tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-135238242024-03-12T20:45:35.446-05:00pictures of cupcakes.A highly unfocused blog where the title has little to do with any of the content. Yes, we're off to a good start!ehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06156610563287930718noreply@blogger.comBlogger276125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13523824.post-52806093509879628782009-07-27T23:20:00.001-05:002009-07-27T23:20:54.754-05:00it's a cupcake.<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ericaaaaa/3763947147/" title="cupcake by ericaaaaa, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3477/3763947147_3cb0a128f0.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="cupcake" /></a><br /><br />You're welcome.ehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06156610563287930718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13523824.post-26214553090263087062009-04-20T22:50:00.002-05:002009-04-20T22:56:42.619-05:00ATTENTION, READERSHIPAll few of you: until further notice, this blog is being moved.<br /><br /><p style="font-size:x-large;"><a href="http://ericaaaaa.tumblr.com">http://ericaaaaa.tumblr.com</a></p><br /><br />Comments are enabled, so it'll be pretty much like here, but with extra stuff, a different url, a different name, but otherwise completely and totally the same!<br /><br />Add it to your RSS reader of choice, or just click follow if already on tumblr.ehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06156610563287930718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13523824.post-64982988335311859632009-04-09T23:00:00.002-05:002009-04-09T23:03:50.753-05:00places i exist on the internet.I'm having a blog problem, and have been for quite some time. The problem is that I never quite know what to do with this place. I'm not very inspired to write here, and when I do it seems to take forever.<br /><br />Meanwhile, I love <a href="http://ericaaaaa.tumblr.com/">my tumblr</a>. I can collect pretty things I find on the internet, post very short tidbits, and hell, even call in and <a href="http://ericaaaaa.tumblr.com/post/79274870">ramble on my birthday</a>. I like the way it looks, and often I am looking for things to make it look even nicer. My tumblr doesn't have comments, but I get feedback via the little liking heart. <br /><br />More importantly, people actually pay attention to my tumblr. I don't mean to complain, but this blog has been around forever and has a small handful of google reader subscribers. Meanwhile, my tumblr has twice as many readers on google, and TEN TIMES as many followers on the tumblr site. Most of my hits here come from people searching for pictures of ______. My last haiku post, when posted on tumblr, got three little "liking" hearts fairly immediately. Here? Tumbleweeds. Silence. Some hits, but only after I hawked the link on twitter a day later. <br /><br />I don't really know what logical conclusions to make from this, but the possibly convoluted ones I come up are along these lines:<br /><br />1. People don't like reading what I write and would rather look at pretty pictures of my choosing.<br />2. People don't like reading bloggy type blogs in general and would rather look at pretty pictures. (And hey, I am quite honestly one of those people.)<br />3. This has nothing to do with me, but rather Tumblr is just a much more active and social site which encourages participation amongst followers. <br />4. Maybe the issue is just promotion, and I should promote this more, but really, this is only the eighth time this year I've updated. What is there to promote?<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">5. I should probably just move this entire operation to tumblr and call it a day.</span><br /><br />Right?! EXCEPT. I have this silly idea in my head that tumblr is not a place to post long-winded anything, it is a place for links, and short quotes, and pictures to scan. Nothing more than a paragraph. I get annoyed when I see very lengthy posts thinking, <span style="font-style:italic;">tumblr is not your blog! It's where you post things you enjoy with little or no commentary! </span>But maybe this idea is wrong, as I guess this whole internet thing evolves or something.<br /><br />There are places that can juggle this whole blog versus tumblr thing. Such as bits and bobbins. <a href="http://bitsandbobbins.com/">The site is mostly text</a>, with some pictures of course. The <a href="http://bitsbobbins.tumblr.com/">tumblr</a> is pictures and quotes, with very little additional text. A perfect website marriage, but can I really pull that off? Not so sure.ehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06156610563287930718noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13523824.post-79725787027232577612009-04-05T22:19:00.005-05:002009-04-05T23:17:35.557-05:00my trip, in haikumumbles nyc<br />misunderstanding cafe<br />try the gruh mah blah<br /><br /><br />oh oh uniqlo<br />seller of cheap threads, soho<br />my best purchases<br /><br /><br />penitentiary<br />ruins, haunting, beautiful<br />perfect with the rain<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ericaaaaa/3416180801/" title="hall by ericaaaaa, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3620/3416180801_a0c5979ea3.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="hall" /></a><br /><br /><br />cute boys in Philly<br />smile after eye contact<br />here and nowhere else<br /><br /><br />the liberty bell<br />symbol of freedom and all<br />kind of a big yawn<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ericaaaaa/3416852430/" title="bell by ericaaaaa, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3603/3416852430_ba3c781c61.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="bell" /></a><br /><br /><br />miraculously <br />got on bus that left "early"<br />Penn Station, that way<br /><br /><br />hello, dear Brooklyn<br />sorry I did not see you<br />'cept the museum<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ericaaaaa/3417021164/" title="IMG_2825 by ericaaaaa, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3659/3417021164_82af496a4e.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="IMG_2825" /></a><br /><br /><br />oh look, here I am<br />on avenue A again<br />with new companions<br /><br /><br />below the seven <br />is a wonderful building<br />covered with color<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ericaaaaa/3416241765/" title="IMG_2843 by ericaaaaa, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3326/3416241765_9ffd004cd3.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="IMG_2843" /></a><br /><br /><br />tried without success<br />topshop and magnolia<br />lines around the block<br /><br /><br />black and white pudding<br />is not actually pudding<br />but meat, so much meat<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ericaaaaa/3417048474/" title="irish breakfast by ericaaaaa, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3618/3417048474_cc4168c61f.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="irish breakfast" /></a><br /><br /><br />dear northwest airlines<br />are you delta or compass or<br />just late all the time?<br /><br />[<a href="http://ericaaaaa.tumblr.com/post/93363520/my-trip-in-haiku">crossposted</a> for experimental reasons]ehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06156610563287930718noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13523824.post-52386469555339884952009-03-07T18:26:00.003-06:002009-03-07T19:03:35.736-06:00it cuts the mustard.I like mustard. While I don't eat it a whole lot, I really enjoy how it gives sandwiches and such so much flavor without adding any fat and few calories. So when my bottle of dijon started to run out, I decided that instead of buying a new one, I would make my own mustard.<br /><br /><center><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ericaaaaa/3335998431/" title="mustard seeds by ericaaaaa, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3546/3335998431_6753a379fa.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="mustard seeds" /></a> </center><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Grainy Mustard</span><br /><br />1/4 cup yellow mustard seeds<br />1/4 cup brown mustard seeds<br />1/2 cup vinegar (at least 5% acidity)<br />1/2 water or red wine<br />dash of salt<br /><br />Recipe from Mark Bittman's <span style="font-style:italic;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/How-Cook-Everything-Vegetarian-Meatless/dp/0764524836">How To Cook Everything Vegetarian</a></span><br /><br />This recipe is ridiculously easy and it even looks pretty while you complete it. First, you combine the above ingredients in a jar or some sort. I used an old salsa jar, which also happens to be a mason jar, which would be helpful later. I also halved the recipe since I don't use mustard all that much. (Well, and also because I was bad at estimating quantities of bulk spices.) <br /><br /><center><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ericaaaaa/3336834120/" title="seeds and vinegar, part 1 by ericaaaaa, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3404/3336834120_296e80693b.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="seeds and vinegar, part 1" /></a></center><br /><br />It looks really brown because I used a teaspoon or so of balsamic vinegar in the mix. You let this little jar sit for a day or two. Soon, it will look like this!<br /><br /><center><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ericaaaaa/3335997897/" title="seeds and vinegar, part 2 by ericaaaaa, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3238/3335997897_226d354ce2.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="seeds and vinegar, part 2" /></a></center><br /><br />Aww, look at how much our little mustard seeds have grown. Now is the time to blend. HERE IS A FUN FACT, INTERNET LISTENERS! Did you know that mason jars fit into blenders? They do! Don't believe me? Have a look!<br /><br /><center><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ericaaaaa/3335997931/" title="mason in blender by ericaaaaa, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3330/3335997931_2ce68098a9.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="mason in blender" /></a></center><br /><br />I learned this from some blog a while back. It's not a trick I use often, but it does come in handy from time to time. Look, all I have to clean is the blades afterward! And there's no pesky transferring the mustard from one container to another!<br /><br />Wow, that's a lot of exclamation points for mustard. Anyway, you blend the mixture until it's mustard-like, adding water as needed. (no, it will not be perfectly smooth. this is okay.) <br /><br /><center><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ericaaaaa/3335998145/" title="grainy mustard by ericaaaaa, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3310/3335998145_c2bc12a6ef.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="grainy mustard" /></a></center><br /><br />Ta-da, grainy mustard! You can do lots of variations too, like adding honey or using beer instead of water for brewhouse mustard. I tried a little of it on its own, and WOW, it is some strong stuff. The recipe warned me of this, saying that it will mellow over time. I first tried it on a fried egg sandwich - tasty, but I was timid with it because I thought the mustard flavor would overpower the rest of the ingredients. Live and learn. Meanwhile, all of you can stop being slaves to Grey Poupon and make your own mustard today. Hooray!ehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06156610563287930718noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13523824.post-20357383934920754922009-02-19T18:49:00.003-06:002009-02-21T00:15:04.006-06:00neighborhood love.I have been feeling a LOT of malaise with my apartment lately - for instance, right now I want to rearrange all my furniture and paint all the walls, and yet certain built-ins and a supposed no painting policy are getting in the way of that. <br /><br />So while I'm feeling bored with my abode, I have to remind myself that there is a lot of awesomeness in my neighborhood, my dear Cathedral Hill. Three examples.<br /><br />1. <a href="http://mangothaimn.com/index.html#">Mango Thai Restaurant </a><br /><br /><center><img src=http://mangothaimn.com/img/StPaulThaiRestaurant25-h.jpg><br />(photo courtesy of their website)</center><br /><br />This space popped sometime in late summer, I think, and I was taken aback when I ran by. What used to be a sad, tiny looking thai place now had people inside, tables outside, fancy lights, and sidewalk heaters? And yet it still took me months to actually eat there. Yes, the food is tasty, especially the super fresh spring rolls, beautifully presented. They don't have a liquor license, so it's BYOB! A perfect date scenario would be as such: spring evening, walk from my place to <a href="http://www.solovinowines.com/">Solo Vino</a>, tell them we're going to eat Thai food, please recommend a good bottle? Then we would continue to saunter on down Selby (I'll be wearing a skirt, boots, and carrying an umbrella just in case), share some Pad Kee Mow and Panana curry, drink some wine, and stare into each others eyes dreamily.<br /><br />2. <a href="http://www.thehappygnome.com/">The Happy Gnome</a><br /><br /><center><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ericaaaaa/3291478887/" title="gnome by ericaaaaa, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3326/3291478887_5cc083c4de.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="gnome" /></a></center><br /><br />The Happy Gnome has such a fabulous beer list, the only disappointment is that they might have already run out of your favorite by the time you decide. The Gnome has also been friendly to me lately, giving me free beer on my birthday, and also many free samples of scotch from probably the best bartender ever. (Hint: go upstairs.) In fact, that imaginary date we started earlier? Let's stop here next.<br /><br />3. <a href="http://www.moscowonthehill.com/">Moscow on the Hill </a><br /><br /><center><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ericaaaaa/3291478761/" title="maruysa gold by ericaaaaa, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3597/3291478761_b17a706602.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="maruysa gold" /></a></center><br /><br />It is a shame that I have not eaten Russian food here yet, instead I have only imbibed on martinis, cocktails, and most recently caramel flavored vodka (free birthday shot, surprisingly tasty and smooth). But really, the martinis are great and not ridiculously priced. The decor is not nearly as chic as Mango Thai, but they have a lovely, leafy patio for those warm summer days. And hey, if that date is STILL going well, we could always stop here. Or save it for another date. There are so many options.<br /><br />Wow, this really makes me want spring. And cute dates. And dresses. SIGH.ehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06156610563287930718noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13523824.post-65961865889862384362009-02-16T14:44:00.004-06:002009-02-16T16:15:17.247-06:00I turn 27 tomorrow. I turn 27 tomorrow and I still carry my belongings to work in a backpack. It is not cute. It is sort of useful, in that it has various pockets for things like laptops and pens, but it is not cute. It's easier on the shoulders when carrying heavy stuff, but all I carry most days is my lunch and a few other papers. It's also decidedly not <span style="font-style:italic;">professional</span>, but I'm not sure this really matters when people think it's worthwhile to complain about not being able to wear jeans to work. <br /><br />[An aside, but I abhor the word professional when used as a noun. "I am a young professional." Turn-off.]<br /><br />So here I am, ready to make the big bag switch to a big bag. Only past shopping experiences have shown that I am very picky when it comes to bags. I don't like excessive buckles, or weird textures, or anything too shiny. To make the whole process even harder, I wanted something big enough to fit papers, a lunch, and preferably with some separate compartments so there's some internal organization. <br /><br />These bags exist, they do. The problem is that they all look something like this: <br /><br /><center><img src=http://s7ondemand7.scene7.com/is/image/FossilPartners/ZB2784600_main?$fossil_pdpdetail$><br /><a href="http://www.fossil.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=12052&catalogId=10052&departmentCategoryId=30000&categoryId=30005&productId=22054633&N=0&Va=77&Ns=p_subcategory_sequence|0||p_weight|0||p_order_history|1&rec=68&pn=c&imagePath=ZB2784001">Fossil Executive Top Zip Tote</a></center><br /><br />I mean, really. If I can barely tolerate the word professional, do I really want a bag that's called executive? No. I could wear this to work if I wore pantsuits and pumps every day, but thank god, I don't.<br /><br />So off I went to other outlets. There were some contenders, but I had a really tall order to fill. (I also didn't really want to spend $200.) <br /><br /><center><img src=http://ny-image2.etsy.com/il_430xN.56640586.jpg><br /><a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=vt_related_3&listing_id=20849527">the annie leather bag</a></center><br /><br /><center><img src=http://ny-image3.etsy.com/il_430xN.54992551.jpg><br /><a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=20356409">xl tote shopping bag</a> (sold)</center><br /><br />As I looked at my options that were okay, but not perfect, I kept thinking back to that Target bag I spied a few weeks ago. Large. Simple. Cheap. I finally just bought it, knowing that it could be returned. But I tell you, it is growing on me. <br /><br /><center><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ericaaaaa/3285219379/" title="bag front by ericaaaaa, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3196/3285219379_c9b557a519_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="bag front" /></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ericaaaaa/3286039388/" title="bag by ericaaaaa, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3476/3286039388_d3a6c83d73_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="bag" /></a></center><br /><br />I like that it has convertible straps (good for biking!), and it is nice and roomy for all sorts of things. It does have a divider and one internal pocket, but nothing else to help organize everything in such a cavernous space of a bag. That worries me a bit. But for $23, it's really not bad.<br /><br />Anyway, if any of you shopping savvy folks have other ideas, let me know.ehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06156610563287930718noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13523824.post-54251884053359854082009-02-10T21:04:00.003-06:002009-02-10T21:52:46.600-06:00smashed chickpea salad, and variations.A few weeks ago I came across the recipe for <a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/2009/01/smashed-chickpea-salad/">smashed chickpea salad</a> on the Smitten Kitchen, and I was like, HEY! Hummus without having to use a food processor! Brilliant! So I made some, stuffed it in a pita with spinach and ate it for lunch. Yum!<br /><br />[As an aside, this has been my new go-to food blog. I'm not sure how I missed it for so long.]<br /><br />Then last week I had extra cilantro and felt like using it. (Why did I have cilantro? Oh, because I was making another <a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/2007/11/curried-lentils-and-sweet-potatoes/">smitten kitchen recipe</a> instead of watching the super bowl a few days earlier.) Instead of using chickpeas, I just used a can of black beans, lime juice, olive oil, and the cilantro of course.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ericaaaaa/3254023943/" title="beans and green by ericaaaaa, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3428/3254023943_75d05afa98.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="beans and green" /></a><br />(It looked better pre-smashing. I smeared it on a tortilla and heated it up with pepper jack cheese.)<br /><br />This weekend I roasted red peppers without any idea of what to do with them. The answer became clear sometime today: <br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ericaaaaa/3271149660/" title="smashed chickpeas and roasted red peppers by ericaaaaa, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3450/3271149660_9f6c934590.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="smashed chickpeas and roasted red peppers" /></a><br /><br />Smashed chickpea salad (yes, AGAIN) on a pita with roasted red peppers. SORT OF like pizza, though not really. Yummy, though.<br /><br /><br />What have we learned, friends? SMASHING BEANS WITH OIL AND SOME SORT OF ACID LEADS TO GOODNESS. The end.ehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06156610563287930718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13523824.post-69836152546437537112009-02-09T21:39:00.000-06:002009-02-09T22:21:37.228-06:00on cleanliness, and trying.I grew up in a slightly messy household, though one that certainly aspired to be clean based on how often my mom told me to "find my floor." ("It's right there!" I would respond, snobbishly.) My room was pretty much always dirty, and it was always a point of contention. Yet at some time after moving out, I got better at cleaning. Not great, but better. <br /><br />I firmly believe that messiness or neatness is mostly a byproduct of being bothered by the mess. Neat people will go nuts if a single extra credit card bill sits on the desk. Messy people will think nothing of the three foot pile of clothes in the corner of the bedroom. I'm somewhere in the middle, but I'm trying to become one of those people who becomes so incensed by clutter and messiness that I am driven to clean everything up straight away! I will no longer settle with having my window air conditioner sit on the floor of my living room for the <span style="font-style:italic;">entire winter</span>. Clothes will be put away in a timely manner. This cookie recipe that has been sitting on my desk since December will find a new home!<br /><br />This is all part of my general apartment improvement plan, which was mostly inspired by reading a bunch of old <span style="font-style:italic;">Domino</span> magazines at the Y. I've lived here a while. Some things need changing. Or just cleaning.<br /><br />First accomplishment: Covered that stupid old pillow. (it used to be clouds. hello, college!) In the process I learned how to make buttonholes. Folks, there is no stopping me now!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ericaaaaa/3256670769/" title="new pillow cover by ericaaaaa, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3479/3256670769_d36fb0010d.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="new pillow cover" /></a><br /><br />Stay tuned...ehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06156610563287930718noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13523824.post-87644658314220052972009-01-25T18:02:00.004-06:002009-01-25T21:33:37.563-06:00picture books, the bad.I came across this book in school once - it's a very easy book, meant for very low readers. We had a lot of these books around for the newbies, and pretty much all of them were boring and very simple. But this one has always amazed me. It's called <span style="font-style:italic;">The Good Life</span>, and you can see the whole book <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ericaaaaa/sets/72157612943886793/">here</a>. <br /><br />The setting is a house, where two brightly colored birds are in their cages, chatting. Kip talks about wanting to live somewhere else. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ericaaaaa/3227143860/" title="IMG_2505.JPG by ericaaaaa, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3336/3227143860_b66011b79b.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="IMG_2505.JPG" /></a><br /><br />Kip's housemate Bud describes his old home, Moon Island. He flew free there, he could play in the mud. But then Bud warns that island life wasn't as good as it seems.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ericaaaaa/3226291807/" title="IMG_2508.JPG by ericaaaaa, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3127/3226291807_34c764633e.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="IMG_2508.JPG" /></a><br /><br />On Moon Island, no one gives you food! Or fresh water! Sure, he had friends, but he also had birds who ripped food right out of his mouth!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ericaaaaa/3227145444/" title="IMG_2510.JPG by ericaaaaa, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3078/3227145444_f0dff97580.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="IMG_2510.JPG" /></a><br /><br />After this thoroughly convincing argument, Kip decides that maybe Moon Island is not the place to be after all. For instance, he can fly around the living room every afternoon! Living in a cage, that's the good life!<br /><br /><br />Every time I read this book, I start thinking of it as some sort of backwards reasoning for why slavery is a good idea. I mean, seriously? The good life is spending time in a cage in a LIVING ROOM for your entire life? Being free to fly around the island is such a drag? I mostly just disagree with the whole message of not following one's dream, and instead staying where things are safe, where you can be waited on, but life is boring. <br /><br />So, children. Follow your dreams! Go to Moon Island, or anywhere else that can make you happy!ehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06156610563287930718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13523824.post-8842862199764835262009-01-15T21:23:00.002-06:002009-01-15T21:59:30.121-06:00maps won't show us where we're going.1. Hey, remember that time I turned a panda into a puppet for my world traveling friend Joel? <a href="http://www.cheapsters.org/?p=65">Here's a write up of his adventures</a>! Read it and be jealous. <br /><br />2. I haven't mentioned it yet, but I am typing to you from my brand spanking new macbook. It is so pretty, I gasped when I took it out of the box. (Pathetic, I know.) Then I had some issues transferring files and yadda yadda yadda but NOW everything works and ohhhhh my. Still great.<br /><br />3. I'm going up north for the long weekend and I abhor packing, as usual. This is the second time using my new luggage in two weeks!<br /><br />4. Uhm, stuff. That's all.ehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06156610563287930718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13523824.post-44967882567739038572009-01-12T19:52:00.005-06:002009-01-12T23:04:20.400-06:00picture books, the good.It's true, I love picture books. It's in my blood, I cannot be the daughter of an elementary school librarian and not adore them. I especially like reading them as an adult, finding the meanings that a lot of kids might miss, perhaps slyly inserted by authors for the entertainment of us older folk reading them to kids. [Imagine my surprise when my coworker saw my copy of <span style="font-style:italic;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Swimmy-Knopf-Childrens-Paperbacks-Lionni/dp/0394826205/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1231811738&sr=1-5">Swimmy</a></span>, and immediately noticed the little fish all swimming together to make a big fish was also a symbol for union organizing. Or socialist organizing? Either way, it makes sense...the little fish getting eaten by the big fish until they band together for a revolution!]<br /><br />Right, so there's a lot to love about picture books, especially the pictures themselves. Thus, I was really excited to hear that there exists an entire museum devoted to picture books and the art within: <a href="http://www.carlemuseum.org/Home">The Eric Carle Museum Of Picture Book Art</a> in Amherst, Massachusetts. <br /><br />Oddly, I was just thinking the other day about how pages from picture books would make lovely wall hangings - but to do so you must destroy the book, which seems a travesty. So I looked through the store hoping to find prints, but all I could come up with was large posters and postcards, only in packs of ten. Guess I'll just to go to MA.<br /><br />The coolness is not over, though. The <a href="http://www.carlemuseum.org/Shop">online shop</a> also sells Eric Carle inspired fabrics, and asks those who have bought it to show off their work on flickr. I looked at a bunch of pillows and quilts until I came across this: <br /><br /><center><img src=http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3290/2703190080_34ed2f683b.jpg></center><br /><br />Holy cow, <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/annebrumley/2703190080/in/pool-713486@N21">a dress with the Hungry Caterpillar print</a>! Nice. Picture books inspire us for years to come. <br /><br />(This is the part where I would post a bunch of pictures from my favorite books, but they're rather hard to find on google. Sigh.)<br /><br />Addendum: I actually agree with Mr. Bush on this one: "One of the great things about books is sometimes there are some fantastic pictures." (from <a href="http://www.slate.com/id/2208132/">Top 25 Bushisms</a>)ehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06156610563287930718noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13523824.post-1543358754223724772009-01-11T21:33:00.004-06:002009-01-12T20:38:40.389-06:00sweet potato and bean enchiladas.<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ericaaaaa/3189488559/" title="sweet potato bean enchilada by ericaaaaa, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3260/3189488559_e189a394fe.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="sweet potato bean enchilada" /></a><br /><br />I've been on a sweet potato kick in the past week, but after a while I got tired of simply baking them and eating with butter, salt, and pepper. (Still absurdly delicious, though.) I remembered a recipe I made years ago from one of the Moosewood cookbooks for sweet potato and black bean enchiladas. I looked it up quickly, but the truth is, it's one of those recipes that doesn't need a recipe.<br /><br />First, you take 2-3 sweet potatoes, peel and cube them, and throw them in boiling water until they're nice and soft.<br /><br />While this is happening, chop some onion and garlic and saute it in oil. Add spices like cumin, chili powder, cayenne, and red pepper flakes. (And salt.) Also, drain a can of beans - black or pinto work fine.<br /><br />When the potatoes are nice and mushy, drain them and mash them in a bowl. (In the original recipe, this is the part where you're supposed to use a food processor. You know what? Not necessary, as you're essentially putting tasty mush in a tortilla, so it doesn't really matter that it's perfectly smooth.) Then add the onions and the beans and mix.<br /><br />Then put a nice sized amount of the mix into a tortilla, roll it up, and place in an oiled baking pan. Repeat until you run out of stuff. Bake at 350, covered with foil, for about 30 minutes. If you wanna go crazy, add shredded cheese on the enchiladas, remove the foil, and bake some more until it's all bubbly. Serve with salsa and sour cream if you want. YUM.ehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06156610563287930718noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13523824.post-1822847841649160522009-01-04T21:54:00.002-06:002009-01-04T22:43:07.118-06:00happy new year.Oh hey, kids! Happy New Year! Happy Holidays! Happy Most of December! I'm sorry I've been absent. My winter break was nice and long. New Year's was fantastic. Driving all over Wisconsin (or so it felt) wasn't super great, but the people are good! <br /><br />I'm not going to talk about resolutions, I'm going to talk about goals. This is not organized at all.<br /><br />ANYHOW.<br /><br />Goals.<br /><br />- NEW BIKE '09! With a firm intention to use it and often. Also, take a bike maintenance class.<br />- Learn how to spell "maintenance" without spell check.<br />- Be more social with more people. Have more dinner parties. Dance more, karaoke more, do things that are fun.<br />- Stop buying things I don't love, with an increased focus on buying used or making it myself whenever possible. (Re: not buying any new clothes for a year - I just don't think I can do it, and I've already broken that resolution anyway.)<br />- Some kind of race longer than a 5k. Either half marathon, full (eek), or a triathlon.<br />- Make the absolute best of things here, or move already.<br /><br />That is all I can come up with right now. Hope you are well!ehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06156610563287930718noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13523824.post-3397170399788308802008-12-10T22:24:00.003-06:002008-12-10T22:47:33.945-06:00daily recommended allowance.I know I pride myself on not eating processed foods, but I find it hard to abstain completely. One weakness is crackers, another is kettle cooked potato chips, sometimes I eat tortillas, but the biggest one? Pre-made stock. Or broth. Or some variation of salty, flavored liquid to put in soup.<br /><br />I tried making stock for a while, but this is what I noticed about making stock myself:<br /><br />1. It became this huge event, like Sunday would be Stock Day! Only stock isn't really that fun, it's just boiling vegetables for a few hours.<br />2. Since I always made vegetarian stock, I never noticed it to be that flavorful. <br />3. I would spend all this money on veggies and parsley but even when I made double batches, that would still only be enough for maybe two batches of soup, and dammit, I like to make a LOT of soup and it was sad to see my stock making efforts only go so far. <br /><br />I talked to some friends who admitted they just used the canned stuff because it was so much easier and I said, to hell with homemade stock! I still had concerns, though - mostly regarding waste and sodium content. I solved the former problem by using bouillon cubes instead of cans or cartons. That sodium was still a concern, though. 1 cup of stock (prepared as directed) contains 35% of the daily recommended amount of sodium. Gross. So I tried to alleviate this by putting in more water than directed, figuring everything was okay.<br /><br />So anyway, the other night I was prepping veggies so I could quickly throw together some lentil soup after getting back from yoga. Since I was making tea already, I figured I'd boil some extra water so I could dissolve the bouillon cubes beforehand. I came back after a while and found this:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ericaaaaa/3098747287/" title="omg by ericaaaaa, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3034/3098747287_abcdf13c8d.jpg" width="500" height="439" alt="omg" /></a><br /><br />I stared at it for a few seconds before realizing that the layer on the bottom was a CENTIMETER OF SALT. EW. I tried to make myself feel better, remembering that I was going to be adding 4 more cups of water to that, but it was a pretty frightening display of all the gross things in our food.<br /><br />Now, this is the point where I'm supposed to say, "And I will never use pre-prepared soup broth EVER AGAIN!" but the truth is, it's so convenient. Also, when I actually made the soup, I added more salt immediately, so who knows if I'll ever learn. But MAYBE I'll try taking out that stock pot again. Maybe.ehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06156610563287930718noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13523824.post-83852989895432633972008-12-07T20:05:00.004-06:002008-12-07T20:40:38.507-06:00train of thought.I just finished <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Plenty-Woman-Raucous-Eating-Locally/dp/030734732X"><span style="font-style:italic;">Plenty</span></a>, which is about a couple eating locally for one year. I enjoyed it a lot, in part because it was engaging right away and I plowed through it in a week, and sometimes it's nice to just finish a book quickly. And even though it was non-fiction, it sort of played out like a story with suspense (how ever are they going to make it through the winter?!). But I would have liked more detail on things like how canning works and such. <br /><br />The book got me to thinking about personal challenges and New Year's resolutions. I don't think eating locally is going to work too well, if only because I live alone and a CSA share can overwhelm even two people. But I feel like I should give something up.<br /><br />The only thing I've thought of so far is not buying new clothing for a year. I really try to keep my purchases of <span style="font-style:italic;">stuff</span> to a minimum for a variety of reasons, but clothes are my biggest weakness. Today, for example, I ended up in Urban Outfitters for no other reason than it was across the street from my brunch location. I ended up buying a pair of <a href="http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/urban/catalog/productdetail.jsp?itemdescription=true&itemCount=10&startValue=41&selectedProductColor=&sortby=&id=14843338&parentid=W_SHOES_BOOTS&sortProperties=+product.marketingPriority,-product.startDate&navCount=57&navAction=poppushpush&color=&tabStyle=Details">riding boots</a> (not perfect, but good for $60), and then I needed new skinny jeans to pair with the boots, and then why not throw in a pair of $10 shorts for good measure? All of this without buying ANY presents for ANYONE! Ridiculous.<br /><br />So yeah, it's something to think about. 2009 - the year without sweatshops?<br /><br /><br />(also, hello blog! I've missed you!)ehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06156610563287930718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13523824.post-50574443383468927142008-11-30T19:26:00.002-06:002008-11-30T19:49:58.250-06:00diy spa.A few weeks ago I went to a spa party, which is basically just an exercise in making me feel bad about not taking care of my skin properly while trying to get me to buy expensive lotions. The first goal worked really well, the second one, not so much. I figured, why spend so much money on a face mask made with volcanic ash when I can make my own using food from my kitchen? <br /><br />I started on <a href="http://planetgreen.discovery.com/fashion-beauty/homemade-face-masks.html">this site</a> which has a bunch of suggestions with yogurt and honey, because I pretty much always have those. I tried a face mask first.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Moisturizing Mask</span><br /><br />- 2 tablespoons plain yogurt<br />- 1 tablespoon honey<br />- 1-2 tablespoons oatmeal, cooked and cool (or, just add water to dry oats at about a 2-1 ratio if you don't feel like cooking it)<br /><br />Mix together and put it on your face, yo. Be careful not to drip oatmeal all over your house. Also, it's really tasty but maybe don't eat it off your face. Rinse off after 10-15 minutes.<br /><br /><br />Then there were my hands. Lately they've been feeling like awful sandpaper and nothing really helped. So I clicked on the first google hit and found <a href="http://www.mybeautyrecipes.com/hand_scrub.html">this recipe</a>:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Oatmeal Hand Scrub</span><br /><br />- 2 tablespoons oatmeal<br />- 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice<br />- 1 teaspoon olive oil<br /><br />Mix together, rub it on your hands, then wash off and moisturize. You probably don't want to eat this one, unless you really like oatmeal and salad dressing. <br /><br /><br />The verdicts? Who knows how well they really worked, but my hands and face feel nicer, I think. And I didn't have to spend a ton of money on it, throw away unnecessary packaging, or <a href="http://picturesofcupcakes.blogspot.com/2008/09/last-weekend-i-saw-wall-e.html">kill baby seals with exfoliating things</a>! Hooray!ehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06156610563287930718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13523824.post-21584359130742158262008-11-29T10:34:00.002-06:002008-11-29T10:45:40.933-06:00the panda.So, my friend Joel likes pandas. He likes them so much that he once had people call in and leave voicemails asking questions of a panda. Then he wrote <a href="http://www.homeworkparty.com/wp/?p=33">little songs based from the perspective of the panda</a>. Joel makes funny songs. You should listen to them!<br /><br />Anyway, a long time ago Joel commissioned me to turn his stuffed panda into a puppet. I said, sure! And then he went and traveled around the world so I got lazy and put the panda on the shelf. (Really, this was necessary, because if not shelved my kitty would start attacking it.) Then something totally unexpected happened, he CAME BACK. Well, it was expected, it just came up faster than I thought. (By the way, Joel takes <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/amigarad/">really nice pictures</a>. You should look at them!)<br /><br />The sum of this story is that I finally made the panda into a puppet. It wasn't super tricky, but it could still be improved and I might try to fix it some more. Also, it needs fashion accessories. I know, you just want to see the puppet, right? FINE HERE IS A VIDEO.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/QuBr3R7N0pM&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/QuBr3R7N0pM&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>ehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06156610563287930718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13523824.post-35531561581533298912008-11-25T21:22:00.001-06:002008-11-25T21:26:51.396-06:00ramsey hill.[<span style="font-style:italic;">Editor's note: we found this draft from the summer and decided to include it since the writer could think of no other suitable content.</span>]<br /><br />Four years ago, I had just graduated from college and moved back to the Cities. It was a big time for me - graduating, starting grad school, and also getting my very first car. I was ambitious with my first vehicle and decided I was okay with a manual transmission. So there was another first - learning to drive a stick shift. <br /><br />While learning to drive a stick was a somewhat harrowing experience in and of itself, I soldiered through and was doing pretty well after a few weeks. Except I was deathly afraid of hills. I would make mental notes of hills while driving, so I could avoid them in the future. (Oddly, I do a similar thing now, but with possible bike routes instead.) <br /><br />One night, I was driving to meet up with some friends who lived near Dale and Grand. This was back when my geographical knowledge of both St. Paul and Minneapolis was pretty poor. (Hey, I grew up in the suburbs! I hadn't lived there for four years!) I was looking for parking and couldn't find any - I was probably scared of parallel parking at the time too - so I ended up driving down Grand to...well, I didn't know where. I was lost and needed to find my way back. At the first light, I took a left and started driving up Ramsey Hill. <br /><br />Ramsey Hill, the shortcut between highland and low land, and one of the few hills in the the Twin Cities that rivals the hundreds of hills in San Francisco or Seattle. So in reality, really not a huge deal.<br /><br />But I was a new stick shift driver, and I was terrified. I chugged up in second gear, thinking to myself that this was the biggest hill IN THE WORLD, psyching myself out for what could be at the top. A stop sign? A light? Perhaps it just levels out with no forced stops! But I knew I could only be so lucky.<br /><br />At the top is a three way stop. By the time I got there I knew I couldn't worry about turns, I had to go the direction that would get me farthest up the hill. I don't really remember everything at this point - I know I stalled first, and then to compensate I revved into oblivion to take a right, causing a faint burning smell. <br /><br />Thoroughly freaked out and probably shaking then, I took a right at the first possible street to get my bearings together. After calling my friends, I knew where I needed to go, I just needed to turn around. Only I was on...another hill. Smaller, but still a hill. Somehow in the process of turning myself around, not wanting to back down the hill of course, I found my car completely perpendicular and blocking the entire dead end street. This wouldn't normally be a problem, except that I couldn't seem to drive forward, instead I would only slip backward. Commence more freaking out. I took some deep breaths, moved the gear shift around, and well wouldn't you know, I was in neutral. <br /><br />After that near anxiety attack experience, it took at least a year to get over my fear of hills, and I also vowed to never drive on Ramsey Hill again. Until one night last summer. Because of construction and road closings everywhere, I ended up driving home on W. 7th St. Although there were many other routes to take, I decided to face my fear and take the shortcut up Ramsey Hill, now a familiar fixture in my neighborhood. <br /><br />[<span style="font-style:italic;">Editor's note: this is where it stopped before.</span>] To sum up a very long story, I drove up the tallest hill ever and it wasn't bad at all. To think, for YEARS I've been afraid of that thing! Now I can conquer it! <br /><br />[<span style="font-style:italic;">Editor's note: As of press time, the writer has still only driven up Ramsey Hill twice.</span>]ehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06156610563287930718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13523824.post-55121465944391270352008-11-24T20:58:00.005-06:002008-11-24T22:09:43.817-06:00on why i blog.I used to write a lot more. College was a happening time. I had a column for a year in one of the student daily newspapers, and later I wrote reviews and such for a music magazine. I had a purpose, and I had an audience. This doesn't even include the many papers I had to churn out for classes, which were often a source of pride as well. (Best moment: when my hot philosophy TA thought my paper on exploitation was so good that he wanted a copy of it, talk about academic swooning. And yes, I totally went to office hours just to see him.)<br /><br />And in the past seven years or so, I don't think there's been a time where I haven't had some outlet on the internet for writing. Even this blog has been around for three years or so, though I think it took a year and a half or more to get used to the idea of telling people about it.<br /><br />Still, I often wonder why it is exactly that I keep up with this thing. When everyone and their mom can have a blog, when adding to the internet pollution sometimes seems at its best, self-indulgent, why continue? I would say that I write this for me, but that can't be entirely true. I write far too self-consciously in this space for it to be purely for me. I am constantly aware of the dangers of blogging, of putting myself out there on the <span style="font-style:italic;">internet</span> for anyone to find, and I think my writing often suffers as a result. I stick with the safe topics like food and crafts. Even with my safe topics, I don't feel as though I've found a niche, and I'm still unsure of who my audience is. <br /><br />Wow, that's quite enough introspective rambling for now. This is mostly motivated by my friend Sarah, who called and informed that she really enjoys this blogging (mostly) everyday thing, which made me happy and also blew me away because I tend to forget that <span style="font-style:italic;">people read this</span>. So, like...if you read this on a semi-regular basis but never comment or tell me in any other way, I would totally love to know.ehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06156610563287930718noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13523824.post-61621276773742541122008-11-23T12:10:00.004-06:002008-11-23T12:17:35.014-06:00how to save a sweater.I have this sweater. It's brown, supposedly made of cashmere (though I'm wary of that), and I got it for a dollar or so at a church sale. It's a nice sweater, though I never wear it. The collar is too thick, and the fit is not quite right, but I kept it around. Now it has been saved and improved, thanks to this super easy tutorial on <a href="http://onepearlbutton.blogspot.com/2008/03/easy-peasy-sweater-recon.html">how to reconstruct a sweater</a>.<br /><br />I didn't take a before picture, but here it is!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ericaaaaa/3052345017/" title="sweater re-construction by ericaaaaa, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3164/3052345017_8576f30bc8.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="sweater re-construction" /></a><br /><br />It might be my new favorite thing.ehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06156610563287930718noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13523824.post-9687736013809353562008-11-20T22:09:00.003-06:002008-11-20T22:56:23.136-06:00things i generally don't do.I was reading this New York Times article about what <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/20/health/research/20happy.html?em">Happy People Don't Do</a>, and guess what it is? They don't watch TV. And I thought, hey, that's me! Usually happy and not watching TV! So in keeping with that, a list.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />Things I Don't Generally Do</span><br />- watch TV<br />- eat processed foods<br />- cook meat at home<br />- throw up, ever<br />- push-ups in any way that could actually be considered a push-up<br />- read comic books<br />- watch Star Wars<br />- buy CDs (anymore, anyway)<br /><br /><br />That's all I got for now.ehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06156610563287930718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13523824.post-89738516115736587062008-11-19T21:28:00.003-06:002008-11-19T21:56:52.038-06:00on planners and cycles.I used to have three planners, and they looked like this:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">1. School Agenda Book</span> - Extremely important, but also highly work based. It has things like days off, meetings, and lesson plans. It's so valuable I even keep the previous year's version around for ideas.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />2. Google Calendar </span>- Fancy and digital! In this I note days off, some meetings, appointments, and certain very important social events (usually far off in the future, like weddings). <br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />3. Personal Planner</span> - A small thing, I used it to write days off, certain meetings, appointments, and also cryptic markings that designated my menstrual cycles. <br /><br />After a while genius me thought, why are you writing the same things in multiple planners? Streamline! And I toyed with this idea for a while until I remembered a site I had seen this menstruation tracking website, <a href="http://mon.thly.info/">mon.thly info</a>. And that solved the whole <span style="font-style:italic;">But how will I know when my period is coming?</span> problem. I like this place: it's pretty and pink and it keeps track of lady business way better than pen and paper can, with standard deviations, predicted ovulation dates and lots of other cool stats. [Note: all of these stats are useless if you're on the pill or the ring or anything else, which makes me sad.] In fact, it's so great that I'm upset that my quick stint on birth control completely ruined my cycles and averages. But hey, I'm not pregnant.<br /><br />Anyway, long story short: natural hormones are pretty neat. Digital planners are nice. And if you take my work agenda book away from me, I will cry (possibly more when I'm hormonal).ehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06156610563287930718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13523824.post-29740684176738886732008-11-18T21:01:00.003-06:002008-11-18T21:25:55.753-06:00stuffing![Now back to regularly scheduled programming - the post I was going to write last night, but was too full of rage to do so.]<br /><br />Stuffing is one of my most favorite foods that I only eat for Thanksgiving and Christmas. It's always been a bit of a mystery to me, since the only way I've made it myself is with Stove Top. But no more! Now I shall conquer the world with stuffing whenever I please! (And whenever I have extra bread, which I may need to buy more often.) Oh, you say you want to know too? OKAY!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ericaaaaa/3039218729/" title="stuffed pumpkin by ericaaaaa, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3023/3039218729_0c349bf205.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="stuffed pumpkin" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />1. Make the Croutons</span><br /><br />I used about 6 slices of getting old wheat bread, cut them up into large crouton pieces, drizzled with olive oil (with salt, pepper, and garlic) and baked in the oven at 400 degrees. I don't remember the exact time, but until they're brownish and crisp. (20 minutes or so?)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">2. Prepare Your Stuffing Holder</span><br /><br />For me, this was emptying out the cavity of a large pumpkin I bought mostly for decoration. I've heard any type of squash works, or really any vegetable that can be stuffed. Or hell, put it in a glass baking dish. That works too. Or, I guess a dead animal, though that freaks me out.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">3. Add Stuff To Your Stuffing</span><br /><br />I sauteed onions, garlic, carrots, mushrooms, and celery in olive oil first. Then I mixed this in with the croutons, along with 1/2 cup or so of water (stock would also be good), some more olive oil, and some shredded parmesan cheese. I hear there are many other delicious things to add...such as fresh herbs, chopped nuts, or even chopped fruit? You can go crazy here.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">4. Put The Stuffing In The Stuffing Holder And Bake!</span><br /><br />In this case, into the pumpkin it went (and fit perfectly, imagine my luck), and then into the oven (@325, but later hotter because of my impatience) for a reallllly long time because it was a big pumpkin. The good news is the stuffing turned out delicious. The bad news is that the pumpkin was a bit bland. So maybe oil that veggie cavity before you stuff. <br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />5. Eat</span><br /><br />Um, duh. Did I mention I like how often this post has "stuff" and "stuffing" in it? Nice.ehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06156610563287930718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13523824.post-40812934504282199612008-11-17T21:34:00.002-06:002008-11-17T22:18:58.999-06:00what's wrong is right, or something.I usually try to make this blog a happy place about babies and mittens and baked goods, but today is tough. I'll attempt to balance it out, though.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />Just A Few Things That Are Wrong With The World</span><br />1. Laundry. Hi, if you live in an apartment building with two washers and dryers and have two or more loads of laundry to do, AND you are well aware there are people waiting behind you, you had better well get to your shit in a timely manner. (Brought my huge basket down at 6, estimated arrival of clean, dry laundry? Oh, 11? 12?)<br />2. I can't transfer anything onto my external hard drive unless I erase it all or dump it somewhere else since I used it on a PC first and I'm a very sheltered mac user. Oh, also, I only have 1.6 GB of space on my iBook.<br />3. Schools in the Twin Cities are <a href="http://www.minnpost.com/stories/2008/11/17/4549/twin_cities-area_schools_more_segregated_than_ever">more segregated than ever</a>, over fifty years since Brown v. Board of Education.<br />4. Since we're speaking of the world, I don't like this tilt business and the winter darkness it creates.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Just A Few Things That Are Right With The World</span><br />1. When you leave your lock in the locker room, a nice person might put it in the lost and found.<br />2. I forgot about the fundraiser cookie dough in the freezer. That just about saved me.<br />3. Homemade stuffing baked in a pumpkin, made from homemade croutons. MMM.<br />4. Further laundry complications have led me to only think of three things.ehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06156610563287930718noreply@blogger.com2