My family loves gags, practical jokes, etc. Since we spent this Christmas with my CaliFamily, and I found a timely recipe for fortune cookies, I thought it appropriate to make some "misfortune cookies" for them.
Unfortunately the cookie recipe ended up bland. (British book -- there ya go.) But I had fun coming up with fortunes such as
You will lose 10 pounds overnight.
Good fortune will find you in 2004. (of course, too late)
This cookie was inspected by Homeland Security.
I am Fortune W. Cookie, and I approve this message.
Y'know, silly things like that. I think I had 12 total. Additionally, I had some paste food coloring (which may have altered the taste as well, but I couldn't find dry food color) and dyed half bright red and half bright green.
Some of my family really got into them. Unfortunately there were a few who were caught up in other things and didn't seem to pay attention. But, the few people I had breaking open cookie after cookie -- not to eat, mind you, but to read the fortune -- made it worth it.
Saturday, December 31, 2005
Friday, December 23, 2005
robbery/beating on the street where I grew up
They say you can never go home. That's never been truer than it was today.
I'm visiting family for the holidays in Newark, CA. Bruce had stayed home, while my mom and I went out for a bit more Christmas shopping. We were about to make the left turn onto my mom's street when... a guy had stopped his car in the middle of the intersection, his door open, his hand in the air, shouting, "Call the police!"
He just stood there, saying nothing else, so we figured he wasn't all there. My mom drove around him and down a few driveways to her house. Meanwhile, two teenage-looking kids ran down to the end of the street. I thought nothing of it.
When we pulled in the driveway and got out of the car, the guy told us a bit more. An elderly woman had been walking down the cross street; the girl (running down the street) had punched the woman and the pair stole her purse. They dropped the purse having run most of the way down the street, but the poor woman had fallen to the ground, scraping up her hands, face, and legs.
My mom called the police and took a wet rag out to comfort and clean up the woman. Within seconds, the police had arrived. (Must say, I'm impressed with their response time.) We all did our best to describe the situation -- but to my horror, the guy who told us to call, in the first place, had already left. Wouldn't he have been the best witness?
Meanwhile, neighbors gathered around to show their support. Two or more police cars were parked where the purse had been found (minus $60, but otherwise intact), which was across the street from my mom's house and in front of my aunt and uncle's house. (During this time, said aunt and uncle pulled into the driveway, probably wondering at the police gathering in front of the house...)
As things went, I ended up being the primary witness other than the woman herself. I didn't even see the kids from the front -- only from 20-30 feet away. I felt helpless, wishing I could add more to their description. Still, the officer was appreciative.
But what really got me was something she said: "Sounds like the usual suspects."
???? When did such suspects start entering my hometown? Sure, it was never wealthy or high-class, but it was a community of people who got along and cared for each other. Now, it's filled with hate crimes against various ethnic groups, silly petty theft, and communities against one another.
Back in the '70's, I could go into any business in the city of Newark, and my family was known: "My daughter was in your mom's 1st grade class" or "You're H's granddaughter, aren't you?" Newark, you've come a long way -- you're no longer a bunch of neighbors caring for each other. If there were only a way to nip the crime in the bud.
And therefore, I can never truly go back home, because my home no longer exists.
I'm visiting family for the holidays in Newark, CA. Bruce had stayed home, while my mom and I went out for a bit more Christmas shopping. We were about to make the left turn onto my mom's street when... a guy had stopped his car in the middle of the intersection, his door open, his hand in the air, shouting, "Call the police!"
He just stood there, saying nothing else, so we figured he wasn't all there. My mom drove around him and down a few driveways to her house. Meanwhile, two teenage-looking kids ran down to the end of the street. I thought nothing of it.
When we pulled in the driveway and got out of the car, the guy told us a bit more. An elderly woman had been walking down the cross street; the girl (running down the street) had punched the woman and the pair stole her purse. They dropped the purse having run most of the way down the street, but the poor woman had fallen to the ground, scraping up her hands, face, and legs.
My mom called the police and took a wet rag out to comfort and clean up the woman. Within seconds, the police had arrived. (Must say, I'm impressed with their response time.) We all did our best to describe the situation -- but to my horror, the guy who told us to call, in the first place, had already left. Wouldn't he have been the best witness?
Meanwhile, neighbors gathered around to show their support. Two or more police cars were parked where the purse had been found (minus $60, but otherwise intact), which was across the street from my mom's house and in front of my aunt and uncle's house. (During this time, said aunt and uncle pulled into the driveway, probably wondering at the police gathering in front of the house...)
As things went, I ended up being the primary witness other than the woman herself. I didn't even see the kids from the front -- only from 20-30 feet away. I felt helpless, wishing I could add more to their description. Still, the officer was appreciative.
But what really got me was something she said: "Sounds like the usual suspects."
???? When did such suspects start entering my hometown? Sure, it was never wealthy or high-class, but it was a community of people who got along and cared for each other. Now, it's filled with hate crimes against various ethnic groups, silly petty theft, and communities against one another.
Back in the '70's, I could go into any business in the city of Newark, and my family was known: "My daughter was in your mom's 1st grade class" or "You're H's granddaughter, aren't you?" Newark, you've come a long way -- you're no longer a bunch of neighbors caring for each other. If there were only a way to nip the crime in the bud.
And therefore, I can never truly go back home, because my home no longer exists.
Thursday, December 22, 2005
'round midnight
Funny story my mom related to me.
She has a black cat named Midnight. He's quite the talker.
One day, my mom was working out in the yard, and Midnight was in the house by himself. Apparently... her friend Cathy called. Well, Midnight somehow was able to brush by the phone, knocking over the receiver. Cathy said, "Hello?" and Midnight merrowed back. This went back and forth a few times until Cathy finally gave up. Of course, my mom didn't find out until later told by Cathy...
So there you have it... cats really do talk on the phone.
She has a black cat named Midnight. He's quite the talker.
One day, my mom was working out in the yard, and Midnight was in the house by himself. Apparently... her friend Cathy called. Well, Midnight somehow was able to brush by the phone, knocking over the receiver. Cathy said, "Hello?" and Midnight merrowed back. This went back and forth a few times until Cathy finally gave up. Of course, my mom didn't find out until later told by Cathy...
So there you have it... cats really do talk on the phone.
Monday, December 19, 2005
apprentice redux
For the first time in my life, I was compelled to contact someone from a reality TV show.
Crazy, huh? Well, Bruce and I are certifiable Apprentice junkies. We've learned a lot about group dynamics watching the show... expetcing impending train wrecks... contrasting the maverick Trump (whom we both admire) with the overly cautious Martha (of whom we now have a lesser opinion). Most people watch for the cat fights. We watch to figure out how they could be avoided.
While Trump's candidates, this season, were mostly great picks, there was much dysfunctionality on the Martha show. So many women seemingly fraid of confrontation (not that I'm the best with it myself, but it's something you gotta ge tused to in business). No one was a stand-out candidate, the whole time I watched the show.
But Jim grew on me. Quickly. Everyone hated him as the loud-mouth, the egoist. I have no idea why TWoP and others called him Hateful Jim -- I didn't see the hate! Me, I saw raw talent. I saw drive. I saw someone who has tons of creative ideas whom I'd love to work with. In the end, the MSLO people got tired of his treating the show as a "game" -- that business is not a "game". Like hell, it's not! Conversely, a company must always strategize about getting customers on board with them, and not with the competitor.
In the end, Jim was third to last fired on the show, leaving behind two women whom I'm sure are great employees, but I'm not sure they're leadership material. One of them seems to be focused on small tasks and forgetting about the big picture (and leaving some of the details to fall behind if need be, to get the whole event working). The other one seems less creative and not dynamic enough. Yet this is who Martha wants to work for her. Cryin' shame, if you ask me.
And this is why, for the first time in my life, I had to Google someone to send them a note of support. I found Jim's website and emailed him (and got a response today!). What compelled me was that everyone -- and I mean, everyone, from Apprentice message boards, to chats with my personal friends, to TWoP -- had nothing but negativity to say about him. Jim seems like a strong guy, and this would probably roll right off his back; but I thought... can't hurt. After all, why pass on an opportunity to form a potential new relationship? He was very appreciative. Too bad he lives 2500 miles away... I'd much rather work for him than any of the schmucks I've sold my soul to over the past 10 years.
Crazy, huh? Well, Bruce and I are certifiable Apprentice junkies. We've learned a lot about group dynamics watching the show... expetcing impending train wrecks... contrasting the maverick Trump (whom we both admire) with the overly cautious Martha (of whom we now have a lesser opinion). Most people watch for the cat fights. We watch to figure out how they could be avoided.
While Trump's candidates, this season, were mostly great picks, there was much dysfunctionality on the Martha show. So many women seemingly fraid of confrontation (not that I'm the best with it myself, but it's something you gotta ge tused to in business). No one was a stand-out candidate, the whole time I watched the show.
But Jim grew on me. Quickly. Everyone hated him as the loud-mouth, the egoist. I have no idea why TWoP and others called him Hateful Jim -- I didn't see the hate! Me, I saw raw talent. I saw drive. I saw someone who has tons of creative ideas whom I'd love to work with. In the end, the MSLO people got tired of his treating the show as a "game" -- that business is not a "game". Like hell, it's not! Conversely, a company must always strategize about getting customers on board with them, and not with the competitor.
In the end, Jim was third to last fired on the show, leaving behind two women whom I'm sure are great employees, but I'm not sure they're leadership material. One of them seems to be focused on small tasks and forgetting about the big picture (and leaving some of the details to fall behind if need be, to get the whole event working). The other one seems less creative and not dynamic enough. Yet this is who Martha wants to work for her. Cryin' shame, if you ask me.
And this is why, for the first time in my life, I had to Google someone to send them a note of support. I found Jim's website and emailed him (and got a response today!). What compelled me was that everyone -- and I mean, everyone, from Apprentice message boards, to chats with my personal friends, to TWoP -- had nothing but negativity to say about him. Jim seems like a strong guy, and this would probably roll right off his back; but I thought... can't hurt. After all, why pass on an opportunity to form a potential new relationship? He was very appreciative. Too bad he lives 2500 miles away... I'd much rather work for him than any of the schmucks I've sold my soul to over the past 10 years.
Friday, December 16, 2005
garage band
Here I am in Cali, at my mom's house. I'm playing with her new Mac G5 -- namely, Garage Band. I'm having fuuuunnnn. :D
The first set of tracks I made: I recorded myself singing Row, Row, Row Your Boat -- then copied and pasted twice so I'd be a round. Then, behind that, I added a funk drum riff and a funk horn section.
I've listened to this far too many times. However, I need an 1/8 in RCA adapter to plug in my mic. Hopefully will get that soon.
The first set of tracks I made: I recorded myself singing Row, Row, Row Your Boat -- then copied and pasted twice so I'd be a round. Then, behind that, I added a funk drum riff and a funk horn section.
I've listened to this far too many times. However, I need an 1/8 in RCA adapter to plug in my mic. Hopefully will get that soon.
Thursday, December 08, 2005
midway through the southwest
RIP, perfect record. Until today, Southwest Airlines had a record of no deaths in any accident. Today, a child on the ground was killed.
The irony being... three months ago, I flew into Midway Airport on Southwest. While there was no snow, there was torrential rain. The turbulence coming in was horrible. We circled many times, waiting for the runway to open. I was a bit nervous.
Then, we flew over the airport, and I saw the runway. That tiny thing? I got more nervous.
We then came in for the approach. SLAM! and the brakes went on, hard. We made it to the gate unscathed, but again, I was a bit shaky.
Afterward, we learned that at Midway, the planes pretty much have to be slammed down and brought to a screeching halt, given the small airport size. I was also surprised, riding out of the airport on a cab, that less than a block away, there were residences, businesses... nothing that you'd typically see right up against an airport -- which, I'm sure, contributed to today's accident.
When we landed at Midway, I had no desire to land there again. Now... I really don't want to go to Midway. Some airports (perhaps prior to the jet era) are becoming outdated...
The irony being... three months ago, I flew into Midway Airport on Southwest. While there was no snow, there was torrential rain. The turbulence coming in was horrible. We circled many times, waiting for the runway to open. I was a bit nervous.
Then, we flew over the airport, and I saw the runway. That tiny thing? I got more nervous.
We then came in for the approach. SLAM! and the brakes went on, hard. We made it to the gate unscathed, but again, I was a bit shaky.
Afterward, we learned that at Midway, the planes pretty much have to be slammed down and brought to a screeching halt, given the small airport size. I was also surprised, riding out of the airport on a cab, that less than a block away, there were residences, businesses... nothing that you'd typically see right up against an airport -- which, I'm sure, contributed to today's accident.
When we landed at Midway, I had no desire to land there again. Now... I really don't want to go to Midway. Some airports (perhaps prior to the jet era) are becoming outdated...
Tuesday, December 06, 2005
shaken, not stirred
My new favorite frou-frou dessert drink:
Mix a standard kahlua'n'cream over ice. Add one shot butterscotch schnapps. Shake and serve in a martini glass. (nice little frothy frothy on top.)
Kind of... mocha roca.
Mix a standard kahlua'n'cream over ice. Add one shot butterscotch schnapps. Shake and serve in a martini glass. (nice little frothy frothy on top.)
Kind of... mocha roca.
Wednesday, November 30, 2005
Serendipity.
First, let me start out by saying that my parents divorced when I was 2, and I don't know my father. My only paternal uncle died in '83 of kidney failure.
From my paternal grandparents, I knew that I had two other cousins from that side of the family, somewhere. Just didn't know where. But I remembered their names.
So I Googled them -- in this day and age, why not? I didn't find the older one, but I found the younger one, who is heading toward pharmacy school (a woman after my own heart!!). I read her website. But I didn't write.
So imagine my surprise when, last night, I got an email from Megan, the same cousin I found over Google! She'd found me a while back but didn't have the guts to write (guilty, myself!) until her husband egged her on. Both of us have lost touch with our fathers' family, so it's weird... and cool... to have this sort of connection again.
Of course, I emailed her back immediately. But what a fabulous surprise!
From my paternal grandparents, I knew that I had two other cousins from that side of the family, somewhere. Just didn't know where. But I remembered their names.
So I Googled them -- in this day and age, why not? I didn't find the older one, but I found the younger one, who is heading toward pharmacy school (a woman after my own heart!!). I read her website. But I didn't write.
So imagine my surprise when, last night, I got an email from Megan, the same cousin I found over Google! She'd found me a while back but didn't have the guts to write (guilty, myself!) until her husband egged her on. Both of us have lost touch with our fathers' family, so it's weird... and cool... to have this sort of connection again.
Of course, I emailed her back immediately. But what a fabulous surprise!
Monday, November 28, 2005
Energy musings.
Bruce and I have had an ambitious recent project: now that we own two diesel cars (MB '76 240D and MB '93 300D) and I have a chemistry background, we're working on a "brew your own biodiesel" project.
Many people have been inspired to tank up their diesel cars with biodiesel, which is the result of taking good quality waste vegetable oil, freeing the fatty acids from their ester bonds, and retaining the free fatty acids to use as fuel. Some eco-friendly areas sell bd, but at quite a cost -- $3-4 gallon. Which is fine for the people who have purely an environmental motivation...
But then, there's us. It's all about recycling. Everyone working together. It all makes sense. A restaurant, rather than paying for oil disposal, gives the oil to someone like me, at no cost. I then use the oil in my processor and use it to fuel my car. It doesn't tap so much into limited world fossil fuel resources, true; but to me, it's all about the Circle of Life (cue corny music).
We're on the final construction phases of a larger processor -- I've got the process working great on a small-scale basis.
This past week, while avoiding Black Friday and Black Monday in the US, we were chatting with a friend in Granville Island, Vancouver (one of my most favorite places anywhere) who owns a small yet popular store, Dragonspace. After a while, we developed an interesting idea, if we get the time/money/resources: what if Bruce and I could gather supplies for an appleseed processor to make the biodiesel, and ship it overseas to a community in, say, Africa or South America where fuel is otherwise scarce? Not only would it be a great "feel good" thing for us to do, but again -- it just makes sense.
Which gives me another goal in life towards which I can work. I was feeling depressed and goal-less for a while. This one's pretty lofty, but it's better than just sitting in a rut.
Many people have been inspired to tank up their diesel cars with biodiesel, which is the result of taking good quality waste vegetable oil, freeing the fatty acids from their ester bonds, and retaining the free fatty acids to use as fuel. Some eco-friendly areas sell bd, but at quite a cost -- $3-4 gallon. Which is fine for the people who have purely an environmental motivation...
But then, there's us. It's all about recycling. Everyone working together. It all makes sense. A restaurant, rather than paying for oil disposal, gives the oil to someone like me, at no cost. I then use the oil in my processor and use it to fuel my car. It doesn't tap so much into limited world fossil fuel resources, true; but to me, it's all about the Circle of Life (cue corny music).
We're on the final construction phases of a larger processor -- I've got the process working great on a small-scale basis.
This past week, while avoiding Black Friday and Black Monday in the US, we were chatting with a friend in Granville Island, Vancouver (one of my most favorite places anywhere) who owns a small yet popular store, Dragonspace. After a while, we developed an interesting idea, if we get the time/money/resources: what if Bruce and I could gather supplies for an appleseed processor to make the biodiesel, and ship it overseas to a community in, say, Africa or South America where fuel is otherwise scarce? Not only would it be a great "feel good" thing for us to do, but again -- it just makes sense.
Which gives me another goal in life towards which I can work. I was feeling depressed and goal-less for a while. This one's pretty lofty, but it's better than just sitting in a rut.
On Occasional Blogging
I've had a blog-revolution, mentally.
Here I was for a while, happy to blog, proud of my frequent brain-spills into cyberspace. It forced me to think outside of the box, and it became my "editorial section", as it were.
Then the stifling occurred. I overheard coworkers and friends talking about blogs, how they'd "never spend time reading about someone else's life" etc. I felt this tall, as though I'd been spouting mindless drivel all this time... and quit blogging.
But now...
Maybe it is drivel. Maybe no one reads what I have to say. But dagnabbit, I gotta write. I gotta vent my thoughts somewhere. Poor Bruce hears too many of 'em, natch.
So to those who claim they dislike blogs and don't care about what I have to say: PHBTTTTT! I'm writing anyway.
Now, on to a real post...
Here I was for a while, happy to blog, proud of my frequent brain-spills into cyberspace. It forced me to think outside of the box, and it became my "editorial section", as it were.
Then the stifling occurred. I overheard coworkers and friends talking about blogs, how they'd "never spend time reading about someone else's life" etc. I felt this tall, as though I'd been spouting mindless drivel all this time... and quit blogging.
But now...
Maybe it is drivel. Maybe no one reads what I have to say. But dagnabbit, I gotta write. I gotta vent my thoughts somewhere. Poor Bruce hears too many of 'em, natch.
So to those who claim they dislike blogs and don't care about what I have to say: PHBTTTTT! I'm writing anyway.
Now, on to a real post...
Sunday, May 15, 2005
my jeopardy top 10
Time for me to try a little experiment. If I share a top 10 list, will my friends/family/fans/enemies also add a few of their top 10 lists on the "comments" section? (HINT!!! HINT!!!)
In any case, this will be one of a series. Hearkening back to Douglas Coupland's Microserfs, some friends and I chatted with each other about... if you were on Jeopardy, what would your fantasy categories be, ranging from the sublime to the insane?
It's also interesting to hear your friends answer this question for you. Bruce, who has always compared every area to his hometown (generally with ill-favor), would have the fantasy category "Everything except Port Washington sucks because..." (He's a wee bit obsessed with his hometown.)
Without further ado, here's my top ten fantasy Jeopardy categories. (Yeah. I know you only get 6 on the real show. So sue me.)
1. Organic chemistry reaction mechanisms
2. Music theory
3. Amusing and obscure ways to injure oneself (trust me on this one)
4. Why you shouldn't go to grad school (I dropped out fourth year)
5. Progressive metal bands
6. The worst puns in the world (again, trust me -- or anyone around me -- on this one)
7. Things you'll find in a gourmet market
8. Obscure pop culture trivia (without even trying)
9. How not to avoid a hair-coloring accident
10. How to max out your dental insurance in 5 months
So! That's what I've come up with for myself. Do you have a top ten (or three, or five) list? Does anyone have any other categories they'd suggest for me??? (evil grin) Comment!!!
In any case, this will be one of a series. Hearkening back to Douglas Coupland's Microserfs, some friends and I chatted with each other about... if you were on Jeopardy, what would your fantasy categories be, ranging from the sublime to the insane?
It's also interesting to hear your friends answer this question for you. Bruce, who has always compared every area to his hometown (generally with ill-favor), would have the fantasy category "Everything except Port Washington sucks because..." (He's a wee bit obsessed with his hometown.)
Without further ado, here's my top ten fantasy Jeopardy categories. (Yeah. I know you only get 6 on the real show. So sue me.)
1. Organic chemistry reaction mechanisms
2. Music theory
3. Amusing and obscure ways to injure oneself (trust me on this one)
4. Why you shouldn't go to grad school (I dropped out fourth year)
5. Progressive metal bands
6. The worst puns in the world (again, trust me -- or anyone around me -- on this one)
7. Things you'll find in a gourmet market
8. Obscure pop culture trivia (without even trying)
9. How not to avoid a hair-coloring accident
10. How to max out your dental insurance in 5 months
So! That's what I've come up with for myself. Do you have a top ten (or three, or five) list? Does anyone have any other categories they'd suggest for me??? (evil grin) Comment!!!
Tuesday, May 03, 2005
color my world
Forgive me this indulgence.
The past few days, when out running (fastidiously taping toes together), I have seen so much beautiful spring color... rhodys, lilacs, azaleas, forget-me-nots, other flowers totally unknown to me... it's incredible!
Bruce always laughs at me when I talk about this. You see, he's also from a lush land -- Long Island. His mom lives on a tree-lined country road.
Me, I'm from somewhere resembling a dry, barren wasteland with urban sprawl thrown on top. Lots of dust and dryness. There was the occasional planter filled with various flower types, and the lantana are nice during their brief blooming season (before they dry up and look like a dying insect)... but the vegetation in my hometown leaves much to be desired.
Which is why I love it so much here!
You think I would've long since gotten over the ubiquitous rhody in the lipstick red to hot pink range. But then you see two of those in a yard, neighboring a deep lavender azalea... the color combinations are wonderful.
There's a rhody down the street from me, on Cypress, that's the color of a creamsicle. ALl I can say is -- WOW.
Indulgence over. Back to your normal sarcasm.
The past few days, when out running (fastidiously taping toes together), I have seen so much beautiful spring color... rhodys, lilacs, azaleas, forget-me-nots, other flowers totally unknown to me... it's incredible!
Bruce always laughs at me when I talk about this. You see, he's also from a lush land -- Long Island. His mom lives on a tree-lined country road.
Me, I'm from somewhere resembling a dry, barren wasteland with urban sprawl thrown on top. Lots of dust and dryness. There was the occasional planter filled with various flower types, and the lantana are nice during their brief blooming season (before they dry up and look like a dying insect)... but the vegetation in my hometown leaves much to be desired.
Which is why I love it so much here!
You think I would've long since gotten over the ubiquitous rhody in the lipstick red to hot pink range. But then you see two of those in a yard, neighboring a deep lavender azalea... the color combinations are wonderful.
There's a rhody down the street from me, on Cypress, that's the color of a creamsicle. ALl I can say is -- WOW.
Indulgence over. Back to your normal sarcasm.
Sunday, May 01, 2005
achieving personal nirvana
The past few days, I've pulled out my old acoustic guitar. Now, I know several chords, but it's a far cry from my strongest instrument. I still have trouble moving between chords with facility.
I realized a bit ago that the E minor to G major transition is very, very easy to make. So I repeated it over and over again.
And it sounded familiar.
Yes indeed, that's the bulk of the Nirvana song About A Girl. Two chords, strummed in a fairly simple rhythm... with a few more chords stuck in there for the chorus that, frankly, aren't that much harder.
Which makes me realize how close I could indeed be to fame on one of my weakest instruments.
I realized a bit ago that the E minor to G major transition is very, very easy to make. So I repeated it over and over again.
And it sounded familiar.
Yes indeed, that's the bulk of the Nirvana song About A Girl. Two chords, strummed in a fairly simple rhythm... with a few more chords stuck in there for the chorus that, frankly, aren't that much harder.
Which makes me realize how close I could indeed be to fame on one of my weakest instruments.
sacrilege
Is it bad when...
Yesterday I saw a bumper sticker while driving around that said, "Jesus Is The Answer".
The first thing that popped into my head... The question is, "What do you say when you hit your thumb with a hammer?"
Yesterday I saw a bumper sticker while driving around that said, "Jesus Is The Answer".
The first thing that popped into my head... The question is, "What do you say when you hit your thumb with a hammer?"
Saturday, April 30, 2005
chocolate, shortbread, and strawberries
Got your attention, eh?
Last night we dinnered with our neighbors -- the same ones in whose kitchen I broke my toe last weekend. (Tried desperately to be low-key about it. Of course, they saw it in the first few minutes, despite the remarkable fading of discoloration.)
Their oldest daughter has multiple food allergies, including nuts and eggs. I didn't realize how key these components were to most desserts -- not only were cakes and cookies out, but most puddings and store-bought ice creams.
So I improvised, as I do best in the kitchen.
First, I made an eggless chocolate mousse. I started with maybe 1/2 cup of heavy cream in a small pot, then melted roughly 12 oz -- maybe more -- of a combination of Hershey's Special Dark chips and Ghirardelli milk chips. Kept it over very low heat, so as to not scorch/kill the chocolate. When this was smooth, I took off heat and let cool to room temp. Then, I whipped the remainder of the heavy cream, and folded into the ganache little by little. It was rich, but verrrry good.
To cut the chocolate, I layered with sliced strawberries from Central Market, which were tasty and sweet. Then, to top it off, I'd crushed Walker's Shortbread cookies (shortbread = no eggs) to sprinkle over the mousse and strawberries.
Success! Everyone loved it, and I avoided Allison's food allergies.
Last night we dinnered with our neighbors -- the same ones in whose kitchen I broke my toe last weekend. (Tried desperately to be low-key about it. Of course, they saw it in the first few minutes, despite the remarkable fading of discoloration.)
Their oldest daughter has multiple food allergies, including nuts and eggs. I didn't realize how key these components were to most desserts -- not only were cakes and cookies out, but most puddings and store-bought ice creams.
So I improvised, as I do best in the kitchen.
First, I made an eggless chocolate mousse. I started with maybe 1/2 cup of heavy cream in a small pot, then melted roughly 12 oz -- maybe more -- of a combination of Hershey's Special Dark chips and Ghirardelli milk chips. Kept it over very low heat, so as to not scorch/kill the chocolate. When this was smooth, I took off heat and let cool to room temp. Then, I whipped the remainder of the heavy cream, and folded into the ganache little by little. It was rich, but verrrry good.
To cut the chocolate, I layered with sliced strawberries from Central Market, which were tasty and sweet. Then, to top it off, I'd crushed Walker's Shortbread cookies (shortbread = no eggs) to sprinkle over the mousse and strawberries.
Success! Everyone loved it, and I avoided Allison's food allergies.
adult add
Today I was in a bookstore for the first time in months. I used to really enjoy hanging out at a Borders with a coffee and browsing, but... haven't done that in a while.
What's changed? Well, I realized that... it's been literally months since I read a novel. Months.
Most of my coworkers would stop and take my pulse at this point. Earlier this month, I realized that it had indeed been a long time since I'd read a novel.
But y'know what? I haven't felt the need. I actually haven't wanted to read any books. Which is a little disturbing, given my previously voracious book appetite.
And I chalked it up to my already overly-stimulated life. Why spend the time reading a book when I could be writing a song? Practicing guitar? Blogging? Doing other stuff that's useful in and of itself?
But then I sheepishly realized -- how much of my time is spent surfing the web??? Voyeuristically reading others' blogs? And how is this more productive than reading a novel?
I fear that my mind has gotten used to soundbites. Between reading blog entries, short articles from Fark, magazine articles... I've begun my slide into lack of focus.
So I got home from Third Place Books starting a new exercise. I searched the shelves for a book I hadn't read (that was tough...) and told myself I'd read for a while. I picked up something easy -- an old Dean Koontz that I'd gotten from a used bookstore. Nothing earth-shattering, but I don't have to think too hard. Anyway, I read six chapters earlier. Goal is to read at least another 6 by the end of the day tomorrow. During the week, the work/music/running schedule tends to get in the way, so we'll have to see about that, but... it's a start in the more focused direction...
What's changed? Well, I realized that... it's been literally months since I read a novel. Months.
Most of my coworkers would stop and take my pulse at this point. Earlier this month, I realized that it had indeed been a long time since I'd read a novel.
But y'know what? I haven't felt the need. I actually haven't wanted to read any books. Which is a little disturbing, given my previously voracious book appetite.
And I chalked it up to my already overly-stimulated life. Why spend the time reading a book when I could be writing a song? Practicing guitar? Blogging? Doing other stuff that's useful in and of itself?
But then I sheepishly realized -- how much of my time is spent surfing the web??? Voyeuristically reading others' blogs? And how is this more productive than reading a novel?
I fear that my mind has gotten used to soundbites. Between reading blog entries, short articles from Fark, magazine articles... I've begun my slide into lack of focus.
So I got home from Third Place Books starting a new exercise. I searched the shelves for a book I hadn't read (that was tough...) and told myself I'd read for a while. I picked up something easy -- an old Dean Koontz that I'd gotten from a used bookstore. Nothing earth-shattering, but I don't have to think too hard. Anyway, I read six chapters earlier. Goal is to read at least another 6 by the end of the day tomorrow. During the week, the work/music/running schedule tends to get in the way, so we'll have to see about that, but... it's a start in the more focused direction...
Monday, April 25, 2005
my neighbor's kitchen is not a slip-n-slide
An adventure in a neighborhood kitchen.
Innocent enough. Bruce and I went two doors down to hang out with our neighbors yesterday afternoon. The only one home was Steve, who was rapidly, frenetically putting together a marinade for steak he'd be later cooking for his wife and daughters. He doesn't fancy himself much of a cook, and struggled to find ingredients.
Every time I offered to help, his neverending hospitality took over. "No, sit back and relax with your wine! I'll muddle through." I eventually sneaked out (kind of) to grab a few ingredients they didn't have. Shortly thereafter, as Steve struggled with other ingredients, I attempted to round the corner from the living room into the kitchen.
Thing is, they have patches of loose carpet on their kitchen linoleum. Slippery ones. And I didn't take this into account.
Yep. Brooke fall down go boom.
And I still can't remember what I did -- I somehow kicked the corner of the wall, or something -- but the pain in my second right toe steadily increased. Later in the evening, as we wandered to another neighbors' for a party, I was clearly limping, and getting nice wine-colored horizontal stripes on that toe. (But not on any of the others.)
These neighbors drowned me in ice packs... I love our neighbors.
Six hours after the fall, my toe stopped hurting. It still hurts when I move it or touch it, but it no longer hurts on its own. And what did I do to it? It's nicely purple and blue, so there's a good chance it's fractured. (Steve, you didn't see that, did you? Please don't feel indebted to us...) And that foot can barely move from all of the swelling.
But, just like my previous broken toe incident, which I recall being *worse* than this one, I'll take a week off, then start hard core running again with taped toes.
However, I do row tomorrow morning without shoes. This shall be interesting...
Innocent enough. Bruce and I went two doors down to hang out with our neighbors yesterday afternoon. The only one home was Steve, who was rapidly, frenetically putting together a marinade for steak he'd be later cooking for his wife and daughters. He doesn't fancy himself much of a cook, and struggled to find ingredients.
Every time I offered to help, his neverending hospitality took over. "No, sit back and relax with your wine! I'll muddle through." I eventually sneaked out (kind of) to grab a few ingredients they didn't have. Shortly thereafter, as Steve struggled with other ingredients, I attempted to round the corner from the living room into the kitchen.
Thing is, they have patches of loose carpet on their kitchen linoleum. Slippery ones. And I didn't take this into account.
Yep. Brooke fall down go boom.
And I still can't remember what I did -- I somehow kicked the corner of the wall, or something -- but the pain in my second right toe steadily increased. Later in the evening, as we wandered to another neighbors' for a party, I was clearly limping, and getting nice wine-colored horizontal stripes on that toe. (But not on any of the others.)
These neighbors drowned me in ice packs... I love our neighbors.
Six hours after the fall, my toe stopped hurting. It still hurts when I move it or touch it, but it no longer hurts on its own. And what did I do to it? It's nicely purple and blue, so there's a good chance it's fractured. (Steve, you didn't see that, did you? Please don't feel indebted to us...) And that foot can barely move from all of the swelling.
But, just like my previous broken toe incident, which I recall being *worse* than this one, I'll take a week off, then start hard core running again with taped toes.
However, I do row tomorrow morning without shoes. This shall be interesting...
Wednesday, April 20, 2005
row, row, row your boat
I am suddenly involved in crew for the first time in my life. I've had a passing interest for a while, but when the time came for intramurals this quarter, my coworkers decided on the traditional 6am slot, which made me reconsider.
Until... many of the women in my lab admitted they didn't know how to swim. Of course, to be on a boat out in the lake as part of UW Crew, they make you pass a swim test. It was a piece of cake for me, but I doubt it would've been for the others.
So I roped myself into the whole thing. Yesterday, the 5 of us were out on a boat together for the first time. Ever. None of us have significant rowing experience, so it was... interesting. We had trouble going in a straight line at any time... the boat keeled to the left a lot...
And perhaps the most interesting thing -- the coxswain is our boss. All of us work for him. It's interesting how cranky he gets out on the water. Some of the others took it personally; I just laughed it off, figuring he's a competitive soul, and would never hold grudges about this sort of thing in the workplace.
Tomorrow we're out on Portage Bay again, the 5 of us, at 6am. It will be... interesting... to see how much, if any, progress we have made. And it's darn discouraging to see these other undergrad teams -- our competition -- when all of us are over 30. (Handicap, anyone?)
Until... many of the women in my lab admitted they didn't know how to swim. Of course, to be on a boat out in the lake as part of UW Crew, they make you pass a swim test. It was a piece of cake for me, but I doubt it would've been for the others.
So I roped myself into the whole thing. Yesterday, the 5 of us were out on a boat together for the first time. Ever. None of us have significant rowing experience, so it was... interesting. We had trouble going in a straight line at any time... the boat keeled to the left a lot...
And perhaps the most interesting thing -- the coxswain is our boss. All of us work for him. It's interesting how cranky he gets out on the water. Some of the others took it personally; I just laughed it off, figuring he's a competitive soul, and would never hold grudges about this sort of thing in the workplace.
Tomorrow we're out on Portage Bay again, the 5 of us, at 6am. It will be... interesting... to see how much, if any, progress we have made. And it's darn discouraging to see these other undergrad teams -- our competition -- when all of us are over 30. (Handicap, anyone?)
Sunday, April 17, 2005
still got my web chops
I was assigned the task of creating a simple marketing web site for a newly regalvanized big band with whom I play. Sadly, the photographer didn't get me in any of the pictures (snif) but that's another issue...
I'm quite proud of myself for having come up with the following in about an hour:
http://cascadiajazz.8k.com/
I use Photoshop in big bursts a few times a year. I always have to remind myself how to use it when I come back from any hiatus. But this wasn't too tough.
Hopefully the band will make enough money soon that I can put it on its *own* domain rather than one of these freebies...
I'm quite proud of myself for having come up with the following in about an hour:
http://cascadiajazz.8k.com/
I use Photoshop in big bursts a few times a year. I always have to remind myself how to use it when I come back from any hiatus. But this wasn't too tough.
Hopefully the band will make enough money soon that I can put it on its *own* domain rather than one of these freebies...
Friday, April 15, 2005
the type i love to hate
Warning: slightly geeky science rant to follow.
When I was in graduate school (in the #1 program in my field, which doesn't mean a thing if you're in a bad situation), I had the worst luck. My advisor and I would make what we thought was a reasonable prediction about the protein I worked on. I'd do a series of experiments, and... well, I always got a negative result. My protein does not do this. Neither does it do that. Nothing in which the publication world has a single iota of interest. I wasted several years going around this cycle, especially those years that my advisor made me feel unworthy as a scientist, and I eventually quit graduate school.
I currently work in a staff research position. I have a master's degree, but it's not necessary for my job. It's a nice, cozy place to be for the time being, while I think of what I want to do next in life. Which, honestly, I haven't a clue about. But as things go, it's fairly dead-end.
Today, a few of my colleagues and I went to a seminar given by one of the guys who runs our lab. Now, while Mark is a great guy, I realized today: he is among the lucky ones, the type I love to hate.
All through the talk, the experiments and results he presented so elegantly fit all of the predictions. They came together as a great story, and made publications in big-name journals. People with two copies of the common gene needed dosage N of coumadin to thin their blood; people with two copies of the rare gene needed dosage 4N of coumadin; and the people with one copy of each? Well, they looked like they needed darn near close to 2N. How elegant a story is that?
And I sat there thinking... Mark, you give a great talk, and you seem to be a great scientist, but... would I be in his position if I had better luck in graduate school? Would I have gotten less frustrated if a mere one of my series of experiments followed a single prediction I'd made? (I never, ever got a single positive result, in three years' work on this particular protein.)
Worse yet... Mark is just a few years older than I am. Sigh.
But do I regret being a grad school dropout? Mostly not... if I'd stayed in grad school, I would've missed the whole amazing SillyCon Valley experience, which was training of its own. Still, I'm jealous...
When I was in graduate school (in the #1 program in my field, which doesn't mean a thing if you're in a bad situation), I had the worst luck. My advisor and I would make what we thought was a reasonable prediction about the protein I worked on. I'd do a series of experiments, and... well, I always got a negative result. My protein does not do this. Neither does it do that. Nothing in which the publication world has a single iota of interest. I wasted several years going around this cycle, especially those years that my advisor made me feel unworthy as a scientist, and I eventually quit graduate school.
I currently work in a staff research position. I have a master's degree, but it's not necessary for my job. It's a nice, cozy place to be for the time being, while I think of what I want to do next in life. Which, honestly, I haven't a clue about. But as things go, it's fairly dead-end.
Today, a few of my colleagues and I went to a seminar given by one of the guys who runs our lab. Now, while Mark is a great guy, I realized today: he is among the lucky ones, the type I love to hate.
All through the talk, the experiments and results he presented so elegantly fit all of the predictions. They came together as a great story, and made publications in big-name journals. People with two copies of the common gene needed dosage N of coumadin to thin their blood; people with two copies of the rare gene needed dosage 4N of coumadin; and the people with one copy of each? Well, they looked like they needed darn near close to 2N. How elegant a story is that?
And I sat there thinking... Mark, you give a great talk, and you seem to be a great scientist, but... would I be in his position if I had better luck in graduate school? Would I have gotten less frustrated if a mere one of my series of experiments followed a single prediction I'd made? (I never, ever got a single positive result, in three years' work on this particular protein.)
Worse yet... Mark is just a few years older than I am. Sigh.
But do I regret being a grad school dropout? Mostly not... if I'd stayed in grad school, I would've missed the whole amazing SillyCon Valley experience, which was training of its own. Still, I'm jealous...
Thursday, April 14, 2005
perfection of sweet peanutty goodness
It took me years to appreciate peanut brittle. Why? My grandparents' friends, the Emmetts, made it homemade all the time. We had it sitting around pretty much constantly. I never thought it was anything special.
I don't remember how long ago I started liking it again. It's pretty easy to make, and it's a crowd-pleaser...
Recently I found Alton Brown's (think Good Eats) special peanut brittle recipe. No ordinary brittle, it has a hint of spice to make it more interesting.
I made a first batch with the intent of taking it in to work, a few weeks back. Yeah, like it made it that far. Last weekend, I attempted a second batch, a double this time, to take in to my peanut-lovin' comrades (especially since Ian is gluten-intolerant and can't eat the cookies people bring) -- but alas, it crystallized funny!!!
Anyway, I kept the ugly batch and am eating it myself -- what a horrible cross to bear.
And here's the recipe, more or less (with a few modifications) so you can make your own spicy peanut brittle...
1. Mix one cup peanuts with 1/4 tsp cinnamon and 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper. Set aside.
2. Heat 1 1/2 c sugar, 3/4 c water, and 1 tbsp corn syrup in a heavy pot -- nonstick is best. Bring to a boil, and cover and let boil 3 minutes to get crystals off the sides of the pot. Remove the lid, and patiently let the syrup turn a pale amber color.
3. Remove the pot from heat. Mix in 1 tsp baking soda; syrup will foam up (Alton doesn't do this, but it lightens the texture a bit for me). Stir in spicy peanuts.
4. Spread out on a cookie sheet ideally lined with a Silpat or similar product. The peanuts will have a tendency to clump in the center; continue folding from the outside in to attempt to evenly distribute. This will also help the candy cool and harden.
And there's your spicy peanut brittle!
I don't remember how long ago I started liking it again. It's pretty easy to make, and it's a crowd-pleaser...
Recently I found Alton Brown's (think Good Eats) special peanut brittle recipe. No ordinary brittle, it has a hint of spice to make it more interesting.
I made a first batch with the intent of taking it in to work, a few weeks back. Yeah, like it made it that far. Last weekend, I attempted a second batch, a double this time, to take in to my peanut-lovin' comrades (especially since Ian is gluten-intolerant and can't eat the cookies people bring) -- but alas, it crystallized funny!!!
Anyway, I kept the ugly batch and am eating it myself -- what a horrible cross to bear.
And here's the recipe, more or less (with a few modifications) so you can make your own spicy peanut brittle...
1. Mix one cup peanuts with 1/4 tsp cinnamon and 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper. Set aside.
2. Heat 1 1/2 c sugar, 3/4 c water, and 1 tbsp corn syrup in a heavy pot -- nonstick is best. Bring to a boil, and cover and let boil 3 minutes to get crystals off the sides of the pot. Remove the lid, and patiently let the syrup turn a pale amber color.
3. Remove the pot from heat. Mix in 1 tsp baking soda; syrup will foam up (Alton doesn't do this, but it lightens the texture a bit for me). Stir in spicy peanuts.
4. Spread out on a cookie sheet ideally lined with a Silpat or similar product. The peanuts will have a tendency to clump in the center; continue folding from the outside in to attempt to evenly distribute. This will also help the candy cool and harden.
And there's your spicy peanut brittle!
Monday, April 11, 2005
i like to google myself in public
Everyone's done it, right? Googled ourselves, to see where we're "out there" on the net. To see if there's another "me" out in the world.
This came up in band rehearsal last Tuesday night. Our director has a reasonably common name with an uncommon spelling, and he was shocked to find there was someone else in the world with his spelling. I am proudly the only Brooke Yool ine the world. Google myself, and I come up with sites about marathon results, music stuff, old chemistry teaching sites, science research... all about me.
Which got me thinking: when I married, I kept my name -- mostly because I'd been Brooke Yool for 27 years, and it felt weird to be called anything else. So I wondered: if I'd changed my name, would I have lost my uniqueness? So I googled Brooke Caruthers yesterday, out of curiosity.
And there is indeed a Brooke Caruthers, who lives on the east coast, is a few years younger than me, and runs lots of local 10Ks.
Ha! I maintain my uniqueness. Glad I didn't change my name.
This came up in band rehearsal last Tuesday night. Our director has a reasonably common name with an uncommon spelling, and he was shocked to find there was someone else in the world with his spelling. I am proudly the only Brooke Yool ine the world. Google myself, and I come up with sites about marathon results, music stuff, old chemistry teaching sites, science research... all about me.
Which got me thinking: when I married, I kept my name -- mostly because I'd been Brooke Yool for 27 years, and it felt weird to be called anything else. So I wondered: if I'd changed my name, would I have lost my uniqueness? So I googled Brooke Caruthers yesterday, out of curiosity.
And there is indeed a Brooke Caruthers, who lives on the east coast, is a few years younger than me, and runs lots of local 10Ks.
Ha! I maintain my uniqueness. Glad I didn't change my name.
Sunday, April 10, 2005
eyes bigger than my stomach
We've all experienced it before: you see a food item you really, really want, and you end up buying much more than you can actually eat. It's universal.
This happened to Bruce and me yesterday. We stopped by Vancouver (BC) to visit friends and celebrate his 35th birthday. One thing he really wanted to do was stop by Mondo Gelato for one of their larger containers, stroll into the middle of Stanley Park, sit on a bench, and share said container. When we bought the gelato, we had a choice of 1/2 liter or 1 liter insulated containers. The half liter looked awfully small, so... you can see where this is going, we picked the liter, naturally.
(Mind you, this was our first food of the day, at about 1pm. I'd gone for a run that morning, as well, and had not had a thing to eat. No wonder I was crashing all day.)
So we got our trio of straciatella, cream puff, and limone gelati. We found a bench in the middle of the park, sat, and munched happily. After about 10 spoonfuls each, we realized... barely made a dent. That was a lot of gelato. We packed over half of it to take back with us to eat later, indoors, especially since the wind was picking up... not fun to eat ice cream in overcast and wind.
Of course, we realized afterward... 1/2 liter would've been plenty.
But it brought back humorous memories of our time in Como, Italy, four years ago. Wandering around, we found an outdoor market with the most fabulous looking fruit. I decided to buy some dark cherries as my afternoon snack.
But pride got in the way. I have a meager knowledge of Italian, and I was trying so hard not to come across as an American (as it is, I was mistaken for a Spaniard in many places), so I placed my order in Italian. Thing is, I couldn't remember how to say "half" in Italian, so.... I pointed at the bin of cherries and said "uno chilo" when, really, I would've been better off with a half. One kilo is 2.2 pounds, I kept telling myself, but I went ahead with the purchase, because it was cheap, anyway.
I carried cherries around with me for days. I finally finished them, what, 4 days later? But all because they looked really good, and I had my non-ugly-American pride to maintain.
It happens to the best of us, eh...
This happened to Bruce and me yesterday. We stopped by Vancouver (BC) to visit friends and celebrate his 35th birthday. One thing he really wanted to do was stop by Mondo Gelato for one of their larger containers, stroll into the middle of Stanley Park, sit on a bench, and share said container. When we bought the gelato, we had a choice of 1/2 liter or 1 liter insulated containers. The half liter looked awfully small, so... you can see where this is going, we picked the liter, naturally.
(Mind you, this was our first food of the day, at about 1pm. I'd gone for a run that morning, as well, and had not had a thing to eat. No wonder I was crashing all day.)
So we got our trio of straciatella, cream puff, and limone gelati. We found a bench in the middle of the park, sat, and munched happily. After about 10 spoonfuls each, we realized... barely made a dent. That was a lot of gelato. We packed over half of it to take back with us to eat later, indoors, especially since the wind was picking up... not fun to eat ice cream in overcast and wind.
Of course, we realized afterward... 1/2 liter would've been plenty.
But it brought back humorous memories of our time in Como, Italy, four years ago. Wandering around, we found an outdoor market with the most fabulous looking fruit. I decided to buy some dark cherries as my afternoon snack.
But pride got in the way. I have a meager knowledge of Italian, and I was trying so hard not to come across as an American (as it is, I was mistaken for a Spaniard in many places), so I placed my order in Italian. Thing is, I couldn't remember how to say "half" in Italian, so.... I pointed at the bin of cherries and said "uno chilo" when, really, I would've been better off with a half. One kilo is 2.2 pounds, I kept telling myself, but I went ahead with the purchase, because it was cheap, anyway.
I carried cherries around with me for days. I finally finished them, what, 4 days later? But all because they looked really good, and I had my non-ugly-American pride to maintain.
It happens to the best of us, eh...
Sunday, April 03, 2005
Um, yeaaaaahhh, Lumbergh for President
It was just a few weeks ago that Bruce and I realized... not only did Gary Cole play wisecracking characters in Office Space and Dodgeball, but... he's been playing VP Russell on The West Wing. As long-time WW devotees, I was shocked we never caught that before.
And now that Russell is one of the Democratic candidates for President on the show, and I've realized who the actor is, we've gone on and on about what would happen with Lumbergh as President.
Umm, yeaaaaah, you're going to have to look at that budget. You're going to have to come in on Saturday.
Yeeeeeaaaaaahhhh, Peter, did you get the TPS report on the defense program?
IMO, Gary Cole's character hasn't a snowball's chance in hell of winning the Presidency. But if so, it would be hilarious if they brought Peter, Michael Bolton, and Samir in for underling roles.
And now that Russell is one of the Democratic candidates for President on the show, and I've realized who the actor is, we've gone on and on about what would happen with Lumbergh as President.
Umm, yeaaaaah, you're going to have to look at that budget. You're going to have to come in on Saturday.
Yeeeeeaaaaaahhhh, Peter, did you get the TPS report on the defense program?
IMO, Gary Cole's character hasn't a snowball's chance in hell of winning the Presidency. But if so, it would be hilarious if they brought Peter, Michael Bolton, and Samir in for underling roles.
Saturday, April 02, 2005
kitchen unaccomplished
Ah, our kitchen.
It's not our favorite room in the house. But, it's livable, and this is a starter home, after all.
Our appliances are the same age as the house -- 21 years. And we knew they were going to go soon. About a month ago, in fact, our oven died.
So we shopped around for a new one -- and also decided to get a new dishwasher (since it's leaking a bit), a new fridge (since you can feel cold air as you walk by), and a new dryer (since it's taking longer and longer to dry things). Besides, places were offering a bulk discount on multiple appliances, so why not take advantage?
Then we realized... our 1984-ish builders' grade appliances are much smaller than the current supersize standards. Not only that, but our cabinetry is custom built around it all.
Aieeeeee!
Bruce has a fabulous talent for redesigning rooms in a very space-efficient fashion (remodeling is a hobby of his) so he drew up a new floor plan, fitting in the new appliances. Now, he's in the process of taking it by all of our construction-savvy neighbors for a sanity check. We've been spending time at Home Depot every single weekend, sometimes buying, sometimes just doing research.
And it all seems to be working out. Hurray!
The appliances are purchased, but not yet delivered. We're also trying to figure out how to move the entire kitchen pantry into other rooms, and hot to live with only a sink, fridge, and microwave for at least a week.
But the plans are in motion. Party at Brooke's this summer to show it off!
It's not our favorite room in the house. But, it's livable, and this is a starter home, after all.
Our appliances are the same age as the house -- 21 years. And we knew they were going to go soon. About a month ago, in fact, our oven died.
So we shopped around for a new one -- and also decided to get a new dishwasher (since it's leaking a bit), a new fridge (since you can feel cold air as you walk by), and a new dryer (since it's taking longer and longer to dry things). Besides, places were offering a bulk discount on multiple appliances, so why not take advantage?
Then we realized... our 1984-ish builders' grade appliances are much smaller than the current supersize standards. Not only that, but our cabinetry is custom built around it all.
Aieeeeee!
Bruce has a fabulous talent for redesigning rooms in a very space-efficient fashion (remodeling is a hobby of his) so he drew up a new floor plan, fitting in the new appliances. Now, he's in the process of taking it by all of our construction-savvy neighbors for a sanity check. We've been spending time at Home Depot every single weekend, sometimes buying, sometimes just doing research.
And it all seems to be working out. Hurray!
The appliances are purchased, but not yet delivered. We're also trying to figure out how to move the entire kitchen pantry into other rooms, and hot to live with only a sink, fridge, and microwave for at least a week.
But the plans are in motion. Party at Brooke's this summer to show it off!
Friday, April 01, 2005
when I think about you, I blog myself
Since I'm actually doing real work today, this is an abbreviated entry.
Over time, I've accumulated several blogs (before the term blog was kewl) that are very subject-specific... thought I'd list 'em here for your reading pleasure.
First: Left Lane is a small blog I created while living in SillyCon Valley. It also contains some travel recommendations, which I plan on expanding.
I also wrote up a journal of our month-long trip is Europe from 2001.
Here's a bit about our house-search circa 2003.
More to come later...
Over time, I've accumulated several blogs (before the term blog was kewl) that are very subject-specific... thought I'd list 'em here for your reading pleasure.
First: Left Lane is a small blog I created while living in SillyCon Valley. It also contains some travel recommendations, which I plan on expanding.
I also wrote up a journal of our month-long trip is Europe from 2001.
Here's a bit about our house-search circa 2003.
More to come later...
Thursday, March 31, 2005
I am a normal rock
I learned this from the "which Zoloft rock personality disorder do you have?" quiz, which I stumbled upon. I had to take it, since I've always found the rock to be utterly cute.
Anyway, here was my result:
You are a normal rock!
::Which rock personality disorder (from the Zoloft commercial) should you have? (Results contain pictures!)
brought to you by Quizilla
Yes, friends and acquaintances, you've heard it here officially: apparently I'm absolutely normal. **snicker**
It's sad, in a way, though: why can't I be bipolar like all the other kids, Mommy?
Anyway, here was my result:
You are a normal rock!
::Which rock personality disorder (from the Zoloft commercial) should you have? (Results contain pictures!)
brought to you by Quizilla
Yes, friends and acquaintances, you've heard it here officially: apparently I'm absolutely normal. **snicker**
It's sad, in a way, though: why can't I be bipolar like all the other kids, Mommy?
Wednesday, March 30, 2005
"toilet" humor
A few years back, when we almost went on a trip to Greece, I was reading up on Greek vocabulary and made an interesting linguistic observation: many European languages, even the ones that are less related, seem to have a word closely resembling "toilet". I remembered toilette from taking French, Bruce remembered toiletten from a trip to Germany, and I'd read about (pardon the Anglicization here) toualetta in Greek. Interesting, huh?
Over the past few days, we've been looking into going to Prague sometime in the fall, so I found a Czech tutorial website last night. Guess what word I found... toaletni! Proving my theory right. Shortly thereafter, I stumbled upon an online dictionary for multiple European languages and played around a little bit. Lo and behold, there are "toilet" like words in over 10 Eurpoean languages, ranging from Portuguese to Swedish to Bulgarian... wow! Even more amazing is the fact that Hungarian falls into this category (toalett) -- if you know anything about European language evolution, you'll know that Finnish and Hungarian are by far the least related to the rest of the continent.
So here's some food for thought. I'm thinking these "toilet" variations are more modern words, brought about by travel/free borders/etc. It just wouldn't make sense that all of these countries would de novo come up with variations on "toilet".
Talk about a sewer mind, eh???
In any case, it makes a helluva linguistics PhD thesis.
Over the past few days, we've been looking into going to Prague sometime in the fall, so I found a Czech tutorial website last night. Guess what word I found... toaletni! Proving my theory right. Shortly thereafter, I stumbled upon an online dictionary for multiple European languages and played around a little bit. Lo and behold, there are "toilet" like words in over 10 Eurpoean languages, ranging from Portuguese to Swedish to Bulgarian... wow! Even more amazing is the fact that Hungarian falls into this category (toalett) -- if you know anything about European language evolution, you'll know that Finnish and Hungarian are by far the least related to the rest of the continent.
So here's some food for thought. I'm thinking these "toilet" variations are more modern words, brought about by travel/free borders/etc. It just wouldn't make sense that all of these countries would de novo come up with variations on "toilet".
Talk about a sewer mind, eh???
In any case, it makes a helluva linguistics PhD thesis.
Tuesday, March 29, 2005
what does "friend" mean to you?
I guess maybe I'm feeling a bit introspective and sappy since I woke up feeling flu-like this morning in addition to the ongoing sinus infection. I'm not feeling the best and am not in the best of moods, so I wasn't going to post. But maybe I should.
I'm doing some work from home with Joshua Redman in the background. He's typically too much on the "smooth jazz" side for me, but a friend was his high school music teacher, and besides, he's a heckuva sax player. and it made me think of home, not only due to this friend, but because Mr. Redman's playing style is much like the guy who taught me how to play sax, in California.
I was supposed to fly to CA today. I have a car that's much more fuel-efficient at my mom's house, which we never got around to bringing up here. I postponed the trip because I didn't want to fly with a sinus infection. But also, I wasn't thrilled to go. Everyone experiences this. You move away from home, you lose touch, things aren't the same.
And now, on to the friend-related issue that's really weighing on me. One anonymous friend and I have been working on a music project, with him in charge. I've offered help and support, and for the most part, he's taken me up on it. I've also offered some unsolicited opinions about the plans being too bold/not conservative enough/not doable in our time frame. He'd always laugh it off and say, "it'll all work out." Well... deadline is fast approaching. And guess what -- the group is not on the plan time-schedule. Since I care about the group, the last thing I'm doing is "I told you so". That's just not right. But suddenly, my offers of help are refused. "I don't need your help" is the message I get. Things just haven't been the same between this friend and me, for the past few weeks. I'm trying to stay in the background to see where things end up, but I don't want to kill the friendship. I hope not to have to quit this band.
My head hurts...
I'm doing some work from home with Joshua Redman in the background. He's typically too much on the "smooth jazz" side for me, but a friend was his high school music teacher, and besides, he's a heckuva sax player. and it made me think of home, not only due to this friend, but because Mr. Redman's playing style is much like the guy who taught me how to play sax, in California.
I was supposed to fly to CA today. I have a car that's much more fuel-efficient at my mom's house, which we never got around to bringing up here. I postponed the trip because I didn't want to fly with a sinus infection. But also, I wasn't thrilled to go. Everyone experiences this. You move away from home, you lose touch, things aren't the same.
And now, on to the friend-related issue that's really weighing on me. One anonymous friend and I have been working on a music project, with him in charge. I've offered help and support, and for the most part, he's taken me up on it. I've also offered some unsolicited opinions about the plans being too bold/not conservative enough/not doable in our time frame. He'd always laugh it off and say, "it'll all work out." Well... deadline is fast approaching. And guess what -- the group is not on the plan time-schedule. Since I care about the group, the last thing I'm doing is "I told you so". That's just not right. But suddenly, my offers of help are refused. "I don't need your help" is the message I get. Things just haven't been the same between this friend and me, for the past few weeks. I'm trying to stay in the background to see where things end up, but I don't want to kill the friendship. I hope not to have to quit this band.
My head hurts...
Monday, March 28, 2005
always remember to save
That's my moral for the day. Listen closely; use it wisely.
I've been double checking a rather large document at work. Before I left on Friday, I remembered to save my changes, but I've gotten rather complacent about just leaving the document up on the screen, and not leaving an "I am here" tag for myself.
You can see where this is going. I got in this morning, did one little task, then poof -- the machine crashed. Meaning... my changes were saved, but I had no clue where I was.
I learned my lesson. Back to little tags before I leave my computer for the day. Or maybe even every 15 minutes, the way our computer systems work.
Speaking of work, deadline time is coming up, so I'd better get back for now...
I've been double checking a rather large document at work. Before I left on Friday, I remembered to save my changes, but I've gotten rather complacent about just leaving the document up on the screen, and not leaving an "I am here" tag for myself.
You can see where this is going. I got in this morning, did one little task, then poof -- the machine crashed. Meaning... my changes were saved, but I had no clue where I was.
I learned my lesson. Back to little tags before I leave my computer for the day. Or maybe even every 15 minutes, the way our computer systems work.
Speaking of work, deadline time is coming up, so I'd better get back for now...
Sunday, March 27, 2005
Giving you a pizza my heart
Happy Easter, to those who celebrate. I ran again this morning, which gave me the appetite of a rhino, but I consider getting back to running a sort of "rebirth" for me. Hence the Easter run.
I had the most fantastic experience yesterday -- one might call it a "foodgasm". See, Bruce is from just outside NYC -- a very Sicilian town that makes real pizza. I've had some of this greasy, cheesy ambrosia (as well as similar stuff in Italy!) and while I'm happy enough with other inferior pies, nothing's as good as a real NY pizza.
The Seattle food scene... well, it kinda bites. Nothing spectacular, esp for someone who's lived in San Francisco. Pizza, especially, has been mostly too dry, not enough sauce, too salty a sauce... and I'd mostly given up.
Until yesterday.
I was famished (from running, and from planning a possible Oktoberfest trip) and after a round of studying Home Depot for more house fixin's, Bruce says... "there's a new Romio's in Mountlake Terrace. Let's try their pizza!"
I'd been to the Romio's in Magnolia/Queen Anne with Jessica, but we both had pasta dishes. They were pretty good. I hadn't tried their pizza.
"Sure," I said, thinking about replacing all the run-burned calories, and then some.
We ordered a plain cheese with gyro meat. (Gyros... YUMMMMM...) You see, a good pizza doesn't need 20 toppings to taste good, so this was a true test for us.
And... WOW. Words don't describe how close this comes to mafia-owned Scotto's Pizza in Great Neck. Thin crust. Toppings almost all the way to the edge. And the grease. Some might consider Romio's pizza too greasy, but it's all part of the NY way of doing things. I could've used a hint more sauce, but otherwise... WOW. Unfortunately it's not the dirt-cheap that Scotto's is... maybe that's a good thing, since we'd eat it more often otherwise.
We will be back.
I had the most fantastic experience yesterday -- one might call it a "foodgasm". See, Bruce is from just outside NYC -- a very Sicilian town that makes real pizza. I've had some of this greasy, cheesy ambrosia (as well as similar stuff in Italy!) and while I'm happy enough with other inferior pies, nothing's as good as a real NY pizza.
The Seattle food scene... well, it kinda bites. Nothing spectacular, esp for someone who's lived in San Francisco. Pizza, especially, has been mostly too dry, not enough sauce, too salty a sauce... and I'd mostly given up.
Until yesterday.
I was famished (from running, and from planning a possible Oktoberfest trip) and after a round of studying Home Depot for more house fixin's, Bruce says... "there's a new Romio's in Mountlake Terrace. Let's try their pizza!"
I'd been to the Romio's in Magnolia/Queen Anne with Jessica, but we both had pasta dishes. They were pretty good. I hadn't tried their pizza.
"Sure," I said, thinking about replacing all the run-burned calories, and then some.
We ordered a plain cheese with gyro meat. (Gyros... YUMMMMM...) You see, a good pizza doesn't need 20 toppings to taste good, so this was a true test for us.
And... WOW. Words don't describe how close this comes to mafia-owned Scotto's Pizza in Great Neck. Thin crust. Toppings almost all the way to the edge. And the grease. Some might consider Romio's pizza too greasy, but it's all part of the NY way of doing things. I could've used a hint more sauce, but otherwise... WOW. Unfortunately it's not the dirt-cheap that Scotto's is... maybe that's a good thing, since we'd eat it more often otherwise.
We will be back.
Saturday, March 26, 2005
As the 'mill turns
I ran today for the first time in two weeks. I usually run pretty regularly, but gunk-filled sinuses haven't enjoyed the idea of jostling. Still, I had to try it today.
Before Sinus SuperBug (BSSB), in the beginning of January, I was going out for "relaxing" (yeah, I need to be commited) 1 1/2 hour runs on the weekends. I've run marathons before, but I'm not training for one now -- it's nice to go out for a long run if you feel like it, with no pressure if you don't.
Then, as I hypothesize I contracted SSB toward the end of January, something suddenly happened. I was out for a 1:40 run... I had run "out" 50 minutes on the Sammamish River Trail. When I turned around to come "back", I had a horrible thought: "gee, I feel like walking for a bit." My body had run down. I walked most of the way back. And it had started to pour rain. Waaaa. And this continued over the weeks to follow, until I couldn't run more than 15 minutes without wanting to stop. ???? I only attribute it to SSB. And while I've run since then, I've had to engineer in some walking breaks so as not to poop out entirely, so I can make it 45 minutes. Sigh.
And this is what I did today, though it started out pouring, so I drove to the gym treadmill. I have a short attention span, so this is really tough for me. I'll run, stare into space for what seems like a really long time, then I'll look back at the timer, and... 3 minutes.
But! I had a CD player, so I listened to the last Rush studio album (Vapor Trails) while I pounded the rubber.
And my gym has three TV's in front of the cardio equipment, so there's usually something to stare at. But today, the middle TV had infomercials -- one for a juicer, one for synthetic HGH which promised to improve your entire life, and one for a cleaning solution. The right TV had a Mariners/Royals pre-season game, which was rather boring, since the M's were trouncing KC. And on the left TV....... the constant CNN scrolling of the Terry Schiavo case. Tragic, ironic, I'm tired of hearing about it. And the irony being: the battle is about a feeding tube, while it's bulimia that got her into this condition in the first place? Hm.
Note to self to create a living will asap. That way, my "millions" of hard-earned government dollars can go to my loved ones. Heck, it's better than sending it back to the government, eh...
I won't say the run was easy (esp given the lack of mental stimulation) but I did it. The first time back is always hard; you have to remind yourself that you like doing it, because if today were any barometer, I'd consider running "too hard" and just give up.
Anyway, tally ho, and off into the rain to pick up a new round of antibiotics that hopefully will finally kill of SSB.
Before Sinus SuperBug (BSSB), in the beginning of January, I was going out for "relaxing" (yeah, I need to be commited) 1 1/2 hour runs on the weekends. I've run marathons before, but I'm not training for one now -- it's nice to go out for a long run if you feel like it, with no pressure if you don't.
Then, as I hypothesize I contracted SSB toward the end of January, something suddenly happened. I was out for a 1:40 run... I had run "out" 50 minutes on the Sammamish River Trail. When I turned around to come "back", I had a horrible thought: "gee, I feel like walking for a bit." My body had run down. I walked most of the way back. And it had started to pour rain. Waaaa. And this continued over the weeks to follow, until I couldn't run more than 15 minutes without wanting to stop. ???? I only attribute it to SSB. And while I've run since then, I've had to engineer in some walking breaks so as not to poop out entirely, so I can make it 45 minutes. Sigh.
And this is what I did today, though it started out pouring, so I drove to the gym treadmill. I have a short attention span, so this is really tough for me. I'll run, stare into space for what seems like a really long time, then I'll look back at the timer, and... 3 minutes.
But! I had a CD player, so I listened to the last Rush studio album (Vapor Trails) while I pounded the rubber.
And my gym has three TV's in front of the cardio equipment, so there's usually something to stare at. But today, the middle TV had infomercials -- one for a juicer, one for synthetic HGH which promised to improve your entire life, and one for a cleaning solution. The right TV had a Mariners/Royals pre-season game, which was rather boring, since the M's were trouncing KC. And on the left TV....... the constant CNN scrolling of the Terry Schiavo case. Tragic, ironic, I'm tired of hearing about it. And the irony being: the battle is about a feeding tube, while it's bulimia that got her into this condition in the first place? Hm.
Note to self to create a living will asap. That way, my "millions" of hard-earned government dollars can go to my loved ones. Heck, it's better than sending it back to the government, eh...
I won't say the run was easy (esp given the lack of mental stimulation) but I did it. The first time back is always hard; you have to remind yourself that you like doing it, because if today were any barometer, I'd consider running "too hard" and just give up.
Anyway, tally ho, and off into the rain to pick up a new round of antibiotics that hopefully will finally kill of SSB.
Friday, March 25, 2005
The weight is over
Double meaning to this title, of course... bad blogger, I haven't written anything for a few days. Chalk it up to being mildly feverish during the week from ongoing infection, which led to my dealing with a few situations a little too emotionally. I owe it all to several fabulous coworkers who listened to all of my whining and continue to provide support: Johanna, Heidi, Christine, Ian, and Hugh -- my hat is off to you.
The second meaning of this title... I'm finally getting back to regular weight routines at the gym, for the first time this year. Just after Jan 1st, I had some minor surgery on my left arm. Then, I injured my right hand (the story which I'll tell sometime, I'm sure). Finally, my upper extremities are healed enough to be able to hold a dumbbell. During my down time, I tried as much as I could with the few weight machines that didn't require grip... but it just wasn't the same.
Last Friday night (yeah, loser that I am -- Bruce plays Dungeons and Dragons on Fridays) I set out to the gym for my first full weight workout. I don't think I've ever hit the gym on a Friday night before -- it's crowded! Not what I was expecting. Anyway, I didn't follow much of a routine, but there were certain exercises I did just because I *could*. And after about 20 minutes, I could feel my right hand ache a bit -- and not a "good ache" -- so I took it a bit easy. But I tell ya, I couldn't have been more excited to hit the gym again.
Throughout my injured phase, I could almost see my shoulders shrinking, my chest drooping (face it, my chest won't "shrink" at my size), Popeye arms... but I didn't seem to lose that much tone. And now, a week later, after three weight workouts, I do believe I'm seeing progress in my upper body. So in the end, maybe the time off was a good thing.
Other than the fact that I hurt like hell last Saturday morning. :D Comes with the territory.
So don't mess with me! I'm strong... er... I'll probably still be achy from my last weightlifting session.
Happy beginning of Easter weekend! I'll be getting back, shortly, to the Thai Tomato Soup I just made from the last issue of Cooking Light (fyi, needs a hair more sugar than the recipe calls for). And a little bit more of the Dreyer's Light Thin Mint that mysteriously made its way into my cart. Hmmmm, however did *that* happen...
The second meaning of this title... I'm finally getting back to regular weight routines at the gym, for the first time this year. Just after Jan 1st, I had some minor surgery on my left arm. Then, I injured my right hand (the story which I'll tell sometime, I'm sure). Finally, my upper extremities are healed enough to be able to hold a dumbbell. During my down time, I tried as much as I could with the few weight machines that didn't require grip... but it just wasn't the same.
Last Friday night (yeah, loser that I am -- Bruce plays Dungeons and Dragons on Fridays) I set out to the gym for my first full weight workout. I don't think I've ever hit the gym on a Friday night before -- it's crowded! Not what I was expecting. Anyway, I didn't follow much of a routine, but there were certain exercises I did just because I *could*. And after about 20 minutes, I could feel my right hand ache a bit -- and not a "good ache" -- so I took it a bit easy. But I tell ya, I couldn't have been more excited to hit the gym again.
Throughout my injured phase, I could almost see my shoulders shrinking, my chest drooping (face it, my chest won't "shrink" at my size), Popeye arms... but I didn't seem to lose that much tone. And now, a week later, after three weight workouts, I do believe I'm seeing progress in my upper body. So in the end, maybe the time off was a good thing.
Other than the fact that I hurt like hell last Saturday morning. :D Comes with the territory.
So don't mess with me! I'm strong... er... I'll probably still be achy from my last weightlifting session.
Happy beginning of Easter weekend! I'll be getting back, shortly, to the Thai Tomato Soup I just made from the last issue of Cooking Light (fyi, needs a hair more sugar than the recipe calls for). And a little bit more of the Dreyer's Light Thin Mint that mysteriously made its way into my cart. Hmmmm, however did *that* happen...
Monday, March 21, 2005
Quatre -- the last of 100 things
This might take some thought... the well's running slightly dry. But here goes...
76. I've performed on two semi-major performance stages over the past 4 years (one in CA, one up here in Bellevue).
77. I hate filing. My receipts and stubs often end up, sadly, in piles.
78. I love animals, but a plant is enough responsibility for me right now.
79. I tend to have closer male friends than female friends.
80. Former students told me I remind them of Rachael Ray -- not so much in looks, but the way I teach my classes.
81. I strongly dislike fake, placating people.
82. I've seen every single episode of ER. Yes, they all blur together after 10 years.
83. I write goofy work-related parodies of well-known songs...
84. ... and I printed out sheet music for my organic chemistry students with reactions put to well-known tunes.
85. I have no idea what my lot in life is, career-wise, and I'm hanging out at this "safe" job until I figure something out.
86. I am one of the few people in my family not named after another family member. My Anglophile parents flipped through a baby name book and pulled out Brooke Erin. I'm pretty happy with it.
87. If it weren't for the crowds, Christmas shopping would be one of my favorite activities. I get such a thrill out of hunting down and finding the perfect gift for everyone.
88. I could spend a mint in Crate and Barrel and Williams-Sonoma.
89. When I was 19, I tore a ligament and 3 pieces of cartilage in my left knee. I've since run three marathons on that knee and rarely have problems.
90. I play tons of jazz, but my mind often wanders too much to listen to it (I swear I have Adult ADD).
91. Until I met Bruce, I didn't think there was any person in the world with whom I'd be willing to share my deepest, darkest secrets. Happily, I was wrong.
92. I like watching the olympics for the sports and competition, but they're often too Americentric for me to watch for more than a few minutes.
93. I am a spelling Nazi. I seethe inwardly at misspelled words.
94. I crave change and new challenges.
95. I fancy myself a better cook than baker; still, I get requests for my baked goods.
96. I love learning, but I don't have the patience to sit in a classroom anymore -- besides, having been a teacher, I'm aware of the general crap teaching quality out there.
97. I didn't get chicken pox until I was 20 -- broke out the morning I took the GRE.
98. I rarely sunburn. But when I do, it's bad.
99. When I was a kid, I wanted to be either a newscaster or a weathercaster. All the other girls wanted to be cheerleaders.
100. While I find some celebrities attractive, I don't lust after them. But LL Cool J has a fabulous smile. :)
And there's 100! I'm sure more will trickle in later...
76. I've performed on two semi-major performance stages over the past 4 years (one in CA, one up here in Bellevue).
77. I hate filing. My receipts and stubs often end up, sadly, in piles.
78. I love animals, but a plant is enough responsibility for me right now.
79. I tend to have closer male friends than female friends.
80. Former students told me I remind them of Rachael Ray -- not so much in looks, but the way I teach my classes.
81. I strongly dislike fake, placating people.
82. I've seen every single episode of ER. Yes, they all blur together after 10 years.
83. I write goofy work-related parodies of well-known songs...
84. ... and I printed out sheet music for my organic chemistry students with reactions put to well-known tunes.
85. I have no idea what my lot in life is, career-wise, and I'm hanging out at this "safe" job until I figure something out.
86. I am one of the few people in my family not named after another family member. My Anglophile parents flipped through a baby name book and pulled out Brooke Erin. I'm pretty happy with it.
87. If it weren't for the crowds, Christmas shopping would be one of my favorite activities. I get such a thrill out of hunting down and finding the perfect gift for everyone.
88. I could spend a mint in Crate and Barrel and Williams-Sonoma.
89. When I was 19, I tore a ligament and 3 pieces of cartilage in my left knee. I've since run three marathons on that knee and rarely have problems.
90. I play tons of jazz, but my mind often wanders too much to listen to it (I swear I have Adult ADD).
91. Until I met Bruce, I didn't think there was any person in the world with whom I'd be willing to share my deepest, darkest secrets. Happily, I was wrong.
92. I like watching the olympics for the sports and competition, but they're often too Americentric for me to watch for more than a few minutes.
93. I am a spelling Nazi. I seethe inwardly at misspelled words.
94. I crave change and new challenges.
95. I fancy myself a better cook than baker; still, I get requests for my baked goods.
96. I love learning, but I don't have the patience to sit in a classroom anymore -- besides, having been a teacher, I'm aware of the general crap teaching quality out there.
97. I didn't get chicken pox until I was 20 -- broke out the morning I took the GRE.
98. I rarely sunburn. But when I do, it's bad.
99. When I was a kid, I wanted to be either a newscaster or a weathercaster. All the other girls wanted to be cheerleaders.
100. While I find some celebrities attractive, I don't lust after them. But LL Cool J has a fabulous smile. :)
And there's 100! I'm sure more will trickle in later...
sorry, sweetie, gotta embarrass you
I was just sitting here talking with Bruce... he has a shoulder problem for which he sees a PT a few times a week, and has been going there for a while.
It was today that he told me he noticed a file drawer in their office labeled "cervical flexibility". He laughed, asking me why anyone would need a flexible cervix?
I then reminded him that the upper portion of the spinal column is referred to as "cervical". :D
Meanwhile, back at the ranch...
It was today that he told me he noticed a file drawer in their office labeled "cervical flexibility". He laughed, asking me why anyone would need a flexible cervix?
I then reminded him that the upper portion of the spinal column is referred to as "cervical". :D
Meanwhile, back at the ranch...
I rode the SillyCon Valley electric bull... and didn't fall off
Unless you were hiding under a rock in the late 90's, you're probably familiar with the so-called "internet boom". Both Bruce and I were involved, he much more so than I was. (He was smart and got merely a CS bachelor's degree. I was not quite so smart and spent several years in graduate school before deciding the real world would be better.)
It was a time of niche,serendipitous ideas. It was amazing. Someone could come up with the most obscure idea in the world for a company, and rather than laughing it off wistfully, you could make it happen, because the money was there. You want an online dog-washing service, small breeds only? You got it. You want an online review service for cell biology but not protein biochemistry research products (yes, I worked there)? Here's your money. The ideas flowed, they were many, and it was a renaissance of sorts.
And most techie towns, you couldn't walk into a cafe or coffee shop without hearing of talk about programming, business strategy, "page views", p/e ratios... As someone who tries to find more to life than work, it was a bit stifling.
Of course, students who graduated from college during this time ended up spoiled, for the most part. Since jobs were plentiful, it was easy to find an entry-level position doing grunt work for Company X... and it unfortunately created a bit of a sense of entitlement. People expected to have a job once they graduated. And of course, those days are gone.
Both Bruce and I have fabulous memories... and not so fabulous. Shortly after Bruce became employee 9 at a small company and loved it, I became employee 10 at another company. They were run like night and day. My company was stratified such that I was 4 levels below the president -- in a 10 person company! I didn't last there long; they were so disorganized that I'd often come in with one hour of work to do a day. Had I been wiser then, I would've spent much less time on site. Maybe that would've sent a message. So it wasn't all fun and games, all the time. It's good to be good, but it's better to be lucky.
Many of our friends got carried away. They invested, they day-traded, and they did it in a big way. We often conservatively kept 1/3. Compared to others in our age category, we're financially quite well-off. We didn't let the notion of wealth get to our heads. Too badly. ;)
And this is why I say... that we rode the SillyCon Valley electric bull... and didn't fall off.
It was a time of niche,serendipitous ideas. It was amazing. Someone could come up with the most obscure idea in the world for a company, and rather than laughing it off wistfully, you could make it happen, because the money was there. You want an online dog-washing service, small breeds only? You got it. You want an online review service for cell biology but not protein biochemistry research products (yes, I worked there)? Here's your money. The ideas flowed, they were many, and it was a renaissance of sorts.
And most techie towns, you couldn't walk into a cafe or coffee shop without hearing of talk about programming, business strategy, "page views", p/e ratios... As someone who tries to find more to life than work, it was a bit stifling.
Of course, students who graduated from college during this time ended up spoiled, for the most part. Since jobs were plentiful, it was easy to find an entry-level position doing grunt work for Company X... and it unfortunately created a bit of a sense of entitlement. People expected to have a job once they graduated. And of course, those days are gone.
Both Bruce and I have fabulous memories... and not so fabulous. Shortly after Bruce became employee 9 at a small company and loved it, I became employee 10 at another company. They were run like night and day. My company was stratified such that I was 4 levels below the president -- in a 10 person company! I didn't last there long; they were so disorganized that I'd often come in with one hour of work to do a day. Had I been wiser then, I would've spent much less time on site. Maybe that would've sent a message. So it wasn't all fun and games, all the time. It's good to be good, but it's better to be lucky.
Many of our friends got carried away. They invested, they day-traded, and they did it in a big way. We often conservatively kept 1/3. Compared to others in our age category, we're financially quite well-off. We didn't let the notion of wealth get to our heads. Too badly. ;)
And this is why I say... that we rode the SillyCon Valley electric bull... and didn't fall off.
Sunday, March 20, 2005
100 Things... un, deux, trois
Now, back to my list. Lessee, what haven't I covered...
51. I was raised in a very different family. After my parents split, my mom and I stayed with my grandparents for a while. Thus, I view my grandparents as parental figures, as well... which makes it difficult as they deal with chronic, potentially terminal illness.
52. I think I'm one of the few in my family not to own a shotgun.
53. But despite my less-redneck ways, I love to share raunchy jokes with 'em.
54. My cousin David and I built a treehouse when I was 10 and he was 8. We loved hanging out up there. Our grandfather was so concerned for our safety, which I didn't understand then, but I do understand now.
55. For a few years in grad school, I ate almost entirely vegetarian. Then I realized that sausage is too yummy.
56. I want to live in London and/or Vienna for a year. Each.
57. I live in jeans and sweaters.
58. I don't have much of a sense of whimsy, in contrast to Bruce.
59. A dash of crushed red pepper flakes makes lots of things taste better. I just made peanut brittle with a dash of cayenne.
60. If I can't pay off my credit card bill every month, I don't buy it.
61. My hair was nearly straight until I was 25. Then, it turned wavy and has stayed that way since.
62. I have a bit of a fear of heights.
63. I can't stand gelatin or anything remotely with a gelatin flavor.
64. Sadly, I think the big chains make better cappucinos and lattes than the little mom and pop places, much though I'd love to support the small businesses.
65. I just asked Bruce for his thoughts on this list. He says... really cute, gorgeous eyes, dimple... he's no help. :P
66. I'm just a hair on the "extrovert" side on the "extrovert-introvert" continuum.
67. I own several 80's hair band CDs and I'm not ashamed to say it.
68. I chose all the "wrong" internet companies to work for, in terms of financial success. At least one of them was a fun time.
69. I graduated college when I was still 20.
70. I love touring factories and seeing how things work.
71. I'm not fluent in any language except English, but I know a smattering of Spanish, French, Italian, and Greek from travels. But it's fun to impress people by tossing phrases around in multiple languages, making them think I can speak them all.
72. I'd love to burn Bruce's copy of Oops I Did It Again... but I'm nicer than that.
73. The puns just slip out of my mouth. I don't plan them, it just happens. And I apologize in advance.
74. I don't seem to have the patience, these days, to read a novel.
75. I want Vern Yip to redesign my downstairs room into a rustic cabin feel, complete with maple paneling.
That's it for now, folks!
51. I was raised in a very different family. After my parents split, my mom and I stayed with my grandparents for a while. Thus, I view my grandparents as parental figures, as well... which makes it difficult as they deal with chronic, potentially terminal illness.
52. I think I'm one of the few in my family not to own a shotgun.
53. But despite my less-redneck ways, I love to share raunchy jokes with 'em.
54. My cousin David and I built a treehouse when I was 10 and he was 8. We loved hanging out up there. Our grandfather was so concerned for our safety, which I didn't understand then, but I do understand now.
55. For a few years in grad school, I ate almost entirely vegetarian. Then I realized that sausage is too yummy.
56. I want to live in London and/or Vienna for a year. Each.
57. I live in jeans and sweaters.
58. I don't have much of a sense of whimsy, in contrast to Bruce.
59. A dash of crushed red pepper flakes makes lots of things taste better. I just made peanut brittle with a dash of cayenne.
60. If I can't pay off my credit card bill every month, I don't buy it.
61. My hair was nearly straight until I was 25. Then, it turned wavy and has stayed that way since.
62. I have a bit of a fear of heights.
63. I can't stand gelatin or anything remotely with a gelatin flavor.
64. Sadly, I think the big chains make better cappucinos and lattes than the little mom and pop places, much though I'd love to support the small businesses.
65. I just asked Bruce for his thoughts on this list. He says... really cute, gorgeous eyes, dimple... he's no help. :P
66. I'm just a hair on the "extrovert" side on the "extrovert-introvert" continuum.
67. I own several 80's hair band CDs and I'm not ashamed to say it.
68. I chose all the "wrong" internet companies to work for, in terms of financial success. At least one of them was a fun time.
69. I graduated college when I was still 20.
70. I love touring factories and seeing how things work.
71. I'm not fluent in any language except English, but I know a smattering of Spanish, French, Italian, and Greek from travels. But it's fun to impress people by tossing phrases around in multiple languages, making them think I can speak them all.
72. I'd love to burn Bruce's copy of Oops I Did It Again... but I'm nicer than that.
73. The puns just slip out of my mouth. I don't plan them, it just happens. And I apologize in advance.
74. I don't seem to have the patience, these days, to read a novel.
75. I want Vern Yip to redesign my downstairs room into a rustic cabin feel, complete with maple paneling.
That's it for now, folks!
A no good, very bad day
Back to your regularly scheduled "100 Things" in a few... a quick "regular" post, first.
I've had a left-side sinus infection off and on for months, perhaps years. Over the past few years, I've developed migraines, mostly on the left side. Saturday morning, the two intersected -- mind you, it was also the worst migraine I ever remember having, as well.
I haven't been in that much pain in a long time.
I initially woke up at 6:30, feeling a headache coming on, but expecting only a mild one. I woke up again at 9, and waited maybe 15 minutes before I poked Bruce and told him I should go to the local clinic.
I'd never officially been diagnosed with migraines until yesterday, so I usually would just sleep the bad ones off. But given that this was my third bad one in 6 weeks, it was time to do something about it. And that was truly the case, since I was in so much pain I was unable to walk a straight line and unable to read anything without dry-heaving. And thoughts of food? No could do.
So he drove me to the clinic... and I sat in the waiting room in so much pain, hunched over, tears streaming down the left side of my face. I got in to the doctor (who knows me pretty well, since he's treated both my hand injury and Bruce's shoulder injury) and he basically told me... why the hell did you wait so long to get these headaches looked at?
(They seemed to coincide with sinus infections, so I've tried myriad methods to treat my headaches from that angle... with no success. That's why.)
Anyway, I honestly can't remember half of the appointment, and I'm sure that if I didn't have a pharmaceutical background and an interest in health science, I wouldn't remember much at all. In any case, since I was nearly unconscious, I was treated, sent home, and told to come back next week to discuss headache treatment when more lucid.
I got a shot of Imitrex into my arm. Ahhh, within the first hour, I could actually watch TV without everything swimming in front of my eyes. Got a booster shot two hours later, which by mid-afternoon, reduced me to moderate headache -- making me mostly functional!
I also got some "happy drugs" (amidine) that would squelch a headache if it continued into the night. The thing is -- I'd told a friend I'd go to his birthday party that night, including promises of interesting alcoholic concoctions -- and amidine and alcohol do NOT mix. I was ready to bag the party, but Bruce was feeling the need to be social and seemed to want to go.
I held off on happy drugs, wanting to drink something (yeah, like that's a good idea with a bloodstream full of imitrex). Until shortly before the party, when the pain worsened a bit again. Then the left-side tearing restarted. And then, the pukey feeling came back. So I took the pills and sacrificed the alcohol. Oh well, no biggie.
But the moment I got to the party was, happily, my first pain-free moment of the day! Oh joy, oh rapture! And the people there seemed very cool. Unfortunately this stupid laryngitis-thing (which may be an indirect result of too many migraines in a row, rather than actual sinus infection) made it impossible for me to be social, and it was totally frustrating. I hate coming across as so anti-social, but what to do? If we cross paths again, they will meet a very different Brooke.
In any case, I heard some very interesting stories about this friend from people who've known him 10+ years. (Blackmail, my dear, if you're reading this. Ha!) But still had to leave early (not only out of anti-social frustration) because both the amidine and imitrex have "dizziness" as their major side effect, and the room started spinning even when I was standing still. Still, I wasn't in pain at all, so I was a lot happier.
Today, I show no signs of having experienced one of the worst headaches I've ever had. Funny how life works that way. Just goes to show that sometimes living "in the moment" isn't the best thing to do -- think ahead 24 hours, or even less, to a time when I won't be in pain.
And I hate to live a life controlled by drugs, which I'll have to do, given the increased migraine frequency I've experienced. But I've been down that road once before (a story for another time, when I had a series of panic attacks) and I can do it again and stay strong.
I've had a left-side sinus infection off and on for months, perhaps years. Over the past few years, I've developed migraines, mostly on the left side. Saturday morning, the two intersected -- mind you, it was also the worst migraine I ever remember having, as well.
I haven't been in that much pain in a long time.
I initially woke up at 6:30, feeling a headache coming on, but expecting only a mild one. I woke up again at 9, and waited maybe 15 minutes before I poked Bruce and told him I should go to the local clinic.
I'd never officially been diagnosed with migraines until yesterday, so I usually would just sleep the bad ones off. But given that this was my third bad one in 6 weeks, it was time to do something about it. And that was truly the case, since I was in so much pain I was unable to walk a straight line and unable to read anything without dry-heaving. And thoughts of food? No could do.
So he drove me to the clinic... and I sat in the waiting room in so much pain, hunched over, tears streaming down the left side of my face. I got in to the doctor (who knows me pretty well, since he's treated both my hand injury and Bruce's shoulder injury) and he basically told me... why the hell did you wait so long to get these headaches looked at?
(They seemed to coincide with sinus infections, so I've tried myriad methods to treat my headaches from that angle... with no success. That's why.)
Anyway, I honestly can't remember half of the appointment, and I'm sure that if I didn't have a pharmaceutical background and an interest in health science, I wouldn't remember much at all. In any case, since I was nearly unconscious, I was treated, sent home, and told to come back next week to discuss headache treatment when more lucid.
I got a shot of Imitrex into my arm. Ahhh, within the first hour, I could actually watch TV without everything swimming in front of my eyes. Got a booster shot two hours later, which by mid-afternoon, reduced me to moderate headache -- making me mostly functional!
I also got some "happy drugs" (amidine) that would squelch a headache if it continued into the night. The thing is -- I'd told a friend I'd go to his birthday party that night, including promises of interesting alcoholic concoctions -- and amidine and alcohol do NOT mix. I was ready to bag the party, but Bruce was feeling the need to be social and seemed to want to go.
I held off on happy drugs, wanting to drink something (yeah, like that's a good idea with a bloodstream full of imitrex). Until shortly before the party, when the pain worsened a bit again. Then the left-side tearing restarted. And then, the pukey feeling came back. So I took the pills and sacrificed the alcohol. Oh well, no biggie.
But the moment I got to the party was, happily, my first pain-free moment of the day! Oh joy, oh rapture! And the people there seemed very cool. Unfortunately this stupid laryngitis-thing (which may be an indirect result of too many migraines in a row, rather than actual sinus infection) made it impossible for me to be social, and it was totally frustrating. I hate coming across as so anti-social, but what to do? If we cross paths again, they will meet a very different Brooke.
In any case, I heard some very interesting stories about this friend from people who've known him 10+ years. (Blackmail, my dear, if you're reading this. Ha!) But still had to leave early (not only out of anti-social frustration) because both the amidine and imitrex have "dizziness" as their major side effect, and the room started spinning even when I was standing still. Still, I wasn't in pain at all, so I was a lot happier.
Today, I show no signs of having experienced one of the worst headaches I've ever had. Funny how life works that way. Just goes to show that sometimes living "in the moment" isn't the best thing to do -- think ahead 24 hours, or even less, to a time when I won't be in pain.
And I hate to live a life controlled by drugs, which I'll have to do, given the increased migraine frequency I've experienced. But I've been down that road once before (a story for another time, when I had a series of panic attacks) and I can do it again and stay strong.
Saturday, March 19, 2005
100 things, part deux
To keep my mind off the pain of my currently exploding sinuses.
26. I have bad vision but hate glasses with a passion. Not for vanity reasons; I don't like that much weight on the bridge of my nose.
27. Shoveling snow is fun on occasion. Just not every day before going to work.
28. I've had multiple careers and still can't decide on one. Prior to data-analyzing, I was a college chemistry teacher, worked in various analysis positions at internet companies, and did biochem/mol bio bench research.
29. I kind of miss the experimental/research side of my life -- but there's so much rigid scheduling often involved that I'm not ready for, again.
30. I own 10 musical instruments -- some I don't play very well, but I can play at least a short little ditty on all but the violin. Other instruments include piano, alto sax, tenor sax, bari sax, clarinet, flute, acoustic guitar, electric bass, and trumpet. The piano and saxes get the most use.
31. A relaxing weekend morning for me often starts with 1-1 1/2 hours of running at a relaxed pace.
32. I can't remember the last time I wore makeup other than tinted lip gloss.
33. I have no fear of public speaking, and not much fear of public performance.
34. I tend to be far too direct and blunt, and have lost friends that way.
35. I didn't think Napoleon Dynamite was very funny. It was just a'right.
36. By the time I was 13, I'd visited over 30 states, but only one "foreign" country (Canada).
37. I like most roller coasters but not free-fall rides.
38. I could spend a long time browsing a gourmet market or foreign supermarket.
39. In fact, to me, part of the fun of overseas travel is to see how they live their day-to-day life differently -- translating to, avoid the touristy places and browse the everyday stores.
40. One of the more naive things I've done in life: in grad school, I chose the "cool thesis project" even though I was on a different wavelength than the advisor. You've gotta be able to communicate with your thesis advisor.
41. I can run 40+ miles a week and still carry around "that last 15 pounds".
42. I didn't admit it then, but I had an eating disorder my last year of college, potentially contributing to the sticking of said "last 15 pounds".
43. I'm not a huge fan of clothes shopping, but when I serendipitously find something that looks good on me and I buy it, that can make my day.
44. When I was a college faculty member, unlike many of my colleagues, I never cursed during lecture. I found it disrespectful to the class to do so.
45. I am a grad school dropout. When my mind wandered during every single lecture and seminar, I realized I needed a change.
46. And in my first gutsy move in life, I quit grad school with nothing else to turn to. I found some contract work at Genentech soon after.
47. I'm a piano singer-songwriter. I write songs that make me happy, or are cathartic in some way. And I love sharing my music.
48. I hated mangoes until I tried eating them with lime juice. Now I can't get enough of 'em.
49. I can't drink regular soda because everyone around me, while I grew up, drank diet. I got used to the lower sweetness levels.
50. I love cardamom and put it in many baked goods that call for cinnamon. An homage to my part-Swedish roots?
Tune in later for the next installment...
26. I have bad vision but hate glasses with a passion. Not for vanity reasons; I don't like that much weight on the bridge of my nose.
27. Shoveling snow is fun on occasion. Just not every day before going to work.
28. I've had multiple careers and still can't decide on one. Prior to data-analyzing, I was a college chemistry teacher, worked in various analysis positions at internet companies, and did biochem/mol bio bench research.
29. I kind of miss the experimental/research side of my life -- but there's so much rigid scheduling often involved that I'm not ready for, again.
30. I own 10 musical instruments -- some I don't play very well, but I can play at least a short little ditty on all but the violin. Other instruments include piano, alto sax, tenor sax, bari sax, clarinet, flute, acoustic guitar, electric bass, and trumpet. The piano and saxes get the most use.
31. A relaxing weekend morning for me often starts with 1-1 1/2 hours of running at a relaxed pace.
32. I can't remember the last time I wore makeup other than tinted lip gloss.
33. I have no fear of public speaking, and not much fear of public performance.
34. I tend to be far too direct and blunt, and have lost friends that way.
35. I didn't think Napoleon Dynamite was very funny. It was just a'right.
36. By the time I was 13, I'd visited over 30 states, but only one "foreign" country (Canada).
37. I like most roller coasters but not free-fall rides.
38. I could spend a long time browsing a gourmet market or foreign supermarket.
39. In fact, to me, part of the fun of overseas travel is to see how they live their day-to-day life differently -- translating to, avoid the touristy places and browse the everyday stores.
40. One of the more naive things I've done in life: in grad school, I chose the "cool thesis project" even though I was on a different wavelength than the advisor. You've gotta be able to communicate with your thesis advisor.
41. I can run 40+ miles a week and still carry around "that last 15 pounds".
42. I didn't admit it then, but I had an eating disorder my last year of college, potentially contributing to the sticking of said "last 15 pounds".
43. I'm not a huge fan of clothes shopping, but when I serendipitously find something that looks good on me and I buy it, that can make my day.
44. When I was a college faculty member, unlike many of my colleagues, I never cursed during lecture. I found it disrespectful to the class to do so.
45. I am a grad school dropout. When my mind wandered during every single lecture and seminar, I realized I needed a change.
46. And in my first gutsy move in life, I quit grad school with nothing else to turn to. I found some contract work at Genentech soon after.
47. I'm a piano singer-songwriter. I write songs that make me happy, or are cathartic in some way. And I love sharing my music.
48. I hated mangoes until I tried eating them with lime juice. Now I can't get enough of 'em.
49. I can't drink regular soda because everyone around me, while I grew up, drank diet. I got used to the lower sweetness levels.
50. I love cardamom and put it in many baked goods that call for cinnamon. An homage to my part-Swedish roots?
Tune in later for the next installment...
Friday, March 18, 2005
100 Things About Me... un
Some time ago in blogland, there was a "100 facts about me" project. I think it's pretty cool, and maybe insightful for those of you who think you know me well. Besides, what better to do on a Friday night when I'm infected and can't talk?
I'll do this in four installments of 25. I think. Let's see where the muses lead me... in no particular order.
About Brooke... 1-25
*******************
1. I don't much like the colors orange and red, but I love wearing them... and several rooms in my house have been painted or will be painted variations of those colors.
2. I would make an awful parent, therefore I have no desire to have kids. And I secretly seethe at people who say "Wow, why would someone NOT want kids?"
3. I was among the first picked for every (singing) solo in elementary school Christmas pageants.
4. I love to cook, but always pass off jalapeno chopping to someone *not* wearing contacts. That oil goes everywhere.
5. If I were young enough to be on American Idol, I'd be trying out, baby.
6. I never thought I'd be able to leave my home state (CA). Now, I have a hard time going back for visits.
7. I don't believe in political parties. I think the two main parties are all about name-calling and finger-pointing, thus I refuse to associate. I'm probably closest to libertarian these days, but I hate that politics is all a game of "us" vs. "them".
8. I only remember having met two famous people, ever: a. in the 80's, my family ran into Lee Greenwood (country singer) in a cafe while on a roadtrip, and b. I met Oakland A's center fielder Dave Henderson back in the 90's.
9. I wasn't really encouraged to exercise as a child and weighed over 200 pounds at age 15. I lost 80+ pounds shortly thereafter. I haven't stayed that light into adulthood, but I've *never* been as big as I was then.
10. I'd rather meet a Food Network personality than a sports star or another TV celebrity.
11. I've colored my hair far too many times to count. It's slowly going back to natural, when I'm sure I'll color it again.
12. In high school, I was one of the few girls *not* in love with New Kids on the Block.
13. I've been to New England 5-6 times, but I've never been to Boston (other than passing through Logan Airport).
14. Organic chemistry was my favorite course in college. Then, I taught it for a few years.
15. Bruce proposed to me having known me a month. Much to my shock, it only took me two more months to say yes.
16. My ideal weather is 60's and overcast.
17. I'm ashamed to drive an SUV. I always find myself apologizing to people and making excuses for it (it gets better mileage than most trucks).
18. My then-fiance and I rode the internet rollercoaster with Silicon Valley jobs. Those were the best of times.
19. I have over 200 pages of a semi-autobiographical, self-discovery novel written. Haven't touched it since my move to Seattle.
20. My favorite cheese is Castello Blue.
21. I could drink mango mojitos for hours.
22. But the sad truth -- have I truly reached adulthood when I say that I like virgin spicy bloody marys as much as the real deal?
23. Black coffee, straight up, most days.
24. I'm a semi-closet prog rock geek. (Well. Not so "closet" anymore.) I used to own every Rush album (damn you car/CD thief!), and half of my CD shelf contains bands people haven't heard of.
25. I have a brown thumb. I claimed huge success when my crocuses (croci? Croce?) actually popped up this year!
Next installment later... g'nite, folks!
I'll do this in four installments of 25. I think. Let's see where the muses lead me... in no particular order.
About Brooke... 1-25
*******************
1. I don't much like the colors orange and red, but I love wearing them... and several rooms in my house have been painted or will be painted variations of those colors.
2. I would make an awful parent, therefore I have no desire to have kids. And I secretly seethe at people who say "Wow, why would someone NOT want kids?"
3. I was among the first picked for every (singing) solo in elementary school Christmas pageants.
4. I love to cook, but always pass off jalapeno chopping to someone *not* wearing contacts. That oil goes everywhere.
5. If I were young enough to be on American Idol, I'd be trying out, baby.
6. I never thought I'd be able to leave my home state (CA). Now, I have a hard time going back for visits.
7. I don't believe in political parties. I think the two main parties are all about name-calling and finger-pointing, thus I refuse to associate. I'm probably closest to libertarian these days, but I hate that politics is all a game of "us" vs. "them".
8. I only remember having met two famous people, ever: a. in the 80's, my family ran into Lee Greenwood (country singer) in a cafe while on a roadtrip, and b. I met Oakland A's center fielder Dave Henderson back in the 90's.
9. I wasn't really encouraged to exercise as a child and weighed over 200 pounds at age 15. I lost 80+ pounds shortly thereafter. I haven't stayed that light into adulthood, but I've *never* been as big as I was then.
10. I'd rather meet a Food Network personality than a sports star or another TV celebrity.
11. I've colored my hair far too many times to count. It's slowly going back to natural, when I'm sure I'll color it again.
12. In high school, I was one of the few girls *not* in love with New Kids on the Block.
13. I've been to New England 5-6 times, but I've never been to Boston (other than passing through Logan Airport).
14. Organic chemistry was my favorite course in college. Then, I taught it for a few years.
15. Bruce proposed to me having known me a month. Much to my shock, it only took me two more months to say yes.
16. My ideal weather is 60's and overcast.
17. I'm ashamed to drive an SUV. I always find myself apologizing to people and making excuses for it (it gets better mileage than most trucks).
18. My then-fiance and I rode the internet rollercoaster with Silicon Valley jobs. Those were the best of times.
19. I have over 200 pages of a semi-autobiographical, self-discovery novel written. Haven't touched it since my move to Seattle.
20. My favorite cheese is Castello Blue.
21. I could drink mango mojitos for hours.
22. But the sad truth -- have I truly reached adulthood when I say that I like virgin spicy bloody marys as much as the real deal?
23. Black coffee, straight up, most days.
24. I'm a semi-closet prog rock geek. (Well. Not so "closet" anymore.) I used to own every Rush album (damn you car/CD thief!), and half of my CD shelf contains bands people haven't heard of.
25. I have a brown thumb. I claimed huge success when my crocuses (croci? Croce?) actually popped up this year!
Next installment later... g'nite, folks!
beer so thick you can eat it with a fork
Last night, I had an interesting experience. I got home early from playing piano at band rehearsal, so Bruce and I decided to share this Austrian beer we picked up at Central Market. I can't remember the name off the top of my head, but it's a special beer brewed only one day a year. (And overall fairly inexpensive -- about $4 for the bottle!)
Well, it's the most syrupy beer I've ever had. Kind of a metallic tasting maple syrup, and I mean that in a negative way. Still, it's beer, and I hate to waste it, so I drank my half down in about 10 minutes.
Only when I was close to finishing my half did I actually read the label. This stuff is... 14% alcohol!!! That's about 5 times the US standard. So it was at that point that I realized... I just drank almost 3 beers in 10 minutes!
Woo! The rest of the night I was happy. Nah, not too bad. I actually have a pretty high tolerance, so I was just slightly buzzed.
An amusing aside: I love the new lime Coke commercial. There are a bunch of people dancing around singing "you put the lime in the Coke, you nut." Cracks me up! Perhaps I'm easily amused.
Well, it's the most syrupy beer I've ever had. Kind of a metallic tasting maple syrup, and I mean that in a negative way. Still, it's beer, and I hate to waste it, so I drank my half down in about 10 minutes.
Only when I was close to finishing my half did I actually read the label. This stuff is... 14% alcohol!!! That's about 5 times the US standard. So it was at that point that I realized... I just drank almost 3 beers in 10 minutes!
Woo! The rest of the night I was happy. Nah, not too bad. I actually have a pretty high tolerance, so I was just slightly buzzed.
An amusing aside: I love the new lime Coke commercial. There are a bunch of people dancing around singing "you put the lime in the Coke, you nut." Cracks me up! Perhaps I'm easily amused.
Thursday, March 17, 2005
cryin' in my (green) beer
Top o'the mornin', eh...
A mixed bag of rants today. I'm still reeling from the music thing last night, but I won't say anything about that again until I have more time to think.
I get chronic sinus infections. I'm currently searching for an antibiotic that will kill off this round, since the one I'm taking ain't doin' squat. As a result, I can barely speak.
The rant being... you'd think people in doctor's offices would have a bit more sympathy. I put in a call to them yesterday, scraping the bottom of the barrel to get any sound out of my throat.
Me: I have a question about...
Them: WHAT?
Me: I have a question...
Them: WHAT?
And it went on like this for a few more rounds until I finally got my point across. I haven't entirely been impressed with the desk staff there... if someone seems to have difficulty talking, don't holler WHAT? back at them!! A message was left with my doctor, who's out of town until tomorrow. Ah, such is life in the chronically-infected world.
I'm seriously working on my coding chops today. I made a small, elegant, yet simple change in a data analysis perl script we use in Genome World. Somehow that unmasked a deeper, more difficult issue that already existed downstream in the code. I'm feverishly (ha, pun intended) trying to convince my coworkers that I didn't create the new problem (heh) while at the same time, trying to figure out how to fix it. It's a good challenge.
Meanwhile... since UW made it to March Madness, all of the guys I need to talk to about said problem are in a sports bar drinking green beer. And I don't have any green beer right now. but if I did, you can bet I'd be cryin' in it.
A mixed bag of rants today. I'm still reeling from the music thing last night, but I won't say anything about that again until I have more time to think.
I get chronic sinus infections. I'm currently searching for an antibiotic that will kill off this round, since the one I'm taking ain't doin' squat. As a result, I can barely speak.
The rant being... you'd think people in doctor's offices would have a bit more sympathy. I put in a call to them yesterday, scraping the bottom of the barrel to get any sound out of my throat.
Me: I have a question about...
Them: WHAT?
Me: I have a question...
Them: WHAT?
And it went on like this for a few more rounds until I finally got my point across. I haven't entirely been impressed with the desk staff there... if someone seems to have difficulty talking, don't holler WHAT? back at them!! A message was left with my doctor, who's out of town until tomorrow. Ah, such is life in the chronically-infected world.
I'm seriously working on my coding chops today. I made a small, elegant, yet simple change in a data analysis perl script we use in Genome World. Somehow that unmasked a deeper, more difficult issue that already existed downstream in the code. I'm feverishly (ha, pun intended) trying to convince my coworkers that I didn't create the new problem (heh) while at the same time, trying to figure out how to fix it. It's a good challenge.
Meanwhile... since UW made it to March Madness, all of the guys I need to talk to about said problem are in a sports bar drinking green beer. And I don't have any green beer right now. but if I did, you can bet I'd be cryin' in it.
Wednesday, March 16, 2005
take that
second post today, but gotta get something off my chest.
I'm a musician with a varied past -- big band singer, jazz pianist, jazz sax player, a cappella vocalist, singer/songwriter... etc. When I moved to Seattle a year ago, I jumped headfirst into the local music scene, and thanks to craigslist, I've ebbed and flowed with needs and interests.
A month ago, I met these guys who were doing a 6 part (4 guys, 2 girls) trip-hop group -- all vocals and a recorded vocal percussion track. I came to a rehearsal to replace their departing alto, and was later told that everyone was "intimidated" by my musical ability -- in a good way.
I've since been to about three other rehearsals -- the pace was on the slightly slower side in terms of learning songs, but the music was way cool. How many times have I sung The Lion Sleeps Tonight or other such common blather a cappella style? This was something totally different -- artsy, experimental.
Little did I know what was coming. I felt I interacted fine with the group in the few rehearsals I'd attended, though I clearly felt the most extroverted. But still, I held back and tried not to overwhelm. I just got an out-of-the-blue email from Band Leader Guy (who claims he prefers the phone, so I knew something was wrong) saying that I'm clearly talented but "the chemistry isn't working out". ??? I'm confused. Yeah, things still felt superficial with the group, but what do you expect after three meetings???
Anyway, I wrote back saying how confused I was, and asked what he felt was wrong. Though I don't know if I'll ever get a response. He was too spineless to call me in the first place...
Perhaps this is heading something off at the pass that would've been a problem on down the line. But it was fun for me on the way there. This is a sad moment for me.
I'm a musician with a varied past -- big band singer, jazz pianist, jazz sax player, a cappella vocalist, singer/songwriter... etc. When I moved to Seattle a year ago, I jumped headfirst into the local music scene, and thanks to craigslist, I've ebbed and flowed with needs and interests.
A month ago, I met these guys who were doing a 6 part (4 guys, 2 girls) trip-hop group -- all vocals and a recorded vocal percussion track. I came to a rehearsal to replace their departing alto, and was later told that everyone was "intimidated" by my musical ability -- in a good way.
I've since been to about three other rehearsals -- the pace was on the slightly slower side in terms of learning songs, but the music was way cool. How many times have I sung The Lion Sleeps Tonight or other such common blather a cappella style? This was something totally different -- artsy, experimental.
Little did I know what was coming. I felt I interacted fine with the group in the few rehearsals I'd attended, though I clearly felt the most extroverted. But still, I held back and tried not to overwhelm. I just got an out-of-the-blue email from Band Leader Guy (who claims he prefers the phone, so I knew something was wrong) saying that I'm clearly talented but "the chemistry isn't working out". ??? I'm confused. Yeah, things still felt superficial with the group, but what do you expect after three meetings???
Anyway, I wrote back saying how confused I was, and asked what he felt was wrong. Though I don't know if I'll ever get a response. He was too spineless to call me in the first place...
Perhaps this is heading something off at the pass that would've been a problem on down the line. But it was fun for me on the way there. This is a sad moment for me.
cheesecake is awesome
One of the wonders in life is cheesecake -- the perfect blend of creamy, sweet but not too sweet, and the sour of citrus with the ever-so-slight sour of the cheese. Of course, the best in the world contain far too many calories than I want to know.
I love cooking, and I'm a scientist-geek -- so I'm often surfing the web for recipes. Frequently I'll look for healthier knock-offs of things I really love. Or just plain ol' experimentation. Not too long ago, I found something that's almost a magic cheesecake substitute, that's FAT FREE.
Now, it doesn't quite have the same creamy mouthfeel, but the flavor is THERE. I'm a berry freak, and I love to dollop/mix with berries, fresh or frozen.
Here's whatcha gotta do:
Mix one regular size package fat free/sugar free white chocolate jello pudding with 16 oz fat free sour cream. Mix well, since the pudding mix tends to clump. Add a few drops of lemon or jime juice (the latter makes it taste a bit more key lime pie) to taste.
And that's it!
Yeah, it's weird. And I was suspicious, too. But it does work, would you believe!
The texture is a little bit gelatinous to me (and I HATE gelatin with a passion) so I probably wouldn't eat it straight, but mmmmmm... with berries..... :D
I love cooking, and I'm a scientist-geek -- so I'm often surfing the web for recipes. Frequently I'll look for healthier knock-offs of things I really love. Or just plain ol' experimentation. Not too long ago, I found something that's almost a magic cheesecake substitute, that's FAT FREE.
Now, it doesn't quite have the same creamy mouthfeel, but the flavor is THERE. I'm a berry freak, and I love to dollop/mix with berries, fresh or frozen.
Here's whatcha gotta do:
Mix one regular size package fat free/sugar free white chocolate jello pudding with 16 oz fat free sour cream. Mix well, since the pudding mix tends to clump. Add a few drops of lemon or jime juice (the latter makes it taste a bit more key lime pie) to taste.
And that's it!
Yeah, it's weird. And I was suspicious, too. But it does work, would you believe!
The texture is a little bit gelatinous to me (and I HATE gelatin with a passion) so I probably wouldn't eat it straight, but mmmmmm... with berries..... :D
Monday, March 14, 2005
that little yellow bracelet
I've finally put my finger on what bothers me about those LiveStrong bracelets. I have yet to be caught up in the craze, and never will be, as far as I'm concerned.
(warning: overgeneralization to follow. maybe you don't fall into this category, and I apologize if you don't.)
It's the same thing that bothered me about the post-9/11 "dove releasing" ceremony where I worked at the time. Many Americans -- dare I say most -- use this sort of thing as a type of "closure". Which is completely reasonable.
Yet I run into so many that use these opportunities to mentally pat themselves on the back, to say, "there, I've done my part, I don't have to think about that anymore." Whew, we bought the bracelet, the money goes toward cancer, I've done my good deed, now on with life.
Wouldn't it be nice if this attitude solved the world's problems?
Now, I'm not saying that we all need to think about a cure for cancer 24/7, especially those of us who lack experience or training in the appropriate fields. But cancer can't be cured by a single small donation. World peace won't be achieved by releasing a few doves into the sky. Sure, it's a nice gesture, but I ask that people revisit these topics on a semi-regular basis.
And that's why I won't buy a LiveStrong bracelet. Curing several varieties of cancer is done over a lifetime of small gestures... if we're lucky.
(warning: overgeneralization to follow. maybe you don't fall into this category, and I apologize if you don't.)
It's the same thing that bothered me about the post-9/11 "dove releasing" ceremony where I worked at the time. Many Americans -- dare I say most -- use this sort of thing as a type of "closure". Which is completely reasonable.
Yet I run into so many that use these opportunities to mentally pat themselves on the back, to say, "there, I've done my part, I don't have to think about that anymore." Whew, we bought the bracelet, the money goes toward cancer, I've done my good deed, now on with life.
Wouldn't it be nice if this attitude solved the world's problems?
Now, I'm not saying that we all need to think about a cure for cancer 24/7, especially those of us who lack experience or training in the appropriate fields. But cancer can't be cured by a single small donation. World peace won't be achieved by releasing a few doves into the sky. Sure, it's a nice gesture, but I ask that people revisit these topics on a semi-regular basis.
And that's why I won't buy a LiveStrong bracelet. Curing several varieties of cancer is done over a lifetime of small gestures... if we're lucky.
Tuesday, March 08, 2005
oh iiii-iii-i'm still alive
test for echo... anyone?
anyway, here i am. i've been meaning to put something up for months, a "space for rant" if you will, and i finally came up with a semi-creative blog name that wasn't already taken. score!
so now, i have something to do while i'm at work. and you all get to virtually listen.
observation for the day: craig's list is the bomb. one of the jazz bands needed a bass sub. i posted an ad. i got THREE responses. since i come from craig's hometown, i was an early user of craig's list, and i used it to help orient myself in my move to seattle. now the thing's expanded to freakin' everywhere. there's a craig's list bakersfield. fresno. wow.
entries will probably be longer once I can move all 10 fingers again. 'til i get bored at work tomorrow...
anyway, here i am. i've been meaning to put something up for months, a "space for rant" if you will, and i finally came up with a semi-creative blog name that wasn't already taken. score!
so now, i have something to do while i'm at work. and you all get to virtually listen.
observation for the day: craig's list is the bomb. one of the jazz bands needed a bass sub. i posted an ad. i got THREE responses. since i come from craig's hometown, i was an early user of craig's list, and i used it to help orient myself in my move to seattle. now the thing's expanded to freakin' everywhere. there's a craig's list bakersfield. fresno. wow.
entries will probably be longer once I can move all 10 fingers again. 'til i get bored at work tomorrow...
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