Monday, March 31, 2008

a public service announcement.

easter cupcakes

Dearest readers,
Although this is not a strictly cupcakes focused blog, we at pictures of cupcakes feel that it is our duty to inform you that it is cupcake week! (According to Martha Stewart.)

To celebrate, we suggest you make cupcakes, buy cupcakes, or just salivate at some pictures of cupcakes taken by people with better photo skills.

Our plans as of yet do not include cupcakes, but perhaps could.

Happy cupcake week!

Saturday, March 29, 2008

Alpha Beat - Fascination

I don't know much about this band, except that they're from Denmark and this video is maybe the cutest, funnest thing ever. I can't stop watching it! The colors, the dancing! It's the perfect cure for a gloomy day.

Friday, March 28, 2008

more lists!

So I am on spring break. (Yeaaaahhh. Wooooo. Yeeeehaw.) I have no travel plans, which is new, and somewhat refreshing. I guess. I mean, HOW AWESOME! I AM TOTALLY GOING TO GET SHIT DONE! In fact, I need to make a list here so I actually do it. (Note: this is not so much for you, dear reader, to read with fascination as it is boring. But something about posting things on the internet makes me feel more accountable. AND using the strike html command is almost as fun as crossing things off a list with pen.)

- Make things (purse, apron, door curtain)
- Errands (bike stores, urban outfitters (on an impossible quest for new jeans), vintage stores, fabric stores)
- Taxes
- Mop floor, see also MASSIVE SPRING CLEANING
- New Yorkers. So many. Organize and recycle/give away.*
- Finish Middlesex. (started in January....sheesh.)
- Library!
- Do work crap (see other list)
- Plant paper white bulbs
- Update resume.


*That should be italicized, but I like it better that way, as if I'm going to organize the huge amount of New York citizens in my apartment.

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

listy.

1. Muxtape.com. You can upload up to 12 songs that anyone can listen to! Here is mine (it's a bunch of covers I like).

2. Rick Astley on "I'm Never Gonna Give You Up" (found here)
“If I was a young kid now looking at that song, I’d have to say I’d think it was pretty naff, really.”


3. I got called for jury duty. Yay?

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

ingredients for a sick day.

I am home sick. I started off excited for a day off last night, then felt crappy, woke up feeling crappy, and now am feeling a bit better for the time being. I still love sick days in theory because it's a paid day off where you're absolutely supposed to be lazy. Still, there a few crucial ingredients one needs to make the best of a sick day (the best one can have while still being sick, anyway).

Soup
Oh soup, I could marry you. I'm all for making my own soup, but that defies the lazy rule. So when I'm sick I usually head to a fancy grocer to get supplies, including hot soup. Sometimes I'll even break my "no-processed soup" rule and get instant noodle soups. They're like fancy ramen.

Tea
Something is wrong with my throat and tea goes down so much better than water or juice. (Which I managed to forget during the trip to the grocery store.) I've been all into Stash Tea lately, especially the herbal varieties. It's not too expensive but it's still tasty. I can even drink some of it without sugar now. I'm growing up, or something.

Netflix
Too bad I burned through my last dvds of the Wire. Now I might have to watch an actual movie.

WebMD
I only went on here on a whim, but when I started to put in symptoms for headache I had to crack up as the head symptoms include everything from sense of impending doom to fear of air to headache (worst ever). So great.


Random internet fun:
I like this dress. Actually, what I really like is the pockets. I want a dress with pockets.

Simply Breakfast.
Artful pictures of breakfast. That's it. (But it at least supports my tendency to take pictures of my food.)

Friday, March 14, 2008

deep thoughts on fridges and life.

A few weeks ago I was cleaning in the kitchen and I noticed that there was some sort of liquidy ooze beneath the fridge. I realized that the ooze was definitely coming from the fridge, though I wasn't sure how. Oh, and I also found an old lemon, SO OLD that it now looked like a lime and had weird dust all over it.

And so I decided that it was time for a massive deep cleaning of the old refrigerator, to be undertaken with all deliberate speed. A task like this can teach one much about themselves - and life! Okay, maybe not so much about life. But moldy food, sure.

First of all, even though I have a small apartment fridge, I manage to keep things in there for obscene amounts of time, provided they will keep. (and um. well. they don't always do that.) One thing I finally had to throw out after two (!) years was this jar of red pepper jelly that I had barely put a dent in. There was a good reason for buying this: it was my birthday and I felt like buying fancy food like brie and bread and some good jelly to go with it. But this jelly was gross.

Lesson 1: Red pepper jelly CAN be good, but you gotta go for the good shit. In fact, this is good advice with most ingredients: go for the good shit when you can.


Then I started to remove the contents of my lower shelf so I could clean it well and I found a wide array of condiments I rarely use.

Lesson 2: For christ's sake, stop buying jelly at all. And no more natural peanut butter, you hear?!

Lesson 3: Wow, it's a bit frightening how long these food-like goods last when you think about it.


I'm still not done completely, as the top shelf needs a wipe down. But I discovered some interesting patterns in the foods in my fridge.

Foodstuffs I almost always have and use: Spinach, milk, eggs, butter, cheese (feta, parmesean, cheddar) tortillas, english muffins, yogurt containers (sometimes with yogurt in them), fruits of some sort, veggies of some sort.

Foodstuffs I always have and rarely if ever use: Jellies and jams, beer from Wisconsin, creepy old salad dressing that is probably still good (that also needs to go), applesauce, natural peanut butter, ketchup.

Foodstuffs I always want and rarely if ever have: chocolate, dried cherries, bacon.

I think I'll conclude my fridge self-analysis right there for now. But remember, it's almost spring! Clean out those refrigerators and know thyself in the process!


p.s. food link of the day: Organic food companies and the corporations behind them.

Saturday, March 01, 2008

ah, craigslist.

Best Missed Connection of the Week


This wasn't anything out of the ordinary until I read the last line. And then it got me to thinking - do you really want to meet a potential mate at Planned Parenthood? [And this is nothing against PP, as I totally support them.] But think about it - nearly everyone there is either getting tested for pregnancy, STIs, or about to have their annual lady check up. Maybe it's just me, but I don't really want to get hit on when I'm about to go through that. Then again, that makes it the opportune time for more missed connections:

You were the hot lady with a look of dread on her face. I didn't want to bug ya since you were about to be felt up by a doctor. But if you want, I'd be happy to play doctor with you. (And don't worry about me, I'm clean - they said the rash will go away.)