Kids these days

Soon, I will have the option to drive to work. My new route will be easier by car than by MBTA, and the parking is free. But I'm not sure I can stomach the rush hour traffic, and now that the snow has started (over 4 inches this week!) I'm wary of winter driving.

I know, I know, driving is MUCH more luxurious and clean (for an individual, not the environment obvi) and free parking is seriously awesome. But I get a lot of reading done on the T and love love love an aboveground trip.

Plus, if I was in my own little car bubble, listening to Bob Oakes, I'd also miss the awesome people watching.

Earlier this week, I wedged myself into a crowded D line train to ride home. There was NO ROOM to move. That same day on my trip into the city a little gray haired lady had rested her head on my back (leaning her forehead on my coat) while we were standing, so even though I could see the pores on the person's face in front of me at least I didn't have someone napping on my nice wool jacket. A 30-something guy wheeled his little toddler onto the car in a stroller at Longwood, and the people who had been throwing elbows, knees, and computer bags to eke out an extra square foot of personal space all sighed and sacrificed their hard earned breathing room to make room for The Kid in his carriage.

Props to the parent for providing his charge with an activity for the duration of the ride - instead of waxing cranky the kid was busy furiously scribbling away in a coloring book. Actually, it wasn't just a coloring book, but the super fancy schmancy 21st century version of a paint-with-water coloring book - you know, the type where you used to dip a brush in water to activate the paint pigments in a bunch of Disney princesses. They got muddy-looking and the paper was really thin, so of course they dried out in weird ways and Ariel would look more like Flotsam or Jetsam. This book was much cooler, themed "Mickey's Clubhouse" with crisp images that would be revealed as they were "painted" over, and a little brush complete with its own reservoir for water.

So this kid is going to town on his coloring book, pausing every once in a while to bat away a bag overhanging his stroller space. I noticed he was putting a lot of pressure on the "paint brush" and not getting much water out of it. The line between frustrated toddler and Epic Tantrum Situation is super fine, so I considered saying something to the father to help his kid out.

But I didn't have to worry.

The kid glared at his ineffective paint brush. Then he gave the half colored image a good hard look, stuck out his tongue, and did a face plant on the page. He used his own spit to color in Mickey's face.

I looked around the train - everyone was either in a smart phone coma or was lost in a "whatamigonnamakefordinner" stare, and no one else seemed to have witnessed Little Picasso in action.

See? I might actually miss the T after all.

Little Monsters

Oh Gaga.

The show last night was phenomenal. I was on cloud nine. I sometimes have a hard time getting excited about live shows, probably because crowds can make me anxious, but last night was the major exception. Whoever they are, the Haus of Gaga put on an incredible show and I'm so glad I had the chance to go (with an equally ecstatic date, of course).

The respect I have for Lady Gaga as a performer is probably the closest I'll ever get to fanaticism. She's a machine! She was a powerhouse on stage and the thought and attention to detail that went into the show was remarkable. Her outfits - especially the one with the armored gold bikini-esque piece paired with an Egyptian headdress (complete with Anubis ears) and the body suit made out of dissembled machine guns - aren't just revealing. They're cheeky deconstructions of the pop star as a sex symbol. Gaga was carried aloft by her hunky dancers as often as she "fought" them off in her choreography.

Gaga, apparently euphoric to hear about her 5 Grammy noms, declared her love for her fans - but she affectionately calls us her Little Monsters, and spent a lot of the show bating the audience. Her curtain call was part bow/part slouch, during which she bared her teeth at the crowd. And there was no encore, just an odd video close-up of her receiving a tattoo - the word "Dad" inside a heart - while some mournful sounding opera played. She kept the fans - many of whom dressed that night to pay her aesthetic homage - at arm's length.

The contant running of her defenses works for her, and enables the "risktaking" that makes her so fascinating as a pop artist. I'm so intrigued - and it doesn't hurt that her music is like a best-of-the-best amalgamation of pop from the past 20 years and she's got the chops to pull it off. I'm hooked.

Just Dance

Guess who has a new job that starts in two weeks?

And tickets to see Lady Gaga tomorrow?

THIS GIRL.

Yup! These things, career and Gaga, they rate very highly for me.

And alas, Thanksgiving vacation is over already. It was wonderful to be at home, stuffed with turkey and trying out Zumba at the Y with my mom (and an intrepid journalist as you'll see by the link). We saw The Fantastic Mr. Fox (I highly recommend it) and my mom gave me her ticket to see the Sabres beat the helmets off the Hurricanes Saturday night. With the frenzy that's to come with this new job (new position new coworkers new dress code new commute new everything it's so exciting!) and the holiday hustle and bustle... I need another break just thinking about it.

Alright, off to see if I can download some Zumba classes online...

goodness gracious

Sun is shining, it's a bee-you-tee-full day.

Guess what I saw on Friday? A trash can on fire. To be more specific, a Metro News recycling bin on fire. Bet you've never seen one of those before. Yup, I was just standing waiting for the T, minding my own business, thinking about camp and s'mores... Well anyway this lady in a striped scarf walked up to me and said, "Hi, this is weird, but, I have a question."

She broke the code! She acknowledged a fellow T commuter! But no worries, being the friendly, charming person I am I said something witty and intelligent like, "What?"

She gestures behind her and says, "Um, do you think I should call that in?" And I notice the bin with the bag with a little fire inside, crackling away.

My Girl Scout training kicked in and I said "Definitely! You should!" and then I told her she was a good citizen or whatever. And next thing we know there are fire trucks pulling up to put out the fire that has now expanded and engulfed the whole plastic bag in the bin, sending out huge clouds of black smoke. Weird, no? What kind of idiot would set a fire like that? And even if it was an "accident" what kind of idiot would put a cigarette out in a BAG FULL OF PAPER? Hoo boy that was the highlight of my day, I can tell you that.

Then on Saturday, the highlight of my day was seeing a lady put her butt on her head. Bet you've never seen that before, either. This, of course, was at an awesome Cirque Mechanics show in Providence, with amazing clowning, juggling, and contortionists.

Tonight is Glee, which is very appropriate because I am in a fantastic mood and could with for nothing better than to see some campy teenage comedy with musical interludes.

On another note, who wants to do all my Christmas shopping for me?

How-to how-to's

When it came time to make our Halloween costumes, I knew what I wanted but I wasn't sure how I'd get there. Mr. Clean was pretty straightforward- bald cap, white clothes, a dab of white paint on the eyebrows (and don't forget a hunky man to pull it off) ... ta da! But a dust bunny? Not so easy.

I knew I wanted gray - and had the dress and tights to take care of that. I also wore silver heels - they are the most amazing shoes I own, so I can't resist working them into a costume (omg they come in purple suede HONEY ARE YOU READING THIS I'M AN 8.5). The bunny part wasn't hard either - I just attacked a set of ears and a tail from a Spirit Halloween store with a can of gray spray paint. FYI Spray paint is kept locked up in art supplies stores these days as a deterrence to a) abusing the substance and b) defacing public property. What a world we live in...

The hardest part was getting the fuzzy look of an actual dust bunny, but thankfully I stumbled across some help on one of my favorite do-it-yourself sites (fashion and crafting advice, if you will) P.S. I Made This. This girl is amazing, and coincidentally she provided a template for a faux fur vest. Easily modified to create a fuzzy bunny, I thought! Alas, a trip to Joann Fabrics did not yield any well-priced gray faux fur. So I ended up with cotton batting (and another chance to use the gray spray paint). I still used the vest template, though, and was pleased with the results.

The crowning touch, haaa, was definitely my Bump-it. Don't judge me, you're just jealous. I had to give a subtle nod to the most ubiquitous of Bunny get-ups, and big hair seemed a tasteful way to achieve that. Their fabulous site, BigHappieHair.com, features hilarious how-to videos and loads of suggestions for adorning your head with the spiky piece of plastic (available in three sizes).

So there you have it: how to create a unique, one of a kind costume pairing that no one will get and leaves you with loads of leftover cotton batting. Quilting bee, anyone?

Advice Advisor

Another crazy week ahead.

One of my obsessions is the ever-entertaining Advice Column. Relationship advice, business advice, crafting advice, cooking advice, etiquette advice... I LOVES IT ALL. Sure, many columns offer reductive rulings on dilemmas that are really subjective, but I adore nothing more than a witty, hardline take on a divisive issue!

One of the best writing assignments I ever had was in high school, writing the faux-advice column for the paper. Not only did I get to dish out advice, I got to write my own questions too! (give me a break, readership was probably only twice that of this blog) Ah the potential for searing social satire! For subtle, yet pointed digs at my vacuous classmates! Actually I was quite tame but I like to pretend I was very daring.

Anywho. Perhaps this is my not-so-subconscious desire to bring order to my hectic life, which is, as usual, in limbo. So one of the things I'd like to do in my blog writing is sharing the stuff I find most helpful. Advice for advice seekers. This will involve a lot of link love, and I'll try to stick to sharing from "qualified" professionals. As in, career advice givers.

Here are two tidbits (one practical, one pragmatic) that I culled from my latest stroll through Slate, my e-life coach. They are exceedingly useful as they are things I commonly fret about.

How to Charge Your Laptop
Apparently my system of running out the battery adhering to a theory of "cycles" just ain't true!

The Happiness Project: How to forgive an accident
Sounds odd, but very helpful to people (like me) who always sweat the small stuff.

delish

Hiho loyal readers - all three of you! This weekend was a delight - live theater, hockey (an admittedly DISMAL Sabres defeat), and home-cooking galore!

My wonderful gastronomically-inclined boyfriend has requested that I detail his kitchen successes because I allegedly have insinuated an imbalance in our cooking skills:

• A fabulous rendition of Mark Bittman's No-Knead Bread plus all sorts of whole grain goodness
• Turkey stock from scratch which turned into...
• Churkey Noodle Stew

For those of you who don't know what churkey is, it is the word one uses to describe a medley of turkey and chicken. Like turducken minus the duck. And I made apple crisp.

My prayers have been answered

I know what everyone's getting for Christmas this year. Chocolate Chip Cheese Balls. Ms. Sedaris would be proud.

Squeaky Clean

Ever wondered what a Dust Bunny would look like if it came to life, and then started an irony-filled relationship with Mr. Clean?



Hm, me neither.

Artist's rendering

This man is amazing. He is an autistic artist that draws massive panoramic drawings - such as the Manhattan skyline - from memory.

On Edge

That line between busy and overwhelmed is so fine... or maybe even dotted.

As Mr. Boyfriend is on his Exciting Business Trip in Chicago, I broke down early and had my first solo weeknight Ice Cream For Dinner last night. Tonight I will compensate by going to the gym and scowling at the BU girls doing Zumba while leaning over an elliptical.

But don't feel sorry for me, because Thursday I'm volunteering at a benefit downtown for the Greater Boston Food Bank, and Friday I'm going to the Donkey Show at the ART for a friend's birthday. Wrap your head around this slice of awesome: a disco interpretation of A Midsummer Night's Dream. I wonder if I can tell her I volunteered in her honor for a birthday gift...

Then Saturday it's Bruins vs. Sabres at the Garden and I'll try to keep my head from exploding over the hockey awesomeness. Wanna hear something crazy? These are the first hockey tickets... maybe even sporting event tickets... I've ever bought on my own. Every other time I've been using my parents' seats or received them as a gift. Am I an adult now?

Halloween was great, we saw a drag show at The Theater Offensive with the famous Joey Arias and Sherry Vine. And our costumes were great, especially since I debuted my Bump-It with my Dust Bunny Ears. I'll rustle up a pic one of these days.

Boo!

Halloween plans? I want to go to Faneuil Hall to giggle at the pet costume contest, but we might not have time because we need to put the finishing touches on our costumes. In the evening we'll spike some cider (fresh from the farm) at our place, then venture out into the world of ghosts and goblins for some Boston frights. And by frights I mean mild be-costumed fun bouncing around the city, because I really don't like to be scared.

A few weeks ago I accidentally clicked on one of those stupid YouTube videos where it's supposed to be a normal video (in this case it was a baby supposed to be doing something funny) but instead the baby's face turns into a MONSTER and it SCREAMS at you. Boyfriends find this sort of thing funny. Girlfriends do not. That's my empirical study and I'm sticking to it.

Oh - our costumes. Originally we were gonna go as Fox Newscasters. But wearing a suit on a weekend would just be blah . So I'm gonna be a Dust Bunny (inspired by my lack of domesticity) and my lovely date has agreed to wear a bald cap and will go as Mr. Clean. Teehee!

Wreally Wrentham

Outlet shopping is hard work, man. This is why I shop a little bit all the time. Because otherwise you end up with (or maybe your boyfriend ends up with) a big long list of boring things to buy (aka things that aren't for you). Also, I do my part for the local economy, instead of schlepping all the way out to Wrentham. In the rain. Up hill both ways. By camel.

Just kidding, we took the Sonata.

I abandoned my post as Helpful Assistant Girlfriend Who Tells You Each & Every Item You Pick Up In Each & Every Store Looks Just Fantastic On You after the very first shop. Then I went a wee bit crazy at Theory but that's okay because I now have four beautiful glamorous pieces that I will never throw out or consign. Now I need somewhere to wear them because now I'm chickening out and think if I wore them to work it would look like I was trying to seduce the Starbucks guys into giving me freebie Pumpkin Spice lattes. Or someone might confuse me for one of the Phoenix staff ladies who look like they're going out for martinis, not crunching numbers in Excel.


And for fun, a new list! This was inspired by the specials board outside the aforementioned Starbucks...

Today's Neuroses:
* Non-stick pans. Is the coating super deadly? Probably. Am I too cheap to buy all new stainless steel cooking gear? Definitely.
* Will anyone be able to identify my Halloween costume? (Dust bunny)

Fall Harvest

We've been cooking lots at home lately - I made fish chowder, Mr. Man made potato and dill soup with chicken sausage, and we've both rustled up some stir-fries/pastas/curries together. Oh, and the calzones. The CALZONES I tell you! Delicious, all of it! Best of all: leftovers for lunch at work = a happy wallet. We're working on balancing who makes dinner since I almost always get home first, so it makes sense for me to start dinner. Mr. Thoughtful had a stroke of genius and chopped up all the produce in the fridge on Sunday night, making dinners infinitely easier this week.

I know there are a lot of convenience options out there, but they're rarely nutritious, involve lots of excess packaging, and taste so bland. Also, they aren't that cost effective. I see lines out the door at Trader Joe's every day and wonder what the heck people are feeding themselves - Lord knows you can't get good produce there, so it must be pre-made stuff. Frozen, canned or boxed. Whyyy?

Guess I can't judge, I'd eat at Indian restaurants every single day if I could, and cheap Thai take-out is my Achille's heel. Not exactly health food, and all that styrofoam is bad news. As I think about the Sig O's upcoming business trips, I alternately pout and fantasize about how I'm going to feed myself. There certainly will be takeout. Perhaps, no, definitely ice cream for dinner during a Mamma Mia sing-along.

So I take objection to this interpretation of the food pyramid. Why attribute fridge-raiding antics and culinary laziness to the men folk alone? Why is it a woman who is assumed to reign in the kitchen?

Cranky. I need lunch.

Drum roll please

Hm. More like a drum stick. We made Buffalo chicken calzones TWICE this week - with "imported" Anchor Bar wing sauce....mmm! Oh right, I was gonna talk about my phone.

Ready for my review of my first Smart phone - the Blackberry Storm?

Well, I'm not.

You see, it kept freezing on me. I was using all the wonderful applications - from the browser (so fast!) to Twitterberry (Yo I'm eating a sandwich right now and Glee is on tonight woot!), and then wondering why I couldn't take a blasted picture when I called up the camera. It completely froze on me at least three times in one week, and I was all ready to march into the Verizon store and demand they replace my phone.

Before taking drastic action I decided to do a little googling - you know, to be a good, well-informed consumer as well as to obey my cautionary instinct as a young woman to avoid the "talk-down" experience at a tech store. Anyhow, the interwebs say the Storm is easily hampered by low memory - not rocket science. But what would cause that on a brand new phone? Too many apps open. So guess what? Nearly every app I've played with since I got the darned machine was...still open. It's deceptively simple to shift back and forth between your browser and maps and camera and back again to your messages just by tapping the red "end call" key to pick and choose from the home page. But that keeps the app running in the background: good for easy multi-tasking - bad for memory.

I closed all but the essentials and already the response is better. I'm re-training myself on how I'm using the phone, taking one extra step to enter a menu to close non-essential apps, and hopefully things will improve further. I feel a little foolish and kind of miss the simplicity of my old phone (RIP, Flippy) but come on - a red button intuitively signals "Abort!"

The fact that I got a bit panicky when the phone was freezing is a good indication of my increasing affection for it - and my dependency on it. So now that I've (hopefully) resolved this hiccup, I can focus on the good stuff:

Speed - When it's fast, it's fast. My gmail even shows up on my Storm faster than on my computer (not that I'm, um, checking both at once). And pictures load up so quickly too! Why, yes, I can INDEED has cheezburger! Which brings me to...

Photos - The Storm takes pictures that - in my humble opinion - are totally rad! I have this neurosis (ha, like there's only one) where I stress about what I would do if I ran into a famous person on the street. Would I ask for their autograph? I don't schlep my library/DVDs around, so they wouldn't have anything appropriate for them to sign! I mean, unless I ran into Kenneth Cole, then he could sign my purse. And could I take a photo with them? With my old phone, everyone looks like the grainy people on Cops who don't sign the release forms. With the Storm - CRYSTAL CLEAR EVIDENCE OF FANDOM!

Appearance - I like the Blackberry interface and enjoy the touch screen. The device as a whole has a nice heft to it, it feels good in my hand and I can find it easily in my purse (thanks to my mom for pointing out the bright pink case would suit just that purpose). I would say that the device seems a bit too sensitive in recognizing orientation, in that a slight tilt will send the whole screen horizontal instead of vertical, and then I kind of have to prod it back to the way I want it.

That's all I can think of right now... when I get a bit more comfortable using music on it I'll write about that too.

This weekend we're off to PumpkinFest in Keene - can't believe it's that time of year again! If I had time I'd whip up one of these costumes, but somehow I just keep getting busier...

Crackberry

It'll be a while before I can give a full review of my new Blackberry Storm, but so far so good!

I've got an awesome bright pink silicone case for it that seems to be doing a good job of protecting my new precious, but I have been looking around for something to change it up a little. You know, maybe to go from Day to Evening.

Perhaps I could go classy:

Or get it personalized

(via Etsy seller dunkerlink)

Or I could show my love of cats:

(via Etsy seller AmericaDistributions)

(via Etsy seller stitchntyme, and the current frontrunner)

How will I ever decide?!

Someday

Someday, when I'm hopping into my Mini Cooper with my pug - Mr. Banana Frankencake - to go pick up the Persian octuplets at the pet spa from their monthly dye, I won't have to worry about hemming pants. Because I will wear only dresses that match Mr. Banana Frankencake's sweaters.

Until that day arrives, I am hemming my pants with bobby pins.

Love that dirty water

Funny how it takes an out of town visitor for a resident (of over 5 years!) to see the sights in her own city.

My parents came to Boston on Friday (I'd been counting the days for a month!) and boy oh boy did we do it up. Let me explain that my dad is a sports buff - something that has only dawned on me in recent years. I mean, I knew he LOVED sports - he's a season ticket holder for the Bills and the Sabres and that takes some perseverance as a fan - but doesn't everybody's dad love sports? I'd assumed it was just a requisite thing for fathers. However, this guy can rattle off stats or tell you about a season over 20 years ago like a Twi-hard spouting trivia about sparkle vampires. But it isn't fanaticism. It's just like some kind of hidden talent. Names, numbers, ages, home state/country, draft picks, playoff lineups, last season's all stars, NEXT seasons all stars... It's a little daunting. Maybe I never picked it up because of all them sceery numbers . But he knows his stuff.

Anyhow... we'd planned to see a Sox game Friday night and I should've known better when I asked where we'd be sitting. My dad said "Up high." Liar. We were in the front row of section 112 of the loge seating - right behind first base. The best part was when my mom said "Oh look they've got messages up on the big screen" and right then it said "Happy 23rd Birthday Kate, Love Mom and Dad!" I kind of froze up and was like, wait, that's me! My amazing mom set it up and said they gave her no indication of when they'd show the message so it was completely fortuitous that we were all seated (not on a run for beer or fries) and looking at the screen! I will grin whenever I think of that :-D And the best part (besides the "chowdah" guys carrying cups of Legal Chowder through the stands...) was that we won!

Saturday we had brunch at the ever-delicious Zaftig's in Coolidge followed by a trip to the Verizon store for a much anticipated phone update - BLACKBERRY STORM BABY (more to come on that later though I can tell you I love it and hold it and call it George).

We wandered around Harvard later on and my mom and I did a quick trip around the Harvard Art Museum's exhibition "Re-View" - a special display of assorted pieces from the Fogg Museum, Busch-Reisinger Museum, and Arthur M. Sackler Museum while they renovate and await their new Renzo Piano building. Deja vu much?

Then we headed to the next sporting event - Bruins vs. Hurricanes. Again, Dad faked me out about the tickets and we were sitting..... on the ice. Yes. Front row. My mom and I nearly jumped out of our seats the first time a player was checked into the glass (note to self: hang on to your beer...), and the shock of the frequent impacts didn't really lessen over the course of the game. Loved it. We had the BEST seats for the massive fight that broke out too - if you look at the video on this page, about 40 seconds in they show the pile up. That's us standing up right over the Ford sign Yup, that's me banging on the glass in my blue scarf. I'm such a hooligan.

By the way, I'm 100% aware that these games were once-in-a-lifetime seats and die-hard fans were probably rolling their eyes at me (hey, look, a dancing bear! Ew, that dude just spit). But I had FUN darnit, and anyway fan-dom has to start somewhere. Might as well be the front row.

So after lots (but not enough) of Mommy and Kate time and lovely meals and marveling at my dad's encyclopediac sports knowledge, my parents headed home to Buffalo. Sigh. Wish I could turn 23 every week.

23 skidoo!

Wee! I've turned 23!

Thanks to the amazing Sig O we are now the proud owners (not the temporary borrowers) of a Wii!!! Andrea reminded me that my mom can send us the Miis we made months back, something I totally forgot about. Now I have to find a good karaoke game (sorry sweetie) and I lurve the boxing that comes with Wii Sports so maybe Punch-Out would be a good investment. And that Wario game I can never remember the name of... and maybe MarioKart.... I'm so excited!

As if that and several other goodies weren't enough... last night Mr. Sig O told me we had plans and surprised me with a trip to 10 Tables in Jamaica Plain, a tiny restaurant with only - you guessed it - 10 tables. We had the vegetarian tasting menu - four courses of the chef's own choice and it was divine. Lots of the produce is locally sourced, too!

I like this 23 thing. So far, soooo good.

Just finished two very good and very different books - Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout and The Good Thief by Hannah Tinti. Olive Kitteridge is so well spun and I find myself wanting to reference it when I talk to other people about their life in New England, and I can't wait to read it again in a few years - something I rarely consider when I'm reading. The Good Thief reads like a fairy tale for adults - the child's point of view gives the dingy world of the story a magical quality.

Now I'm psyched for my parents' visit this weekend and the Sox game Friday night - can't wait!

holy MOLY

TGIF!

I made a bucket full of oatmeal raisin cookies this past weekend because SOMEONE doesn't like butterscotch chips and said he'd prefer RAISINS. Now that the week has passed and I'm the one who ate the whole bunch, I'm going to make sure next time I bake, I'm doing it for ME!!!!!

And I'm gonna make these. So THERE.

It's Friday and I'm lovin' the capslock, can you tell?

Must read

I need this book:

Success!

Yay for small victories - Second Time Around took nearly ALL of the clothes I wanted to consign! I had convinced myself they wouldn't take a single thing and would laugh at my castoffs like some awful retail version of Mean Girls, but my anxiety was unfounded. The appointment was a delight and now I can't wait to track the sales on their website.

Fall is in the air and the sun is being fickle, so it's nearly time for the days when I can start cozying up to a book with a cup of tea. Can't wait for leaf-peeping season and cider and apple picking... hopefully we can get some more use out of our fireplace!

In the meantime, I'm going to unabashedly profess my love for this dress - it make me feel like Lydia from Beetlejuice. It looks great in my freshly pared-down closet - and looks even better on ME: And my mom taught me well - I refuse to buy anything full price: it was my purchase from Anthropologie with my birthday month discount. That reminds me - I need to make sure my Starbucks card is registered with my birth date so I can claim that free birthday drink. Vente chai latte here I come...

And my parents are scheduled to visit from Buffalo the first weekend of October! We're planning on catching the Sox game against Cleveland - I can't wait!

Bring it back

I'm bringing back Comedy Tuesday in all its lackluster-titled glory - especially since I need a laugh after last night's game ... the Bills were THISCLOSE ....... ack!

Septemberiffic

I'm so anxious about my consignment appointment tomorrow! I hope they take most of what I bring and I'll be so embarrassed if they determine that my duds are, well, duds.

The good news is that if they don't take anything I found out that the Garment District also buys clothes (for 35% of their determined selling price) - and gives cash up front! And if all else fails, good ol' Goodwill will get a dazzling array of what I like to call the Kate Drop-Off Collection Autumn 09.

About Boston Cares - I'm going to sign up for my first volunteer event with my coworker, so I'll have a buddy to go with! I'm really psyched!

In other news, 2010 is just around the corner and I feel that no one has addressed a major problem - we still have nothing to call this decade. How will we refer to the past? Please don't say the 2000's - because we'll be living in the 2000's for the next, oh, THOUSAND YEARS. I vote for the "Oughts" but am open to suggestions.

To-do lists

I was all set to write a post about how great my Labor Day weekend was when I peeked back at my last post: I did NONE of what I'd planned for...

But I did have a great weekend. Margaritas and nachos on Friday (the happy hour of champions) and Saturday was great: slept in, got a manicure, and met one of my jet-setting friends for lunch at Petit Robert Bistro in Kenmore - YUM. We later went out for Thai at Rod Dee where I've discovered that my love affair for peanut sauce is alive and well. Side note: this is great as it confirms I have officially recovered from Food Poisoning June 08 - aka Kate's First Day On the Job (Now With Stomach Flu!). Heh... ew... Still reading? Grand!

That night we hopped out for drinks at the Enormous Room in Central where the eclectic crowd vies for the award for Strangest Scene Ever. Something about the MIT bachelors and the Central hipsters made for an odd mix of Trying Too Hard/Trying Too Hard Not to Try Too Hard. Moody's Falafel capped the night, of course.

The next morn I watched Baby Mama...in what will probably be my last dose of cable TV for quite some time. Last year I foolishly signed up for a Comcast triple play deal and bottom line: we pay TOO MUCH for premium channels we don't watch. After (drum roll please) a whopping two hours on the phone with various reps (eye twitch) I was able to downgrade our service to lower our monthly rate without incurring a fee for breaking the contract. Good news? Lower monthly bills. Bad news? No more impromptu Amy Poehler fixes on lazy weekends and I now have to catch all my Project Runway on justforwomen MyLifetime.com (ooh, but they do have that super fun Build-a-Mall game!). Sig O has promised to explore online/video feed options.

After a decadent buffet lunch at Tamarind Bay (ate there with Kara and her parents and it's now one of our fave Indian spots!) we wandered out to mini-golf on Route 1 where I won by a tremendous amount. Because it is my blog and I can lie if I want to. Retail therapy, er, celebrations, followed at Target. And then we had sushi with yet another jet-setting friend.

Ok ok I'm done telling you what I ate this weekend. Yesterday we gave the house a good cleaning and organized a bit, and I need to prep a bit more to consign a bunch of clothes. We also gave the bikes a good workout around the Chestnut Hill Reservoir. And then I had tart yogurt. Oops, I mean, I didn't.

Tomorrow? I'll probably eat some more... oh right nope I'm doing an orientation at Boston Cares so I can start signing up for volunteer opportunities. One of my coworkers recommended it and has loved it, and the schedule offers so many options it'll be hard to choose where to start. Hopefully more on that later!

All a-Twitter

Okay - I'm officially obsessed with Twitter. I love it more than rainbows. I love it more than bunny rabbits. I love it more than cupcakes. Don't make me go on.

The news feeds, the topical stuff (GMail down zomg!), the celeb brilliance (much love to @LevarBurton), I want it, I need it, I crave it.

I've been following Favrd for a while now, and love pretentious Twit Wit in all its abbreviated glory.

It's overwhelming but somehow completely managable to follow dozens of active groups posting about restaurant deals, free events, local artists, etc... Especially now that I'm spending the first weekend in Boston since... mid-July? I don't even know anymore.

What to do?! So many options! Willy Wonka in Smell-o-Vision is showing tomorrow night in Inman so that's a possibility... I wanna get in a good bike ride (and it's supposed to be great picnic weather, maybe we could ride to Volle Nolle on Saturday, pick up awesome sandwiches, and eat in the Commons) ... And I've been meaning to get to Drink for ages. And SLEEP. SLEEP IS GOOD. Also, on to do list: watch Inglorious Basterds without fainting.

Is it Friday yet?

Polaroid lives!

This may not be news to everybody, but it is to me.

I've always loved Polaroids, but only ever had one of those tiny mini-polaroids monstrosities in middle school... But what can you do with a 1"x1" picture? I suppose you could illustrate your wall calendar but that's an awfully expensive way to remember Gramma's birthday, no? (cue the guilt as I recall how I begged my mom for one...)

But this is different, I swear.

Want.



P.S. I joined Twitter! Find me @KateIsPeckish ;-)

time flies

Whoops, guess it's been about two weeks since I last posted. Oh well. Hello single-digit readers! Did you miss me? Don't answer that.

Since I last wrote, I've been...

• Home to West Seneca to see my family and go to the fair! True to name, we're all obsessed with food and enjoyed the annual festival of fried and sugared edibles. It was nice to have pretty much a whole week off and away from cubicles and paperwork, and my parents got me hooked on Dexter and Nurse Jackie - both are lots of fun. Dexter seems like CSI but R-rated and with at least a faux-philosophical dilemma angle, and Nurse Jackie is... like House with a woman (ack can't wait for House on Sept 21!). Too bad I have no time to watch interesting TV. I should bring my laptop to the gym and stream videos on the elliptical...
• To NYC to visit Kara! It was hot - metaphorically and literally. As per usual, my wonderful tour guides took me out into the city, spun me around so I lost my bearings, and tossed me into a bar full of eligible Brooklyn bachelors. Just kidding, nobody spun me. I didn't get to see Elena but my friend Anna caught up with us at a Bohemian Beer Garden - ah, smaz and Pilsner Urquel, breakfast of champions. I enjoyed flipping through Kara's wedding magazines and got a sneak preview of her website - awesome!
• Back in Boston for a few days...then...to Little Moose Lake in the Adirondacks! I have so many bug bites I look like a plague victim but it was a really beautiful place and has lots of memories for the Sig O's family, so that was fun to hear about.

• Last night we went to see Alegria for Mr. Sig O's birthday! We saw this man...

and I was really worried his pants would fall off.
We also saw this young woman do this...


...and I was pretty sure her legs would fall off. But what do I know.
I also subjected Birthday Sig O to my baking skillz, and he humored me and ate a piece of what I have now dubbed Banana FrankenCake (by the way, an excellent name for a pug...)

• Tonight we're off to someplace extra special for another round of birthday fun...which I shall reveal at a later date!
  

please please please

I'm so close to vacation! Our wonderful and all-too-short trip to Peak's Island was such a vacation tease.

I'm SOOO CLOSE! I'm praying the weather holds for my flight to get out - headed home to my mommy and the Erie County Fair with the delicious food so close I can taste it!

And then Friday I'm flying in to NYC to see Ms (soon to be Mrs) Kara and her man (wish mine was coming, pout) - by then I plan to be very sated on fair food and ready for a wicked weekend.

It is so hard to wait!!!! I need this calendar to help me pass the time.

whaddya mean I can't take of my sweater?! I'm HOT.

In honor of the malaise-inducing summer weather that has FINALLY arrived (June & July, you FAIL), I present to you:

Goths In Hot Weather

It's almost enough to shine some light into the bleak, dismal darkness that is my soul.

Almost.

Pearls Before Swine

I love this strip.

I want to ride my bicycle

...and now I can.

Tomorrow after work I will take the bus to the farthest wilds of JP and pick up my new ride from Ferris Wheels.


Fuji Crosstown 3.0 in SEAFOAM GREEN you know you're jealous


The Sig O has a much sportier, manlier bike (alas, not sea foam green) but I think we'll make a nice pair. I just hope he doesn't mind if I sport aviator goggles and knee pads for a while.

I really hope this model does windows, doubles as an emergency generator, and bears fruit twice a year... This was my first major purchase in quite a while and I'm feeling the pinch and feeling like I could have price shopped a little more. But I'm really happy with the ride (and obvi the looks) and hopefully once we go to pick them up and cruise around a bit I'll feel better about the purchase.

We also went to the Arnold Arboretum for some botanical wanderings and now I can't wait to go back for an official tour (and bike ride!). We looked at bonsai trees that were over 200 years old (I know!) learned about different kinds of climbing plants, and got attacked by giant wasp-like bugs.

Another fantastic discovery this weekend: Thanks to the Sig O, we are now obsessed with grilling pizza. This site has great tips and set us off on our adventure. Super cheap, super fast, and super tasty. Yum yum yum... I took photos on the iPhone which maybe someone will send to me so I can post them here...

TGIF

How to celebrate Friday? Frontways? Backways? Diagonallyways?
Nope, Sideways.

Loves it.

This week was sloooow but Monday Wine and Cheese set it off to a good start, and Sig O took us out to Aquitaine last night, and I even started showing my face at the gym again, so at least I was productive.

Up next - planning the great August NYS adventure! First stop: NYC (to kidnap Sassy from Kara who has graciously offered her couch and who will maybe let me look at her ring for a while), then back to Boston to re-pack for Buffalo and the FAIR! Then the bus to Utica (hopefully for like only 20 minutes)! Where my honey can pick me up and drive us to Little Moose! Where I have been promised mixed drinks and lazy days floating on a raft!

moving forward

This weekend we headed up to Keene to help the Sig O's grandparents move into their gorgeous new home. The house itself isn't new, but is recently renovated (save for one garishly wallpapered bathroom: bright pink poppies on a pistachio green background! Too awesome). It's a lovely colonial revival deserving of a spread in House Beautiful. It was a chaotic but productive few days, and it was a great feeling to be able to help out.

We enjoyed a Saturday night in downtown Keene (all six blocks of it) by performing the ultimate going-out ritual: the decrescendo of class. From arancini and wine to nachos and margaritas (both classic AND the kind you put whipped cream on) we sampled a little bit of everything. And let me just say the obvious here: a couple of twenties in Keene takes you MUCH farther than the same amount in Boston. C'est la vie.

Silhouette Masterpiece Theater

I think if Lemony Snicket branched out into collage, this is the direction he might go.

Love it. TGIF.



via modern homebody

i need a vacation

One month, just oooone long month until a vacation. Eek.

In the meantime, this phenomenal blog will do for transporting me to faraway locales. The author is fearless, and her posts are as funny as they are educational. (Chalk another one up for the Canadians!)

Paris, Prague, and Poland are my major wish list destinations these days, but the deeper I get into reading Madness and Beauty the farther East my imaginary itinerary takes me.

I particularly like this post, a logical, clear-headed financial step-by-step for that mythical "year of travel."

the most sensational inspirational celebrational...

Muppetational?

The friends from the Henson workshop have been making some unusual appearances in the wardrobe of one Ms. Lady Gaga. I mean, I guess Animal would approve ("WO-MAN!!!"), but she seems more of a Janice to me.


Fun Fact: At one point in the late 80's, the Swedish Chef actually had his own breakfast cereal, called Cröonchy Stars.

Squee! Er, I mean, BARF!

The story of a recovered love letter reuniting lost lovers. Awwwww even a Monday can't shake this one.

with sprinkles on top

Oh, hello Blog Fairy! What's that? You've come to grant me a wish? Ok... I'll take this in a Medium and then you can kill the people who set off fireworks behind my house and kept me awake all night so that I can barely keep my eyes open today. Oops, sorry, was that too harsh? Okay, permanently maiming would be fine.

TGIF: Special Panda Edition

Check out this awesome slideshow celebrating Tai Shan the panda's fourth birthday at The National Zoo. He seems to dig his cake - though I'd be pretty pissed if someone made my birthday cake out of beets and ice.

if you're bored then you're boring

Routines... The first 35 minutes of every day I'm on autopilot - from there on it's a blur. What fascinates me are those who profess to stick to a hard and fast schedule day in and day out... when an enforced schedule doesn't just while away the day in compartmentalized segments, but goes toward the production of an art.

I love these Daily Routines, describing how "writers, artists, and other interesting people organize their days." In other words - the Process with a capital P.

The little stories hidden within these described schedules are astounding. This request for this recitation of the artist's daily life is clichéd yet the answer is always still so revelatory - take Satie and Kafka, two "mad" geniuses. A tiny glimpse of their "typical" (and I use that word lightly) days reveals depression as both a hindrance and a driving force behind their art.

The mundane is also so interesting - knowing the fact that So-and-so regularly rises at 5am, eats dry toast with a cup of cocoa at 8:25 am and takes their daily constitutional at 2pm sharp humanizes by making them domestic - not just names in the paper on on a book spine.

As for my own routine, well, I often like to plan in advance (mostly so I can google whatever activity I'm about to embark on) but before I write that Next Great American Novel, looks like I'll have to get an analog watch I can actually read.

Put on a scarf!

I consider it a pretty impressive feat that I'm able to dress myself each day. Sometimes I think I look awesome, but most of the time I'm relieved I've been able to button my sweater the correct way and hoping my skirt isn't on backwards or sideways.

Even if I do my research and pay attention to what I'm supposed to be wearing these days (how I love you, New Brahmin...) it ain't easy getting pretty each morning. I mean, there are a lot of factors working against me.

1) The Weather. The first rule of dressing in Boston is: DO NOT listen to NPR's "local" forecast. If anything it's the report for Boise, ID. I suspect they make it up on the spot - you'll notice that the reporters get slightly flustered when they read out the temps as if they're improvising. Even if you luck out on a seasonally appropriate outfit, all bets are off when you reach the office and the temperature is 40 degrees +/- the outside temps.

2) No Valet. Did you know you can pay someone to take care of all your personal effects? There is a MAJOR disadvantage in not having another person to wash/press/iron/match/lay out/lint roll your clothes for you. Lord knows what their annual salary would be. Perhaps I can find a summer intern.

3) Not Enough Money. The other day it dawned on me! If only I had more money, I'd dress better (see point 2, above).

I'd just about given up my dream of appearing on the Sartorialist in a cerulean beret and thigh-high boots with my fawn pug, Arnold, but the people over at Refinery 29 came up with a way to help me out.

How to Succeed in Fashion Without Really Trying

Timbits Take Manhattan

My favorite coffee and doughnuts chain - Tim Horton's - is moving in on NYC.

Featuring porcelain eat-in cups and in-house made deliciousness, this chain is responsible for one of the world's greatest foodstuffs: the Timbit. Initially on moving to Boston I'd have to get my doughnut hole fix at Dunkin (ew) and would order Timbits instead of Munchkins.

Oops.

Both names, upon reflection, are equally gross. The Timbit, however, is far superior in taste and awesomeness.

Long live Timmy Ho's.

Julie & Julia

Last night was the bestest, girliest thing I've done in a looong time.

We traipsed over to Julie & Julia after work, collecting sandwiches from Beacon Hill's Cafe Vanille (just walk in and try not to drool at the pastry case - I dare ya) and settling in for the free preview!

I could get used to this movie screening thing, enjoying a smart film about smart women... the movie was really sweet and very funny. Meryl Streep as Julia Child is just enchanting, and though I haven't seen many of Child's shows she just exudes this phenomenal energy and spirit. Amy Adams's character is a little hard to love, but it must has to be tough to play a "fanatic" opposite a genius (Hollywood/Culinary alike) and she is fun to watch.

In all honesty, while I enjoyed the past/present division at moments, as the scenes switched to "modern day" I just wanted more Julia less Julie. The drama in Julie's life is rather shallow and kind of minor (though she does work for NYC as a pencil pusher in a 9/11 recovery center - that could be a film unto itself and the writers gloss over it, even making it maudlin at times). The real human drama was in Child's life - her childless but passionate marriage, her international intrigue and her husband's interrogation by the McCarthy administration...

The movie left me wanting a biopic on Julia Child herself (more Meryl more Meryl!), and I'm determined to read the autobiography she wrote with her grandnephew - My Life In France.

After watching 2 Days In Paris last week this is just fanning the flames of my francophilia. My attempts to "learn French by Kindle" are failing miserably and I can't understand for the life of me why someone hasn't created an audiobook/read-along language primer for Kindle. Is that available in Kindle 2? I need to do me some research.

Oh - also we stopped at La Patissier at Troquet on the Commons afterward and had divine desserts.

buff-uh-lah

The Fourth! Family and food, food and more family. Mr. Boyfriend was a GREAT sport through all the craziness at Chautauqua... lifting heavy things, making guacamole, fanning me in my sedan chair, the works. So to reward him we strapped him to a floaty and tied him to the back of a speed boat.

On the way from Chautauqua to Buffalo (incidentally, a drive which says "summer" to me more than anything else in this world, even guacamole and sedan chairs) we stopped in Lily Dale for an evening service at The Stump. Yup. Go ahead and read about that...

It was interesting but... Kind of reminded me of a cross between a Billy Mays commercial (RIP, oh bearded one) and a community theater production of the Sixth Sense. I counted no less than eight elderly maternal figures and seven elderly gentleman who have "passed" and are maintaining connections with their living loved ones. Only one medium delivered a worthwhile message: to the hillbilly with the ponytail and tattoos who slumped on his bench while his skinny, bedraggled daughter colored next to him: "Take better care of her."

Also, one blue parakeet.

In awesome (and belated) news... my question was selected last week for one of Apartment Therapy Boston's "Good Questions" and I asked people to suggest paint colors for the condo. Commenters confirmed my main thoughts: taupe or white. But as predicted "a pale grey would be really pretty." Oh you silly SILLY AT Readers - WHO PAINTS A ROOM GREY??? I'll tell you - those who have never lived in the Eastern Bloc.

Also, we're finally having someone in to repair the drywall from the infamous Upstairs Girls Who Wear Heels On Hardwood Floors Only At Night Decide to Pretend Not to Have Flooded Their Toilet and Create Leaks In Our Ceiling The Night Before We Leave the Country for a Week Incident. That means I have until Saturday to pick paint colors for both of the bathrooms (where the leak damaged the dry wall) unless I just want white. Eeeeeeeeh white would be nice but but but what about BRIGHT AQUA or Granny Apple GREEN??? Because I'm FUN like that.

Anywho tonight I'm off to see a sneak preview of Julie & Julia! I've never seen a preview before! And it's free! I never get free stuff! How COOL.

i bought you that milkshake

Who knew Missed Connections could get even better?

hi ho, hi ho...

AAAAAAAAAAAACK.

With the way work is going, my life is a Cathy cartoon. However, the end is in sight: Fourth of July weekend yessss.

Off to the land of Chautauqua and food galore and family. And - bonus points here - I get to bring Mr. Boyfriend.

Oh, right, Comedy Tuesday. Well, in keeping with the comics theme...
I always knew Bucky was a Republican.
Poor Rob.

comedy tuesd...eh

I am grumpy! If this weather continues, I shall build a canoe.

But in honor of Comedy Tuesday...
Computah says no.

hit the books

Sometimes I think about an M.F.A. in creative writing. And this, along with the accompanying article, provides some food for thought.

But before ever seriously thinking about another degree, I'll have to have a crack at studying this.

On a related note, I would really like to read "Mauve: How One Man Invented a Color That Changed the World."
(Really though, coming up with a title is hard work)

June, where'd ya go?

I wore more summer clothes in April than I have so far in June - come on!

And I'm fighting a cold! Who gets sick in June?! Me apparently... though I'm pretty bolstered by Friday's arrival. Wish I could travel this weekend but it just ain't gonna happen, and anyway maybe I'll get lots done this weekend. Like sleeping, and eating. Very important things.

Anywho, the Cambridge River Festival is Saturday! I can drag myself to Cambridge for all the food, music, and street performances I want. I can't believe it was just two years ago that I worked that event. That was an amazing internship - kooky and unpredictable but so much fun.

Perhaps a mellow weekend would also be a good time to experiment with cold brewing coffee... having a jar of icey cold coffee concentrate at the ready every morning would be amazing. Now, the question is whether to jerry-rig our own contraption or to shell out for a manufactured and long-lasting thingamadoo.

nom nom nom

As any awesome person knows, the world's best* flavor combo is chocolate and peanut butter...she says as she stuffs another Reese's Cup in her mouth.
Hey, whatever gets a girl through the day, right?

A site dedicated to the world's two best ingredients

The post on NYC's Sweet Revenge makes that trip to the Empire State all the more appealing...

Hm, I should probably post about Austin. It's cool. It's hot. It's Texas.


*Runner up: mayo and cheese. Yeah, I said it.

apron chic

I'd love a nice apron, but the ones I come across in stores are too extreme for me - either boring and masculine (come on, I do like to pretend to have a waist, you know), or are so cutesy and frilly they could never be machine washed (impractical to the max).

But the gals behind these Smocks know the score - and I want one. Maybe Agnyss, Alice, or Julia. I wish the Aimee was still in stock...

I'd look so cute grilling on our porch, humming along with the klezmer music streaming through the trees from next door. Or on a chilly day, inside making these. Mmmm.

Schaudenfreude

Comedy Tuesday presents...

Snark Attack. Tee hee! Look at that smug grin. Snarky Shark want's you to...

Look at my expensive gadget!

Heh heh heh.

Oh come on, I know it's mean, that's what makes it a SNARK ATTACK!

Mac Widows unite.

Grill baby grill

We have a grill!

This weekend's pleasant abundance of barbecued delicacies inspired us on our way back from Portland (did I mention I went to Portland? I went to Portland.) and we stopped at a Lowe's to check out our options. We ended up picking out a nice portable charcoal grill on a semi-collapsible stand instead of a tiny table-top version, and set it up Tuesday evening for the inaugural grill. On the menu? Cumin and olive oil cauliflower kababs and salmon, with spinach cous cous on the side. It'll take a bit of finagling to figure out how to get the temperature up faster, but even if I have to wait 45 minutes for salmon again it was totally worth it. I'll just be sure not to skewer my fingertips next time on any goll-durned cauliflower.

Tomorrow we leave for Philadephia and the Devon Horse Show. Now where did I put my jodhpurs...

SPECIAL EDITION OF COMEDY TUESDAY

In an EXTRA SPECIAL EDITION OF COMEDY TUESDAY SO SPECIAL IT FALLS ON A WEDNESDAY entitled "Kate did NOT forget, she just didn't remember"... I give you

Linktacular Extravanganza!
(because comedy isn't necessarily things that make you laugh,
but it definitely is things that don't make you cry...um, bad tears)

Pasta-Cake
This is how I know there is a higher power.


What's Your NPR Name?
I'm Katherline Sedlec, welcome to Fresh Air.


Pimp That Snack
Interestingly enough, they started out as Pimp MY Snack but Viacom sued.


Happee happee joy joy
Omg it's Stimpy! Oddly enough, not a cat...

carnie folk

Hm. Now I'm really excited for the fair.

Suppose I'll just have to eat cotton candy all weekend and pretend to use tickets to do all of my everyday activities (7 tickets for the Laundry Machine? No way! I'm going back to the Hoegaarden Funhouse!)


see more Lolcats and funny pictures

fraaaahdaaaaay

Holy toledo!

My Thursday night was FUN and vino-themed... perhaps overindulgent but oh well.

Next weekend I'm off with the boyfriend to Philadelphia for the Devon Horse Show and a birthday (not mine) celebration. I've been told there will be food involved, so it ought to be good. Country fairs are absolutely my favorite thing EVER - fried or sugary concoctions (if I'm lucky fried AND sugary concoctions) and ferris wheels and pretty/stink animals... doesn't get any better than that! And the weekend after that I'm off to Austin for my cousin's wedding, which will be great since I haven't seen him since I was, oh, I dunno, ten?

Two cities I've never visited in two weeks! Weee!

And a three day weekend ahead of me makes this afternoon soooo glorious. Especially the promise of seeing a newly betrothed favorite MA native!!!!!

All in all, there will probably be more overindulgence, but that's okay. Summer's just about here!

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

Comedy Tuesday

Last week, I introduced Comedy Tuesday (because there's nothing funny about Monday). Later that day, I was clicking around the awesomeness on SwissMiss, aghast that she's shared one of my FAVORITE SITES with the whole wide interwebs (that I will not be sharing today because I am still greedy about it...) where was I...oh yeah. And then I found this and nearly wet the couch.

Certain humor sites are awesome for their commentary - but the pictures really speak for themselves here. Enjoy.

la la la la la la la Hollywood...

Julia Child had an amazing career: she served Uncle Sam, was a wonderful and prolific writer, and revolutionized the way Americans cook. She's responsible for taking us out of the age of the jello-mold, and refining palates across generations.

So I can't wait to see this movie - especially because the tagline is: "Passion. Ambition. Butter." I hope it does her justice. And maybe Americans will have something aside from the image of Dan Aykroyd in drag to memorialize the incredible Ms. Child.

I also want to see - shut up don't say anything - Angels and Demons. Also The Brothers Bloom (which is getting mixed reviews but seems like my kind of thing). Now I just need the time and the moneys.

U-turn!

Whoa - I just realized Wednesday got a little TOO real, especially following Comedy Tuesday.

To calm things down a bit, here are two pandas playing Antonio Vivaldi's Concerto for Two Flutes in C Major.

get real

They've got to be kidding. This is driving me nuts.

The NYTimes has an article about women in the workplace... no, not women fighting convention and breaking the glass ceilings, or revolutionizing cultures to reach new levels of productivity and worker satisfaction... instead we get:

Backlash: Women Bullying Women at Work

Nauseating excerpts include:

“I’ve been sabotaged so many times in the workplace by other women, I finally left the corporate world and started my own business,” said Roxy Westphal, who runs the promotional products company Roxy Ventures Inc. in Scottsdale, Ariz. She still recalls the sting of an interview she had with a woman 30 years ago that “turned into a one-person firing squad” and led her to leave the building in tears.

Because petty fights and employees' lack of maturity really defines an entire gender's worth of workplace dynamics.

Today, about half of Televerde’s corporate office is made up of “graduates” from [her mentor program in Arizona's state prison], including Michelle Cirocco, the director of sales operations. She has seen how women treat one another in other settings and she thinks the root cause is that women are taught to fight with one another for attention at an early age. “We’re competing with our sisters for dad’s attention, or for our brother’s attention,” Ms. Cirocco said. “And then we go on in school and we’re competing for our teachers’ attention. We’re competing to be on the sports team or the cheer squad.”

Aaaaack! "Haha, because no WEIRDO would seek out any positive female role models! What, Mom???!!! She's just a housewife, and all she does is fold my shirts wrong and cry all the time after drinking the cooking sherry!" Women BUY INTO THIS! Ladies, really?

Everyone is capable of playing office mind games...meaning everyone has the potential to be a horrible person. Men and woman ALIKE. Why is this about women bullies? Why not ALL office bullies?

Getting down to it, I think attention is only being paid since women have so recently entered the work force en masse. And I understand that. What needs to be acknowledged, though, is that men set up the patriarchal bureaucracies that women have to contend with still today in the working world, private and public sectors alike. When we can't play nice it doesn't merit psychological profiling. It merits an overhaul of the system that does nothing to change its course and instead encourages it, and takes voyeuristic pleasure in exposing these "cat fights." This is nonsense.

Bill Maher did the same thing to me on Real Time this Sunday (meaning make my eyeballs pop out) when he talked about men's predisposition to cheat. Particularly middle aged, white, Washington-ian inclined men. That tiny slice of American culture that is shoved in the public eye on a daily basis, and who's dirty laundry is the bread and butter of our gossip-mongers (sorry, couldn't resist those mixed metaphors). The ones with inflated egos who never face the consequences of their crimes except those that violate their marriage vows - whether they be fiscal or even against humanity.

I knew Maher was a often hilarious jerk, but until now I hadn't realized his disdain for women. At first I thought it was just him playing devil's advocate to his pundits as per usual, but he went on and on as though women just shrivel up and die socially after a certain age, content with nesting and squawking about material possessions and (surprise surprise) attention. And don't get me started about the ha-ha-I'm-not-homophobic-gay-jokes he and Seth MacFarlane were into the whole time (but it's ok we're for gay marriage!). Thank goodness for a bit of help from author Naomi Klein, who chimed in from time to time with the overwhelming task of "representing all women" against these snickering jerks.

That these supposedly liberal media venues are really perpetuating this drivel about women makes me livid. Here, let me pick and choose which human rights to support in my material as they suit my individual needs and wants - and bids for attention.

Comedy Tuesday!

In an effort to bring more structure to my hodge podge blo(d)g(e), I hereby declare every Tuesday from today until I forget to be

Comedy Tuesday!!!
(weeeeeee hooray etc)

Features will include anything I deem to be remotely funny and a prompt for you to partake in some viewing or reading capacity. Meaning DO IT NOW if you ever want me to think you're cool.

I direct you now to Things My Girlfriend and I Have Argued About, a website by British author Mil Millington. As if his name isn't enough, enjoy his references to all things British: like, um, tea...and...the A5! How utterly British! Have I mentioned he's British? (BONUS Continental points: and the eponymous girlfriend is German!)


Here's an excerpt:

When I'm driving the car, Margret reaches across and operates the indicator. How annoying is that, ladies and gentlemen? At the distance from the turn that she considers to be appropriate, she'll lean over and flick the indicator lever on. Be honest now, would any one of you prefer to be in a car with someone who did that over, say, being trapped under rubble for four days with a person who writes the verses for greetings cards? It's rumoured, in fact, that certain people are working on the Being In A Car With Margret Experience so that it can be recreated in the punishment wing of Alabama jails.

You don't have to thank me for this awesome tip in the comedic direction, but I do enjoy a good fruit basket.

Tiptoe

through these tulips

keep it light, keep it bright...

Because "Never Have I Ever" Is Silly and Self-Indulgent and I'm gonna do it anyway - bolded items indicate they've been completed.

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyworld/Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you were not ill (I had my-thesis-is-due-tomorrow-itis)
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been laid off from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican (but not toured the inside)
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Kissed a stranger at midnight on New Year’s Eve
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club (started, joined, and dissolved!)
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

via ModernHomebody - lots of fun to pour over all day long...

The Bookworm and The Kindle

(Here's a long post, a few weeks in the making. Hope you enjoy, and I'd love some feedback)

Reading is my passion. The only thing that makes reading better is food. If I'm reading while eating, I'm in heaven. Seriously.

(My family would pass around the Buffalo News during dinner - usually I'd bring whatever novel I was going through at the time and save the comics for dessert. The Chronicles of Narnia are stained with mashed potatoes and gravy, and I'd have to struggle to keep hefty hard covers from the library out of the salad dressing.

Fiction and foodstuffs forever.)


So this lifelong love of reading has been shaken up this past month with the acquiring of... a Kindle (no, I'm not rich, my mom is lending me hers). I brought it on our trip to the DR, and I have to say that I enjoyed it.

What?! English major? Champion of the publishing industry? Bibliophile and lover of all things literary? Traitor! E-harlot!!!

Ok, deep breaths... I will always consider paperbacks holy, hardcovers sacred. And I'm not alone.

At first I really did feel like a traitor. But this test drive has been great.

It's convenient. It's lightweight. Ideal for balancing in transit on the T. Able to be tossed into nearly any of my purses thanks to a durable case. Great for the gym (something that actually FITS into that little trough on the elliptical!). The battery power is amazing, the electronic ink gives no harsh glare, and I have wireless access. I can look up words with a click of my thumb. Best of all - it's small and one handed and I can shovel food into my face while I read on it!

It's possible to read with more frequency, and for longer periods of time. Think about that.

And ignore the hype from the struggling print media giants, who - I think - could really benefit from this technology. There are so many places to grow and expand from this - and talk of making the Kindle and other devices "social" and interactive means there are plenty of advances yet to come (and textbooks - come ON people! Get on that!). This is a very early model - just think how far the iPod has come since 2001. I find that analogy appropriate - MP3s scared the heck out of the music industry and all that Napster nonsense, but artists (especially the new and emerging ones from our own generation) have only benefited from potential fans having increased access to their music. Young authors, rejoice.

The advent of the e-reader is hardly the death knell of the book.

Here is my caveat for all this Kindle worship:
As a hoarder of books, one who proudly displays lovingly worn copies in my home as a point of pride (and no for-show-only-never-been-read-impressive-looking-tomes thank you!), I now find myself with an added dilemma in my book searches. I have plenty of WishListed KindleBooks on Amazon that I'd like to read (oddly enough though I have to use the Universal Wish List, Kindle purchases can't be Amazon Wishlisted right now...). But I also have ten times as many titles I plan to get in print (which I'm desperately trying to track on GoodReads, and have found that to be the most useful function of that site).

What was I saying... OH. Here's the deal - My upcoming book purchases are now weighed by their potential for Benes-ian "print-worthiness."

What kind of books deserve the love and attention and intimacy of print - complete with that most delectable of experiences: the trip to the bookstore to pour over the shelves and select the lucky tome(s)? And then... which ones do I want to shell out 10 bucks for on cold, boring Amazon?

Absurd, that I now decide what will be a book and what will be a just... a file. The reading experiences are completely different, I can tell you that much. And books are certainly not comparable to the CDs we hoarded in ugly towers back in the 90s...

Or are they? Reading will change, it is changing. Pricing needs to come down, that's a given. Sharing of titles should happen, and happen soon. And wouldn't you have LOVED to have had all your textbooks in one condensed reader? I know I would have...

So far I've only bought a few titles, and finished only one so far (Bridget Jones's Diary - what pleasing faux-feminism...). Once I go through a few more titles (which will take awhile as I want to put a dent in the piles of to-be-read paperbacks I've accrued) I'll do a re-evaluation. Until then, I'll add one more thing to its list of virtues: it's a pleasing paperweight.

finally

a way to feed Mr. Boyfriend.

topsy turvy

Hm. Yeah, about that recession thing. I'm ready for that to be over now.

The vacation was lovely, and certainly the best thing about an all-inclusive is that once you've spent the money - that's it. No tabulating your expenses every night when you're out to dinner, just eat and drink to your heart's content, tip a bit, and your wallet stays safe (after that initial purchase of the package, of course). But yeah, spending still stings.



Anyway, I'm not sunburned, and we had lots of fun. Pics will make their way onto FB someday, probably...

I'm glad we got home Saturday night and had Sunday as a buffer day. The next few weeks will be really busy, and I'm going to have to limit my ice cream lunches and find another stress-buster (three ice cream shops in one block - torture). I walked in to the city this morning (takes about an hour) and took advantage of the gorgeous day. High of...93. See? I didn't even need to go to the Dominican Republic!!! We cleaned up the patio and are summer-izing the house and I've got the painting bug - I want to take make EVERYTHING a nice light cream color, like Benjamin Moore Linen White... Low VOC and all that.

But alas, I do not want to paint myself. And Mr. Boyfriend can only be bribed with so many calzones.

The best part about vacation was reading. Mmmm delicious fiction. Book reviews to follow.