain awestruck by our visit in November. It was one of the best times I can ever remember having with her. My love for her, my ability to simply be with her was such a gift, I hope for both of us.
I have rediscovered deep love of my animals that for some reason was a bit locked away for a very long time. The attachment I have to some of the other species in my household blow me away - the vast of love I feel is incredible. It is like I have been able to access something buried that I didn't even realize I was missing. Again, I feel so blessed.
Last night, at about 20 minutes before midnight, we and Wyatt, went off to the dog park. From Point Isabel one has a lovely view of the city and we wanted to see the fireworks. They were beautiful. But more beautiful was sitting, cuddled into The Girl Friend, Wyatt in the back seat and just being there, in the moment. It was a short, quiet, semi-private (there were a few other cars there) celebration and I hope to do it next year.
This time last year I was recognizing how much I needed to reorientate my life, almost against my will to be with The Girl Friend and move away from the partner I had been with for almost 12 years. We three tried all sorts of things, planned great plans, dreamed of unique ways to be a unit that was whole and connected. In the end, everything showed my path was elsewhere despite the pain it caused me, and ultimately others, especially my other partner. The transition period was rough, mostly because I entered it kicking and screaming for an easier way. Through it all I never questioned the ending of my long term relationship. Terror would run through me when I realized how much I was changing everything for a woman I had been with for less than a year. However I would remind myself that growth is hard and worth it, that your life has a path and as it is walked, you have to make choices, all choices have consequences - that very often there is no wrong choice, just the one that you make.
I moved to a house that is the closest to my dream space as I have ever had and we have filled it with animals, love, and possibilites. Along with a truck load of stuff. In many ways I feel more myself than I have in a long time. I am more social. I am in a couple that is capable of being social. We have already had two large-ish parties, created a special tradition for this time of year - that is amazing to me.
My mother's diagnosis of cancer has yielded some incredible moments for me. Many of them are within myself, in my ability to grieve, to be angry, to delight in her. I remain awestruck by our visit in November. It was one of the best times I can ever remember having with her. My love for her, my ability to simply be with her was such a gift, I hope for both of us.
I have rediscovered deep love of my animals that for some reason was a bit locked away for a very long time. The attachment I have to some of the other species in my household blow me away - the vast of love I feel is incredible. It is like I have been able to access something buried that I didn't even realize I was missing. Again, I feel so blessed.
Last night, at about 20 minutes before midnight, we and Wyatt, went off to the dog park. From Point Isabel one has a lovely view of the city and we wanted to see the fireworks. They were beautiful. But more beautiful was sitting, cuddled into The Girl Friend, Wyatt in the back seat and just being there, in the moment. It was a short, quiet, semi-private (there were a few other cars there) celebration and I hope to do it next year.
Friday, December 30, 2005
Pyro Kitty
Now we see why the candles were all over the table the other night.
Sure enough he knocked one out right in front of us.
But then the poor guy burned his nose! Which was followed immediately by a sneeze. (This guy sneezes A LOT.) He kept licking his nose, like "Wait a minute, that didn't feel good!".
He stayed away fromt he candles and we were able to let them burn out on their own tonight.
Drawn to the light
Atticus pondered the candles, as he has every chance possible this holiday.
Don't the candle colors look lovely against his grey coat?
The white candle is one of a pair that were lit during our dinner of potato soup and those fabulous dinner rolls.
It took no time at from lighting the menorah to cat on the table.
None at all.
Luckily we had mostly cleared the table before he jumped up. Really it took no time
Random thoughts none require
an individual post.
1 - I was surprised, honored and delighted to see my blog entered on someone else's blogroll. Someone I don't know personally! The delightful Ancrene Wiseass. I am touched really as I admired her work.
2 - My last post, showed me that I am capable of long winded writing. Sheesh. Who knew?
3 - This morning I got up and while brushing my teeth looked in the mirror and thought, "Wow, I have serious sexy bedhead this morning." No really, I honestly was reminded of Bridget Bardot! For those who aren't well associated with me in person, let me assure you that normally I spy myself in the mirror and start listing all that's wrong with what I see. It is quite an occasion for me to look in the mirror and think, "hey there Sexy!". What was really funny is that The Girl Friend had the same response to my look this a.m. Even down to the Bridget Bardot part. Believe me, the hair is the only resemblance I have to this gorgeous woman.
4 - Trader Joe's has the BEST Cherry preserves on earth. I'm telling ya, sex in a jar. Yum!
5 - I am continuing to enjoy this winter holiday season. Only Atticus makes the channukah candles a dangerous feat. I have never seen a cat so fascinated by fire. The night before last I looked and saw that one of the candles had gone out before it was spent. Odd, I thought. Later I looked closer only to find that all the other candles had been knocked out and were sprawled across the newspaper on the table, complete with burned out sections of the paper! Last night Atticus jumped on the table, staring, hypnotized by the flames, inching closer and closer. It was decided for safety sake to blow the candles out. Tonight the camera will hopefully capture our pyromanaical feline in action.
1 - I was surprised, honored and delighted to see my blog entered on someone else's blogroll. Someone I don't know personally! The delightful Ancrene Wiseass. I am touched really as I admired her work.
2 - My last post, showed me that I am capable of long winded writing. Sheesh. Who knew?
3 - This morning I got up and while brushing my teeth looked in the mirror and thought, "Wow, I have serious sexy bedhead this morning." No really, I honestly was reminded of Bridget Bardot! For those who aren't well associated with me in person, let me assure you that normally I spy myself in the mirror and start listing all that's wrong with what I see. It is quite an occasion for me to look in the mirror and think, "hey there Sexy!". What was really funny is that The Girl Friend had the same response to my look this a.m. Even down to the Bridget Bardot part. Believe me, the hair is the only resemblance I have to this gorgeous woman.
4 - Trader Joe's has the BEST Cherry preserves on earth. I'm telling ya, sex in a jar. Yum!
5 - I am continuing to enjoy this winter holiday season. Only Atticus makes the channukah candles a dangerous feat. I have never seen a cat so fascinated by fire. The night before last I looked and saw that one of the candles had gone out before it was spent. Odd, I thought. Later I looked closer only to find that all the other candles had been knocked out and were sprawled across the newspaper on the table, complete with burned out sections of the paper! Last night Atticus jumped on the table, staring, hypnotized by the flames, inching closer and closer. It was decided for safety sake to blow the candles out. Tonight the camera will hopefully capture our pyromanaical feline in action.
Horrors of the Beauty Ideal
While browsing one of the huge pile of magazines recently referenced that overflow my living room, I happened on an article that left me dern near speechless. For those that know me, that is quite feat. What publication could possibly contain an article of this magnitude? Well it was one that I don’t recall ever seeing anywhere. At this juncture, I feel compelled to state for the record to my dear readers that I don’t subscribe to any magazines, these denizens of deforested land oozing with scent strips that bring on asthma and itching eyes just appear in my home. I swear.
Women’s Health and Fitness. July 2005. Now I realize that the cover headlines should have warned me to just toss it into recycling like I do to Ebony because the writing in that tabloid so atrocious as to embarrass a fifth grader. “Have more SEX! and 22 other ways to be healthier TODAY” “Is your job making you FAT?” “Spray on tans: Are they safe?” All of that should have warned me that opening this glossy example of misogynistic rot would enrage me. Sure the concept that a job makes one fat is silly, though possible. I absolutely agree that having sex is part of being healthy. But but but…. “Designer Vaginas” by Anka Radakovich just sent me seething. Yes, I do know about the Laser Vaginoplasty and am incredibly dismayed by the concept that women feel and are being encouraged to feel that there is something wrong with the look of their lovely vaginas. The brilliant and a tad maniacal Twisty of I Blame the Patriarchy had an excellent commentary on this subject a few months ago that had me laughing, fuming and nodding my head a lot. We all look different, even our vaginas look different – isn’t that all part of the miraculous thing called being human? I remember marveling at the photos in A New View of A Woman’s Body in the early 80’s of all the different ways we look. I thought it was a fantastic opportunity for women to learn about the diversity of our nether regions and embrace it. Okay, I was idealistic and working at Eve’s Garden at the time. The truth is I haven’t changed my views, but my career as a sex toy seller has ended though I do preach the gospel of visiting one’s local sex positive toy store (in my case Good Vibrations).
So, yes I knew that there are hacks surgeons advertising and performing laser vaginoplasty because god forbid there are females going around having two different size labia lips. We all know that breasts, especially surgically modified ones are perfectly identical (cough!). I realized that women were having one side reduced, and I suppose I wasn’t too surprise to read that some women are having them pumped with fat (from where, she wonders with horror) to give them “pouty” lips, or to have liposuctioned mound because it was too pouty? How can one’s pubic mound be fat? How fat phobic are we? OMG.
Now we get the surgical “advance” that had me sputtering, and The Girl Friend had to speak soothingly to me to bring me back to speech. Vaginal Rejuvenation. Apparently there is a common complaint among women that they feel looser after giving birth and this is a bad thing. As a doula and childbirth educator I had always heard and taught and had reported to me that giving birth increase the folds in vaginal canal (wish I had a better word that didn’t reference a manmade tunnel) which, whoa, increase pleasure. Apparently not. This surgery is designed to tighten the vaginal walls. Using a laser the pelvic floor is CUT!, then this lovely Doctor Matlock “reduces the diameter of the vagina, tightening it up and improving the friction. The procedure, ‘is all about sex,’ he says.” Sure for someone who has $3000 to $7000 dollars and are willing to be in pain for 2 days, and who can take a week off of work. What about working out those muscles, you know the “elevator” trick. And did you know that men should kegel too? In the article the Doctor Frankenstein actually is quoted as saying the surgery results in a “post virginal/prechildbearing state.” ACK! He also says he gets thank you notes, and flowers from husbands. Aha. So really this is for men, but women get to do all the work. As usual.
But wait, there’s more! Another procedure is the “G-spot injection”. Again, if you have $1800, are willing to have a few hours of throbbing pain you too can have your g-spot injected with collagen which will apparently make it more sensitive and creates more powerful and intense orgasms. The collagen in absorbed back into the body in about fours months, but women report that there is a lasting benefit of an increased awareness of their g-spots. Hm, some good sessions with some toys, a good lover, or even just by yourself should be able to accomplish all this without sticking a damn needle into honored tissues. (While searching for links for this paragraph I found this one, which is amazing. I'm not saying good or bad, but the name of the site just has me tickled. For one of the ultimate sources of self pleasure and learning about your body's responses, I would encourage you to at least look at this website. Ms. Dodson is quite spectular on many levels, I can say this as I have actually spent time with her, socially. I don't agree with everything she has said or written over the years (no one fits that criteria, I mean really!) but she is fabulous for what she has done and helped to bring about significant changes in our views on sexuality.
In a rejection of the contents of the article referenced, and because we all have a roll in changing society, I would encourage all of my 4 readers to think about submitting artwork to this. I would be happy to offer my photographic abilities to your submission. For those that think this is merely a flirtatious device, let me assure you that it is, however it is backed by the fact that I was once upon a long time ago a photography major and I prefer black and white film.
End of Year Book Meme
A favorite blogger of mine, Ancrene Wiseass (with that name who could one not love her?) did a meme about books. I haven't the foggiest notion of whether she came up with this one, or found it somewhere, but it amused me.
(However, I am not amused by use of the word "meme" to describe these things. I had to learn all about the meme concept in my first semester of graduate school where the proscribed reading included, Flow by Mihaly Cskiszentmihalyi.
Regardless, the meme from Ancrene:
1) First, name 5 (preferably non-work-related) books have you read and especially liked this year.
2) Second, list books you've received or bought for yourself lately.
3) And finally, name 33 books or series of books that changed you or your life in some way. These don't have to be the most influential books you've read; trying to come up with that list would just be nerve-wracking for most of us. (And yes, I know 33 is a strange number, but I like that it's both symmetrical and odd. Not to mention that "3" is a sign of pluralism or completion in Western numerology. So there.)
1- is kinda hard. I can only think of one non-work related book I've read this year. Hell, I have barely cracked open the two dozen books of assigned reading for my courses!
Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz. Really, I think that's it. Magazines, sure. Although given the stack in my living which dates back to July, one would think I don't read those either. I'm working on it folks. In fact an article I read this morning from a July rendition of a rag will probably for the grist for another entry. Scary but true. I can't think of another book I've read this year.
2 - Not including school? Hm.
a- Easy Knitted Accessories, by Jeanette Trotman
b - Weekend Knitting, by Melanie Falick
c - Scarves - A knitter's dozen, by XRX Books
d - Pedagogy of the Oppressed, which wound up on a reading list for school!
e - ????
See a theme here?
Thirty-three books that changed me in some way:
- Letters to a Young Poet, Rilke
- To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee
- Like Water for Chocolate, Laura Esquivel
- Lolita, just celebrated it's 50th anniversary
- God’s Bits of Wood
- The Reluctant Princess
- Flow, see above
- Mary Poppins
- Little Women
- Ms Magazine – my family were among the first subscribers
- I was a Teenaged Dwarf, Max Shulman
- The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, Max Shulman
- Gone to Soldiers, Marge Piercy
- Madame Bovery
- Lady Chatterley’s Lover
- Till We Have Faces, C.S. Lewis
- Zami, A New Spelling of My Name, Audre Lord
- The Buddhist Tradition, William Theodore De Bary
- Positive Magic, Marion Weinstein
- Coming to Power, Samois
- Dracula, Bram Stroker
- Spiritual Midwifery, Ina May Gaskin
- The Woman Warrior, Maxine Hong Kingston
- Dreaming the Dark, Starhawk
- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl
- Skinny Legs and All, Tom Robbins
- Jitterbug Perfume, Tom Robbins
- Prairie Kitchen Sampler, E Mae Fritz
- Yankee
- Lesbian/Woman, Martin & Lyons
- Delta of Venus, Anais Nin
- Lakota Woman, Dog Mary Crow
Prairie Kitchen Sampler is on the list because it is a memoir that includes the recipes that were common to the decade she is writing about, truly eye-opening for someone who grew up in NYC and when electricity was a given.
Max Shulman's writing in these books is so crisp, so articulate, such graceful grammar! Imagine my delight and surprise when I saw one of the chapters in my college English course reading. It opened up a whole new appreciate for his work.
Positive Magic confirmed some beliefs about how the universe worked.
Dreaming the Dark melded the spiritual and the political for me.
I can still remember sitting on the couch in my apartment on Vanderbilt Avenue in Brooklyn, reading passages aloud in order to grasp the enomority of what I was reading in The Buddhist Tradition. It was that book that confirmed a change in my college career.
These days, other than brainless magazines and knitting magazines, books and website, my reading list is school directed and has included (this list does not imply I have finished, or even started some of these :-)
Evolution's Rainbow.
Flow
Uprooting Racism
The Spirit Catches Us
Issues and Ethics in the Helping Profession
Critical Theories of Psychological development
Lives Across Cultures
Clinical Handbook of Family Therapy
Treating Troubled Children and Their Families
Intimate Worlds
Foundations of Family Therapy
Sane Society
These sorts of things have been sitting on my shelves collecting dust and randomly shaken from their cobwebs in my wild periodic attempts to actually do coursework.
Tuesday, December 27, 2005
New Traditions with Family
Last night was simply lovely. It really was. The Girl Friend and I have been starting our holiday season traditions. We decided to have some people, who we consider family, over to light the chanukah candles with us.
Of course this necessitated cooking, because, well I was one of the hosts. Going to my ultimate source, Cooks Illustrated (are you seeing a pattern here?), I scored a latke recipe which also covered how to making them earlier in the day and have them not taste like hockey pucks. November/December 1999, in case you need to find it. Let me assure you that they were great! As an aside, made without flour thus suitable for those with gluten issues. Seriously the best latkes I have ever had, best GF ever had and let us remember she is very picky about all things food.
In addition I made sufganiot (or soufganiot depending on where you are reading, speaking of which did you know that there are approximately a dozen different spellings for chanukah), which are jelly doughnuts. For these however I did not use my ultimate source, instead using another excellent source, The Book of Jewish Food, by Claudia Roden. This book is definitely a book to read and to use. Again, excellent recipe. I have made this one before but only once maybe twice before and not for years upon years. I used cherry preserves and apricot preserves for the fillings.
We socialized, lit candles, watched the most excellent video The Girl Friend made about our niece - not a dry eye in the house, I tell ya! Ate latkes with applesauce and sour cream. Fried up the doughnuts which were quickly devoured.
Our guests were:
Jennie, her son Graham (age 5.5 years), and her mother, Sharon -who had never see a menorah lit and was so gracious about the event.
Sue and Sarah, and their baby boy Isaiah (age 1.5 years).
Ruthie and Akilah, and their children Isabella (almost 5 years) and Ben (just over 2 years).
It was a lovely, lovely evening and one we hope to make an annual tradition, although next year I will make way more latkes and sufganiot!
After everyone left The Girlfriend and I exchanged gifts for the second night of chanukah. I found a Hallmark Keepsake Ornament of Tigger - a huge fav of GF. It was perfect, I wish you all could have seen her face when she opened it. I got a calendar of pin-up art! I love love pin-up art. Even my checks have babes on them. Huh, maybe they have been discontinued because I can't find them on their website. Oh I just found it, only it's a new artist. Good thing I need to order checks with my new address!
Tonight, The Girlfriend had a choice of gifts to open, the magazine she picked out today or one of two unknown gifts. Hee hee. Drove her nuts. She chose this gift, which upon seeing what it was said "You rock!". I am doing so well with the gifting so far. Yeah me. She gave me one I had picked out, which is filling me glee! But I am NOT going to open it until January 1st to peek at it. Well at least that's what I'm saying right now.
I am so enjoying life right now.
Of course this necessitated cooking, because, well I was one of the hosts. Going to my ultimate source, Cooks Illustrated (are you seeing a pattern here?), I scored a latke recipe which also covered how to making them earlier in the day and have them not taste like hockey pucks. November/December 1999, in case you need to find it. Let me assure you that they were great! As an aside, made without flour thus suitable for those with gluten issues. Seriously the best latkes I have ever had, best GF ever had and let us remember she is very picky about all things food.
In addition I made sufganiot (or soufganiot depending on where you are reading, speaking of which did you know that there are approximately a dozen different spellings for chanukah), which are jelly doughnuts. For these however I did not use my ultimate source, instead using another excellent source, The Book of Jewish Food, by Claudia Roden. This book is definitely a book to read and to use. Again, excellent recipe. I have made this one before but only once maybe twice before and not for years upon years. I used cherry preserves and apricot preserves for the fillings.
We socialized, lit candles, watched the most excellent video The Girl Friend made about our niece - not a dry eye in the house, I tell ya! Ate latkes with applesauce and sour cream. Fried up the doughnuts which were quickly devoured.
Our guests were:
Jennie, her son Graham (age 5.5 years), and her mother, Sharon -who had never see a menorah lit and was so gracious about the event.
Sue and Sarah, and their baby boy Isaiah (age 1.5 years).
Ruthie and Akilah, and their children Isabella (almost 5 years) and Ben (just over 2 years).
It was a lovely, lovely evening and one we hope to make an annual tradition, although next year I will make way more latkes and sufganiot!
After everyone left The Girlfriend and I exchanged gifts for the second night of chanukah. I found a Hallmark Keepsake Ornament of Tigger - a huge fav of GF. It was perfect, I wish you all could have seen her face when she opened it. I got a calendar of pin-up art! I love love pin-up art. Even my checks have babes on them. Huh, maybe they have been discontinued because I can't find them on their website. Oh I just found it, only it's a new artist. Good thing I need to order checks with my new address!
Tonight, The Girlfriend had a choice of gifts to open, the magazine she picked out today or one of two unknown gifts. Hee hee. Drove her nuts. She chose this gift, which upon seeing what it was said "You rock!". I am doing so well with the gifting so far. Yeah me. She gave me one I had picked out, which is filling me glee! But I am NOT going to open it until January 1st to peek at it. Well at least that's what I'm saying right now.
I am so enjoying life right now.
A shopping we will go
Finally Jennie and I had our date to shop at Skein Lane, Friday before christmas. Jennie, who rocks! presented me with a gift certificate to said shop. Sharon, Jennie's mom (she who also rocks!) and I tromped off while The Girl Friend hung at our homestead with Jennie's son, Graham.
What fun we had! I had printed off a great number of patterns before going and carefully chose ones to bring with me that I really wanted to try to find yarn for. The Girl Friend has requested a scarf, mittens, and a hat though she realizes that this may all take awhile. Girl Friend decided that she like a pattern I had found for Jennie (different link for She Who Rocks, btw - it's her knitting blog!) recently.
On Jennie's site you can see the yarn that she is using. I found this great stuff for GF - Classic Elite's Inca Alpaca in color board 3, color 1182, Heather Violet. It is SO soft and, I think, the color is perfect for her. I chose the Heart scarf pattern by Stephanie Roy for my mother. For her scarf, I found this delicous yarn, Ornaghi Filati, Country, Le Fantasie. It's 50% wool, 10% alpaca, and 40% acrylic in this fantastic deep pink.
Okay I have just been all over the net trying to find a link for this damn yarn, really. usa sites, candian sites, Ornaghi's site over in italy. Nowhere!!! Weird. Seriously I can't find it on Ornaghi's site - lots of other yummy looking yarn, but not what I bought. Anyway, it's beautiful.
Oh and then, I just couldn't resist some yarn on ebay. I know! I've got it bad. I bought skeins and skeins of this, I just know I'll use to make something for our niece, Leigh and 4 of this, maybe for me {gasp}. I probably bought enough of the pinkish one to make an entire wardrobe for Leigh, but I just loved it. If I don't when I get it I am sure I can resell it or barter. Also I am keeping an eye on this yarn for our friend Jeriann. Jeriann loves blue, apparently baby blue especially but I don't know if I can do that color. This yarn look yummy and since she lives in Ohio, I figure a good scarf is needed.
Jennie, all of this is your fault.
What fun we had! I had printed off a great number of patterns before going and carefully chose ones to bring with me that I really wanted to try to find yarn for. The Girl Friend has requested a scarf, mittens, and a hat though she realizes that this may all take awhile. Girl Friend decided that she like a pattern I had found for Jennie (different link for She Who Rocks, btw - it's her knitting blog!) recently.
On Jennie's site you can see the yarn that she is using. I found this great stuff for GF - Classic Elite's Inca Alpaca in color board 3, color 1182, Heather Violet. It is SO soft and, I think, the color is perfect for her. I chose the Heart scarf pattern by Stephanie Roy for my mother. For her scarf, I found this delicous yarn, Ornaghi Filati, Country, Le Fantasie. It's 50% wool, 10% alpaca, and 40% acrylic in this fantastic deep pink.
Okay I have just been all over the net trying to find a link for this damn yarn, really. usa sites, candian sites, Ornaghi's site over in italy. Nowhere!!! Weird. Seriously I can't find it on Ornaghi's site - lots of other yummy looking yarn, but not what I bought. Anyway, it's beautiful.
Oh and then, I just couldn't resist some yarn on ebay. I know! I've got it bad. I bought skeins and skeins of this, I just know I'll use to make something for our niece, Leigh and 4 of this, maybe for me {gasp}. I probably bought enough of the pinkish one to make an entire wardrobe for Leigh, but I just loved it. If I don't when I get it I am sure I can resell it or barter. Also I am keeping an eye on this yarn for our friend Jeriann. Jeriann loves blue, apparently baby blue especially but I don't know if I can do that color. This yarn look yummy and since she lives in Ohio, I figure a good scarf is needed.
Jennie, all of this is your fault.
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