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November 20th, 2009
07:55 pm - Why I Usually Watch PBS
Local news ad about was about overdraft fees. Like if you use your debit card without money in the account they can charge you. Just like if it was a check.
Big news, isn't it.
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November 14th, 2009
05:24 pm - Slow Cooker Butter Chicken
~1 cup uncooked cashews
2 tsp curry
2.5 tsp coriander seeds
.5 tsp chili powder
Fry in pan until starts smoking. Remove into bowl
8 chicken legs
Brown in same pan. Put into crock. Pour cashew mix over chicken.
1/4 c butter
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp dried ginger
3 tsp garlic in a jar
pinch of cinnamon and cardamon
1 small onion
3/4 water
1 vegetable bullion cube
1 small can tomato paste
1/2 c sour cream
1 can evaporated milk
1 tsp vinegar
1 tsp Rooster hot Thai sauce
1/2 tsp salt
Melt butter, cut onion into small bits. Add all ingredients to crock, roughly in order of of the recipe. Stir. Leave in fridge overnight to marinate. Put into crockpot base and heat on low for about 8 hours. Serve over rice.
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November 10th, 2009
10:46 am - Book Statistics
I was reading yet another discussion about gender bias of which authors you read, when I realize that due to my cataloging habit, I might actually be able to get numbers on my own buying patterns. I hopped over to my library thing page (not updated with my last several months' purchases, but includes most of my collection) to see if I could get numbers.
My first thought was to look at which authors I had the most of. Can't figure out how to do that yet (though I suspect Marion Zimmer Bradley is high on the list), but I found a widget called male or female. My collection includes roughly 181 male authors and 219 female authors (with about 25 as groups, disputed or unknown). Hmm...
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November 7th, 2009
12:08 pm - Rakes: Eviler than Vacuums
At least according to Bearcat. Lawnchair is celebrating the nice weather by dealing the fall leaves (apparently multiple maples + large oak = lots). He's planning on cheating by mowing most of it, but the corners are being raked and hauled to the compost pile.
Yesterday's dye project is hanging on the line, and looks wonderful (will post pictures later if I remember). My wrists look jaundiced while my fingers have a tan.
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November 6th, 2009
02:22 pm - No Clear Theme
I'm enjoying the beautiful weather. I biked downtown for some weaving and dyeing supplies (don't have the colors necessary) this morning. Now I'm playing some more with resist dyeing on more mop cotton. This skein is going through three dye baths for a total of three colors (hopefully). We'll see how it turns out.
One of my favorite old profs died this week. Dr. Shaffer was my Econ 101 prof my freshman year (as he was for generations of KU students). He was still teaching as of last year. What a life, what a nice man.
Like a lot of people, I'm still processing the Fort Hood shooting. I'm avoiding US TV news, especially FOX. The bigotry is out in force, from what I hear. I am trying to read about people on the other side of the gun. Gladdened to hear that soldiers rushed to help their injured comrades. The police officer that brought down the shooter was a woman.
Cats have settled in the sunlight. I opened the curtains on the picture window, and it lets enough for them all to fit. Bear's found the t-shirt I wore biking this morning, and is using it as a pillow. Silly cat.
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November 3rd, 2009
09:52 pm - Buffy vs. Edward
So some of you missed this.
From the video maker: In this re-imagined narrative, Edward Cullen from the Twilight Series meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It's an example of transformative storytelling serving as a pro-feminist visual critique of Edward's character and generally creepy behavior. Seen through Buffy's eyes, some of the more sexist gender roles and patriarchal Hollywood themes embedded in the Twilight saga are exposed - in hilarious ways. Ultimately this remix is about more than a decisive showdown between the slayer and the sparkly vampire. It also doubles as a metaphor for the ongoing battle between two opposing visions of gender roles in the 21ist century.
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04:35 pm - Further Zombie Cat Update
She's still fine. She's finally close to eating as much as she should be (a can a day), and is chasing her sister across the house. Far cry from where she was at the end of summer. Still no idea what set her off, but seems to be over.
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October 26th, 2009
05:24 pm - Solution to Bra Problem
So I complained to my mother about finding bras in my new size - and she had a solution. hanesoneplace.com has Bali and Playtex bras in all sorts of sizes, averaging $20 or so. Woot - just go look at bras at a store and figure out what style isn't obnoxious.
Then I got a call this afternoon to tell me that the car wouldn't be done today because they sent the wrong parts to the repair shop. I called Lawnchair to head off his bus ride out to the shop (since campus has the best bus service it was easiest for him to drop it off on his way to work), but called to late. I headed out in the truck to pick him up from World Market (the next stop from where I called him, also first time driving since Wednesday and did not wreck). Decided to bop into TJ Maxx's to check out their bra selection. The only 34DD's I found were hideous (yellow lace with glitter), but found 3 bras sized 34D I liked, each for $10. Score. One's green. All fit.
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October 23rd, 2009
08:13 pm - Needs a Name
Latest random cocktail - mid grade sake (Gekkeikan Haiku) and ancient Creme de Noya. Almond Blossom? Saumari Who Smells of Almonds? What is the Japanese word for almond?
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October 22nd, 2009
10:54 am - Minor Grr - Loom
Brake isn't holding the thread bar tight. I suspect fixing will involve cleaning and locktight.
ETA: JB Weld. Tomorrow I test to see how well it holds.
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October 21st, 2009
07:54 pm - First Thing First : I am Fine
Car is mostly fine. Insurance will go up (I was at fault), but otherwise getting off fairly affordably (hopefully car is as fine as it looks). Now maybe you all will take me seriously when I say I'm a crappy driver.
Also, teeth are clean and dentist office is nice even though they want me to visit them again.
Day can start getting better now.
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October 19th, 2009
10:19 pm - Travel Sick
Travel show about Slovenia is making me miss it.
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October 18th, 2009
01:46 pm - Fat Went to My Boobs
Finally admitted that my bras just don't fit any more. As I was planning on going to the fancy mall already for more skin grease (massage bars from LUSH), I decided to try a bra fitting at Nordstroms. Late Sunday morning is apparently a good time for this, because I got quick, eager service. I think the fitting lady was bored. Which is good, because I hate asking for help with things that I think I should have figured out before my late twenties.
First she measured my band size. 34, same as my old bras. I haven't worried much about bras in my life. I wore primarily sports bras up until college, and went back to mostly sports bras while in the navy. For the last couple of years, I've mostly been wearing tank tops with shelf support as my under layer. When I try to wear my bras, not much is covered. The fitter asked what I size I currently wore/owned, and I said B. She looked a bit shocked, and warned me that she suspected I was now at D. She brought back a couple of bras to try on, and the DD fit the best. Yep - B to DD. I guess not all my fat went to my belly.
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October 14th, 2009
02:24 pm - Current Displacement Activity
Cooking. Made stock yesterday, and pot pie today. I still have enough stock and meat left over for chicken dumpling soup, so I froze it. Resisted urge to cook scalloped corn to go with the chili in the fridge. Added a crockpot community to my LJ FL, which has all sorts of tempting recipes.
Heirloom is all strung up and ready to weave on. It looks so pretty I'm scared to mess it up. Also started rereading a favorite series in anticipation of the last book finally being released next month.
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October 7th, 2009
10:05 am - For Locals - Trivia Night
One of Lawnchair's old hallmates runs a trivia night on Thursdays. Lawnchair and I have gone occasionally in years past, and quite enjoy it, though we haven't won, probably because we're competing against bigger teams. Would anyone be interested in being on our team? There is a fee (ten bucks for team to pay for the prize of $100 for the winning team), and it starts at nine. Great fun, show off brains. I'm willing to provide rides (especially if you want a beer or two).
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October 6th, 2009
01:32 pm - A Minus to Every Plus
House has two toilets, so Lawnchair doesn't disturb my baths when he has to take a dump. It was one on the non negotiable things during the house hunt, and dictated what size of house we were looking for.
Downside is that I have two toilets to clean before my parents visit.
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October 3rd, 2009
11:34 am - Planting in My Dirt
A chance comment from Ninja Tech reminded me that since I love having early spring flowers, I should plant some bulbs this fall. So we bought some at Home Depot (we were there to buy a nice drop cloth). I might have gone a little crazy with crocuses.
This morning, Lawnchair broke up the dirt in the front bed (which currently has very generic bushes), and then we worked in some of the compost we got from the city last week (for $10 they dump a bulldozer scoop full in the bed of your truck or trailer), and buried tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, freesia and 120 crocus bulbs. We'll see what comes up.
Now I bathe again, and finally stain the heirloom.
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October 2nd, 2009
01:31 pm - For Local - Books
Library booksale time. Today is the first day open to the general public. I wasn't impressed with the SF/F section, but I did pick up a book on weaving rugs on a two harness loom.
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October 1st, 2009
05:31 pm - Still on the HeirLoom
Finished sanding, though haven't started staining as I realized my drop cloths got used to haul compost. And I have a headache and barely could stand to run out for chocolate. I did stop by Yarn Barn for a reed hook and looked at mop cotton and blanket yarn. Yarn gets expensive quickly.
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September 30th, 2009
09:43 pm - This Week's Obsession - The HeirLoom
Rough sanded the wood that I found troublesome and played with removing parts. I now know how to remove the beater bar, and have bought parts to keep it in place. I also bought random bits to make the loom work better - yardsticks to turn into lees sticks and a dowel into the tie-on sticks. Yarn does fit through the current reed, so I should be able to make blankets with my loom (though skinny blankets. I might need to sew two lengths together).
Tomorrow I shall finish sanding the wood and sand down the metal parts that are rusting (nothing that's in contact with the project, but best stopped). Hopefully I'll also get to staining and painting. I will try to get downtown for a reed hook. I think I'll try using one of my crochet hooks for a heddle hook, as the holes in my heddles are big. And I have no other use for my crochet hooks (also family hand-me-downs from Grandma P). Next big thing after that is a warping board, or some hack.
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