If anyone needs me, I'm holed up in the Fortress of Solitude, getting over a rough week by objectifying some dudes on TV. And polishing off a bottle of blush wine (truly, the gingerale of alcohol). And thinking more about life and stuff.
A friend of mine from theatre school died last week, and it hit me harder than I imagined it would. Adel was my age - the first person my age I've ever lost, and I've spent the week wishing we had been closer over the past decade.
It was a rough week - mourning and grieving, yet having to be out in public for events and meetings and all the nitty gritty stuff that makes up my life. I slept for almost 18 hours Friday night/Saturday morning, and woke up feeling almost sick for it.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go back to objectifying the guys from Haven a little bit more.
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Jam Woes...and some Deep Thinking
I made two batches of jam over the past two days, and neither of them turned out quite the way I wanted. I overcooked one, and wound up with three jars of rock-solid blackberry sludge, and I miscalculated the sugar and undercooked the second, leaving me with seven jars of what will be the most delicious pancake/french toast/sundae sauce. The blackberry sludge appears to be salvageable, with time and patience, and I've already consumed 1/4 of a jar of strawberry sauce.*
As I said to H, I just hate not being instantly good at something. She pointed out that not being instantly good at canning was inherently different from not being instantly good at sky-diving, we all had a good laugh, and then I went back to what I do best - lazing around the house, not putting clean laundry away, and being the indentured servant of the fuzzy mens.
I've been thinking a lot about journeys lately. There's a part of me that wants to take off for a while - head out on the road and see what happens. (That is the part of me that doesn't remember that we just drove to Whitehorse and back on Friday/Saturday and that our legs are still cramping.) I'm afraid if I don't listen to that part of me now, though, that it's going to manifest itself much more loudly in a few months, and I'll do something without planning to do it.***
Anyway, to get back to the original point, I still have a few batches of jam I intend to try - I will keep you updated. Once my fingers have stopped feeling scorched.****
*Seriously, I may be going into a sugar coma. If I'm not at work tomorrow, please send help - preferably in the form of those two guys from Haven**
**Seriously, how have I missed out on that show? It's like my perfect blend of procedural cop show, paranormal show, and Maine (the creepiest of all states).
***See: How I moved to Japan, and also: How I moved to the Yukon.
****Unrelated to anything - some times, the cats will look at me without blinking, with these strange looks on their cat-faces, and I fear that they are plotting the best way to kill and eat me. Just FYI, in case anything happens.
As I said to H, I just hate not being instantly good at something. She pointed out that not being instantly good at canning was inherently different from not being instantly good at sky-diving, we all had a good laugh, and then I went back to what I do best - lazing around the house, not putting clean laundry away, and being the indentured servant of the fuzzy mens.
I've been thinking a lot about journeys lately. There's a part of me that wants to take off for a while - head out on the road and see what happens. (That is the part of me that doesn't remember that we just drove to Whitehorse and back on Friday/Saturday and that our legs are still cramping.) I'm afraid if I don't listen to that part of me now, though, that it's going to manifest itself much more loudly in a few months, and I'll do something without planning to do it.***
Anyway, to get back to the original point, I still have a few batches of jam I intend to try - I will keep you updated. Once my fingers have stopped feeling scorched.****
*Seriously, I may be going into a sugar coma. If I'm not at work tomorrow, please send help - preferably in the form of those two guys from Haven**
**Seriously, how have I missed out on that show? It's like my perfect blend of procedural cop show, paranormal show, and Maine (the creepiest of all states).
***See: How I moved to Japan, and also: How I moved to the Yukon.
****Unrelated to anything - some times, the cats will look at me without blinking, with these strange looks on their cat-faces, and I fear that they are plotting the best way to kill and eat me. Just FYI, in case anything happens.
Saturday, August 20, 2011
"I say we take off, nuke the site from orbit. It's the only way to be sure."
I haven't been a good blogger, lately.
I mean, I've been thinking about blogging, about topics and themes and an analysis of why Ripley in Aliens is the baddest-ass that ever was or will be, but I haven't actually been writing any of it.
Whoops.
I'm not writing it tonight, either. Tonight, I'm just checking in so you don't think I've forgotten about you. I'll get back to blogging after my bajillionth viewing of the Director's Cut of Aliens.
I mean, I've been thinking about blogging, about topics and themes and an analysis of why Ripley in Aliens is the baddest-ass that ever was or will be, but I haven't actually been writing any of it.
Whoops.
I'm not writing it tonight, either. Tonight, I'm just checking in so you don't think I've forgotten about you. I'll get back to blogging after my bajillionth viewing of the Director's Cut of Aliens.
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
It must be said
American Apparel ads make me feel stabby.
The Tank Thong? Do I really need to have my eyes attacked daily by a banner ad consisting of 20 womens' butts with different colour thongs crammed up them? (I think it's actually the same woman, only the thongs have been colour-changed in Photoshop - but you probably know what I'm talking about.)
I'm not the first one to make this complaint, I'm sure, but American Apparel ads make me feel dirty. Not dirty as in sexy, but dirty as in "I wish I could bathe myself in bleach and scour everything from my brain to my toes with a Brillo pad." I feel unclean.
Sigh. I wouldn't have said anything under normal circumstances, but I was just catching up on the day's fugs at Go Fug Yourself, and blammo! Tank Thong Ass right up in my grill! I just had to share how icky I felt with you, Internet people.
Now to try to clear my brain so I can sleep.
The Tank Thong? Do I really need to have my eyes attacked daily by a banner ad consisting of 20 womens' butts with different colour thongs crammed up them? (I think it's actually the same woman, only the thongs have been colour-changed in Photoshop - but you probably know what I'm talking about.)
I'm not the first one to make this complaint, I'm sure, but American Apparel ads make me feel dirty. Not dirty as in sexy, but dirty as in "I wish I could bathe myself in bleach and scour everything from my brain to my toes with a Brillo pad." I feel unclean.
Sigh. I wouldn't have said anything under normal circumstances, but I was just catching up on the day's fugs at Go Fug Yourself, and blammo! Tank Thong Ass right up in my grill! I just had to share how icky I felt with you, Internet people.
Now to try to clear my brain so I can sleep.
Monday, August 8, 2011
Back
I took a mini-vacation last week.
It was my birthday on Thursday (there is a post I started about birthdays, but I never finished it, and feel the moment is gone), and I knew that my boss and my coworker would both be starting their vacations this week. My other coworker will be on vacation in October and November. I'm not planning a trip to Ontario this Christmas, so if I wanted to take any time, last week was the best.
Three days off, plus the weekend, meant five glorious days of hanging out in the Fortress of Solitude, quilting, thinking about quilting, and picking raspberries in the yard. (There was also tiramisu on Thursday and cake on Friday at the office, to celebrate my birthday and my coworker's birthday - even on vacation, I can't seem to stay away.)
Of course those five days felt like an eternity when I finally rolled out of bed on Wednesday morning (almost afternoon), but by Saturday night I was cursing the speed at which they had passed. I was tempted to call in sick this morning, but guilt prevented me. Guilt and the certainty that my coworkers would know that I wasn't sick, I was just lazy.
I have one quilt-top that is waiting for a border and backing fabric - it's a new pattern for me, in a new palette. I'm thinking of calling it something ridiculous like "Spicy Salsa" or "Caliente Cubes." (Yeah, I need some help.)
I also made another quilt-top that has yet to be photographed. After I made it, I realized that I had used up part of the fabric I intended for the back, leaving me unable to baste the sucker together and quilt it. I spent most of Sunday trying to figure out how I could fix the problem.
Luckily, I woke up this morning with an idea, the kind of idea that makes you want to leave work at lunch and not come back for the rest of the day. The same guilt that forced me to go to work in the morning compelled me to return after lunch, sadly, but it made the afternoon go by pretty quickly.
Long story short, I have pieced a wicked back for the quilt, so it's practically reversable. Tomorrow I will cut out the batting, baste it together, and start stippling. Wooo!
Okay, so you know I'm alive, I've accounted for my whereabouts, and now I'm headed to bed. Perhaps I'll wake tomorrow with another idea that makes me want to play hooky ^_^
It was my birthday on Thursday (there is a post I started about birthdays, but I never finished it, and feel the moment is gone), and I knew that my boss and my coworker would both be starting their vacations this week. My other coworker will be on vacation in October and November. I'm not planning a trip to Ontario this Christmas, so if I wanted to take any time, last week was the best.
Three days off, plus the weekend, meant five glorious days of hanging out in the Fortress of Solitude, quilting, thinking about quilting, and picking raspberries in the yard. (There was also tiramisu on Thursday and cake on Friday at the office, to celebrate my birthday and my coworker's birthday - even on vacation, I can't seem to stay away.)
Of course those five days felt like an eternity when I finally rolled out of bed on Wednesday morning (almost afternoon), but by Saturday night I was cursing the speed at which they had passed. I was tempted to call in sick this morning, but guilt prevented me. Guilt and the certainty that my coworkers would know that I wasn't sick, I was just lazy.
I have one quilt-top that is waiting for a border and backing fabric - it's a new pattern for me, in a new palette. I'm thinking of calling it something ridiculous like "Spicy Salsa" or "Caliente Cubes." (Yeah, I need some help.)
I also made another quilt-top that has yet to be photographed. After I made it, I realized that I had used up part of the fabric I intended for the back, leaving me unable to baste the sucker together and quilt it. I spent most of Sunday trying to figure out how I could fix the problem.
Luckily, I woke up this morning with an idea, the kind of idea that makes you want to leave work at lunch and not come back for the rest of the day. The same guilt that forced me to go to work in the morning compelled me to return after lunch, sadly, but it made the afternoon go by pretty quickly.
Long story short, I have pieced a wicked back for the quilt, so it's practically reversable. Tomorrow I will cut out the batting, baste it together, and start stippling. Wooo!
Okay, so you know I'm alive, I've accounted for my whereabouts, and now I'm headed to bed. Perhaps I'll wake tomorrow with another idea that makes me want to play hooky ^_^
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