gimchi

Way before

2012-02-16T22:37:00.001-05:00

I know. I suck. I'm making it up to you now.

bedroom redo

2012-02-13T11:31:00.001-05:00

so our bedroom is pretty horrendous.

1) we found mold growing on the undersides of our dresser drawers, on that porous material that cheap furniture comes packaged with. i'll be working to replace those with something wooden and sealed from home depot this week.

2) it's like... the crappiest bare space ever. super uncozy - only the bed is comfy.

3) as in, nothing on the walls, holes patched with spackle...

you get the idea. it's very sad.

goal in the next few months is to post some before pics and then try and figure out what the heck to DO with it. please, feel free to input with ideas or yea/nay opinions.

2012-02-06T16:11:00.001-05:00

i feel as though i am fast reaching the point at which taking the bus is just not an option for me long-term.

going to try driving tomorrow to see if i can find a spot to park in the mornings and see how much it costs (originally started taking the bus because it was cheaper, my parking lot was closing, and it was more ecological).

this whole, feeling motion sick ALL THE TIME thing is such a serious bummer. i realized the other night, while shopping with ant, that i've started to really change the way i move all the time, so as not to trigger a headache or motion sickness. for instance, i can't move my head or turn quickly, i have to be a little slower, because there's always this undercurrent of nausea.

not cool, my friends, not cool.

Love. It.

2012-02-04T18:24:00.001-05:00

bad asian

2012-02-04T15:35:00.001-05:00

*may* have over estimated the amount of tape needed....

the sims - for people who have less than full lives

2012-01-31T09:38:00.001-05:00

it's been striking me, lately, how incredibly lame the sims games are.

i get it, people like to relax, whatever. i think it's ridiculous when people make fun of gamers who enjoy skyrim. aren't i doing the same thing?

ah, but for me, i just don't understand how the HELL people find enjoyment in balancing their fake lives. question numero uno would be: how the HELL do these people balance their *actual* lives?!

probably i'm just jealous of their free time.

i've been feeling better about what (little) i can accomplish in a night, in a week, in a weekend. i give myself 3 things to do, sometimes one of those things is "go to bed early". seriously. lame, right? and "check the air filter" seems to have traveled through my lists for about 5 days. also lame. tonight! air filter will be checked!

and with this detox diet thing, DUDE. can we talk about how much prep juicing requires? did i mention the 48 lb bag of carrots in our fridge? 2 heads of cauliflower, 6 heads of broccoli, 9 beets, celery, lemons, limes... we spent $70 at sanwa, this kind of wholesale, faux farmer's market here in tampa. the prices are *insane* awesome for our wallets.

i just watched some knife skills videos. because i realize now, i need them. tonight i will be sharpening my knifes. (maybe, it's not on my list.) this process needs to get faster, because i can't spend 3 hrs in the kitchen every night, prepping for the next day.

and, for the curious ones, it's the 28 day mind+body challenge on wholeliving.com. no alcohol, caffeine, gluten, processed foods, dairy or added sugar. rawr - hardcore. (i'll have to cheat at virginia's bachelorette party, though, since it's over a weekend in another city.)

2012-01-31T07:32:00.001-05:00

Blogging from the phone sucks.

Day 1

2012-01-30T07:53:00.001-05:00

Body, de-toxify!

Or something equally granola and new age hippie. I'm doing this for a few reasons. One, to lose a tidge-y bit of weight. Two, to be in solidarity with Ant (and it's easier to do it with). Three, I like the idea of getting back to Food Zero.

I made that term up. Basically, all of week 1 is eating lots of raw or minimally cooked foods. Proteins are from oils, nuts and seeds. Then one starts adding in proteins like fish in week 2.

It's that idea that's appealing. Like those people who are all 'paleo' and shit. I really hate that term. 'Paleo'. Ugh. Food zero' is pretty bad, too.

Here we go!

2012-01-23T10:47:00.001-05:00

An xbox in the bedroom makes a horrendous amount of noise. The fan is like a damn jet engine.

Lack of sleep + lack of coffee + cramps = a harrowing Monday.

May have to get some pho to set things to right.

Tumblr may be my new friend.

daytum

2012-01-10T09:34:00.001-05:00

i've trying out this new site to track my life.

http://daytum.com/gimchi/

cons: it's difficult to keep up with! at least with how much water i drink - the alcohol is pretty close.

and i mean, what else to track? what else is really important? i've added a "work contentment level" to see how it relates to my sleep. maybe hours of TV? hours spent on my photography business? (oy, that'll get me moving)

(she writes today about tracking her life, as she just posted yesterday about having too many things to do)

2012-01-09T16:47:00.001-05:00

2012-01-09T16:31:00.001-05:00

not really sure what i should/can keep in this little box.

received it as a travel tchotche from my boss's boss.... really? *sigh* i don't understand why people feel the need for such things - it's kind of unusable. others got boxes with pens in them. i just got a tiny box.

it seems perfect for cocaine, if i were an addict.

or maybe a singular ob tampon. possibly 2.

you think pain pills would be safe to keep in there?

any other suggestions?

2012-01-09T14:52:00.001-05:00

while at work, brushing my teeth in the dusky pink bathroom, i realized:

1) i need more sleep

2) i need to let go

i'm starting to feel that stress of trying to organize and control too much, of having too many projects going on at once. photos to edit, things to knit, things to sew, drawings to complete, a house to cozy-fy.

... which is probably why i also want to cut my hair again with my trusty scissors. control!! I CAN CUT MY OWN HAIR!! I CAN DO THINGS!!!

i'm afraid it might turn out badly, but i've also started to cultivate a "so what?" kind of attitude. my shoes are frumpy and falling apart at the seams, it's just not professional! so what? my haircut is terrible and i look terrible and i don't wear makeup to cover my adult onset zits! so what?

ummmm, brain fritz, not sure what my point was.

but, the good news is that i can say, "hello, how are you?" in cantonese.

2012-01-04T16:41:00.001-05:00

just contacted an artist about a tattoo in may - excitement!

made for our contractor people!

2011-12-20T23:52:00.001-05:00

wip - circle scarf

2011-12-14T16:25:00.001-05:00

2011-12-02T11:56:00.002-05:00

brrrrrrr!

damn it's chilly in the house. not to mention, having your bathroom turned into a mini-open-to-the-elements courtyard keeps us from turning on the heat.

(in truth, we're holding off on turning on the heat - electric blanket FTW!)

then again, sitting in front of the computer in the darkened craft room definitely doesn't help.

so how do you like my little board o' inspiration? well, less inspiration and more - this is what we're doing. i needed it to get a handle on the overall picture. it's been pretty helpful! and obviously totally not to scale. photoshop is hard, bitches. the floor tile isn't that... muddy looking and the blue mosaic glass tile is a bit brighter. ant got a gift certificate from his job for being so awesome, so we're gonna blow it on a hamper, probably that one from crate & barrel. thanks, corporate job!!

hampers in the real world are pretty tiny. it'll be nice to move it out of the bedroom, but this just means we'll have to keep up with the laundry in a big way. we'll see how it turns out.

in any case, we're into day 3 of the renovation. no set schedule, other than they work every business day until it's done. not too shabby. 7 more business days to go!

our contractor said that during the demo on wednesday, the entire tiled ceiling fell down with a single crack of his pry bar. whoops! not really what's supposed to happen. that baby was heavy and not really set properly. nice! it was also plastic/fiberglass sheeting on top of tile on top of tile.

i can't even begin to tell you how excited i am to take my first hot bath. i'm also really hoping we'll have a toilet by monday or tuesday night. preferably monday.

*crosses fingers*

CAKECAKECAKE

2011-11-17T06:29:00.001-05:00

WTF.

I sent text with these images. Bastards.

So, anyways, this is the cake I made for work. Today is our Thanksgiving "party".

Not too shabby - I even made cute little banners for it, on sticks. "Lemon" "Drop" "Cake".

In the pro-cake making world, I think this is bad - I believe it's called cake tunneling? Not sure why it happens. Not sure I care, as long as it's tasty!

Right now it smells like... the plastic carrier. :( Maybe I'll try and prop it open and let it air out.

All on my clothes

2011-11-11T11:57:00.000-05:00

Lizzard egg!

2011-11-11T11:54:00.000-05:00

Scissors + Beer =

2011-11-10T23:26:00.000-05:00

AAAAARRRRRGGHHHH

2011-11-10T15:33:00.000-05:00

worst email signature ever.

2011-11-09T15:04:00.006-05:00

. __
. \\ //
~©ø©~ "I hear I forget, I see I remember, I get email it gets fixed"
. \o/

back on the bandwagon (for tonight)

2011-11-06T23:15:00.004-05:00

tonight, i was trying to sew this skirt. she used an elastic band and is wearing it with a belt. such fashion eludes me. a belt? for a skirt? just for decoration?

*shaky googley eyes*

anyways, i forged onward - hey, i've got a polka dot fabric laying around! it's some kind of synthetic i inherited from my mom's stash and unfortunately, i realize now that i don't have quite enough to make it... fall right. like in the above picture. also, i'm too lazy to wear the right shirt to offset the skirt in the following photos.

right?!

super bleh! it makes me look like a fucking bell. it poofs out just enough to look wrong and not enough to look right. *sigh*

so now i'm thinking something like this. more pencil skirt. but it definitely needs a lining. (*ahem*) the skirt material itself feels like a lining, a slip-kind of material. what kind of lining do you use with that? 2 layers of slippery fabric? or a simple thin white muslin? hot pink cotton sheet?

i'm hoping it'll be easy... ish. not sure how the sides should be shaped.

colette shirt was never finished, it's currently sitting, cat-ironed into a sad bundle to the right of my sewing machine.

november goal.

finish these 2 bits of clothing.

weeble/wobble

2011-11-04T16:39:00.001-04:00

friday.

4:30.

countdown.

this was my lunch - it was lovely. had a crepe from the downtown market, a co-worker bought a sugar crepe to share, we walked to the park, he had a cigar, i took some photos and we mostly basked in the sun.

my brain is thick and heavy due to this strange headcold. nothing too crazy in terms of stuffiness, just general head congestion and thick thoughts and heavy eyelids. and exhaustion.

i anticipate a night of rice and potstickers, maybe some cooked romaine or roasted broccoli. soy sauce. garlic. fresh hot thai peppers from the garden. rice wine vinegar. couch. quilt. cats. fringe. grimm (is that shit on at the same time? hmmm...). not too shabby.

life moves on. the job is... way more "corporate-y". i feel more of a need to look "professional", which i hate. i miss the library, but everyone is so unhappy there right now. morale is low and friends are so not happy about decisions being made. *sigh*

this week i cleaned the guest room, which now frees me to clean the atelier. must get that in order. you know, again. the usual. need to work on and finish photos, update the shop and order business cards. FOR REALZ. that item, "order business cards", has been on my to-do list for forever.

defer.

deferdeferdeferdeferdefer.

feel free to yell at me if i haven't done it by monday. a sharp slap on the hand ought to do the trick. and then you should buy me a strawberry ice to dry my tears.

2011-10-20T20:55:00.001-04:00

not sure if my dad is emulating ronald here, or what...

fall/winter goals

2011-10-19T13:08:00.001-04:00

take at least 2 naps outside in the cold weather, in the hammock.

set up an outdoor movie night. have an outdoor movie night.

oy

2011-10-10T19:44:00.000-04:00

shopping for floor tile is the hardest thing.

ever.

2011-10-10T08:53:00.001-04:00

cleaning.

FAIL.

the before...

2011-10-08T17:00:00.000-04:00

*cleaning commences now*

proof

2011-10-07T10:33:00.000-04:00

le messy room

tonight's goal

2011-10-07T09:27:00.001-04:00

clean clean clean!

the house has kind of been in shambles since we found out we needed to replace the subfloor. it's like... we just stopped caring all of a sudden. whoops! but life goes on and the house marches inexorably towards chaos. the garage, however, is very clean. (well, as clean as it's gonna get.)

the backyard? also not clean. maybe that'll happen tonight, too. i'm hoping it doesn't rain, mostly so i can lay in the hammock - the weather has been PERFECT for hammock-laying. hammock-lounging. i'm not popping out a hammock.

yes, i just talked about cleaning like crazy and also lounging in a hammock in the same blog post. *sigh*

oh man, what else? i feel that there's so much going on, but when i get down to it... it's just this remodel. ugh. this weekend we really need to finalize decisions and select a contractor. while we can do stuff, like maybe lay tile, taking out and installing a new tub? not really something we want to learn. i know, i know, lazy bums, at your service.

busybusybusybee

2011-10-04T09:57:00.001-04:00

last month?

insanity.

found out that the subfloor under the tub needs to be replaced in a big bad way, so we're most likely going to do a remodel of the entire bathroom, as it's our least favorite part of the house.

ant brought up the idea of a clawfoot tub and i went all batshit crazy with excitement, though finally, after 3 weeks of talking about it, i think we may just go with a larger soaking tub (or whatever they're called).

we've gotten estimates from a few people and will hopefully begin sometime in mid-october. must remember to get the halloween decorations out now, as that will keep me feeling sane while the house erupts in dust all around me. reminder: buy a chamberpot.

and this weekend one of my oldest friends got married! i'll post a few pics in a week or so - i went crazy and took like, 1,500 pics. i had just gotten my camera back from it's factory fix and they supposedly "tweaked" the autofocus. ugh. i'm worried that some pics didn't come out, but as there were a few people there with DLSRs, i believe that it'll work out.

i don't think i was even that stressed at my own wedding; matron of honor + photographer = oy!

i'm still a little sore from all the photography, but get this. we get home, i'm exhausted, we're laying out on the couch. i bring a cold, delicious beer to my lips when WHAM - kitten jumps up to say hello, crashes into the beer bottle (shakes his head groggily and wobbles off), which crashes into my teeth and suddenly i feel pain and taste blood and feel grit on my tongue.

crap.

all i can think is: OMG, my tooth is going to fall out.

i always have dreams of wobbly teeth, which is supposedly symbolic of anxiety or instability, but you know, i think that i just really have a fear of losing my teeth.

after making my way to the bathroom, confirming it's not glass in my mouth, but tooth bits, we realize it's just a little chipped tooth. thankfully, it seems that it's chipped vertically, mostly along the back of my tooth. i should probably get it filed, since i can't stop tonguing it. bit of a sore lip, life goes on.

2011-09-19T22:53:00.000-04:00

i'm attempting to use google sketch up to make a working model of our bathroom. (we're considering a remodel.)

here's as far as i got:

brain. hurting.

2011-09-09T23:20:00.001-04:00

as you can see, i am crazy bored.

also, wine is delicious and i'm starting to look sleepy.

and my bangs are getting a little too long.

damn i need to paint that craft room.

things i did tonight: bought primer, painted the trim in the hall, painted over the semi-gloss samples in ant's office.

ate mac 'n cheese that i made last night.

sneezed all over my arm.

all clean, just like delicious vinegar

2011-09-06T23:02:00.001-04:00

best advice ever:

in the top part of the dishwasher, put a small cup of white vinegar.

it gets your dishes MAGICALLYFUCKINGCLEAN.

use dishwasher soap, too, of course.

your mind? blown.

last sewing update for a little bit

2011-09-05T19:12:00.000-04:00

random: not sure i like the new blogger interface. too much white space? icons not immediately understandable? weird.

anyways, i finished my sorbetto top!

uhhhhhh, i think the binding ruined it. maybe a wash will make it better?

not too shabby from here - not fully sold on the green. the only blues they had weren't *quite* what i wanted.

but then - wonkwonkwonk.

under the arms, the binding gets all.... flat and stiff.

also, did i mention that i don't really know how to sew binding?

or curves?

BAH.

and here, as you notice, the binding along the top looks all wonk, too.

the directions didn't specify cutting the binding to make it lay flat, it just said to sew it on.

sorry for the crappy pictures, by the way. at some point i'll try and use a better camera, the one on the computer is just so convenient!!

*sigh* anyways, enough sewing for now. still need to sew a magnetic curtain for the door, but i think i need to take a small break and clean up my mess (you know, a curtain for the lazy movie marathon days when it's blazingly bright out and the window on the door disrupts one's television enjoyment).

*another sigh* stupid sorbetto top. at least i have a bunch of fabric left - i can sew maybe a double layer skirt, that's kind of easy.

sewing update

2011-09-03T14:34:00.000-04:00

knits - not so scary anymore. i've got to find a place that sells good quality knits with fantastic patterns, because i just filled up my virtual shopping cart at the anthro online store. must... not... click... checkout....

this morning, after i woke up at 7 with a hangover, downing 2 glasses of water and passing out again, then waking at 9 and drinking more water, taking a nap until 10 then having some ibuprofen with breakfast (BACON! EGGS! BAGELS! KETCHUP! SRIRACHA!), i worked on my dress.

yay!

it fits!

it took 3 tries to get it taken in enough in the right spots. i'm still not fully satisfied, but it will have to do. i find that i like a lot more ruching/scrunching action with my knits. the pattern only had 2 little pleats (in the wrong spot, since i made the larger size), so what i'm going to do is make them bigger on the pleat side, add an extra one and add buttons on top of them. black buttons? buttons in another color?

yea, i'm not really sure how it'll look in the end, but hey! i'm trying! plus, if i wear it at night, no one will be able to tell the difference (that's what i'm telling myself, at least).

see, kind of like where those colorful pin heads are. maybe i should space them more evenly apart. ... or maybe they look good all wonk?

i know, it's hard to concentrate looking at that picture because MY GUNS ARE SO BIG. check out that little bicep bump! pure muscle, my friends, pure muscle.

did i mention on tuesdays i'm going to the free county midgie gym and taking a toning/cardio class? it kicks my ass and i don't have time to shower afterward, but it makes me feel good. a group of us have also been doing the stairs 3-5 times a week. we went from 2 people to a total of 6 so far. we struggle and huff and sweat together for 25 flights, it's pretty rad.

i never thought i'd be one of "those" people ("those" stupid people who go to the gym on their lunches and take the stairs and feel superior, but it's happening. WTF. i'm calling it my third-of-a-life crisis. at least i didn't buy a red convertible.

sewing maniac

2011-09-02T00:00:00.002-04:00

dress, fifty percent complete.

it's kinda way too big - but in some aspects that's good. the knit fabric i used is waaaay too thin to be as tight a dress as it's supposed to be. unless maybe i doubled it up.

BUT, i'm fairly certain i can adjust it to fit AND leave out the tiny cap sleeve that wasn't even in the package. thank you, vogue 2091, for being the wrong size and missing pieces.

this fabric though? heaven. it's like i'm not wearing anything. i wish wish wish i'd started this sooner so i could wear it asap - i love the way it feels.

that's right, i did shit today

2011-08-28T20:02:00.004-04:00

BOOM!

shirt, sewn.

(if annie reads this - apologies that i didn't send a pic of the fabric sooner.)

i haven't fully finished the neck or arms as of yet - they're supposed to be completed with binding tape. i'm wondering - tape made with the same material, or a solid color? red would be the obvious choice, but maybe a green or blue would make it pop? anthro-style? i'll have to bring a swatch in to jo-ann's sometime this week. should one pre-wash binding tape? will that stuff totally bleed? won't it get all knotted up in the washing machine on its own? internet research, here i come.

here's a close-up of the fabric, the unfinished neckline and my clavicle. the fabric is a super light cotton, probably was supposed to be for quilting, and is so cute i want to scream.

the pattern was pretty damn easy, though overall the shirt is a teeny bit big, especially at the bottom. stupidly, i sewed the hem before i even tried it on (BAD KIM, BAD!), so now i'm irritable that if i wanted to put in a side seam zipper, i'm a little screwed.

i'm REALLY good at doing things that require me to do more work. over and over again. possibly i'll just leave it and this will have to be a tuck-in shirt. it looks business casual and is great for the summer! (you know, now that it's practically september. that's ok, good thing i live in florida.)

i'd also like to take this moment to mention that my sewing table is totally clean.

can't say the same thing for the rest of the craft room.

tipsy thoughts at 10:15 pm

2011-08-25T22:13:00.002-04:00

1. i am getting old.

2. i need a private blog.

3. wine is yummy.

4. new job is... coloured by my uterus. must take vitals again in a week.

5. i need more wine.

6. i miss being a librarian.

7. i apparently have very little patience.

8. i need to be like steve jobs and look death in the face and just fucking start carrying my camera with me all the time without worrying that i'm looking like a typical asian with a camera.

9. i need to eat more duck.

10. i need to sew more, but not when tipsy.

11. my cats are freaking adorable and fuzzles.

12. i can, in fact, survive climbing 26 flights of stairs.

13. i need to get business cards already - thoughts? bueller?

14. i need less frumpy clothing.

frontal bags

2011-08-21T16:57:00.002-04:00

well, i just finished making some mini-bloomers from a free pattern.

1) they're crazy low (WTF).
2) i have saddlebags on my pelvis. i'll call them my frontal bags.

maybe they're cute, but i have no idea at present, as i need to get used to them. i was hoping to wear them as summer pajamas.

blarg.

also, i hatehatehate elastic casings.

been a while

2011-08-11T14:40:00.000-04:00

yea, that kitten is totally freaking adorable. it's difficult not to gush all over him, but it's just because he's such a cuddler. as soon as you start petting him, he'll just fall over and give you his belly for smooshysmooshypets.

well, anyways, i've been busy.

and weirdly exhausted.

not sure if it's the monday nights that were making me totally wonk for 3 days after, or what, but it seems that simply working 1 night a week from 12:15 to 9:15 would incapacitate me completely. it wouldn't be until thursday that i'd start to feel normal. and today? thursday? totally not feeling normal.

it probably would have evened out, eventually.

i mean, i passed out, literally, while anthony was talking to me last night. it was maybe 6:00 or so and he was talking about something or other and i could feel my eyes getting heavy ('uh huh... yea... really? *attempting to stay awake*) and i foughtfoughtfought it, but i lost.

i fought the sleep and the sleep won. it was like i blacked out.

and today, driving down the road, in the sunshine, thank goodness, since it's finally stopped raining for some delicious heat and bright, bright sun, my eyes kept wanting to close and i had to stop off at a starbucks for an iced coffee to keep my mouth busy (which usually keeps me awake). if i sip slowly at something, i can maintain consciousness. the caffeine didn't hurt, either.

the good news?

no more monday nights! no more weekend work!

because, well, i got a new job.

i'm still a little forlorn/broken up/excited about it, but basically i'll no longer be a librarian. still working for the county, in a new department - fiscal & support services. and it's a pay raise. finally! my title will be "programmer/analyst". programalyst. better than analrapist?

definitely.

... holy crap, it's 2:40 and i realize i haven't eaten yet.

... WTF.

dad, on his farm

2011-07-29T20:32:00.000-04:00

morning pics with kitten

2011-07-26T19:42:00.001-04:00

no idea why my lips are so extraordinarily red in this picture. i blame the dehydration.

morning person; morning, person

2011-07-26T12:20:00.000-04:00

i'm trying out this "morning person" thing.

day 1 - success.

and by "success", i mean that i went to bed by 11, slept fitfully because i'd had to work until 9:15 pm that evening, set my alarm for 6:30 am, woke up and didn't go back to sleep.

it probably helps that i put my alarm in the kitchen and not next to the bed. keeps me from doing late-night "checks" on facebook and haven't "they" said that having gadgets next to the bed keeps one from sleeping well?

either way, let's see how long i can keep this up. it was nice to have an hour of time to get ready - heated up some coffee, read a little, snuggled with the kitten on the couch. i *almost* did some yoga, as i've been feeling all sorts of body old and ache-y, but maybe tomorrow morning.

have i mentioned that i also got a new job?! very exciting! i've been feeling very stagnant here at the library, with almost no options for me to advance, even though i'm doing the work of a statistics librarian combined with systems administrator duties and knowledge. LAME.

so when a programmer/analyst position came up with the county, associated with my old supervisor, i jumped at the chance. and i got it. hurrah! it's a raise, not huge, but i'm not saying 'no', and a co-worker mentioned to me yesterday that it's actually on the same pay grade as a principal librarian. what what?

it's good on the resume, it's good with the county to be moving up, and it's good for me, because i love new things and get bored easily. my first day will be august 15th - cannot. wait.

2011-07-24T10:16:00.000-04:00

i keep trying to take super cute pics of yam; because she is (super cute).

but it keeps backfiring on me! the other day, she perched herself on my stomach and proceeded to bliss out while i gave her some loving - her tongue slipped out and she closed her eyes. soooooo cute! but here, she just looks like she's going to vomit.

cute cat picture fail!

faux mcD's

2011-07-21T09:42:00.001-04:00

when we first started dating, ant and i used to go to mcdonald's to get hamburgers, hold the meat.

hold the meat, you say? hell yes! that shit's gross and almost always gave me an upset stomach. probably because it's "meat" made of salt. it's amazing what they can do with technology these days.

there's just something so... wonderful about that spongy bun, the mix of ketchup and mustard and tiny little onions, and of course, the extra pickles. it's basically a vinegar sandwich. (my mouth literally started drooling.)

we don't get them that often nowadays, but when we had a cookout for friends of the family, anthony had this GENIUS idea to make one at home! and they're so fucking amazing. seriously.

in fact, i've had 3 in the past 4 days. it's kind of an obsession. i'm trying to rein it in, but they're just so... tasty.

ugh

2011-07-19T08:40:00.002-04:00

so my camera is broken, now both of them!

camera 1 (older one) - gets an ERR message randomly and then proceeds to take super dark photos every 3rd photo.

camera 2 (newer one) - seems to have a stuck shutter. the mirror flaps up, and comes down, but the normal "taking a photo" sound is missing.

tonight's goal: find my receipt.

craft nights are keeping me sane.

2011-07-16T20:38:00.003-04:00

one day, we'll be able to open this up to more people - as it stands, none of us have the space to really allow for larger numbers of people to create.

but, for now, it's keeping me totally sane. stress levels are below a danger threshold (which is when i start producing massive quantities of stomach acid and pain). last meetup, we made hypertufa planters! when i finally plant something in it, i'll be sure to post. it was fairly easy, although one of the ingredients smelled strongly of cat litter. used cat litter.

hint: portland cement is caustic - use gloves or wash your hands and apply massive quantities of lotion as needed.

these pics are from the meetup at my house - we made carved sculpey beads - ridiculously easy. hello jo-ann's sale! roll a bead, poke with skewer, bake for 15 minutes, cut with razor blade/x-acto knife (we put them on crumpled foil to bake - no need to worry much about dent marks in the clay from the foil, since we would be carving into them).

i really want to make more and will hopefully soon be tracking down some ball chain to use as the necklace. i like the way it lays, and it's cheap. right, it's cheap? seems like it'd be cheap.

this was an attempt to make a colorful rainbow bead necklace. it's still in this state in the craft room. rainbow necklace fail.

one of the craft members found this fantastic piece of wood shaped exactly like a turtle head! no, not like this. at least, one hopes not.

this day? glorious.

2011-07-14T07:35:00.000-04:00

remember this?

2011-07-13T18:24:00.000-04:00

the good news is that our little kitten, wash, is actually playing with his sardines!! he's starting to get crazy frisky and clearly wants to kill me, as he runs between my walking feet with reckless abandon.

reck. less.

even more, he loves wine corks and pieces of paper that skitter across the hardwood floor.

(yammie, of course, is too dignified to play.)

i'd made a few extra, so i sent one to ruby (who hopefully liked it) and then brought another to erika's cats, theo and hazel.

holy. mother fucking. shit.

those cats went batshit over the sardine. bat. shit. crazy.

this is theo:

and this is hazel:

theo is definitely the dominant cat in the house - strong and lithe. i have 2 claw scratches on the top of my foot that are just now beginning to heal.

hazel was a sweetheart and was very difficult to get near, or photograph. she also licked the sardine to within an inch of it's life. the felt eyeballs? grey. the 'X' sewn eyes? unrecognizable. the length of the sardine toy? sopping. wet. when i left, it didn't even resemble the original toy, but for the vague shape and a barely discerable blue. somehow, it looked really dirty, as though it had been dragged through dirt.

*shudder* it was so gross.

so, not an utter failure!

2011-07-11T20:16:00.002-04:00

the blueberry farm was on the honor system. drive up, grab a bucket and pickpickpick.

tip: it's a good idea to taste from each bush, just to make sure it's a good one. no one likes a sour bush.

(that's what she said.)

meaghan was a total pro - her final weight was 3 lbs! we were there for maybe... 20 minutes? my final weight was 1.5 lbs. granted, i took some time to take these photos, so maybe... oh, let's be real. no way i'll be a blueberry picker anytime soon.

blueberry eater? YES.

really need to see if tampa has something like this nearby. i loved that this place was so close to meaghan's house, on the way to erika's. it just made it so easy to get a fuckton of blueberries for super super cheap. did i mention that it was $2 a pound? perfect for picking and freezing and maybe even making jam.

bridal shower weekend

2011-07-09T10:48:00.000-04:00

quick overview, for memory's sake:

got in to gainesville on friday, had a quiet lunch at the flying biscuit. meaghan was unavailable, i was hungry and in need of sustenance. i read and even talked to someone at the end! social anxiety be damned!

meaghan and i got together and planned for saturday, filling a picnic basket and making lists.

then off to do some organic blueberry picking!

and lastly, delicious dinner at erika's, made mostly by nick, followed by exercise with the kinect and dance central.

saturday we awoke and met rachel & amanda at meaghan's for a crepe brunch - organic blueberry compote, fresh (raw milk) cream, homemade lemon curd (*DROOL*), homemade nutella, bananas and other such fruits.

a quick jaunt to the farm to meet meaghan's cow and amanda's horse - we saw chickens and dogs and cats and a donkey and a goat and an emu - all in bridal shower attire. then we picked up a white chocolate cheesecake from an old hs friend who does baked goods on the side.

bead shop where we ate the cheesecake and asti and were accosted by the owner's daughter who talked all about her life and her aunt's life and her WOW account ad naseaum.

starbucks for an energy break and then dinner at leonardo's 706. 4 meals total: 3 steaks and 1 vegetarian pasta. sorry, erika!

met up with john for drinks and a downtown gainesville walkabout. attempted to see erika's brother's band - no dice - we were too late! john stayed at erika & nick's and then.... TUBING!

/end blissful weekend

GO!

2011-06-27T09:55:00.005-04:00

personal goal.

clean off my sewing table, possibly onto the floor, set up sewing machine, sew at least 2 cat toys.

you have one hour.

update
9:58 am - sewing machine set up & plugged in

10:18 am - toy #1 done!

10:43 am - 3 more carcasses sewn

11:00 am - goal reached and completed!

11:07 am - possible abject failure

2011-06-26T21:52:00.001-04:00

MAY have started a tumblr blog.

you know where to go.

happy birthday, mom!

2011-06-20T12:35:00.000-04:00

she, too, is adorable. i called her this morning to wish her a happy birthday - she was already up and at them and chirping about her plans for the day.

newest addition

2011-06-19T13:23:00.002-04:00

ant and i have been visiting the humane society for the past few months, looking at cute kittens and cats to bring home. it's been tough - i mean, they're all so cute!!

finally, since anthony will be home for a week, i went to the shelter on saturday and picked one out. i went by myself, because anthony couldn't make a decision - he would love anyone i brought home. as it was, i almost came home with two. :/

isn't he dreamy?? we haven't decided on a name yet, but we're still experimenting. he's super lovey and an absolute ragdoll. he's similar to yam in that he's kind of play-dumb and a bit skittish. we are already totally in love with him.

he's a very light kitten - a tinge lighter than this photo shows - and his fur is a medium length.

this is more his true color - very light! and his cute scaredy cat eyes!

before & after: dual-flush toilet

2011-06-13T12:03:00.000-04:00

i did this MYSELF! that's right, i can do things.

our toilet handle broke the other morning and at home depot, we decided it'd be the perfect time to install one of those eco-friendly dual-flush toilets.

this also helped to avoid a potential and brewing fight over anthony not letting me spray paint the new handle of the toilet. (and why the hell not, i say?!?)

toilet innards are gross, no? i'm fighting the urge to pour bleach down there and start scrubbing. someone tell me i'm insane - obviously i need help.

happy 70th birthday, dad!

2011-06-12T07:33:00.001-04:00

he's so freaking adorable.

also, i kind of can't believe that he's 70. where has the time gone? parents just aren't allowed to age. seriously.

pre-celebrations

2011-06-06T11:26:00.002-04:00

on sunday, we celebrated my dad's 70th birthday a little early!

his birthday is actually the 12th, which is almost always smack in the beginning/middle of the lychee harvest, so he's always so busy working on his 14 acres. this year, we scheduled it so that we could actually celebrate it and let him relax. as it was, he was still apparently grumpy that he should have been cutting the grass. close friends, family, delicious sushi and bottle upon bottle of wine made the lack of work and heat and sweat just a little bit better.

a lakitu day

2011-06-01T12:35:00.001-04:00

patrick roger

2011-05-29T09:29:00.000-04:00

you know, i'd really love to win the lottery and go back for a few months.

and get that blasted duck confit.

and learn how to pronounce french with some semblance of "frenchness" instead of my feeble faux-spanish-french-italian mix.

from the pompidou

2011-05-27T12:27:00.000-04:00

the day we visited the pompidou was grey and drizzly, yet still kind of lovely.

seductive

2011-05-26T12:14:00.002-04:00

since she's a seductive little cougar, we're considering getting a friend's neighbor's kitten for her; we're waiting to find out if testicles will drop as she does seem to get along better with boys than girls.

kittens: so freaking adorable.

a serious cleanup of my craft room will have to be in order.

peas!

2011-05-24T07:44:00.000-04:00

my very first pea blossom. SUCCESS!!

last year they withered in the full sun before they got 4 inches tall. very sad. they're doing much better in the shade of a large tree, in a round pot with chicken wire trellising. in FACT, when i checked more recently, there appeared to be a baby pea on it!

imagine it now: large clean, white, dinner plate, one lone, verdant and plump pea in a small pool of butter. maybe a little anthill of salt & pepper, appropriately placed off-kilter, to tease the appetite.

... that's actually making me really hungry.

(no surprise there.)

in any case, i believe i have 6 pea plants (THANK YOU AMY! for saving me after i accidentally and heavily stomped on my seedlings...) - hopefully they'll produce enough for actual food. i've read that heirloom plants don't usually produce their fruit all at the same time, unlike more commercial varieties. so i'm guessing one should have more plants growing at the same time - perhaps 6 is enough. we shall see; all in due time.

the fact that i haven't killed these plants is cause for celebration enough. zucchini are supposedly easy to grow. LIARS. powdery mildew has beset my plants - i've been pouring diluted milk over their diseased leaves to try and save them, it seems to be working on at least one of them.

all in all - garden is surviving!

I tried, I really tried

2011-05-22T21:04:00.005-04:00

I tried, I really tried, originally uploaded by gimchi.

[update]

well, that sucked.

i tried to send this via email, but my entire message was deleted!!

the gist of it was: i WANT to like bloody marys. because i like ketchup. and tomatoes. and when i go italian restaurants, i almost exclusively order tomato-based sauces, which sometimes drives anthony a little batty.

and i like how bloody marys feel so... white trashy hangover with curlers. else, nouveau riche in a lushy kind of way.

so this morning at brunch, i tried one at datz! instead of celery, i got a thick slice of bacon. WIN!

'tasty', i thought, as i nibbled the end, fatty and slightly tomato-y.

first sip: ZZZIIINNNNGGGG! spicy!

and so i sipped it through the first part of my meal until i just couldn't do it anymore. the amount i ingested was minimal, but it just got... spicy gross. like a spicy ketchup drink that was going to give me an insane stomachache.

i just couldn't do it. but i did give it my best shot!

NEXT!

i have a problem

2011-05-20T10:51:00.002-04:00

and that problem is, in a word, laziness.

where is my mojo? my get-up-and-go? i realize that i'm a creature of stimulation - i like new things. normally my jobs haven't lasted more than a year or so - my current job is the longest at 3. it mostly keeps me busy. but even with hobbies and crafts, i can't seem to easily stick to them!

it's very frustrating. as soon as i achieve a smidgen of competence with something, i'm over it.

NNEEEXXXTT!

so i'm forcing myself to stick to a few things, mostly because it's expensive otherwise.

sewing. knitting. gardening. and of course, photography.

my photo kick has kind of waned, only in that i'm-tired-of-always-lugging-my-giant-camera-around kind of way.

so i'm trying to get some photo apps and kick my malaise in the ass with my camera phone. trying to just have fun with it and find some kind of inspiration.

i'm going through throes - i waffle back and forth when editing photos between what's "right" or what "looks right" or what "looks good" - and then i say fuckitall and nothing gets done. else i spend 45 minutes on one goddamn photo and then hit "reset".

it's very frustrating.

finding one's "style" is crazy hard. especially with digital photography. (at least, so far, it is for me.) some people are strange purists who don't want to do any photo editing - but the fact of the matter is - ALL digital photos are edited in some way, either in post production on the computer by a person or by the camera itself.

i took some photos of our television recently - we've had troubles with every single (expensive) flat screen from samsung having serious back lighting issues. anthony didn't want me to edit the raw files at all, so i didn't. however, he noted later that they didn't look like the image on the back of the camera and the lighting issues weren't noticeable. well... that's because the image you see on the back of the camera goes through in-camera processing. if you shoot in raw - the pic isn't going to look like the one on the back of the camera once you transfer it to your computer. it's just not.

with digital, an image is just math. it's just there waiting to be manipulated, waiting to "look real". it's just... trying to find that happy medium that i'm comfortable with.

BLARG.

mostly i think the malaise is stemming from seeing this, 40 hours a week:

office without a view.

depressing, no?

it's brighter than that, of course, but that's how i feel about it all. and damnit, i still haven't gotten any plants in here! that was supposed to be remedied months ago!

FAIL, EPIC.

ok, now that *that's* all out, i feel better.

/end rant.

*bow*
*exit stage left and straight on towards rapture*

actual blog comment:

2011-05-14T14:00:00.001-04:00

"The next time I read a blog, I hope that it doesnt disappoint me as much as this one. I imply, I know it was my option to learn, but I actually thought youd have something attention-grabbing to say. All I hear is a bunch of whining about something that you would fix when you werent too busy on the lookout for attention."

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!

thug 4 life

2011-05-12T00:16:00.000-04:00

picard

2011-05-09T17:00:00.000-04:00

all i can think of when i see this photo is "star trek".

the only futuristic thing about this grocery store, however, is that all the food is frozen! oooo! ahhh! the marvels of modern man! food, frozen at its freshest point in time, to be cooked and reheated later into a slightly mushy, less stellar version of its previous self!

apparently, these stores are incredibly popular - one can even order foods online to be delivered to one's home. i wonder if they deliver internationally? were i staying/living in france for a longer period of time than 1 week (and had access to a kitchen), perhaps i'd give it a try. the store is so strangely sterile, yet futuristically appealing. as though one should be wearing a space suit to wander the aisles. or at least, protective foot booties.

paul

2011-05-05T09:48:00.003-04:00

well, since DC is apparently getting a paul, i thought i'd go ahead and share our paul meal!

it was our last one in paris. seriously, every single time we saw one of these shops, we had always JUST eaten. i realized they were a chain, but STILL. look at that beautiful design! dark, sumptuous colors, shiny gold serif lettering, sandwiches that looked divine...

finally, at the airport after we'd walked up and down the concourses 3 times trying to find/understand where our gate was, we stopped here to eat before our flight to rome.

anthony was supposedly "not hungry", but he ended up getting food after i'd gotten mine:

and, of course:

uh, yes, please. can i have some more? if i visit DC in the future, i may have to take a trip to relive good food memories.

bitches, this was in the AIRPORT. and it wasn't incredibly overpriced either! america: take note.

ant's dessert was some sort of fruit pastry.

*sigh* now i feel the need to go to bern's for some good dessert.

we bought our food at different times and each ordered une expres (spelling iffy) (pronunciation even more so). here's the result:

guess which one's anthony's? UNFAIR.

just like home!

2011-05-03T21:45:00.002-04:00

in orvieto, we encountered a blue garbage bin that was JUST LIKE OURS! very similar to the ones we get from the city of tampa.

just, you know.

tinier.

roma

2011-04-29T18:00:00.001-04:00

these posts about our trip?

totally not going to be in order.

we flew into rome on saturday evening around 5 pm. we settled in to the room we'd booked through airbnb (more on that later) and walked out to a nearby restaurant that was recommended to us - osteria dei pontifici.

ummmmmmmmmmmmm, it was delicious.

PLUS, the giant difference in the price of food was like the perfect cooling salve to our wounded wallet souls. we ordered with a bit of abandon (OMNOMNOM - squash flowers!) and drank a liter of red wine. hello, tipsy on italy!

we went to bed, happy and sated.

we awoke on sunday and walked out to the bus stop. umm... bus? hello? *birds chirping*

i deciphered the taped sign and realized that the bus wasn't running that day - but why? we soon found out.

it was the day of the roman marathon!

fuck. us.

i mean, partly it was exciting. we're here for the roman marathon!! look at them runners go! look at random people cheering them on!

but then also, if our experience and this website is to be believed:

On March 20 2011, when the last version of Rome Marathon – or to be exact, Maratona di Roma – took place, a record number of 12,596 runners finished the race...

According to tradition, 15 minutes after the bold marathoners are sent on their way, 85,000 children, adults and seniors head out for the non-competitive Stracittadina Fun Run.

...the crushing crowds were kind of like our personal hell. not just a record number of runners, but you know, also their families and friends were in town.

the picture of the trevi fountain (top) was taken without any people in the image (cops patrol the area with shrill whistles for those who climb on the rocks or in the fountain), however, i have NEVER seen so many people at the trevi - it was extremely crushing and not at all romantic.

i think the fact that i took this video with the 8mm app detracts from the crushing number of people there... because they're just a loud blurry mob. but take it from one who's been to rome approximately 5+ times in her life - it was shockingly and distressingly crowded.

some parts of the race weren't quite as congested, which was good. usually the race area was roped off with caution tape and the aisles where you were supposed to walk were just a slow-moving clog of humans - and of course, the run covered all the big tourist spots.

i'm assuming the sponges were for the runners. i know i can't run for 5 minutes without needing a shower and a 3 hr break.

the good is that we got to see a LOT of the city on foot - we must have walked 5 miles, minimum. this is a lot of miles for people who only walk from their cars to their homes. it was advantageous that we had walking in paris to "toughen us up". (god, we're such wimps.)

definitely still enjoyed seeing the sights (and i always appreciate being in italy), but thank goodness for quality cheap wine and good coffee - it may have been what got us through the day.

we hightailed it out of rome and headed for orvieto the next day to neutralize the buildup of tourist in our systems.

to be continued...

storms of early summer

2011-04-27T12:51:00.000-04:00

they're definitely back here in florida and kind of lovely; lots of incredible lingering lightning in the grey skies as i drove from work the other day.

thankfully, anthony kindly moved my seedlings out of the hail that also came down - seedlings, saved!

(also, this has been irritating me, but i can't make up my mind on the whole "one space/two space" thing after a period. it's been utterly ingrained in my physical memory ever since i learned how to type in high school [on a computer, not a typewriter]. i could care less, but 1) extra spaces affect twitter counts and if i try to relearn "one space", it drives me crazy to have some sentences with one space and some sentences with two spaces.)

(/end pathetic non sequitur tangent)

macaroons! (or, alternatively, macarons, for the persnickety ones)

2011-04-21T12:20:00.000-04:00

and naturally, we went to ladurée.

amazingly enough, i didn't take many big picture photographs. surprise. i'm always fascinated by details and always miss The Big Picture. it's my MO. so please expect lots of photos of the insides of places and very few of their storefronts entire.

relevant side note - ever hear of paris syndrome? fascinating! i'd never heard of it until a few days ago, after we'd gotten back from our trip. while i didn't suffer from such physical symptoms, i will admit that the honeymoon paris of my mind didn't jive fully with the honeymoon paris in real life.

1) paris is hella expensive. it was definitely a little intimidating. the one place i really wanted to go to for duck confit required reservations, so we thought we'd pop in for lunch. pop in to a little unassuming place for a holyjesusthisisgoingtobeanexpensivemealbutwhatthehelllet'sdoit andohmaneveryoneissonicelydressed-shouldihavethisbackpackon kind of lunch. of course, we were refused. not in any mean way, just in a wedon'thaveanytablesyouneedareservation kind of way. even though i could see empty tables. alas. also, we're cheap, so overall we just aren't that good about splurging.

2) paris was kind of cold! i knew this going in and thankfully had pretty warm clothes, but most of the flowering trees weren't quite there yet. i imagine it would be far more beautiful in the spring (though hell on allergies). april in paris - now i know why.

the macaroons, however, were amazing.

so here are some outside close-up shots of ladurée. can you feel the strange pastel old woman feel of the place?

i wanted to go in and see cats and feathers and smell old mothy lavendar candies. for the best, that's not what we got. ... my mouth wets itself extensively to just look at these pics.

i want to lick the displays.

we did not get any of these. ^

there's a separate, slightly crushing, cordoned-off spot for people who are just purchasing a quick bite, though their seating area looked absolutely adorable - very high tea. planning on savoring them later, we grabbed 4 of the biggie macaroons (because we're american and because sometimes when someone asks me something in public i mentally freak out and say the first response that comes to mind without thinking).

here's the raspberry.

and here's the coffee.

for the record, i love meringue. so a light cookie made with meringue?! BEST COOKIE EVAR. it was light and crisp and melty in the mouth. and the raspberry jam! delicious.

i'm intrigued to try my hand at making them - maybe later in the year. too much on my plate as it is. though not too much to not squeeze in macaroons to EAT. i'm down with the eating.

oh god, i'm so hungry right now.

in any case, when we got back, we had brunch at datz and grabbed a few macaroons from their bakery (although i really don't know if they bake them themselves... something to ask next time). and no pictures!!! nothing to visually compare. i suck. your loss. moving on.

i believe we got raspberry, chocolate, basil and caramel. very good, but not as good as ladurée. but also, 8 hours closer to our house. it wasn't as ... light and flaky, and the raspberry jam was definitely not as good. that parisian jam was so pure and unadulterated. i'm sad we never bought some to bring back with us.

"next time".

all things quack

2011-04-12T12:56:00.001-04:00

when anthony and i took our little spur of the moment vacation day, we headed out to st pete for some sun and food. we stopped at wildwood bbq for lunch and enjoyed the gorgeous florida weather with our feet in the water. days like that make florida sublime - a hot sun with a cool breeze.

later we went to mazzaro's.

mazzaro's. my new hero.

we got fresh gnocchi and ravioli and........... check it!

we actually didn't splurge this time, however, should i wish to make my OWN duck fat fries, now i know where to come.

truth be told, i'm hesitant to try duck hot dogs. not sure why. maybe it was the $9 price tag. which, split up between multiple dogs really isn't so bad.

we also got some sfogliatelle, cheese and chocolate. that place rocks our socks.

always past my bedtime

2011-04-11T12:49:00.003-04:00

a while ago, i mentioned that i had some goals:

1) business taxes
2) finishing up wedding photos for a client
3) buying a new camera
4) finding creative sparks

the good news is that 1-3? completed.

currently feeling blah and low, but that's all attributed to going to bed at midnight last night. what was i thinking?!

ah yes, i remember. i'm trying to relax more by not setting an alarm on the weekends. result? i sleep in between 10 and 11 am, and then i stay up late getting random things done, causing me to sleep in later on sundays (*ahem*), which just totally effs up my schedule on mondays. it's a vicious cycle. i'll probably need to start setting my weekend alarm for 9 again. hm.

more current goals:

1) finish wedding photos for another client
2) get organized, because clutter is killing me
3) chop off the mullet (haircut scheduled tuesday!)
4) make more time for creativity
5) order business cards
6) rework portfolio website

oh yes, and

7) keep plants alive

upcoming blog topics: the trip! a comparison of french "macarons" and ones from datz deli! random mutterings! more taste, less filling!

p.s. tea really sucks once it's gone cold. coffee? with cream and sugar? now i can sip that all day long. maybe some of you find that gross. if so, please feel free to send me your coffee, right now, because this cold ass double bergamot is just sitting here, staining my mug.

raw

2011-03-27T12:44:00.000-04:00

jetlag, it appears, makes me utterly delirious and emotionally raw.

yesterday, while driving to target, anthony kept up his usual steady stream of singing made up songs. often, it drives me batty. after asking him to stop, and as he kept it up, i ended up laughing. hysterical laughing. high pitched mad woman laughing with uncontrollable tears.

even while walking through target, it was as though i didn't know how to respond to anything with a typical response.

my dreams have been wackier and easily spill into strange lucid moments where i realize i've been making weird face and mouth movements (which anthony got to witness in all its glory) in response to a dream. even anthony kept waking himself multiple times by yelling things out loud while about to fall asleep.

fun times.

totally worth it.

back. brain dead.

2011-03-26T12:42:00.002-04:00

still utterly out of it and sadly working today.

all my brain connections appear to have malfunctioned and broken apart at some point during the plane ride back - probably between newark and tampa. that last leg of a flight back from overseas is always the most zombie-fied.

the trip was wonderful. and i didn't get nearly as much gelato as i needed. i have discovered that i really need more hats when i travel anywhere with sub-60 degree weather.

note to self: knit yourself a hat.

i have also discovered that while rome is a cultural mecca of history, it's dirty, dirty, dirty. four visits to the city has not changed my mind in the least.

rereading hard boiled wonderland and the end of the world has now made me want to fix and wear my watch again. there's something fantastically sexy about watches. but for me, metal watches. i love the chunky snap of the thin clasp and the way the metal warms to the skin.

more later, maybe with pictures.

per favore, puo aiutarme?

2011-03-09T22:42:00.008-05:00

(seriously, so many apologies if this shows up multiple times in your reader...)

as a general rule, i'm don't like most fashion blogs.

well, that's not true, i'm a snob and don't like fashion blogs unless they're really well done. and posting dress up pictures and asking for thoughts feels... sad.

*ahem* however, that said, i'm about to fly in the face of danger.

so i made a circle scarf out of some (kind of) thick knit fabric - what do you think? too thick? i'm actually at a loss here. i wanted one of those american apparel circle scarves, but didn't want to shell out the big bucks even though it's a seamless piece of work. i wanted it to keep me warm on the plane and in europe, where it's a teensy bit chillier than here in sunny, already-hot florida.

ok, enough blather, i shall let the pictures speak for themselves (there should be 5 of them):

circle scarves make great gliding wings

as you can see, my noise reduction setting was insane high - way too high. whoops!
also, i just can't take myself seriously. ignore the weird hair.

too big? my one option is to cut it in half so it's not as thick.

my pea coat seems too much for 47 degree weather, though i do get chilly easily. maybe i'll try it out on friday and see how i feel, it's supposed to dip into the 40s, i believe. real life testing!

6

2011-03-08T17:40:00.000-05:00

giant fruit

2011-03-08T07:15:00.000-05:00

my dad in his orchard, tending to his jackfruit. he's holding up a little dragon fruit to show relative size of those suckers - they're so huge! no naps under this tree.

2011-03-07T07:14:00.000-05:00

2011-02-28T07:13:00.000-05:00

a worthy goal

2011-02-22T19:02:00.001-05:00

to eat my weight in gelato.

(as you can see, i went ahead and downloaded that cartographer app - couldn't resist! and it looks like it'll be mighty handy when on the hunt for delicious gelato.)

2011-02-21T07:11:00.000-05:00

2011-02-20T22:16:00.000-05:00

glitter!

2011-02-19T10:17:00.001-05:00

next splurge purchase: glittery nail polish.

it's a bitch to remove, but so worth it. i think a solid color underneath would help it pop.

FLW

2011-02-18T12:05:00.000-05:00

yesterday, i was able to go to florida southern college for a 1 day workshop on cataloging.

that campus? beautiful. about 10 buildings were designed by frank lloyd wright - we had the opportunity to go on a free tour, but my supervisor, with whom i had carpooled, wasn't feeling it. which sucks, because i kind of really wanted to do it. c'est la vie. you suck it up when your boss doesn't want to do something. i think the concern was driving back to tampa in rush hour traffic. pfft.

you can, however, take a photo tour here.

chinese new year, family edition

2011-02-16T07:43:00.001-05:00

dad cooked, as per usual

we played lots of "redneck golf".

we celebrated lee's 7th birthday.

lee reminds me so much of calvin, from calvin & hobbes

the tea (and wine) were flowing freely.

a little card game action? always.

and tiffany, my niece, thirteen and still too cool to get crazy excited:

...and the flames climbed high into the night

2011-02-14T12:49:00.003-05:00

happy valentine's day!

no plans here, no crazy dinner reservations or flowers. and THANK GOODNESS for that.

this weekend anthony watched 'roman holiday' with me and we relaxed on the couch a little bit, not too shabby for a 1 day weekend.

title: mountain goats

In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule.

2011-02-06T19:08:00.003-05:00

amazingly enough, i didn't take my camera out once for our lunar new year party last night. the only photo snapped was of the cake i made, right before i cut into it. weird, right?

i think it was because it was rainy out and so everyone had to stay inside the whole time. our house was packed TO THE BRIM. total children count: ten! they fully enjoyed playing and screaming in our guest bedroom together - it was pretty adorable.

we made vegetarian dumplings and had a ton of snacks.

mentally, i'm quite sure i freaked out and just ran about like a mad woman trying to say hello to everyone - i'm sure that part of me comes from my mom. and that's most likely why the camera never made an appearance.

- the signature sheet from our wedding

lawrence made a comment towards the beginning of the night, "i feel like i'm at a target team meeting". because almost everyone was wearing red of some sort! for luck. and that's all i kept thinking all night long! ... maybe that's why the camera didn't come out. HA! (no, no, rachel, don't give him grief about it - it was pretty hilarious.)

i actually can't wait to have one next year when it's hopefully not raining. we had cleaned up the backyard and everything! it's all set up to have string lights hung for better lighting outside, as well. all the outdoor plans for naught!

but perfect for later in the week when the sun decides to come out again. i really miss the sun - oddly, i'm craving warmth and heat and the beach and an easy read.

or, you know, paris. or rome.

title quote - nietzsche

just coffee. black - like my soul.

2011-02-04T14:16:00.004-05:00

i've started drinking my coffee black at work - just 2 spoonfuls of sugar.

and my friday payday morning was made even better by a lovely chocolate iced donut from a local shop.

and THEN i got a call from a co-worker, a step above my position, noting that i might want to rethink my status update.

so i made fun of a 'higher-up', what of it? my privacy levels are fairly high and for the most part, co-workers i *really* don't know are put on a limited profile status. argh! it was very frustrating for me, ending with the creation of a new list of "co-workers - iffy". it seems i will need to rework my privacy levels and friend lists to make it easier to post on my iphone (which is one reason why i hadn't done anything about it until now).

i suppose i thought this person didn't care, or wouldn't have cared, and i suppose this was them "looking out for me", but still. argh. i so dislike it when professional life intrudes on "my" life. i was just thinking last night about how much better things were to be young and carefree. not literally better, but perhaps you know what i mean. less stress, less worry. i'll quote murakami, because i can and because i love him:

...
listening to fournier's flowing, dignified cello, hoshino was drawn back to his childhood. he used to go to the river every day to catch fish. nothing to worry about back then, he reminisced. just live each day as it came. as long as i was alive, i was something. that was just how it was. but somewhere along the line it all changed. living turned me into nothing. weird... people are born in order to live, right? but the longer i've lived, the more i've lost what's inside me - and ended up empty. and i bet the longer i live, the emptier, the more worthless, i'll become. something's wrong with this picture. life isn't supposed to turn out like this! isn't it possible to shift direction, to change where i'm headed?...
'kafka on the shore'
haruki murakami

oh! and another from goodreads:

sometimes fate is like a small sandstorm that keeps changing directions. you change direction but the sandstorm chases you. you turn again, but the storm adjusts. over and over you play this out, like some ominous dance with death just before dawn. why? because this storm isn't something that blew in from far away, something that has nothing to do with you. this storm is you. something inside of you. so all you can do is give in to it, step right inside the storm, closing your eyes and plugging up your ears so the sand doesn't get in, and walk through it, step by step. there's no sun there, no moon, no direction, no sense of time. just fine white sand swirling up into the sky like pulverized bones. that's the kind of sandstorm you need to imagine.

and you really will have to make it through that violent, metaphysical, symbolic storm. no matter how metaphysical or symbolic it might be, make no mistake about it: it will cut through flesh like a thousand razor blades. people will bleed there, and you will bleed too. hot, red blood. you'll catch that blood in your hands, your own blood and the blood of others.

and once the storm is over you won't remember how you made it through, how you managed to survive. you won't even be sure, in fact, whether the storm is really over. but one thing is certain. when you come out of the storm you won't be the same person who walked in. that's what this storm's all about."
'kafka on the shore'
haruki murakami

ok, i'm starting to go off on a huge tangent and i'm not sure where i'm going with this post.

suffice it to say, i'm liking the black coffee. with the sugar. and i'm shifting directions. after this lunar new year's party, i have a few things i need to accomplish.

1) business taxes
2) finishing up wedding photos for a client
3) buying a new camera
4) finding creative sparks

what am i interested in? i want to give myself time to explore this, because at present, at work and in need of vacation and travel, i am totally hating my job. it's not like it's hard, i'm just... not fulfilled right now. i need better lighting, for one, and maybe some nice plants to keep me excited. i miss not having a park nearby. i miss sitting in the sun.

5) find that coffee shop that's supposedly a block away
6) walk to the 2 garden stores that are nearby

anyways, a friend is starting up an artisans group and she has big big plans. much bigger and better than the plans we had for girlfriend sweatshop, which lacked this kind of focus. plus, she's probably way less socially awkward than we were. we had plans to expand, to meet new people (which we did!), but it all kind of imploded there, at the end.

officially, can i say that i fucking hate people who "don't understand" what happened to their friendships, but it's really because THEY'RE TOO JUVENILE TO CONFRONT IT AND TALK ABOUT IT?

thank you.

*** you're an idiot and i wish you the best. this is me, finally letting go, 3 years later.

that felt good. like a post secret. i let you go, please, now, drift away, shoo shoo.
not *really* like post secret, as there are those readers who know exactly what i'm talking about. just know this is just me, getting it out and it's not like i've been secretly harboring angry thoughts for 3 long years. it's just been niggling and now, it's not.

ummm, also, if anyone has ever tried 'the cartogropher' app, let me know how it is. i need a good app where i can add pins and notes and customize to my heart's content, but i need to be able to access it offline, in case i'm not in free wifi range. you know, in paris. or rome.

'cuz i'm kind of freaking out in a giant way over posts like this and this.

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm......... duck confit dreams

title quote - city of bones

leaving on a jet plane

2011-02-01T12:03:00.001-05:00

so we did it! we finally booked our honeymoon tickets, 2 years later.

the upside is that we get to travel when we're not stressed with wedding planning or with looking for a house.

it was a long hard drag to find the time to do this, what with diminishing vacation time and classes, but it finally worked out.

4 nights in paris and 5 nights in rome.

we'd originally wanted to do 2 cities. then we wanted to do one city, which was the point in time where i had to make the hardest decision i had ever made in my life - paris or rome?! seriously, it was hard. i settled on paris, but still had many reservations and deep seated sad thoughts about missing out on gelato and italian hot chocolate and delicious pasta.

thankfully, anthony then decided 2 cities was doable! hot damn i am so stoked. so. stoked.

did i mention that i'm stoked?

last sunday night

2011-01-26T07:29:00.002-05:00

this was sunday night, cold and clear.

i know, i know.
it was "cold".

europe will still be chilly, but i'm looking forward to hot chocolate and carafes of wine.

also?

not working.

sooo. damn. close.

2011-01-24T12:27:00.000-05:00

we are inches away from getting these tickets.

INCHES!!

if i think about it too much, i start panting, salivating and foaming at the mouth.

lightbulb

2011-01-22T17:57:00.002-05:00

no WONDER i ended up throwing up this night.

(actually.... i realize it was probably because i tried smoking for the first time. ever. and it was nasty.)

more ZZZZZs, please

2011-01-21T10:29:00.002-05:00

these grey rainy wintry (64 degrees!) days make me want to sleep in. ... or sleep under my desk with my little heated throw.

i'm feeling vaguely irritated that my coworkers conned me into being the pickup person for our lunch. yesterday, as they left, they let me know they were thinking of getting lunch out. ooo! yay! this morning we gathered in their office to pick out orders and decide on a pick-up time - "oh, no, we can accommodate your schedule and get the food whenever! we were going to have you pick it up."

"oh."

typical. i'll be less irritated once i get my hot & sour soup. *sigh* but i'll not be tricked again, bastards.

i'm also irritated at anthony's boss, who isn't being prompt about anthony's vacation time in march. we need to book tickets, bitch! get with it and get him an answer! TODAY!!

and more irritation at the disgusting coffee/half n half fiasco this morning:

yes. i am highly anticipating lunch. my hunger is not easing the Grump within.

massage? more coffee? nap?

sadly, no.

just work and cold fingers.

gettin' on

2011-01-18T17:11:00.002-05:00

about a week ago, i finally got around to getting custom orthopedic inserts made! these are my plaster feet casts.

when i was in elementary school (or was it middle?), my mom had some clear amber ones made for me. i have rolling ankles, see, and they're a bit weaker than most ankle joints. and i hated them! it was difficult to find shoes that fit (that i also liked and would wear) and when i wore them in gym class, they'd shift forward in my shoes so that i'd land on the back edge with my heel, causing me insane amounts of pain. i still cringe in pain thinking about it.

so they went away.

and now, 20 years later i really realize... my ankles suck. and i need to really do something about it. it's funny that i'd never done anything about it before. i knew they were bad, but just... you know how it goes. you're young, you're invincible. screw the future pain!

i had been told that my ankles, on account of their rolling in, would give me ankle pain, knee pain, hip pain and lower back pain. and so far... all true. well, except for the hip pain.

my ankles hurt when i walk for any long amount of time and my lower back has been giving me pain even when i'm not on my period. after i fell while bowling (injuring my ankle) and threw my back out (while carrying a 20 lb. sewing machine) - i've just been a mess. i always take elevators when i have to go up floors and i don't get to be as active as i'd like.

well, soon this shall all change! soon my sage green newfangled shoe inserts will arrive! i've been told that the technology is better and while i will still have trouble finding shoes, it's not as horrific as before. plus, my camper shoes should work well with them - i can't wait to try! i've been holding off on buying new shoes just for these inserts.

they totally make me feel old, to be getting them. but i suppose the point is that i won't FEEL as old wearing them.